Meals of the Week, January 28th - February 3rd, 2024

 

Here we are, another Sunday, another Meals of the Week Post!  This one brings us into the month of February.   Every Sunday I like to share with you, my readers, all of the main dishes/meals that I have enjoyed and/or cooked over the past seven days!

I am determined to feed myself well, despite being on my own. As long as I can cook, I will be cooking for myself and enjoying it!  

Lately we (my sister and myself) have been trying to eat a lot more plant based meals and whole foods, cutting back on processed foods as much as possible in an effort to eat healthier.  Vegan is a bit difficult where we live as there is not really a lot available and to be honest, cutting out dairy and eggs altogether is hard for us because of that.  We are very limited in our choices.

I did manage to get in a couple of Vegan meals this week, which was good, and I ate pretty healthy the rest of the week.  My week was a happy mix of hearty and healthy!  I only baked once, a tasty Lemon Drizzle Cake.   That is pretty good for me as I love to bake. Unfortunately I also love to eat cookies and cakes and as a diabetic, I need to keep a rein on it.

We have watched several series on Netflix which has fueled our desire to eat more plant-based meals. Quite frankly they terrified me and left me feeling quite disgusted with the food industry.  I am afraid we will never be able to go totally vegan however as we just don't have the resources available to us here.  There are plenty of veggie options, like Not-Chicken Nuggets, and No-Fish patties, but I don't really want to be eating processed foods like ready made veggie nuggets, etc.  I don't think that too many of those types of things can be all that good for you either!

My goal is to cook all of my own food. It always has been, except for the occasional meal out.  This week was a happy mix of Vegan and Omnivore. This is a steep learning curve, but as I learn more, I hope to do better. Rome was not built in a day.  Any and all suggestions and help to this end is very much appreciated!

In the meantime here are my Meals of the Week for the past seven days. I think there will be something tasty here for everyone!

 

SUNDAY, January 28th - Sunday Dinner at Cindy's

Most Sunday's we all gather at my sister's to have a roast dinner. This week was no different. Even though my father is not driving at the moment, Cindy went and picked him up so that he could be there as well.  Cindy likes to do a roast on Sunday's as it means she has cold meat for Dan's sandwiches that he takes to work for the rest of the week.  It will be either a roast Chicken, or a roast of Beef or even Pork or ham.  We like them all.

Only very occasionally will it be something else.  We had roast beef with an assortment of vegetables and then for dessert we had sugar free jello with whippy cream. Since Dad is a diabetic (and so am I) and we will have eaten a lot of carbs with the potatoes and stuff, sugar free jello pleases everyone.

MONDAY, January 29th - Marinated Flank Steak and Broccoli Sweet Pepper Stir Fry 

I had a picked up a piece of flank steak the week before and so I marinated that and grilled it. I served it with a delicious broccoli sweet pepper stir fry, and some steamed rice.  The steak recipe is one I have been making for years and years. It is a simple marinade. I do give the recipe for it on the post. It is an easy fix.

The vegetable stir fry was also very easy to make and the rice came from a pouch of ready cooked rice that you just heat up in the microwave. Altogether this was a very delicious supper.  I got in some of the iron I really need in my diet with both the steak and the broccoli. 

TUESDAY,  January 30th - Coconut Curried Lentil Soup

It was a really cold, snowy and blustery day on Tuesday.  I fancied something heart, warm and filling.  A nice hot soup. This delicious Coconut Curried Lentil Soup recipe fit the bill on all counts. Not only was it hearty and incredibly tasty, but it was also Vegan friendly, gluten free, dairy free and filled with plenty of protein and flavor.  With brown rice, two kinds of lentils, and coconut, it went down a real treat.

I drizzled some full fat coconut milk on top of the hot soup and served it with some hot Naan bread so that I could scoop up all of the delicious soup right to the last drop. I do so love curry anything and this soup was fabulously delicious!  Healthy and low fat as well as being a very simple make.

Wednesday January 31st -  Leftover Steak and Quick and Easy Lo Mein Noodles

Usually on Wednesday nights my sister and I meet my father and his friend Hazel at the Big Scoop for supper.  This week the weather was really bad and so we all stayed put, at home. I was a bit disappointed but then I rustled up something delicious in the end and all was well.

I had some leftover steak from Monday to use up and so I made myself one of my favorite stir fries. Quick and Easy Lo Mein Noodles.  I love the flavor of Lo Mein.  Its such an adaptable dish as well. You can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have and if you want you can add cooked beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, etc. to it, or just enjoy it as it is.

I used cooked spaghetti for my noodles.  It worked out great. The chopstick are for illustration purposes only. I have never been able to get the hang of chop sticks!

THURSDAY, February 1st - Deviled Pork Chops 

Tender delicious boneless loin chops coated in a delicious Dijon mayo and crumbs, baked to perfection on a bed of simple scalloped potatoes. The two go together very well.  You start the potatoes in the microwave so that they are done at approximately the same time as the pork, leaving both perfectly cooked.

I cut the recipe in half and cooked just one serving which I enjoyed with some steamed peas and carrots and a bit of mashed squash on the side.  It was a really delicious meal.

FRIDAY, February 2nd - Ground Hog's Day, Easy Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

This was a real simple meal that I veganized by using vegan ground round and vegan cheese, although the instructions are given for a real meat and cheese option.  There is no need to cook the spaghetti separately. It cooks right in the sauce. I used a Sicilian Sugo sauce filled with black and green olives for even more texture and flavor.

It tasted pretty good, but I will be honest with you, I am not a fan of Vegan cheese.  That part I could have done without.  Give me the real thing and I would have been a very happy camper.  The vegan ground meat was fine.   I enjoyed with some garlic bread and a salad on the side.

SATURDAY, February 3rd - Curried Chicken & Coconut Rice Casserole

Traditionally Saturday nights in the U.K. is a night where a lot of people will treat themselves to a nice takeaway, a curry, a Kebab, something like that.   There are no curry shops where I live now so I have to make my own. One of my favorites is this delicious Curried Chicken & Coconut Rice Casserole. 

A fabulously different and delicious rice and chicken casserole with an East Indian Flair! An all in one dish that is built for two, but can easily be multiplied to served more! I love that it is not overly spicy and is filled with plenty of flavor, color and texture. I like to serve it with a yogurt drizzle over top and garnished with chopped spring onions and toasted flaked almonds.  This is quite simply incredibly delicious!  I love meals like this!

And there you have it. All of my main meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days! It was a tasty mix of Vegan and Omnivore. You could easily Veganize everything.   I do have meat in my freezer (s) that needs using up as does my sister, so there will be a happy mix of meat and meat free dishes in my menus for the unforeseeable future.

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