Week 2 – Every Plate Meal Kits
We received our second set of meals on Friday.
First I made the Apricot Pork Chops with a Kick.
The kick was from Sriracha sauce. I had managed to avoid Sriracha the past few years, even though so many people have raved about it. I just figured it was another hot sauce. Heat is fine but it needs to be flavorful, not just hot. Mixed in with the apricot jam as a glaze for the the pork chops made a perfect combination. Even though I forgot to turn off the oven and charred the roasted carrots, they were still flavorful and sweet. What a nice way to make them other than my usual steamed preparation. The lime zest in the rice add such a nice flavor. We really liked this meal.
Next, Oscar and I worked together to make the Caramelized Onion Burgers.
I usually overcook hamburgers so tend to avoid making them. These were cooked just right. The caramelized onions were really nice on top. The roasted potatoes were kind of bland. It was a nice meal overall, though.
Finally, came the Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas.
I’ve never made fajitas from scratch. I always bought a pre-made concoction from the grocery store. I was leary of the poblano peppers and the pickled onions but both were a pleasant surprise. I was disappointed that there were no tortillas. I must have missed them in the box. These were a hit at my house.
Week 2 Results: We really enjoyed everything!
Escape!
Today, I looked out the window and saw:
Roosters in the yard!
Apparently they are feeling better.
Preparedness Lapse
Earlier this year, before the pandemic and lockdown, I determined I needed to get back to my preparedness efforts. When I stopped tracking my progress through this blog, I let my preparedness efforts slide. I did have other issues going on in that time period but now that I am aware of my lapse I am trying to get back on track.
I’m not finding it easy to just pick up and carry on though. Previously, I could work at a somewhat leisurely pace and feel that, as long as I was making progress, I was doing fine. Not so today. The upheaval in the United States the past few months has been particularly unsettling and I’m having trouble finding my focus on what to do first.
The result: I’ve been flip-flopping. “You have to build your supply of weapons and ammunition.” “No, resolve the holes in your food storage first.” “Oh, don’t forget long-term plans (garden, chickens, etc.)” The reality is, however, this must all be done with the same income that is already stretched. (Do not take that as whining. I truly am grateful I was blessed to keep my job through the pandemic).
Hoping to overcome my anxiety, I started looking on-line to see what others are saying about setting priorities in preparedness.
One of the first articles I found was a 2018 Guest Article by Bogan on Modern Survival Blog talking about going beyond the lists of food, water, tools and consider the kind of scenarios you might encounter. While this concept was not unknown to me, it was a poll that was included that caught my interest. Over 1500 people responded to the question, “Of the ‘massive’ (worst case) scenarios listed, which 5 would you most likely prepare for?” The top votes were for: Economic collapse (22%), EMP/CME (19%), Civil war (18%), and Pandemic (17%).
Well, now, doesn’t that look a lot like 2020?
Every Plate Meal Kits – The Experiment Begins
Meal #1 – Tuscan Herbed Chicken Linguine
Let me start by saying: I would never have made this dish on my own. I would have looked at the list of ingredients I needed to acquire/gather, and the steps involved, and discarded it as “too difficult.” It looked interesting though so, here we go.
I started out by collecting the ingredients from the box. Everything is labeled just like on the list provided on the accompanying card.
For this meal, I received one Roma tomato, a bulb of garlic, one lemon, a packet of “Tuscan Heat Spice,” chicken breast strips, linguine pasta, cream cheese, and shredded parmesan. The only ingredients I had to add from my pantry were oil, butter, and salt and pepper.
One of the features I liked about this kit is that I get only as much of each ingredient as I need. For example, if I was making this recipe from my pantry, I would have to purchase containers of basil, rosemary, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, and ground fennel to make the “Tuscan Heat Spice” or spend as much as $11.00 on Amazon for a 5 oz. packet. I received just the 1 tablespoon needed for the meal. Instead of buying a whole bar or tub of cream cheese, I received a small container of just the right amount of cream cheese (it was in a little tub similar to what you get butter in when eating in a restaurant). The chicken was already cut up. The only thing I received more of than I needed was the bulb of garlic (I only needed 3 cloves). I wonder if chickens like garlic? Oops, Google says “no!” I’m sure I’ll figure something out.
