Menu Monday Week 44: November Update

October’s month-long menu was a big success. I fell off a little bit toward the end, but there weren’t any extra trips to the grocery store, and there weren’t any trips to the drive-through, it was more a rearrangement/iron chef situation, so I’ll call it a win. The menu is a guide to saving money, and if nothing is going bad, it is doing its job. We will keep on with the plan.

We sat down over the weekend and planned out most of November’s menu. We are waiting for some news to determine our Thanksgiving plans. What news? Mostly the weather.

If the weather is pleasant, we will be hosting a very small, socially-distant Thanksgiving in the driveway. It’ll be the second time I’ll see my mother and stepfather for more than five minutes since March. Last time we set up chairs in the front yard and talked.

With four teenagers attending three schools in co-parenting homes, our bubble isn’t small no matter how careful Ray and I are. The teenagers are all as careful as you can possibly expect teenagers to be, but we know we need to keep our distance from the more vulnerable people in our lives. Right now two of our schools are on a hybrid model, but with our local numbers climbing, I have a sneaking suspicion that will be ending soon. (That sneaking suspicion is the rubric set up by the health department on which the school district is supposed to base the attendance model.)

My oldest son’s football team has made it to the state playoffs with a 6 – 0 record in the region. Go, team, go. I admit I am stunned that the season hasn’t been cut short[er]. In a twist of irony, our first letter of exposure from the school system came not from football, where I’ve been expecting it, but from the marching band. Thankfully, nothing came of that, but I have to say, COVID-19 is the worst game of Among Us ever. (I play with my kids.)

What does all this mean? November is shaping up to be more stressful and just as busy as previous months.

As far as Tuesday? We voted early. With many mail-in ballots to be counted, we’re prepared not to know the results. Since I work a very early shift, we’ve agreed to put the little ones to bed, turn off the news, and turn in like it’s a normal night. Will it work? I don’t know.

This year’s Count Down to Turkey Day will start on Wednesday.

Even though we should not have traditional Thanksgiving celebrations with all of our friends and family, we can have small, intimate moments of thanksgiving. (The lowercase was intentional, thank you very much). Maybe your family of four doesn’t need a whole turkey, maybe you’ll have the best roast chicken you’ve ever made, or maybe instead of roasting a bird, you’ll change things up so the meal is less like Thanksgivings past and is its own celebration.

This Menu Monday warm-up ended up way off in left field; I’m sorry, it happens.

What’s on your menu this week?

Are you making anything special? Do you need a printable planner to make things easier?

• Monday – Loaded Baked Potato Soup
• Tuesday – Taco Salads (No Salt Taco Seasoning)
• Wednesday – Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Skillet – I’ll add some sweet potatoes this time
• Thursday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Friday – Chicken, Broccoli, Rice Casserole
• Saturday – Chili, Cornbread
• Sunday – Sausage, peppers, and onions on rolls

Do you need help learning how to menu plan? I’ve got a series just for you.

And as a final aside, I spent some time on Sunday trying out a new-to-me technique on yesterday’s pot roast. It took some extra effort, but the results were so good that I’ll be making it again later this month, photographing it, and writing it up as a tutorial for a company-worthy Sunday Supper pot roast.

I hope we all have a peaceful week.