“Lucy, You Have Some S’plaining to Do!” Lucy Ricardo still lives. That quote is from several I Love Lucy episodes by Lucy’s onscreen Cuban husband Ricky Ricardo. In my attempt to prepare my meal while on my first week of the Habibi Sport Nourish Summer Series, I realized a few things. I cannot cook. I hate to cook. I don’t have the talent to cook. As I mentioned in my last article, my husband is a gourmet chef. He had prepared my breakfast on the first day of my cleanse. I handled the smoothies and his job was to handle the lunches and dinners. After a successful morning, enjoying a tofu scramble and my snack (a date smoothie), I realized that I hadn’t prepared my lunch. I called my husband who informed me he wouldn’t be home until the evening. At first I panicked. “What was I going to do?” I thought. I decided that I could do this. I pulled out the menu, grabbed the ingredients, and proceeded to prepare what seemed like a simple recipe. Boy, was I wrong.

The Thai Coconut Curry with Tofu and Mushrooms sounded so savory and being that I am a foodie with a sweet tooth, this dish was worth learning how to prepare. In my arrogance, I thought I could actually pull it off. I diced the cloves and garlic, tossed tofu in the pan, sautéed as instructed. Things were going smoothly. My mistake was not preparing all the items before attempting to cook. I realized I forgot the coconut. It’s funny how certain foods cause memories. The last time I ate a raw coconut was years ago in Fiji on a tiny island. I saw the native cut the coconut with a hammer and a wooden object. He made it look so easy.

My young coconut wasn’t as cooperative. As I read the recipe, I interpreted it incorrectly. It said blend the flesh. Being the literal person that I am, I thought flesh meant skin. So I struggled with cutting the skin and attempting to blend it. To me it seemed really complicated. I had no idea we could eat the skin of a coconut. There was coconut mess everywhere. I used something to poke a hole in the coconut once I realized the milk was the juice inside. (I had to consult my husband on this, as I’m way too green to even know milk is what the coconut juice is called.) As I poured the last ingredient (my demolished and abused coconut) into the pan, I cooked it until it was ready. I looked at the clock. It was time to eat my lunch. I was feeling so proud of myself. I looked around the kitchen. What a disaster. It would take me forever to clean up this mess. But I was basking in my accomplishment. Cooking is easy!

Below: I Love Lucy was filled with crazy storylines that kept Americans in stitches for over 70 years.

I took the ladle and scooped the Thai Coconut Curry Tofu with Mushrooms, adding it to the brown rice, sat at the table and prepared to dig in. As I looked closely at the dish, I noticed little coconut hairs. I did think it was strange, but remember I am not a cook. I am clueless. I’m Lucy. I took a bite anyway. I chewed. It wasn’t easy. Then I started pulling little coconut hairs out of my teeth. I sighed, looked at the food I had prepared, and let out a big wail! I sat there and cried out loud for a few minutes. It was horrible. it was a disaster. I had failed. This is too hard. How am I going to lose weight if I can’t even prepare meals for myself? I tossed my plate of food in the trash, cleaned up my colossal mess in the kitchen, and went back to work in my office. Later my husband contacted me inquiring how things went. I told him about the young coconut debacle and how I ruined the dish. He laughed hysterically. “Please don’t make fun of me.” I cried.

I thought about Lucille Ball. I know her show was in the 50s and women were expected to be the homemakers. Just look at her wardrobe: age appropriate dresses, always below the knees, an apron, sometimes culottes, and trousers. Ricky always came home to a clean house and a cooked meal, well most of the time when Lucy wasn’t making mischief or pulling off one of her many shenanigans. Remember the episode with Harpo Marx? Remember how Lucy always plotted to be in Ricky’s shows? Remember in Italy how she ended up stomping grapes, or the episode where she and Ethel worked in a chocolate factory? Ah, how I loved her antics! But this is real life, not a 1950s sitcom. And I was feeling like one of my own antics blew up in my face. But here is where my life is very much different from I Love Lucy. My husband came home, greeted me then quickly left again . . . so I thought.

I had my snack (a Date Smoothie) and braced myself to force down the Thai Coconut Curry Tofu that I had completely ruined. I entered the kitchen and saw three pots on the burner and my husband with a goofy smile on his face. “I prepared your meals for the week, voila!” I was speechless. He cooked the Sweet Potato with Mango and Pineapple, Turmeric Rice, and fixed the Thai Coconut Curry Tofu with Mushrooms. Tears streamed down my face, but this time they were tears of joy. My day was wrapped up with the perfect domestic ending . . . just like an I Love Lucy episode, except it was my own real life sitcom starring me, my husband, and the NOURISH Summer Series by Habibi Sport! Visit: https://www.habibibodysport.com/nutrition-plans/

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