The directions were sufficiently detailed to provide confidence for preparing a new recipe. Click on the picture to see what clear instructions they were. I did have to put on my reading glasses to read the card but that’s my norm.
The only thing I didn’t do as instructed was to “slice” two cloves of garlic and “finely chop” a third one. I wasn’t having any of that when I have a perfectly good garlic press — it’s around here somewhere … {rummage through seven drawers} … ah there it is — that I’ve had since the nineties and have never used. Huh, works great.
In the end, the plated dish looked just like the picture on the front of the instruction card.
The Results: We really liked it! The proportion of pasta to chicken was perfect. The size of each serving was a little bigger than we could comfortably eat but I have no problem eating leftovers for lunch. This isn’t a meal I would have often but it’s certainly a nice change from my norm.
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Meal #2 – Sweet Ponzu Beef Bowls
This is another dish I would not have tried if I found it on the internet or in a cookbook. I included it in this week’s selections because it seemed like it would provide just a little stretch for my palate.
The ingredients for this kit included ground beef, white rice, garlic, carrot, Persian cucumber, scallions, wasabi, mayonnaise, Ponzu sauce, lime, and an onion. From my kitchen came oil, butter, sugar, salt and pepper. The cucumber was totally limp so, before starting, I soaked it in water for a bit to stiffen it up.
As before, the directions provided were excellent. Slice, dice, chop, etc. Once the cucumber was sliced, I added lime juice, sugar, and salt and set it aside for a quick-pickle. I mixed the mayo, a bit of garlic, a squeeze of lime, and the wasabi paste to make an aioli. The beef was browned, the rice was cooked and when everything was assembled in the bowls, it presented a nice picture.
The Results: Meh. It was okay. It had a lot more prep work than I like to do. It was a nice thing to try but I don’t need to try it again.
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Meal #3 – Diner-Style Chicken & Gravy
For this meal, I received 2 chicken breasts (a normal portion size, not the monster ones being sold in the store now), 5 small Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh peas, a lemon, chicken stock concentrate, shallot, sour cream, 3 cloves garlic (now I have only about a 1/3 of the whole bulb they originally sent leftover, so not so much that I can’t use it up). My pantry provided salt, pepper, oil, flour, and butter.
This time, I had Oscar make the meal. He learned to make basic stuff before leaving his parent’s home but not really how to put a whole meal together. I made him read all the instructions through before beginning and then unload the ingredients. Since this was the last meal in the box I didn’t realize that could be turned into a difficult thing until he brought the shallot to me and asked “what is this?” I said, “what does it say under the picture on the ingredient list?” Oh. By the time he got to hacking at the shallot and he couldn’t proceed because “it hurts my eyes” though, I knew I’d have to be more than part of the furniture and I got more involved. That’s okay, this is something he has to learn and one thing I’ve learned is that if something’s the least bit outside of one’s experience, most people won’t willingly try new things. I provided additional instruction to what was on the card like the reasons for doing certain things. I showed him how to “finely chop” the shallot properly, how to peel a clove of garlic and use the garlic press, and I generally just kept the process going.
I liked that he could learn how to make mashed potatoes a different way than he had previously learned (using sour cream instead of milk) and that they had us make gravy from scratch (something many people never learn).
Between the two of us, dinner was on the table in about half an hour. Portions were perfect. The chicken was cooked just right (something I personally always have problems with).
The Result: What a nice Sunday dinner we had! One thing I need to remember if we get this dish again is not to follow the instructions when it repeatedly has us add salt and pepper. The chicken, in particular was a bit too salty.
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Overall, I have a high opinion of the Every Plate meal kit. I like that I can try new things without buying whole containers of ingredients that I might never use again. I like that the ingredients are perfectly proportioned. I love that the portion-size is appropriate.
