As I was driving to work this AM it dawned on me my husband is getting ready to head out of town for a few days. I immediately panicked at the idea of being a single mom for 72 hours until the lightbulb went off – three days of 100% control! Yes, my name is Kelly Duffy and I am a control freak – about some things. I have a hard time relinquishing responsibilities because when it’s all said and done, I just flat out believe I do all the household/kid chore stuff better (I gotta be honest, y’all). Does that mean I want to and enjoy doing all the things? No way Jose. But in order for everything to function properly, I believe it’s important I step up to the plate. Now, before I get nasty responses ( most likely from the hubs) let me say this – my husband is a wonderful and very hands on parent/partner. He makes the kids breakfasts and lunches, takes the kids to school, helps with pick-ups and a number of other chores when he can. If there is a crisis or patience is required, I tag out and he tags in. I am very lucky to have such an involved guy at my side and I will miss him while he is gone. But y’all, he is slower than a damn turtle. In every way. What is up with that? My girlfriends say the exact same thing about their husbands. Do they do this on purpose so we just end up doing all the work ourselves? I don’t want to give them too much credit, but I seriously think there is some conspiracy at play here. For example, when I’m flying solo, I can get myself ready for work, lunches for all three of us packed, breakfast on the table, hair done, dog walked & fed and everyone in the car in the same amount of time it takes for him to pack the lunches and brush his teeth. I mean, it truly boggles my mind. Do women just continuously function on fast forward while men are running on super slow-mo? And do we need to slow it down a bit every now and then to see what would happen? I think I already know the answer to this question but it might serve me well not to type in my thoughts. Apologies if I’ve missed the mark and offended the fabulous males in our lives but it really is one of those “Men Are From Mars” type phenomenons. Love mine to death, and don’t know what I would do without him, but MOTHER of MERCY.
***Update – I must add that while my husband was driving away, for all of 3 days, my girls were bawling their eyes out like they were never going to see him again. And then my oldest pleaded with me to make her a promise – “Mommy, will you pinky promise me that while Daddy is gone you won’t yell as loud and for as long as you usually do when you are alone and really, really, really stressed?” – Insert foot into mouth now.
Tip of the Week: Meal planning is not just for families – everyone benefits from taking the time to plan out what you will be putting into your body at meal time. I often hear people say it’s silly to “cook for one” but I strongly disagree. (For what it’s worth, I also strongly disagree with my Mother when she tells me it’s not healthy to have a glass(es) of wine by yourself!) You may not need to cook a different recipe each night, but you should still stick to a weekly meal plan. My whole blog is more than just a way to
help you free up time – it’s about taking back your health. Making good food choices is not always easy. If you are anything like me, you have to give yourself no other option but to cook what is in your refrigerator so what’s in there needs to be well thought out and easily utilized. We all need to be excited about what we are cooking and eating. The recipes I’m sharing on this blog will help you to do just that. Healthy, delicious and quick! Now that is a promise I will make – I’m undecided on the promise to my daughter. Give me another 12 hours.
Happy, Healthy Eating Friends. XO ~ Kelly D.
Meal Plan for the week of 9/30
Sunday Sandwich Night – The Duffys are eating sammies this Sunday. I foresee a busy Sunday in my future so we are going to keep it simple but interesting. I am debating between the Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan and the Roasted Tomato Basil sandwiches so we may just do both. Most of the ingredients are in my fridge anyway. Both of these look mouth watering good. My girls will probably request a grilled cheese and that is A OK with me. I might even open a bag of frozen French fries and call it a day. Cheat meal on steroids this Sunday y’all!
Buffalo Quinoa Chicken Salad – I have a really good friend who loves buffalo hot sauce. She puts it on everything! The truth is it’s super flavorful and really low in fat, so it’s a great condiment. You are probably starting to sense a pattern here – crazy easy & quick recipes on Mondays. I can’t handle complicated on a Monday so this recipe fits the bill! Buy a rotisserie chicken and the only thing left to do is chop a few ingredients – no cooking required. If your kiddos don’t like spice you could serve theirs without the adult stuff – sauce, red onion and blue cheese.
Southwestern Turkey Rice Casserole – I love a casserole. I love anything that comes out of the oven warm and in one dish. Nothing extraordinary here but a good filling and appealing family dish! For you “taco Tuesday” people, do this instead – same flavors with half the fat!
Mediterranean Sheet Pan Baked Shrimp & Veggies – Y’all know there is such a thing as a Mediterranean diet, right? I could survive on such a diet. I love Mediterranean flavors. This is a really delicious dish that allows you to adjust based on your families likes/dislikes. You could easily sub chicken for shrimp and change out the veggies. The constant needs to be the sauce. Don’t freak when you see “sumac” spice – I don’t own sumac. Sub lemon juice for sumac and you will be fine – about a tablespoon.
Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pork Tenderloin – Another family friendly, versatile recipe here folks. Plus it’s cooked in a crockpot so that makes it even more amazing. If you have space in your fridge, or an outside fridge, throw the ingredients together in the actual crockpot POT the night before. Then wake up, put the pot into the crock, set it and forget it. Serve this any way you want – tacos, bread or rice if you are cool with carbs. I will reach into my handy dandy bag oh Costco frozen beans and sauté them into deliciousness.
One Pot Healthy Cajun Chicken with Orzo – I’m doing the carb thing this Friday people. I adore orzo – it’s my favorite pasta. I think I’ve already told y’all that but I really do adore orzo. The hubs will be back on Friday so this will be simmering on the stove for him when he walks into the door. IF he’s read my blog, he may be really hangry (I love the word hangry) – thinking this will help. We are still in the 90’s in Charleston but I’ll just pretend it’s cool enough to eat a hot soup – a girl can dream.
A HUGE thanks to all who have sent me recipes to post on the blog. I promise I will share them with everyone soon!! They all look scrumptious. If you make one of my suggested dishes, please tag me on Insta!! #dinnerwiththeduffys. Love seeing your pics.
Jimmy & Alice Gatch says
Love reading your lead up to the recipes!!! Makes me laugh. Now I wish I had someone in my household who would eat some of your recipes 😍. He would be with the girls wanting a grilled cheese 😊. Ly
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Dining with the Duffys says
Ha!!!!! So true Ad!!!
Van De Erve, Anita Condon says
Talented woman!!!
Anita Condon van de Erve
843-303-2290
Dining with the Duffys says
Thank you!!!
Kelly Solar says
You are too funny!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes too!!
😉