There hasn’t been a post lately since we unexpectedly left town last Thursday. Josh’s brother died suddenly and we were off to be with family. The boys certainly had tons of fun with their cousins, hopefully they provided comedic relief during the grief filled days.
I find one of the hardest parts of traveling and being away from home to be eating well. I tire quickly of eating out. It is difficult to maintain my necessary high fiber diet when eating out. There are only so many times I want chili or bean burritos! Restaurant veggies are also usually small servings compared to my usual veggie serving sizes at home.
We did manage to find a couple great local restaurants which was nice. We also visited some of Josh’s favorites, not exactly health food places. The boys LOVED the hotel breakfast buffets. They can certainly pack it in, eating everything they don’t get at home like donuts, sugar cereals, chocolate muffins, Belgian waffles, yogurt, fruit, eggs and sausage. Yes, Ewan really did eat all that in ONE meal!
One thing that also surprised me was that my sister in law didn’t receive any homemade food. Don’t get me wrong, she had many friends being food by, it was just all store bought or take out. Every other time I’ve been to somebody’s house after a death they usually are overwhelmed with casseroles, desserts etc. Everyone brings their best. Is this a change of the times, people don’t cook anymore? Just an observation that puzzled me.
We got home late Tuesday night so Wednesday morning it was yogurt for breakfast and leftovers for lunches. I managed to scare up some sausage and veggies over polenta for dinner so I didn’t need to go to the store that day. I even had bread dough in the fridge to make some fresh bread.
This morning was a little trickier. I still hadn’t been to the store. The boys where thrilled to discover the leftover homemade bread with Nutella. Not our usual so it was a treat for them. The mangoes I bought before we left town were ripe so we at least had fruit to go with it.
It is good to enjoy home cooked food again. I missed it! The best part is that the boys still enjoy good food. You never know what will happen when they eat junk food for an extended period of time. Here is Sean eating the Brussels sprouts as I cut them! I love it when they enjoy fruits and veggies without any prompting!
Tomorrow we have another blip in our better eating plan. It’s Father Son Fun Night at school which includes a pizza dinner, store bought cookies and lemonade. Detox again on Saturday! Oh well, you win some you lose some. All in moderation.
So that sums up what we’ve been eating and doing. More recipe posts to come next week, assuming life returns to “normal”.
Sorry about the photo quality. Lighting isn’t exactly good at 6:15 in the morning or 6 in the evening this time of year!
Feeding My 3 Sons 
I am so sorry to hear about the death in your family, I know it is very hard. I totally understand how you feel about traveling and eating out. It seems that we don’t eat right when we travel either!
That is why my ideal vacation involves renting a house so I can still cook instead of eating out all the time!
Gretchen I am so sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
We were right up in your neck of the woods. Love Taste of Belgium in downtown Cincy!
Really sad to hear about your loss. Hope you and your family are doing good. Take care.
Thanks Emma. The boys are up to their usual antics and eating faster than I can cook!
So sorry for your husband’s and your loss. That’s so sad. Good you were able to spend time with your sister-in-law.
Also good that you’re back to homemade fare.
Thanks Liz. It was definitely nice to spend time with family, but I am glad to be home again, especially since the cold and snow arrived up there!
Gretchen, I am so sorry for your family’s loss. Your husband must be in a difficult place… my husband almost lost his brother last year; it was devastating. You are so kind and sacrificial to take care of others – giving love and helping with food. Delicious, lovely meals do help the grieving and is an important part of our social network as friends and family. I can only imagine the chaos when you returned to the activities, laundry and fridge void of healthy foods. My thoughts are prayers are with your beautiful, sweet family.
Thank you Shanna. Things are definitely settled now and we are thankful for “real” food again! There is something soothing and relaxing about comfort food, perhaps that is how it got that name in the first place.
I completely agree! Last night I just needed some roast chicken and roast potatoes with cream sauce. Comfort. 🙂
So sorry to hear of your family’s loss, Gretchen. It must have been a difficult time.
Welcome back to your own kitchen. Hopefully you’ll be back to your routine of cooking favorites again soon.
Thanks! We are slowly finding a routine now that we are home and I am mostly recovered from surgery.
Surgery? I missed that somehow, sorry. Wow, you got a double whammy…stay strong! Hope the love of your family helps to heal you quickly!