I think meal kits can be a good option for couples. It’s certainly healthier than eating out and, considering restaurant prices, is cost effective in comparison. It would be really good for newlyweds who have not had much cooking experience and/or the opportunity to learn to make very many different dishes. It would be good for empty-nesters who, after so many years of feeding children, may have trouble breaking out of preparing family-sized meals. It certainly provides a means for trying new things and would be good for anyone who is in a rut with meal prep.
I would not recommend a meal kit plan for families with children, either in the price category or portion category (too much for younger children, not enough for teens). Checking the website to see what’s being offered though would certainly help develop a repertoire of meals to make more frugally in a family scenario.
I have not yet decided if I will continue with Every Plate after the three-week reduced price trial but this first week has certainly left a good taste in my mouth.
🙂
Chicken Update
It’s been about three week’s since I realized Blondie and Dotty have Marek’s Disease.
Marek’s Disease is pretty much an automatic death sentence in a large flock. Through additional research, though, I found that occasionally a chicken will live. A survivor would still be disabled and would have to always be separated from the rest of the flock because they will continue to spread the disease for as long as they live, so, surviving may or may not be a great option. All I can do for now is wait and watch.
At this point, Blondie and Dotty are still both alive and functioning. Blondie even looks stronger. He seems to be walking better and even flaps his wings vigorously enough to make me worry about him flapping himself out of the temporary pen. Dotty has not been so lucky, so far. I may need to develop a splint for him as he has a toe that folds under his foot when he walks, much like what happens with diabetic neuropathy of the foot in a human. They are both still eating well and get themselves into and out of the rabbit cage they now call home. They get chicken vitamins and/or apple cider vinegar in their water and they get lots of extras (produce from the house) to keep their diet varied and interest up.
If they make it I’m going to have to build them a more permanent shelter before winter settles in. I will keep monitoring the situation.
None of the other chickens have shown symptoms of Marek’s Disease, thank goodness. My heart skips a beat though when any of them sit down. I am constantly evaluating each one’s gait as they walk. All I can do is continue to watch them.
When we separated the flock into sickies and well-chickens, we thoroughly cleaned the coop and replaced the bedding. We also moved the chunnel to a new area of the yard to keep them as far away from the sickies as possible. They, too, have been receiving vitamins in their water to keep their immune systems in good order. They also get variety to their diet in the form of fresh grass (by moving the chunnel) and food from the house – apples, carrots, other produce, etc.
The extended run has been shelved until we know whether we need to provide a permanent coop for the sickies, if they recover.
🐔
Meal Kits – Good or Bad?
When I first started seeing ads for Meal Kits (Hello Fresh, Dinnerly, Home Chef, etc.) I thought “that’s ridiculous,” “that’s expensive,” “that’s wasteful.” As people I knew tried them, though, my criticism turned into curiosity.
I’ve gotten in a nasty rut with meals the past several months. Before Oscar, I usually just ate a big lunch during the work week and then nothing much (toast or a handful of cookies) at night. I tried to be a good example once Oscar arrived, putting (or having him put) a balanced meal on the table at dinner time. That went by the wayside once Oscar started working. He comes home even later than me so we ended up eating quick-fix dinners like frozen chicken patties with tater tots, spaghetti, boxed mac and cheese. Not healthy.
Something has to change. So, this week begins our experiment with Every Plate meal kit.
There was an ad to try it for three weeks at $2.99 per serving. With shipping, the 3-meal option for two people cost around $30.00; that’s not much more than we’d pay for the processed foods we’ve been getting from the grocery store so I figured, “what is there to lose?”
Each week there are 10 meals to choose from. If we don’t like what’s offered, we can skip a week. I was intrigued by dishes I wouldn’t normally make because they would cost too much once you purchase all the ingredients. Then you’d have left-overs that would go to waste – you know, things like specialty condiments or spices that you only need a teaspoon of but cost $5 a bottle, usually never to be used again. They tell you what ingredients are included, any allergens, additional ingredients you need to provide (oil, butter, salt and pepper seem to be as big as that list gets).
I scheduled delivery of our weekly boxes for Fridays. I figured that way, Oscar could participate in dinner prep over the weekend. Plus there was less likelihood that anything would got to waste because I was too tired to cook.
