Meals of the Week, October 8th - 14th

  

Here it is, Sunday again and time for another Meals of the Week Post!  Every Sunday I try to post all the recipes and links to the main meals that I have cooked, enjoyed, been treated to, over the past seven days! 

 I started doing this last March and it is something that I have really enjoyed!  It helps me to plan and to be accountable.  I think it also helps you to do the same.

As a person who lives on her own, the temptation is there to eat junk food, or frozen dinners, out of cans, takeaways, etc.  I do not want to be that person and am determined to cook for myself delicious, somewhat healthy-ish dinners as much as possible!  I also have to live within a budget as well, so this is a great way for me to do so.

For breakfast most days I will have cereal, and only very occasionally something else like a muffin, or egg.  I make my own homemade granola and so most of the time it is a little bowl of that topped with some plain Greek yogurt and a drizzle of date syrup. (Love LOVE that stuff!)  My granola is a delicious mix of oats, coconut and nuts.  I sweeten it with maple syrup.  I think its really special, but I am a bit biased!

I usually will eat my main meal at noon. This is something I prefer to do a I don't really like going to bed with a heavy meal on my stomach.  So these are the recipes that I am sharing here with you today.

Supper is usually something light unless I am eating out with my family or at my sister's house.  They eat their main meal in the evenings. And there is always dessert.

Usually in the evenings, if I am at home, for my supper  I will have toast and peanut butter, and some fruit.  Maybe sometimes I will have a bowl of boxed cereal and milk. It all depends on how I am feeling and/or what I am craving.  I have always enjoyed eating cereal at night.  

I have memories of sitting in a highchair eating a bowl of cereal while my mother washed the floors. I would have been too old for a high chair, but it was a way to get me out of the way.  As the oldest, my brother and sister would already have been put to bed, but I was allowed to stay up and watch television. My mother was such a hard worker.  She would have the rug in the living room rolled up and be on her hands and knees scrubbing away.  Oh how I miss my mother.

She is actually my inspiration for this series of "Meals of the Week."  She was a woman who lived on her own from the age of 53 until my sister moved in to take care of her when she was quite elderly.  Mom always cooked a meal for herself.  Always.  I am determined to be the same!

And so without further adieu here are my Meals of the Week!  I hope they will inspire you also! 

 

SUNDAY, October 8th - Thanksgiving Dinner

On Sunday we celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving at my sister's.  It was a feast.  We had roast turkey of course, and she did carrots and Brussels sprouts, mashed squash, my mother's Potato & Bread Stuffing, (it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without that), my sister's world famous glazed sweet potatoes, and a new type of Cranberry Sauce. Citrus, Fig & Cranberry Sauce.  It was really delicious.  I brought over my British style Classic Roast Potatoes, and a Pecan pie.  There was also her brilliant homemade gravy.

We all ate too much but that's Thanksgiving!  You need to wear your fat pants!

MONDAY, October 9th - Tomato Soup and Cheese Crusted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I had my daughter Eileen, her husband Tim, and their friend Calvin over to help me in the garden.  I made us some Tomato Soup (with cream as per Eileen's request) and these tasty sandwiches for supper.  Her husband can be a bit fussy when it comes to eating so I played it safe.  

For dessert we had Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie. Its a real family favorite. You can use frozen fruit if that is all you have. Just thaw it out and drain it well first.  This is one really delicious pie. In the absence of ice cream we had squirty cream on top!

TUESDAY, October 10th - Teriyaki Spam & Pineapple

On Tuesday I channeled my inner Hawaiian and cooked some Teriyaki Spam and Pineapple.  I confess, I quite like Spam.  It lends itself beautifully to dishes like this one. If you treat it like ham you can use it for all sorts and it is quite economical. This tasty dish is quick and easy to make. Just mix everything together, spread it out on a foil lined sheet pan and bake in the oven!

This I enjoyed simply with some Coconut Basmati Rice (the ready made in the pouch.) It was Tilda brand.  For a person living on their own it's not all that practical to make rice from scratch unless you want to be eating it for days on end. I find those ready cooked pouches are fine for me and they taste really good. You need to pick your battles and this is one of mine.

WEDNESDAY, October 11th - Vintage Menu Madness, Cozy Family Favorites

I was a day late posting my Vintage Menu this week.  I chose to put together my own menu this week using the 1948 American Woman's Cookbook. This week I enjoyed a tasty meal of Scalloped Tuna and Peas, with buttered toast points.  Broken Buttery Boiled Potatoes. Carrot Salad.  All fabulously tasty and quick and easy to make.

For dessert, Baked Stuffed Apples, with a drizzle of cream on top.  Custard sauce would also be nice. I stuffed them with candied ginger, raisins, cinnamon and butter. Sooooo tasty!

THURSDAY, October 12th - Dinner out with Dad and Cindy

Things were a bit mixed up this week so our dinner out was a day later, and this week my sister joined Hazel, my father and I.  We all had fish and chips, except for Dad who had a hotdog and chips.  My fish and chips was really, really good.  We all had dessert also. In for a penny in for a pound!  

Cindy had Cherry Cheesecake.  Dad and I both had cherry pie and Hazel had squash pie.  I dare say Cindy's cheesecake didn't look as good as my homemade Cherry Cheesecake, which is a small batch recipe.  It cooks in a loaf tin and is fabulously tasty!

FRIDAY, October 13th - Cream of Celery Soup with Parmesan & Pine Nut Muffins

After all of the indulgences of the week, I decided to have a really light supper. I also had some celery that needed using up. Celery is so expensive, who wants to waste any of it!  I made a small batch of Cream of Celery Soup and baked up a small batch of Parmesan & Pine Nut Muffins to go with it.

The soup was nice and light and beautifully flavored. I adapted the recipe from America's Test Kitchen's book, Complete Cooking for Two.  It was just the right size to have on the day and then freeze a serving for another time.  The muffins went perfectly with the soup. No surprise there, they go wonderfully with most soups, stews, casseroles, salads, etc.

 

SATURDAY, October 14th - American Chop Suey

 

This is another small batch recipe which makes only two servings of this delicious North American style casserole. American Chop Suey is a term used to describe a popular American comfort dish. Generally speaking it is composed of ground beef, sauce, vegetables and pasta. It goes by many terms actually.  Texas Hash are just a few names. 

In New England States it is called American Chop Suey. A delicious mixture of macaroni, seasoned ground beef, tomato-ey goodness and cheese.   I enjoyed this along with a salad on the side.  You could also add some crusty bread if you were really hungry.  This was a deeply satisfying comfort food supper!

And there you have it, my meals of the week for the past week.  I think I ate really well!  There was loads of variety and not all of it was unhealthy!  I think I got a good balance in there, don't you! I wonder what the next week will bring to the table!  I'm excited to see what happens!

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