Meals of the Week, March 31st - April 6th, 2024

  

Hello!  It's Sunday and we all know what that means. On Sundays I like to share with you all my Meals of the Week. This is the post that details all of the main meals that I have enjoyed over the past seven days, whether eaten at home or away from home.  Plus I share all of the recipes and menu suggestions!

As a person who lives on their own, it can often be a bit of a challenge to keep things fresh and interesting when it comes to cooking for myself. It can also be a bit of a challenge, especially in these economic times to keep within a budget!

Then there are dietary needs, as far as health goes. I am not a person who likes to eat from tin cans if I can possibly help it. I like my food to be fresh and unprocessed.  Each week I challenge myself to meet all of those commitments and at the end of the week I like to round everything up and decide how well I have done with those challenges and how I might/could do better!

And, I like to bring you along with me.  Hopefully I can inspire you to also want to cook for yourselves!  Never boring, always interesting, mostly healthy, and hopefully economical. This is my promise to you.

Lets see how I did this week!

 

SUNDAY, March 31st - Easter Dinner

Sunday was Easter and I hosted Easter dinner this year. We dined on buttered Brussel's Sprouts, Carrots, Corn Scalloped Potatoes,  Baked Ham, my sister's special candied sweet potatoes, rolls and for dessert we kept it simple with some sugar free jello and whippy cream.  It was all delicious.  The best part, however, is getting to do it together as a family.

We have always had ham for Easter, ever since I was a child.  I know many people have turkey or lamb, but in our house, it has always been ham.

MONDAY, April 1st - Slow Cooker  Potato & Ham Chowder

I took advantage of my leftover ham and made a small batch recipe of Slow Cooker Potato & Ham Chowder. I just cut the regular recipe in half as I only had two slices of ham.  This went down a real treat.  The weather had turned a bit colder and I wanted something warming, as well as that would use up my leftover ham.

I enjoyed a nice hearty bowl of this with a leftover roll (or two) from the big dinner on Sunday.  It was lovely.

TUESDAY, April 2nd - Curried Coconut Chicken & Rice Casserole

I made myself a chicken casserole. I fancied a curry and remembered this one which is an easy curry chicken casserole that basically cooks in the oven. Rice and all.  Raw chicken pieces are tossed together with a flavor-filled curry spice and then stirred into rice  which has been cooking in the oven, along with some peas and vegetables, and then popped back in to finish up. I am not explaining it very well, sorry about that.  There is a lush yogurt sauce to drizzle over the top at the end as well as some chopped spring onions.

It is delicious however. Makes two generous servings and is something I always enjoy. I also scatter toasted almonds on top for a bit of crunch.  True confession here, I like to have the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

A tossed salad goes very well on the side.

WEDNESDAY, April 3rd. - Dinner out with Dad

Most Wednesdays I go out to dinner with my father and his friend Hazel and my sister (sometimes.) We go to a local eatery here in town called The Big Scoop.  Its a family type of diner and specializes in burgers now for the most part.  

This week we all had the pan fried haddock dinner. it comes with your choice of potatoes, vegetable, coleslaw, and a roll.  I had mashed potatoes.  There was carrots and corn on the plate.

In it's place, I am offering my recipe for Baked Haddock with Buttery Cracker Topping. This is a real family favorite. The fish always cooks perfectly and that cracker topping is the best. Some lemon juice is drizzled over top just prior to serving.  This goes down very well with mashed potatoes and green beans.

THURSDAY, April 4th - Scrambled Huevos Rancheros Bowls

Breakfast for supper with these tasty bowls!  A layer of spicy pan fried potatoes goes on the bottom, topped with some cooked pinto beans and salsa,  and then a top layer of scrambled eggs, which have been scrambled together with cheese and green tabasco.  I scatter more cheese on top, along with some crispy bacon and chopped spring onions. (You can use  a low fat cheese if you wish.)

Of course another splash of Green Tabasco is splashed over top. (I love the stuff)  Served with some additional salsa, toasted flour tortillas and grilled tomatoes, these went down a real treat!  You could make it totally vegetarian by leaving off the bacon.

FRIDAY, April 5th - Pork Chops with Creamy Dijon Sauce

I thought I had taken a piece of chicken out of the freezer but it ended up being a pork chop.  I had been wanting to try this pork chop recipe for a while, so decided that Friday was the Day. The end result was a perfectly tender and juicy bone in chop with a lush and creamy flavorful Dijon sauce spooned over top.

It was quick and very easy to make. I enjoyed it simply with some mashed potatoes and carrots and broccoli on the side. It was delicious! The cream made it not so healthy unfortunately, but you could use undiluted low fat evaporated milk if you wish to cut back on that.  Don't worry. You can't taste it.

SATURDAY, April 6th - Fish Fingers Chips and Beans

Between grocery shopping in the morning, getting my taxes in and then the General Conference of my church in the afternoon/evening, there wasn't a lot of time to cook so simplicity was the order of the day. This is a great comfort food kind of a supper. It can be as simple as opening frozen packets and tins, popping the fish and chips into the oven and the beans into a saucepan to heat up. I, however, always like to add a little twist to my baked beans.  They always come out flavorful and tangy.

Not the healthiest supper perhaps, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do!  (Does it help that I had a nice salad for my lunch??) I did really enjoy this. Made a nice change, albeit a bit naughty! You could make your own fish fingers from scratch if you are really keen. There is a great recipe here. 

And those were my meals of the week for this week. I think I ate rather well and kept everything well within budget! If you have any questions or suggestions just leave a comment below!

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