The first box arrived. It was about 12″ x 12″ x 12″ and was lined with an insulation bag.
Inside was a small box of the fresh ingredients, spices, and other items needed for the three meals. Under that were the meat portions, individually packaged and stored between ice packs.
Let the adventure begin!
😊
Adulting 201
A couple years after my dad died, my mom and I moved from Alaska to California where her sister and mother lived. I hated California. I didn’t want to leave Alaska; I loved Alaska! I lived in California for four years before my sister came up with a scheme to get me back to Alaska.
When I was around 15, my older sister (who still lived in Alaska) told my mom she needed me to visit “for the summer” so I could babysit her four-year-old. She told me that once we got me there we’d try to talk my mom into letting me stay.
Our plotting turned out as I’d hoped and I returned to my beloved Alaska and lived with Susie (she’s 12 years older than me), her husband (David), and their daughter (Kimi).
Once it was established that I would stay, David got down to brass tacks about what I needed to do to continue living there. In that discussion, he told me, “You can tell me to f&#* off but the first time you do you’ll find yourself on a plane back to your mother.” Obviously that got my attention. For one thing, I’d never heard that word before (but somehow knew what it meant), and, the worst thing you could do to me at that time was to make me go back to California. Groundwork laid, we had a fairly smooth couple of years. By life-with-a-teenager standards anyway.
Little did we know then, we were beginning what has become a bit of a tradition in our family: something I now call “Adulting 201.” I know this isn’t a new concept. Distributing children to other family members has been used for generations – sometimes because of financial circumstances, sometimes because of troubled relationships, sometimes for problem children. Our version has tended to be more a kind of “Finishing School.”
Since that time, my family has been sending our teenagers to each other to grow up a little more before launching into the cold, cruel world. In each case, there was the expectation that the sub-adult would earn room and board, get a job, go to school, buy their own stuff. There are several benefits to doing this. The parent knows the child is with someone with similar values, who cares about their welfare, who will provide a safe landing spot while the teen is learning to fly. The child feels like they are supporting themselves yet understands it can all be yanked away with the wrong behavior. You know: Adulting. I went to my sister, my niece came to me, my oldest daughter went to my mom, and now my grandson came to me.
Being a typical, modern day teenager, Oscar resisted all attempts to get him to grow up and be responsible for himself. He didn’t get a job when his parents told him to, put forth minimal effort at school, and showed every indication he believed the roof over his head, clothes on his back, and food in his belly was always going to be due him with no effort on his part. In an effort to nudge a response out of him, at sixteen, his mom told him, “eighteen and out.” He continued to resist all stimuli intended to motivate him until the issue was forced on him the beginning of his Senior year in high school when his mom got him a job. He discovered he liked having spending money and a little freedom. He still didn’t believe they would follow through with chucking him out of the nest after high school was done though. He certainly was not going to be ready to launch at that time. So, we started discussing implementing Adulting 201.
So, Oscar came to live with me in May when he finished high school. He was to earn his keep by doing some of the heavy duty projects I had put on hold because they were too much for me to do on my own (like the chicken coop). He was to get a job. As a member of the household he was expected to participate in the household chores.
Now, don’t be fooled into thinking I’m handling this gracefully. There have been times that I have completely lost it with him. Raising daughters more than thirty years ago did not prepare me for the lack of motivation, the complete disregard for what I say, and the lack of care for anyone but himself that I’ve experienced the past several months.
For the first few months we even had to do basic lessons. One was, you don’t eat a whole loaf of bread in two days when you aren’t paying for it. I was used to a loaf of bread lasting for two weeks so I figured that, with two mouths, one loaf of bread a week was sufficient. Silly me. My expectation that, come Saturday, there would be toast for my breakfast was destroyed by Monday. So, then I had to set the rule that once this week’s loaf of bread was gone, he had to make bread. I have to say, I got really tired of his homemade bread. Now that he has a job, if he wants bread, he buys his own. (His response after his first grocery store trip was “Do you know how much peanut butter costs?!” Hahahaha)
Telling him what he could eat from my cupboards, and then to not eat my snacks, followed by defining what a snack food was, didn’t work. I had to show him a particular foodstuff and say, “This is Mine, you can’t have it.” Otherwise I would go looking for my bag of potato chips or cookies a week later and find a bag with crumbs, or nothing.
