Meals of the Week, Sunday March 10th - Saturday March 16th, 2024

 

Here we are, another Sunday, another Meals of the week post. On Sundays I like to post all of the recipes for all of the main meals that I have enjoyed over the past seven days, along with the things I have enjoyed alongside of them.

As a person who lives alone, it can be very tempting to not want to cook much, or to eat from cans and boxes, but that's not really very healthy or good for you. Ready meals are usually full of fat, sodium, preservatives and chemicals.   I don't want to be that person. Neither do I want to exist on sandwiches and bags of crisps.

Occasionally I will eat a bowl of cereal for my supper, but that is very rare, sometimes I have had toast and peanut butter, but generally speaking, for the most part I like to cook for myself and I like to cook full meals.

I do have Sunday dinner at my sister's place with the family most Sundays, and I do eat out with my father, sister and his friend Hazel on Wednesday nights, but other than that I cook everything that I eat right here at home. I try to eat healthy and well balanced meals most of the time, but even I can't resist the occasional treat!

This week was a bit unusual in that I ate out more than once, having lunch out with my sister one day and a friend another day. This was in addition to my dinner out with Dad on Wednesday.  I did try to order fairly healthy food two out of the three times and have provided "like" recipes for what I did order that you can make in the comfort of your own home.

I do enjoy doing these posts. They help me to keep a record of what I am actually eating and inspire me to cook as well. I love sharing them with you and I know that many of you love reading about them and in fact have been inspired to cook some of these dishes as well.

Here are the main meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days! I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did!

SUNDAY, March 10th - Dinner at my sister Cindy's

Most Sundays I go to my sister's for Sunday Dinner. Occasionally I will cook Sunday Dinner or the odd time, I won't feel well enough to go.  (Like last week.)  I was able to go this week and it did not disappoint. It never does. My sister had done an Onion Pot Roast with mashed potatoes, carrots and gravy.  We had cake for dessert.

I am sharing my recipe for Caramelized Onion Pot Roast in it's place this week. This is a delicious tender pot roast which cooks beautifully in the slow cooker.  It uses some beer as a marinade/cooking liquid. This makes for a really delicious gravy!

MONDAY, March 11th - Lunch out with my friend Jacquie

My friend Jacquie was going to be in town around noon on Monday so she called and asked me if I would like to meet her for lunch.  I said yes. What a rare treat to be able to have lunch with a good friend like that.  We went to the place around the corner from me. It is called Angies. Usually their food is really good.  Not always, but usually.  Their soup of the day was Turkey soup. I decided to have that with a sandwich, rather than anything deep fried.  The soup was really good, but the sandwich was awful. It tasted like rancid oil and it smelled like it as well.  I could not eat it, but I did enjoy the soup.

I am sharing my homemade Turkey Soup recipe in the place for the soup.  My mother taught me how to make soups.  She made the best soups in the world. I stand by that fact.  Every time we had a roast dinner we knew she would be making a pot of soup in the days following it, be it turkey, beef, ham or chicken.  Her soups were always very much looked forward to! I miss my mom and I miss her soup.  Good always for whatever ails you.

TUESDAY, March 12th - Ina Garten's Gruyere Omelet

I was not overly hungry on Tuesday. I had to go out and do some stuff for my dad in the morning and then I was all tired out when I got home and really didn't feel like cooking much. I had been eyeballing a recipe in Ina's cookbook, Go To Dinners for a tasty omelet and I decided to make myself one.  It looked quick and easy enough and I had everything in that I needed for it.

It was DELICIOUS!  I was sitting down and eating it in less than 15  minutes.  The egg was perfectly cooked and the richness of just a bit of Gruyere cheese which was added raised the simple omelet to a whole new level. I may never have an omelet any other way again!  This was fabulous. I enjoyed with some quick cook bacon and some whole grain toast.  

The bacon was a disappointment. I don't know why I buy that stuff. It never tastes like anything and it is so thin.  This was supposed to be thick cut but it was not much thicker than their regular one and flavorless. That got pitched, but the omelet and toast more than made up for it. 

    WEDNESDAY, March 13th - Dinner out with my father, sister and Hazel

Usually on Wednesday nights I have dinner out with my father, sister and his friend Hazel. We always go to the Big Scoop which is a diner just at the other end of town. They recently changed hands and someone else is running it now. Its still a family type of restaurant however. The prices have gone up a bit, but its always busy and to be honest the food is always good.

I didn't want anything deep fried this week and so I had the pan fried Haddock which is basically dusted in flour and herbs and pan fried. it comes with lemon, mashed potatoes and vegetables.  Also coleslaw and a roll. You can get a large meal or a small  meal. I usually get the small.

I am sharing a recipe for Pan Fried Haddock that I did a while back as a part of one of my Vintage Menus. It was delicious.  Simple and delicious.  There is also the option of baking it rather than pan frying it.

THURSDAY, March 14th - Lunch out with my sister

I know, three meals out in a week. This is way out of the norm for me! We are in the process of moving  my father into my sister's place and so we had a bunch of stuff to take up to the Value Village for him.  We usually like to stop at Jonny's Cookhouse in Berwick on the way back for lunch. They only recently just re-opened for Spring. People have been enjoying food at Jonny's for a very long time now. It started off as an ice cream place, added burgers and is now one of the most popular places in the valley to get a burger, fish, chips, etc.

Cindy and I always get the True Newf Poutine when we go there.  (This is my copycat recipe.) Hot French fries topped with cheese curds, Newfoundland stuffing and plenty of hot gravy. Its so, so good. I can never finish it.  I wish they would do it in a smaller size, but alas they do not.  Anyways, that is my recipe for one that you can make at home.  So delicious.

I ended up having a big salad for my supper, with lettuce, cucumber, peppers, onions,  and tomatoes with a herb vinaigrette dressing as I was too full from my lunch to want anything else.

We had picked up some Halifax Molasses Bread at the Costco when we were up in New Minas as well and so that night I enjoyed a slice of that simply spread with butter. Oh boy but it was some good.

Not exactly the healthiest day menu wise, but there will be times like that in all our lives!

FRIDAY, March 15th - Korean Beef with Rice and stir fried vegetables

I did myself a bit of a Asian meal on Friday night. I had not made this in a very long while. Korean Beef. This is a really economical and delicious way to cook ground beef. I use only extra lean ground beef. My sister and I buy our ground beef locally sourced.  Its organic and very lean.  We get it at our local farm market.  One pound of this makes enough for four people, but it also freezes very well.

Delicious and quick to make it is flavored with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, brown sugar and soy sauce, with just a hint of chilies. You can of course add more according to your own tastebuds!  I like it fairly mild.  I enjoyed some of this with some sticky rice and stir fried vegetables on the side.  

You can also freeze this once it is cooked. I freeze it in one serving sized containers, ready to take out and quickly reheat whenever I am feeling in the mood!

 

SATURDAY, March 15th - Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta (for two)

I spent a good part of the day out shopping for my dad with my sister and when I got home I was pretty tired.  I decided to make myself something quick and easy for  my tea that would not require a lot of effort or time.  Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta fit the bill perfectly

Everything cooks all in the one pan, the pasta and everything.  Its delicious.  Garlic, pasta, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, onions, red chili flakes.  This is a really delicious bowl of pasta. Beautiful served garnished with a drift of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  A salad and some garlic bread on the side and you have a supper fit for a King!

And there you have it, my meals of the week for the past seven days.  I did eat out much more than I usually do this week. Normally it is only Sunday supper at my sisters and then Wednesday might with my dad.  Next week things should be back to normal!

I hope there has been something here which has inspired you to want to cook for yourself!  

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