This summer, my husband traveled with the Army Reserve — like he has most summers. (For those who say AT is only supposed to be 2 weeks, I can’t recall such a summer since he joined.) When he told me the schedule, I marked it on our shared Outlook calendar and began planning. Most of my son’s and I’s life is already arranged around my husband’s time away. I have childcare in place while I work and a play area set up beside my desk for emergency edits. I have family members with keys in case my five-year-old accidentally locks me out (which has happened).
Throughout the year, we have little rituals to turn the shorter, monthly disruption into something my son can happily anticipate. I let him sleep in my bed and stay up late on the weekends. We plan Saturday outings. We visit my parents. We binge-watch the Clone Wars series.
In daily life, I loathe preparing meals. If I were single, I would never cook. I would eat assortments of cold foods straight from the fridge.
I have no passion for the kitchen and food disinterests me. I rarely feel hungry. My reminder to eat is when my hunger headache gets too strong for me to concentrate on my work.
But, I’m no longer young and I’m not single. I tell myself the drudgery of planning meals, shopping, and fixing dishes is good for us. As a family of three, we should eat healthy meals together. When three becomes two (and the other participant is content with thrice-daily peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), the exercise loses any appeal.
At the same time, it seemed (dare I say it) irresponsible to skip cooking for most of the summer.
The Meal Plan
I tried setting up a rotation of meals for the first two weeks, with the intent of repeating it over and over until my husband returned — or we developed scurvy. I tried to pick things I knew would excite my son — either because he liked cooking them or enjoyed eating them. You can see his influence in the selections.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., June 10 | Blueberry Pancakes | (at Birthday Party) | Skillet Pizza | Banana Muffins |
| Sun., June 11 | Cereal | Nachos with Ground Turkey, Beans, Corn |
Eggs + Toast | Granola bar |
| Mon., June 12 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Quesadilla |
Tortellini Salad with Olives, Feta, Peas, Corn |
Granola bar |
| Tues., June 13 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Hummus, Tortilla Chips, and CantaloupeD: Greek Chicken Wrap with Olives and Lettuce |
V: Hot Dog
D: Turkey Burger Corn on the Cob
|
Granola bar |
| Wed., June 14 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Ceasar Wrap |
Spaghetti and Meatballs | Granola bar |
| Thu., June 15 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Rolled Turkey, Cheese Stick, ClementineD: Chicken Quesadilla with Avacado and Corn |
Shrimp and Ramen with corn, green beans, broccoli |
Granola bar |
| Fri., June 16 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Quesadilla |
Fish and Avacado Wraps with Mac n Cheese |
Pretzel and Peanut Butter |
| Sat., June 17 | Blueberry Pancakes | Nachos with Ground Turkey, Beans, Corn |
Eggs + Toast | Pretzel and Peanut Butter |
| Sun., June 18 | Cereal | (At Grandparent’s house) | (At Grandparent’s house) | Pretzel and Peanut Butter |
| Mon., June 19 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Quesadilla |
Tortellini Salad with Olives, Feta, Peas, Corn |
Pretzel and Peanut Butter |
| Tue., June 20 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Hummus, Tortilla Chips, and Cantaloupe
D: Greek Chicken Wrap |
V: Hot Dog
D: Turkey Burger Corn on the Cob |
Pretzel and Peanut Butter |
| Wed., June 21 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Ceasar Wrap |
Spaghetti and Meatballs | Homemade Trail Mix |
| Thu., June 22 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Rolled Turkey, Cheese Stick, Clementine
D: Chicken Quesadilla |
Shrimp and Ramen with corn, green beans, broccoli |
Homemade Trail Mix |
| Fri., June 23 | V: Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
D: Larabar |
V: Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
D: Chicken Quesadilla |
Fish and Avacado Wraps with Mac n Cheese |
Homemade Trail Mix |
| Sat., Jun 24 | Blueberry Pancakes | Nachos with Ground Turkey, Beans, Corn | Eggs + Toast | Homemade Trail Mix |
Breakfast Meals
Blueberry Pancakes
Waffle with Peanut butter, Banana, Honey
Lunch meals
Cheese, Cracker, and Olives
Chicken Quesadilla with Avacado and Corn
Hummus, Tortilla Chips, and Cantaloupe
Greek Chicken Wrap with Olives and Lettuce
Chicken Ceasar Wrap with Olives, Lettuce, and Croutons
Rolled Turkey, Cheese Stick, Clementine
Chicken Quesadilla with Avacado and Corn
Dinner Meals
Skillet Pizza
Nachos with Ground Turkey, Beans, Corn
Eggs + Toast
Tortellini Salad with Olives, Feta, Peas, Corn
Hot Dog and Turkey Burger with Corn on the Cob
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Shrimp and Ramen with corn, green beans, broccoli
Fish and Avacado Wraps with Mac n Cheese
Snacks
Banana Muffins (from brown bananas)
Homemade Trail Mix
The Meal Reality
My son surprised me with the revelation that he doesn’t like skillet pizza. I’m unable to determine whether he never liked them or if it’s a new development. I had already purchased a lot of naan and mozzarella cheese. We soldiered on.
Any sub-par meal can be rectified by a fancy drink (ice water in stemware with a silly straw).
I feel like I made a million school lunches with the same few components. No complaints but, I’m not really there to hear them.
One Saturday, I opted to dump out the dusty bottom of a bag of fruit loops. This is an unheard-of treat for breakfast (typically, sugary cereal is reserved for grandparents or as a candy-substitute.) I received many hugs.
We debated the best pasta shape for several weeks. In conclusion, I still prefer angel hair and Victor prefers “tornadoes” (i.e. rotini).
I strategically schedule these for a bath night that includes hair washing. Curly hair people know why this timing is essential.
I boiled and broiled many pounds of chicken for myself. I ate these for lunch and anytime dinner was something like hotdogs.
We never made blueberry pancakes. We did make sprinkle waffles.
I resurrected our recipe for “ghosts”. I think I found this in a children’s magazine several years ago and it has morphed into a beloved abomination. I do not partake but, it’s a crowd-pleaser.
In summary, I am not going to start a mommy blog or a food blog. But, I did hit all my deadlines over the summer, launched The Shop Shop, and we don’t need extra vitamin supplements.
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About Danielle Verderame
I am a writer first. I specialize in content-heavy websites, bringing together my 15 years of marketing background with my imaginative aesthetic. Most of the time, I optimize small business websites for search and social media. Through Verderame, LLC. I offer my services to small businesses who need assistance with their websites, content, and search engine optimization.
In 2023, I launched a boutique Lynchburg Marketing agency under Verderame, LLC. And it’s all focused on retail. Our small team specializes in marketing services for makers, eStores, and retailers. We’re ready to maintain, manage, and promote your store on any platform including WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, Square Online (Weebly), Comment Sold, Pinterest Shops, and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Shops.
If you’re looking for marketing help, email me at danielle@theshopshop.co.