I’ve rounded on him in front of my co-workers and chewed him out, complete with my finger shaking in his face, “When your granny tells you to do something, you do it!” I have unpacked and used all my swear words on him (I added quite a few to my repertoire since starting my current job). I’ve even had to pull out the statement, “If you are going to continue down this path (not doing chores, watching TV all day, etc.), you’d better start thinking about where you’re going to live because you are about to be homeless.”
One of my friends asked if I would really kick him out and was shocked when I said I would. I hope I never have to find out if that’s true.
Now that he has a job, he is responsible to buy all his snacks, his breakfast stuff, and his lunch stuff. Of course, then a new crop of issues came up. He was shocked to find out that his day off from his job did not mean one gets to lay around the house watching TV/playing video games all day; it is the day you catch up on everything else you didn’t do while away earning money. “You don’t eat snack foods (soda and cookies and potato chips) for lunch.” Telling him that didn’t work, so, now I take him to the grocery store and guide his buying so he occasionally gets reasonable food in his body. Telling him repeatedly “Don’t eat in your bedroom and leave the garbage in there, it will attract bugs and mice,” didn’t work so I established a $10.00 charge for any time I come home and find garbage in his room. Funny how he listened when I did that (drat, I was kind of looking forward to an extra $300/month).
Things have smoothed out over the months. It has helped that he now has a job so he’s paying for his expenses (like room and board) with money rather than tasks that I have to push, push, push to get him to do. There are fewer episodes of Raging Granny as time goes on. Though sometimes, still, that seems to be the only way he catches on.
Don’t get me wrong. He really is a good kid. He was well raised by his parents. He’s just immature and self-centered and oblivious as one would expect of an 18/19-year-old. I’m just trying to drive home these last few lessons about the need for self-regulation, that his new-found freedoms still come with responsibilities, that his actions in this adult world have even bigger consequences (like, if you spend all your money on Legos, you won’t be able to buy that truck you want), and trying to get him to recognize that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Maybe I’ll even be able to throw in some hints on critical thinking and communication skills.
Wish me luck.
🙃
Disaster Strikes!
The coop continues to evolve but things are on the rails now.
Just as I was ready to start purchasing supplies for the extended run, I noticed the two Cream Legbar Roosters (Blondie and Dotty) were sitting down at every opportunity and often just stayed in the coop even when the weather was nice. Then I observed that Dotty was walking oddly – as if her leg was stiff. This progressed to them stumbling around and losing their balance.
I had repeatedly felt their joints and did a physical exam but everything was clear. Unable to discern a cause myself, I posted videos on Backyard Chickens with a plea for help.
The email came at 3:00 in the morning on September 23rd: a reader responded saying it looked like Marek’s Disease! I knew about Marek’s Disease. It is pretty much a death sentence for your flock.
Marek’s Disease is a highly contagious virus, transmitted via the respiratory system, with a high mortality rate. Googling information gives a grim picture: almost no chicken survives and the only cure – kill them humanely or watch them die.
I’m heartbroken.
In the ten days of research since diagnosis, I found this useful and comprehensive article.
Blondie and Dotty have been quarantined (all of the chickens were upset about the separation!). They now call a rabbit cage home. We are keeping them in a section of the dog yard with chicken wire and tarps for protection and warmth. They are still moving about, eating. Oscar is convinced they seem to be improving but understands that, even if they do survive, they will never be able to be with the other chickens.
To help prevent spreading Marek’s to the rest of the flock, the coop bedding was removed, all surfaces of the coop were cloroxed, and new bedding was put in. We also moved the chunnel to a new section of grass. They can no longer go into the dog yard as they would be too close to the sickies. Every time one of them sits down my heart does a little skip.
They will be 14 weeks old Monday.
