Sunday evening check-in

So, today I have rested and tried to get ahead for the week, cooking-wise. There were several days this past week that I just did not have the energy to cook after work, so I'm trying to plan ahead. Didn't make it to church this morning. In fact, I went back to bed around 10 a.m. and slept for about an hour and a half, which felt great.

So, with next week's dinners in mind, first of all, I made meatballs in the slow cooker this morning. It was really easy.

First, I chopped a few cloves of garlic and heated them in a small skillet in a little olive oil - not long, maybe a minute - until they were fragrant and starting to cook. I put the garlic and oil in the bottom of the slow cooker.

I added 2 14-ounce cans of tomatoes (I had one can of Kroger diced tomatoes and one can of Del Monte tomatoes with peppers and onions in the pantry, so that's what I used). I also added a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, to thicken it a little.

I threw some ground oregano, dried parsley, Italian Seasoning, and a little salt into the tomato/garlic mixture.

I mixed about a pound and a half of ground chuck with about a cup of parmesan cheese and an egg. I didn't put in any bread crumbs. I didn't want the extra carbs. Made fairly large meatballs (maybe 2 - 2 1/2 inch diameter) and dropped them into the sauce as I finished each one.

When they were all in the slow cooker, I spooned the tomato mixture over each meatball, so it was coated, and turned it on high. My slow cooker is very old, so I start everything out on high. Once I could hear it "simmering" inside the pot, I turned it down to medium. Cooked it for about 3-4 hours.

I made some Dreamfields pasta to go with, and it made a lot of meatballs and sauce -- enough for several meals. Hubby liked them, so I think they were a success.

Then, tonight after it cooled down some, I took four chicken leg/thigh pieces, added kosher salt and cracked black pepper and roasted them - skin-on - in the oven. I won't use my oven when it's very hot outside; it just heats up the house too much, and I can't stand it. Made steamed broccoli to go with. I've got a big bowl of spinach salad made as well.

So, we've got dinner for a few nights this week. I'm really happy about that. And I'm very thankful my sweet husband will eat leftovers. I can take salad to work for lunch, with some sliced turkey breast meat. I've got celery sticks cut up and my low carb yogurt, so I think I'm good to go for most of the week.

I'm just hoping all this prep work will help me have a better week than last week. I think it will.