Weekly Wrap Up: Get Down With The Sickness

Well, folks, as a friend put it: flupocalypse is here. It started New Year's Day and is still petering around, causing aches, sniffles, stuffies and sore throats. It's been floating around here for a while: Jon had it, one of my BFFs had it, multiple family members and co-workers have had it - so I guess it's my turn. One of the apparent defining characteristics is its lingering abilities: it's not one of those 48- or 72-hour bugs, oh no: we have a stage 5 clinger. 

I'm a terrible sick person, too. I alternate between whining and feeling pitiful and trying to kick the sickness out of my system by doing ALL OF THE THINGS, which typically results in me feeling extra exhausted. 

Despite this, I've made it to Friday relatively unscathed. Sure, I no longer have a voice (no, really - I know people say that often but I am down to rasp and gravel. Even when I can produce that, I get winded and run out of air) but I'm still here. Silver linings, guys. 

Moving on. . .

In line with my 2015 goals as well as in an attempt to avoid The January Slump, I created a meal plan for Jon and I and we had delicious dinner every night this week. 

personal photo | As my girlfriend Maria writes, so much of making Pinterest-worthy food is good lighting and a good camera. I had neither, so judge not: this shit was delicious. 

All of this food was very hearty and warm - a good thing since we experienced below zero temperatures a few times here in the Steel City. 

If you're curious:

Monday: We had Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice as well as Gluten-Free Cornbread from Aldi's liveGfree box mix. For the Red Beans & Rice, I typically add sausage crumbles and I add corn into the cornbread. Mondays are perfect slow cooker days, am I right?

Tuesday: Jon made Beef & Broccoli because I went to Zumba class after work (. . .remember how I said I'm a terrible sick person? I was feeling a bit better so I dove right in - super mistake). There wasn't a picture because we just gobbled it, but it's pretty simple. Flank or another thin steak cut up into pieces, cooked in a skillet with teriyaki and/or soy sauce, mixed with steam broccoli and rice when it's finished. It's one of my favorites: easy and satisfying. 

Wednesday: Maria tried these Crispy Black Bean Tacos a while ago and raved about them so I decided to try it. They are AMAZING. They're more of a quesadilla, really, but semantics. We didn't have salsa so I just chopped up some tomatoes and onions and called it a day. We loved these and they might be a weekly staple. 

Thursday: Skinnytaste's Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake is another recipe that has been circulating around my girlfriends for a while. Yet again, another winner. Oh, my, did we love this one. I made some changes to the recipe - no broth, for instance, not for the quinoa nor the sauce. The sauce was really just a can of roasted tomatoes with a bit of oil and sauteed garlic that I cooked in a skillet until it had the right consistency to be spread across the top of the casserole. We also didn't have green chiles and I'm a big sissy so I just cut up a bell pepper instead. This will likely be another staple in our house: easy, filling and holds up well for leftovers. 

I prepped a ton on Sunday: all of my lunches for the week - which were mostly salads to be accompanied with leftovers - as well as the veggies that were needed for the various recipes. I cooked the quinoa for Thursday's meal ahead of time, too, and that was a Godsend. By the time Thursday rolled around, I was Over It, so I just had to throw crap together, transfer it into a baking dish and let it get ooey gooey yummy. I'm so glad that I planned ahead of time for the preparation as well as the matching of each meal to each day. It was so much easier to get motivated to cook after work when all of the guesswork was eliminated. I also had week-long feeling of accomplishment as a result, which was a nice bonus, especially when I was feeling extra sick - I had a "well, at least I cooked dinner," to fall back on without making myself completely useless doing so.

When I did feel useless, though, I at least had the return of my television shows to entertain myself. Seriously, guys, what a great week in TV! I had the return of favorites like Parenthood (I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THIS), Switched at Birth (Bay needs to get over her martyrdom, Daphne needs to get over herself in general), Sister Wives (although this might be getting a little old, the family dynamic never ceases to amaze me), American Horror Story: Freakshow (I miss Seasons 1 and 2 and actually being scared/creeped out - I don't need all of this naughtiness), Law & Order: SVU (Rollins! They can't let her go MIA!), The Middle (one of the realest shows ever - and one of few shows that make Jon and I think about that whole family thing), Celebrity Apprentice (don't even get me started on Kate Gosselin and Geraldo Rivera) and The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 (GAH you guys, Diem and Knight's last season) as well as a new show, Hindsight (90's! Be still my nostalgia loving heart) to get me through the lethargy. That's not even all of them but that is all in one week - the pop culture geek in me was overjoyed. 

via | I couldn't even contain myself while watching this - in my glory. Favorite: Vivica A. Fox. Least Favorite: Geraldo Rivera (which is a HUGE disappointment). 

That's about it for me for the first full week of 2015: sickness, an attempt at health, food and TV. This weekend, I plan to read (Big Little Lies - finally!), watch a few more TV shows (the final season of Glee!) and maybe do some laundry but other than that: immobility and MucinexD for this chick. Hopefully the winning combo kicks this flu's ass. . .

Was your week a dud or a success? Did any of your loved shows return or are you looking forward to any upcoming returns? How about weekend plans: any winners?