😥
The Continuing Saga of the Never-Ending Coop
The grass in the run was gone within a couple of weeks.
The chicken bank was empty so we couldn’t build the extended run I wanted.
What will we try next to keep the chickens in grass?
Ta-da! With our leftover chicken wire, 1x2s, and landscape staples, we built a Chunnel. A tunnel that the chickens could run through, almost free-range, that would allow them luscious new grass to savor.
I’ve seen some excellent versions of the chicken tunnel, over the years, utilizing the natural needs and tendencies of the chicken to the benefit of another part of a property. I think one of my favorite examples was seeing them used around the perimeter, or in between the rows, of a garden. This way, the chickens control weeds and bugs, while adding fertilizer to the soil, but they don’t completely plunder the garden.
As usual we had to figure it out and make it up as we went along but by golly a Chunnel, no matter how basic, was the answer to our dilemma.
First, we built a 10-foot Chunnel off the run.
Watch them enjoying it for the first time here.
I thought the grass would last a week but no, seven chickens quickly obliterated it.
Back to Home Depot for more 1x2s to extend the Chunnel all the way to the dog yard. They were only a couple of dollars a piece so I was willing to spend a little grocery money. That’s the thing about chickens, you always need just one more thing; or maybe two.
The great thing about this extension was, I had Chicken TV right outside my kitchen and dining room windows. I could watch their antics without dealing with the mosquitos and other bugs. It really is entertaining watching a chicken take off running down the tunnel and everyone else following suit. “Hey, where are you going? Why are you running? Is it scary? Is it food? I’m coming, too!”
Once That grass was gone, I cut a gate between the dog yard and the Chunnel so they could go in there for a little while before bedtime to graze. That was challenging though because, as explained before, they could jump out of the dog yard with the greatest of ease. Most of them stayed put most of the time though; with occasional hilarious antics trying to gather a stray chicken or two when it was their bedtime.
This brings the tale within sight of current times when something terrible happened.
🐔
Coop Evolution
The never-ending coop has been a constantly evolving project.
We saw an A-frame coop on You Tube and adapted it with our own modifications. We wanted something we could stand upright in, and, we liked the idea of limited measuring and cutting. Each leg of each triangle was an 8-foot 2×4 piece of plywood straight from the store. The roof ridge was also an 8-foot 2×4. The pieces were attached with brackets and screws. Half of the structure would be the coop, half would be the run.
As soon as we got the frame for the coop and run together, we realized the run would not be big enough. At the time, though, I thought this was a week-end project (two at most), so it would be big enough for the chicks for their first six weeks.
We added additional supports and soon realized this monstrosity was going to be two heavy to move from the driveway to it’s permanent place. As this was in the middle of lockdown (June) it wasn’t like we could call a bunch of friends over for a good ol’ Amish Barn Moving. So, we rolled it. It had to look funny …. lift, walk your hands down the edge, thunk. Repeat. Almost all the way to the other side of the property. I like to think God was entertained that evening.
Once in place, we put hardware cloth underneath for predator protection and attached 4×8′ OSB boards to the sides (no cutting!). The back required two simple cuts of another OSB board to cover the bottom. We put hardware cloth on the top to ensure adequate ventilation. The front was a little trickier, especially the door, but it finally got done.
Until we realized we wouldn’t be able to open it once chicken wire was put on the run. Regroup, rethink. Okay, cut the door in half and put hardware cloth at the top. Not the perfect option: do you know how many times we’ve banged our heads on the crossbeam going into the coop?
The big day finally came and the chicks were moved to the coop.
They especially loved the run and all that scrumptious grass.
It didn’t last long though. All that grass was gone within two weeks! Well, I knew I would need to build an extended run but now my chicken budget was used up and I was out of money. Regroup, rethink. Hmm, let’s try putting them in the dog yard for an hour before bedtime. There was plenty of grass there and it needed to be removed. It seemed like a win-win solution.
Nope. At six weeks old, they immediately figured out they can jump over the 2 foot fence that kept Timmy in for all these years.
Next.
🐔
Two Chickens Homestead 
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