Planning for a trip should not be this stressful. Of course, I'm usually not the only one planning, and said planning doesn't usually require one grocery store run for two weeks' worth of food and no meals at restaurants... I've always been a pseudo-planner. I plan big things - say, things that need reservations - but I like to leave some things open for spontaneity. That was Doug's preference as well: plan some stuff, and wing some stuff. That's what we did, and it worked beautifully for us.
But since Doug died, I've become a hyper-planner. I plan everything, and I make lists for everything. It's out of necessity because, if I don't make lists, I'll miss things I can't afford to miss; I can no longer count on my memory for anything. So, today, I planned my meals for the trip, and started working on my grocery list based on said meal plan. It took nearly the entire day in elapsed time, but I won't deny I took a few breaks here and there.
Meal planning for two weeks is hard, yo. And I like variety, so trying to make sure I have enough variety to keep me interested while also not buying way more than I need... there was a lot of math; thank the gods for spreadsheet software, amirite? Anyway, here's the plan:
Breakfasts will be a rotation of a couple of different varieties of overnight oats, a tofu/veggie scramble, breakfast tacos, and a sweet potato breakfast bowl.
Lunches will be a rotation of a salad (kale with tofu, dried cranberries, and a raspberry vinaigrette with chopped pistachios), chickpea veggie wraps, and rice noodle veggie bowls with ginger peanut dressing.
Dinners are a little different: I don't want to eat the same dinner four times in two weeks, so I'll cook dinner every other day and eat the leftovers on the days I don't cook. Dinner selections will be veggie stir fry, Thai mango cabbage cups with Thai peanut sauce, pulled portobello mushroom BBQ sliders with sesame slaw and roasted potatoes, butter cauliflower, portobello mushroom stew (I'm making this on our anniversary, as it was one of Doug's favorites), chickpea sweet potato curry, and Black bean enchiladas.
And because I have a sweet tooth, I'll have a rotation of desserts: sauteed stone fruit with balsamic glaze and whipped coconut cream, mango (I'll have some left over from the cabbage cups, and mangoes are YUMMY), and for a chocolate fix, dark chocolate almond milk pudding.
Yes, I'm aware that this is a shit-ton of food, but my breakfast and lunch are generally half-size portions anyway, and remember that I'm going to be outside and walking a lot more than I am right now. So I'm not worried about getting fatter. I'm hoping that the mountain air and exercise and healthy food will burn off all the stress-induced cortisol that's keeping me from sleeping, and maybe they'll kick my metabolism back into gear.
Yes, also I'm aware that there is zero meat, or fish, or poultry, or pork, or dairy on that menu. Yes, that's intentional. No, I'm not a vegan (not that there's anything wrong with that). But these two weeks are an experiment, right? None of these foods are things I haven't made before, so I already know I like them. And while I love a good burger, or some yummy wings, or ribs, I'm willing to admit that I generally feel physically better on days when I don't eat any animal products. So why not try it out for two weeks and see if that holds true over time?
Don't get me wrong: even if this experiment is a raging success, I'll still occasionally eat a cheeseburger, and no way will I eat pasta without cheese on it. You can have my margherita pizza when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. But if eating primarily vegan (and whole foods vegan, not lots of processed vegan substitutes) makes me feel physically good, then it kind of gives me a blueprint to follow when I'm back here.
Physically feeling good aside, meat is expensive, and not likely to keep for two weeks (whereas kale and sweet potatoes absolutely will). So it's also a matter of practicality. So, y'know, there's that.
That was my day - aside from waking up this morning to the horribly sad news about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the political shit show that immediately followed. Full disclosure: I cried. A lot. The ONE thing I was hoping most was for RBG to make it past Election day. I know she'd been ill for a long time, and I know she had to have been in terrible pain. But selfishly, I'm terrified of what comes next.
It was an awful way to start the day, but I let myself wallow for a while and then I got to work. And I got done with the one thing I wanted to get done, so now I can relax and do whatever I feel like doing (at this moment, I have no idea what that might be, but I'm done with 'work' for the day). Tomorrow is housework, finishing up my grocery list and packing list, putting together the zoom link for the Disloyal book club, and whatever else I feel like doing (see? plan some, wing some).
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