A friend of mine keeps track of what she calls the “Unplanned Out-to-Eat Index.” I like the idea. Basically, she keeps a tally of the number of times she doesn’t have a dinner plan, or the meal doesn’t work out, or something comes up and they go out to eat.

I like that she keeps track of it, but I didn’t need anything like that. Until today.

Today was one of those days where I sat down, started working and before I knew it, it was time to catch the bus. When we met at the busstop, Rafa said that he was starving. As soon as he said that, I could feel my stomach growling too. Unfortunately, I realized I had forgotten to take the chicken out of the freezer that morning. (Yes, I realize that I can use the microwave to defrost. Nevermind that.)

“Maybe we should pick up a pizza?” I threw it out there. His eyes sparkled like a kid on Christmas morning.

So we had Papa Murphy’s. My unplanned out-to-eat index is now at one.

Usually, my trusty wipeboard helps me plan for the week so days like this don’t sneek up on me. The wipeboard has been a really important addition to our family. Everyone in our house can see the meals for the week, which helps us avoid any kitchen misunderstandings.

(Note the Thursday issue for “chicken and veggies” that didn’t happen.)