Meals of the week June 2nd to June 8th, 2024

Here we are another Sunday, another Meals of the Week Post. I sure love doing these Sunday roundups!  For those of you who are new to the page, every week on Sunday I like to share with my readers all of the main meals that I have cooked, shared and enjoyed over the past seven days!

If I have eaten out, I try to share a like recipe that is similar to what I have eaten. I didn't really eat out for dinner this week. My sister and I had lunch with my cousin Sheri earlier this week. We do that occasionally. We went to Angie's Restaurant and enjoyed a couple of hours in each other's company. We laughed, we cried and we laughed some more.  Sheri is who I got my two beautiful cats from!  She is a ginger lover too!

As a person who lives on their own it is really nice to be able to get together with other people to enjoy a meal together every now and then.  For the most part I do like to cook my own food, and I try to keep it healthy, and affordable.  I also try to do everything from scratch.

Usually on Sunday's we eat together as a family and we go to my sister's for that.  My sister is a very good cook. Why does food always taste so much better when someone else cooks it?  That's just the way it works I guess.

Anyways, I have eaten very well this week, as usual.  For breakfast I have been having these protein shakes.  I buy the powder from Good Protein. They are delicious and I find that they keep me nice and full into the afternoon.  Before I started drinking them, I found myself picking a lot, and at things I didn't need to be eating. These protein shakes have really helped with that and get my day off to a good start with things that are good for me.  As an senior older person, this is really important.

I am not getting paid to tell you about them, simply sharing something which I have been enjoying and that I like.  My favorite flavor is the Orange Cream Pop. I highly recommend that one. I didn't like the Cookies and Cream one so much, but I am not a fan of chocolate milk, so I gave that one to my sister.  I  am really pleased with these shakes!

I usually eat my big meal at noon, unless I am going out or to my sister's.  Lunch/supper will usually be something simple, like some toast or a bowl of cereal, or a nice salad. (There is that "S" word again!)  I love salads. I usually make my own dressing from scratch and I will top it with a couple of croutons or maybe some nuts and seeds. Sometimes I will just have some fruit and some crackers. It all depends on how hungry I am.

And so, without further adieu, here we go (Before I bore you to death!).  These are the main meals that I have enjoyed over the past seven days! Maybe you will enjoy some of them as well!

 

SUNDAY, June 2nd - Dinner at my sister Cindy's

On Sundays we usually have dinner together as a family. I really enjoy these times we get to spend together. Sunday was my brother-in-law Dan's birthday, so it was extra special.  He had requested Spaghetti and Meatballs.  My sister was happy to oblige.  We had that with salad and garlic bread and for dessert a small Chocolate Layer Cake that I had made.  It was a delicious meal.

I am sharing my small batch recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs. This is an old, old recipe I saved years ago from one of my mother's cookbooks. I adapted it through the years to suit my family's tastes. The original recipe made 12 servings. This version serves 3 and is delicious. 

I know I am a tad bit biased. 👍

MONDAY, June 3rd. -  Ina Garten's Gruyere Omelet

Normally my father has dinner each evening at my sister's place.  My sister and Dan were going to be away on Monday however and I was privileged to have  my father come to my place for supper.  At 90 years of age, my father doesn't have a huge appetite anymore and he has very simple tastes. 

For supper I made us Omelets which we enjoyed with some bacon and toast. I also threw on a few Crispy Fried Potatoes, because nobody can resist those!  He always looks for something sweet at the end and I gave him a sugar free jello cup with some squirty cream on top and a jam cookie. He was very happy with the repast!   If he is happy then I am happy!

 

TUESDAY, June 4th - Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad

It was lovely and warm on Tuesday and I wanted something light and not too heavy for my supper and so I made this gorgeous Chicken Parmesan Pasta Salad, a small batch. It was really delicious and pretty healthy as well. It made only three servings and was loaded with plenty of chicken, diced peppers, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, spring onions and nugget pasta, all tossed together in a delicious Peppercorn Ranch dressing.  I made my own Peppercorn Dressing as its not something I have ever seen here where I live.  It was really delicious!

I enjoyed it with a tossed salad on the side and some bread sticks.  I was quite satisfied with this as a meal.

 

WEDNESDAY, June 5th - Hot Tuna Buns

Normally on Wednesday nights we meet my father and his friend Hazel for a supper out. We skipped it this week as they were going to go for a Chinese meal and neither my sister nor I enjoy the Chinese restaurant they were going to.  

I treated myself to Hot Tuna Buns, which I enjoyed with some crisp vegetable sticks on the side. (No potato chips this time for me!)  I am trying to be a good girl!!

These tasty buns are composed of simple hot dog buns filled with a deliciously flavored tuna and cheese filling. Baked in the oven until the buns crisp up and the cheese melts, they are incredibly tasty! They are also very quick, easy and simple to make!

 

THURSDAY, June 6th. - Quick and Easy Pepper Steak for two

Chinese Pepper Steak has always been a real favorite with my family. I made it often when my children were growing up. Not only did everyone enjoy it, but it was a great way to make a small bit of meat stretch further. When you have five children, three of them boys, this was something I tried to do on a regular basis. Make my food budget go as far as it could.

It is still something I like to do and this is my quick and easy pepper steak recipe downsized for two people. On this day I downsized it even further to feed just one person (easily done) and I enjoyed it with some delicious steamed rice on the side.

 

FRIDAY, June 7th - A Cold Plate

It was a really warm and humid day on Friday, and I wasn't feeling much like cooking and so for my supper I put myself together a cold plate. This was something my mother often did during the warmer months when we were growing up. 

A cold plate is just what it says. A plate filled with some cold sliced meat, crisp vegetables and a variety of salads. You can have a buttered roll with it if you like. Sometimes people just open a tin of salmon and have that with it, or tuna. It makes a nice change from something hot.

 

SATURDAY, June 8th - A Mashed Potato Bowl

I had not made myself one of these in a very long time. I spent most of the day out shopping with my sister. We do my father's grocery shopping on Saturdays and usually pick up our own at the same time.  I was pretty pooped by the time I got home and got everything put away, so I decided to do something really easy for my tea!

So what is a Mashed Potato Bowl?  Basically it is your own individual little bowl of comfort, with mashed potatoes as a base, topped with your favorite protein, vegetables and gravy.  It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.

Mashed potatoes on the bottom, topped with a variety of cooked vegetables. A chopped cooked breaded chicken breast. Some gravy and then a little smattering of cheese on top.  This is a full meal and a delicious one to boot!  You don't really need anything on the side, but a salad would be nice.  (I know, I could eat a salad with everything!)

And those were my meals of the week for this, the first week of June!  I think I ate rather well. I hope you will be inspired to cook a few of these things for yourself!

Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again! 

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