I’ve been quite impressed with Carrie’s attitude and creativity during our stay at home time; she’s actually thriving. She’s in online classes most of the day. During her lunch hour, we’re doing home workouts. She set goals and is sticking with her plans to achieve them. I’m watching her get stronger both physically and emotionally. She’s trying and learning new things. At a time when she could be complaining of boredom and isolating herself in her room, she’s enjoying life! She’s making the most of our time together and taking pride in the fact that she’s doing her part to help save lives by staying home.
She came up with a creative way to bring more fun to dinner time by planning themed dinners. Love it! We put our heads together and figured out meals based on things we had in stock and off she went.
Here’s the thing, I HAD THE BEST TIME! Somehow, Carrie’s ideas transported us to a new restaurant every night! She made cute invitations (until our printer ran out of ink) and gave us details for each evening. We prepared the meals together and Carrie was our server but she also dined with us!
Sleeper Sunday: Eat breakfast food for dinner, wear pjs and dine on the couch.
Menu: Eggs, Rosie’s Rivets with dipping sauces and apple butter and oranges.
I don’t have any pics of us in our PJs but we wore them and ate while sitting on the couch, which we never do. Can I just tell you how much apple butter (homemade by my daughter, Hannah) elevates Rosie’s Rivets?! Game changer!
Meditation Monday: Channel our inner zen and have a calming, nutritious meal.
Menu: Buddha-ish bowls full of greens, cucumber, nuts and falafel
This was very tasty and I felt good getting lots of veggies and healthy foods in! The weather was decent so we took it outside and soaked up the peaceful sounds of spring peepers. Namaste!
Talian Tuesday: Not much explanation needed!
Menu: Homemade naan bread pizzas and bread to dip in olive oil. CARBS galore!
We lucked out with another pleasant evening, so we made our pizzas and dined outside. The meal was delicious and I could’ve eaten another pizza and loaf of bread! We love to make pizzas, so this was a meal we were all looking forward to! I’m still full! Mangia!
Waikiki Wednesday: This was scheduled to be Tropical Thursday but the weather was amazing so Carrie switched the days and we really embraced the tropical theme outside!
Menu: Bowls filled with rice, grilled veggies, roasted sweet potatoes, beans and grilled pineapple and fresh fruit salad with shredded coconut. Grown ups had Masthead Brewing Company beer and Carrie had sparkling water.
ALOHA! My favorite night! We dressed in tropical clothes, brought Fifi the flamingo to the deck and plugged in the string lights. Carrie created a tropical music playlist and really set the mood. Everything combined, made me feel like I was in paradise! Look at that sunset. We laughed, danced, ate and had a blast! I can’t wait to do a dinner like this again!
Hibachi Thursday: Carrie planned to be our chef and was certain about what she wanted to grill for us. Super happy we switched nights because it was cold and rainy and an indoor Hibachi grill experience was perfect!
Menu: Carrots, onions, peas, eggs, rice and sesame seeds prepared before our eyes!
Carrie made her hat and we stuck the griddle on the table and away she went! How cute is she? She diced and grilled away! She even did a few tricks. We all agreed we want to do this again soon! Best Hibachi experience I’ve ever had!
Fancy Friday: Get dressed up for a nice dinner!
Menu: Pumpkin Sage Lasagna, homemade spelt bread and a freezer find of pumpkin roll and brownies for dessert. Random, but it was all DELICIOUS!
I’ve been sporting leggings and sweatshirts for over a month. It felt good to put on a dress and throw on a little lip gloss! We truly worked with what we had on hand for this meal idea. It came together and worked out perfectly (pumpkin-ish theme). Carrie played classical music, we cut flowers from our yard and lit candles. It was very nice and felt like a fine dining experience, right inside our house.
Carrie, you’re the best! Thank you for filling me with tremendous joy and keeping me excited for dinner time! I love you!
If you’re looking for something fun to do, here you go! It doesn’t have to be every night, you could just pick a couple nights. Play music, use what food you have, do some dancing and you’ve got yourself a fun-filled time! Carrie is already thinking about future themes! I can hardly wait!
From the heart,
Shannon
flouredapron.com 