Meals of the Week, June 25th to July 1st

 

Here I am again, another Sunday, another meals of the week post!  It is hard to believe that this was the last week of June and we are now into July. Halfway through the year!  Summer is here however and we are moving on to eating lighter things, using fresh and local produce wherever possible.

This week was the first real week of Strawberry season here in Nova Scotia and as you will see, I have been enjoying them!  I try only to ever eat and use strawberries in season, so when they are in season, I enjoy them as often as possible.  They are still a bit on the expensive side at the moment but as the days progress, they will drop in price exponentially!

I started sharing my meals of the week with you in March of this year, as a way to keep a record of what I was eating and to inspire me to eat better.  I never want to be that person who eats only frozen dinners, or restaurant meals, or from out of tin cans!

I love to cook and I  love to eat.  There is a huge temptation when you live all on your own to become somewhat lazy when it comes to eating, or to get into a rut when it comes to meals.  I want to keep as exciting and delicious as possible, with a good measure of healthy thrown into the mix!

My motto is "Food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good!"  I like food that is delicious and at the same time simple to make and uncomplicated. I had more than my share of complicated cooking when I worked at the Manor.  Don't get me wrong. I like fancy sometimes, but generally, as a rule, I like to keep things simple.

And with that in mind, here are the simple meals I cooked for myself for the last week of June.  I did eat out once, and I had dinner at my sister's twice. For those occasions I have endeavored to show you something comparable! 

If you are a person who lives on their own, or perhaps are a couple of empty nesters, I hope that I can inspire you to want to also cook simple and delicious meals for yourself as well!!

SUNDAY, June 25th - Dinner at my sister's

Most Sundays I have Sunday Dinner at my sisters. This week was no different.  My sister cooked her usual pot roast which she served with a variety of vegetables and gravy.  The photograph you see above is of my own recipe for Caramelized Onion Pot Roast.  I can promise you that it is very good with a rich and bountiful gravy and juicy tender beef.

My father always looks for something sweet at the end of the meal. Most days my sister gives him either a small dish of ice cream or a bowl of sugar free jello with squirty cream on top.  Last week in honor of Strawberry Season, we all got to enjoy a dish of Mom's Strawberry Shortcake. There was not a scrap left at the end. Seriously delicious!

I love Strawberry season.

MONDAY, June 26th - Easy Pork Schnitzel

After all of the indulgence of Sunday dinner I decided to have a really light supper on Monday. I made some Easy Pork Schnitzel which I enjoyed with a simple salad.  Crispy coated tender and juicy pork, flash fried until golden brown on both sides and served with a lemon wedge for squeezing.

This delicious entrée goes very well with potatoes or rice. Homemade Spaetzle is also very nice with it.  Especially if you make a tasty gravy on the side.  I enjoyed this dish a few years ago in Austria and they served it with chips and a salad.  Delicious!

TUESDAY, June 27th - Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich

I kept things light again on Tuesday. The temperatures outside were really warm and I didn't feel like eating a whole awful lot. Salad appealed, but I needed something a it  more substantial.  I created a delicious open-faced, knife & fork Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich.   I used an artisanal garlic bread for the base and topped it with crisp streaky bacon, some grilled thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets that I had marinated in a Caesar Dressing, and some Caesar dressed romaine lettuce.  A few shavings of Parmesan on top and a few crisp garlic croutons and dinner was ready!

I don't mind saying, this was most delicious!

 

WEDNESDAY, June 28th - Dinner Out with Dad

Most Wednesday nights I go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel. Some weeks my sister joins us. Most of the time we go to a local eatery called The Big Scoop.  Most of the time we will have fish and chips, but this week we each chose something different.  Hazel chose the special which was a Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry. Dad had a hot dog and chips. I had a turkey dinner.  We were all very happy with our meals as we are most of the time.

I can't show you a photo of the stir fry that Hazel had, but she really enjoyed it. This photo I am sharing here is for a Cantonese Chicken Chop Suey that I make for myself from time to time. It boasts plenty of crisp tender vegetables, tender pieces of chicken and a delicious sauce. Everything is natural and nothing comes from a jar.

THURSDAY, June 29th - Spinach, Onion & Feta Oven Omelets

Once again something light. I tend to eat much lighter in the summer months. Eggs are often a supper which I enjoy. Sometimes its as simple as eggs on toast, but I am rather fond of these Oven Omelets.  They are a delicious mix of chopped wilted spinach, sauteed onion and crumbled feta cheese. The recipe makes two and you bake them in small casserole/ramekins. 

They are delicious and filling. Especially when served with some whole wheat toast points and a fresh Tomato Salad vinaigrette.  Seriously tasty! That is a salad that I used to make when I worked at a hotel as the Pastry Chef, early on in my cooking career.  Wow, that was about 48 years ago now!  Time flies when you are having fun!

FRIDAY, June 30th - Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

This was my first time cooking Chicken Parmesan in the Air Fryer.  I adapted a recipe I had found on Delish, downsizing it for just two servings.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was a bit worried that the coating wouldn't be crispy, or the chicken juicy. All of my fears were unfounded.  The coating wasn't dry in the least and it was full of flavor and that chicken was cooked to perfection!

I served it with some spaghetti that I had tossed together with a knob of butter, some seasoning, a bit of grated parmesan cheese and some parsley flakes.  I actually used this method this time for cooking my pasta.  It actually cooks perfectly and cooks much faster. It flies against everything I have ever been taught about cooking pasta! Who knew!

SATURDAY, July 1st - Canada Day BBQ at my sisters

Yesterday was Canada day and so we had a BBQ at my sister's place. Dan did burgers on the BBQ, my sister made her macaroni salad and we had a special dessert.  The photo above is the recipe for my Smash Burgers.  They are also a real favorite.  It was really nice getting together with family.

I had brought over a Strawberry Pretzel Salad Dessert for afters.  An empty dish was brought home! No surprise there!

Here are a few other things I cooked last week!

CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD - This is easily the nicest loaf of bread I have ever made in my breadmaker. It was light and fluffy and had a beautiful crumb and delicious cheese flavor!  I gave half the loaf to my sister. We are both connoisseurs of cheese bread!!

 

STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE - Another thing I tried this week was this fabulous Strawberry Spoon Cake. It was really easy to make and tasted beautiful!  I did  make a bit of a pig of myself with it, I'm afraid. It was so, so, so good!  A new favorite!

And there you have it my meals for the past week. I did try to eat a bit lighter and healthier this week, aside from the desserts, but we won't talk about that! haha  Everything was delicious and simple with a minimum of waste! Fairly economical as well.  I like that.

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