Weekly Meal Plan (for August 4-10, 2024) + Life Update!

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Hello, friends and fellow home cooks!

This is my Saturday newsletter that includes 7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads (for the week of August 4-10, 2024) + fun life update at the bottom (I went on a sailing trip this week in the British Virgin Islands).

7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads

DAY 1: Parmesan Zucchini Tomato Chicken Spaghetti with Basil Pesto

 

DAY 2: Salmon Tacos with Mango Peach Salsa and Cilantro-Lime Crema

DAY 3: Pesto Shrimp Mushroom Pasta

DAY 4: Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples

DAY 5: Chicken and Corn Pasta Salad with Bell Pepper, Bacon, and Creamy Basil Pesto Dressing

DAY 6: Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Tomato Sauce (30-Minute, One-Pan Meal)

DAY 7: Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)

SALAD 1: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Feta Cheese, and Poppy Seed Honey-Lemon Dressing

SALAD 2: Mango & Blueberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese

SALAD 3: Apricot Spinach Salad with Cherries, Pecans, and Balsamic Drizzle

Life Update

Almost exactly a week ago, I hopped on a plane from Colorado and flew all the way to Tortola (which is the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and is the gateway to nearly all the islands in the BVI). Because I live in such a small town, it took me about 24 hours to get there including long layovers, but it was worth it! Midway through, I met up with my husband Kevin, and we set off on a 7-day sailing trip on a 46-foot catamaran, just the two of us. He was the captain, and I was the first (and only!) mate. I should mention that I had never manned a boat before, and my first sailing experience (as a tourist, not as first mate) was just 3 weeks ago—I talk all about it here.

After spending 7 days sailing, I have to say, that being the first mate is much more demanding and physical than being the captain (at least in my husband's case, lol).

I handled all the physical work—tying and untying ropes to the mooring balls, anchoring, raising and lowering the sails, docking, and more. I was constantly moving between the three levels (decks) of the catamaran to secure everything and ensure nothing would break during rough sailing, as well as managing the dinghy. It was a lot of physical work, and I feel like I got a lot stronger physically during this trip.

Below, I’ll share some of the highlights from our adventure. Since we packed so much into our trip, this will be part 1. I’ll cover the rest in my next newsletter, where I'll "dive" into part 2 of our BVI sailing adventure.

Anegada Island

We started our trip by spending 2 days on Anegada Island, the northernmost and second largest of the British Virgin Islands, with a population of only about 350. Unlike the rest of the British Virgin Islands which are mountainous, Anegada is flat. It's famous for its stunning white sand beaches and turquoise waters, reminiscent of Turks and Caicos but much less commercialized. Compared to the other British Virgin Islands, Anegada is much farther from Tortola, the largest and most populated island with the main airport serving the BVI. Tortola acts as the gateway to nearly all the islands in the British Virgin Islands.

Since Anegada is farther from Tortola and takes several hours to reach by boat, it doesn't see as many tourists as the other British Virgin Islands. Because we visited during the off-season, there were very few boats and hardly any tourists around.

While we were on Anegada Island, Kevin (my husband) decided to rent mopeds. I can't believe I let myself get talked into it—they didn't seem very safe with those tiny wheels! I'm just glad I made it out alive. Thankfully, it was the off-season, so there were hardly any people, and no cars, and we were the only ones riding the mopeds. We did see a lot of cute goats, though. Cow Wreck Beach was stunning, and we had it all to ourselves. Loblolly Beach was another fantastic spot.

We had dinner at the Lobster Trap and Sid's restaurants. Anegada Island is famous for its delicious large lobsters, so that's what we ordered. Sid's had the most amazing lobster tacos! Another great place to eat is Anegada Beach Club.

Kevin rescued a stingray!

Something unbelievable happened during our two-day stay in Anegada: my husband rescued a stingray! I captured the whole event on video (you can see it below). One night, just as I was getting ready for bed on the boat, I heard strange noises outside around 11:30 PM. When I stepped out, I saw a small stingray flopping around in our dinghy. The poor thing was breathing really hard and looked like it was begging for help. Somehow, it had jumped into the dinghy, trapping himself there. Stingrays breathe by using gills to extract oxygen from water, and they can't survive in open air for too long. I called my husband and he heroically (or stupidly) decided to hop into the dinghy together with the stingray and save this incredible sea creature by tossing it out of the boat using a towel. The first couple of tries were unsuccessful, as the stingray thrashed around and was too slippery to grip, even with the towel. But on the third attempt, the stingray calmed down, allowing Kevin to grab hold of it and successfully release it back into the water. He weighed about 20 pounds. We were relieved to see it swim away vigorously, knowing we saved it just in time! Of course, our friends later reminded us that Kevin is fortunate not to have met the same fate as the famous Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, who tragically died after being struck by a stingray's barb.

After some research, I believe it was a spotted eagle ray, which is common in the Caribbean and has a distinctive appearance. These stingrays are typically not aggressive but do have a sharp, venomous barb near the base of their tail as a defense mechanism. Fortunately, both Kevin and the stingray made it alive and without injuries out of this situation. Here is the rescue video:

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Other activities in the BVI

Aside from that, we spent our time paddle-boarding, snorkeling, jumping off the boat, swimming, and just relaxing and enjoying the ocean. The water color in the BVI is incredible and changes with each island you visit. The sunsets are serene and beautiful. Enjoy more photos from our trip (below) and stay tuned for part 2 of our adventure in next week’s newsletter. Have you ever been to the British Virgin Islands? We've met a lot of Americans and Europeans on this trip. Even though it's the British Virgin Islands, they actually use the US dollar as its official currency.