Meals of the Week, January 19th - January 25th, 2025

On Sundays I like to share with you, my readers, all of the deliciousness that I have enjoyed cooking and eating over the past seven days.  That's a whole lot of tasty going down! 

Can you believe that there is only one week left in the month of January?  I know!  Crazy. This year is already slipping away on the calendar very quickly.  Here I am with my Meals of the week for the third week of January 2025 already, only one week left in the month to go!

We have had an incredibly snowy and cold week this past week here in Nova Scotia. The temperatures have been well below zero, and whilst we haven't had a lot of snow accumulation it has just been enough to keep travel down to a minimum.  With that in mind I did a lot of store cupboard cooking over these past seven days.  I also tried to make them quite healthy. 

I do have a farm market right behind my house so if I get desperate for a few fresh ingredients, I can always walk through to there, but as a whole for the most part I used what I already had in the house over these past seven days. It's not a bad thing to do that every now and then. It helps you to take stock of what you have in the larder, and to use up what needs using pronto!

These are only my main meals and do not include my breakfasts or suppers.  I do eat my main meal in the early afternoon each day, unless I am eating out.  I don't really like going to bed with anything heavy on my stomach.  

For breakfast I will have a protein shake, or a fruit smoothie.  Occasionally I will have oatmeal or a bowl of homemade granola.

Suppers, which is a very light meal which I eat early in the evening consists of a salad, or a sandwich, sometimes a bowl of cereal, or even a mix of fruit and cereal. Sometimes toast and peanut butter.  It is never anything heavy.

I think I eat pretty well for a person that lives on her own. I try to keep everything budget friendly and as natural as possible without the use of a lot of convenience foods, although this week I did use some shake and bake for some chicken.

And without further wattling on, here are my meals of the week for the past seven days. I hope that you see something tasty there that you can also enjoy!

 SUNDAY, January 19th - Sunday Dinner at my sister's

Most Sundays I enjoy dinner with my family at my sister's place.  She always cooks a delicious meal and last Sunday was no different.  She cooked a pot roast for us along with the trimmings.  Juicy and tender beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

I am sharing my recipe for Instant Pot Pot Roast today in it's place.  With this easy Pot Roast Recipe you can be enjoying my Classic Onion Pot Roast in a fraction of the time!  And you won't even have to heat up your oven or stove top.  This easy recipe is no fuss no muss and always yields delicious tender results! No instant pot?  No worries. Just go with the classic recipe.  Both are delicious and you will be able to serve your family a delicious meal that doesn't require a lot of effort on your part.

MONDAY, January 20th - Scottish Farmhouse Eggs

Eggs for dinner as I enjoyed a meal of Scottish Farmhouse Eggs.  I, more often than not, enjoy my eggs at dinner time rather than breakfast time.  They make for a really simple, easy and nutritious supper.  Cheesy, pillowy, baked eggs make for a delicious option.

What you have here is a small batch recipe for eggs baked in a bed of soft white bread crumbs, along with a good cheddar cheese, chopped spring onions and cream.  I enjoyed mine with a splash of hot sauce and a tasty salad on the side.

TUESDAY, January 21st. - Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup

On Tuesday, a really frigid and cold Winter's Day, I enjoyed a lovely pot of Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup.  This was a small batch recipe that I adapted from a recipe I found in a Marcella Hazen Cookbook. You just know this was fantastic.

The smothered cabbage, on its own, makes for a fabulous side dish, but turning it into a delectable soup lifts it to a whole other level completely.  This was pure and utter deliciousness, with very few ingredients and very little effort needed.

I enjoyed with some extra cheese scattered over top and a crusty roll on the side.

 

WEDNESDAY, January 22nd - Dinner out with Dad

On Wednesday evening I went out to dinner with my father. We went to the Big Scoop, which is where he likes to go.  This is a local eatery that has been around for over 50 years now. People just love eating there. It was taken over by a new ownership last year and there were a few teething pains at first, but everything has settled down now and the food is a lot better. They have a lot of our old favorites, plus new things.   They also have a grill now so you can get grilled steaks, chops, chicken, etc.

I was going to have a pork chop as they do those very well, however they were all out of chops on Wednesday night, so I had my old stand-by, a turkey dinner.  They have always done turkey dinners well. Turkey, veggies, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, coleslaw and a roll. It was very good as always.

In its place I am sharing my recipe for a Roasted Split Turkey Breast for two. Carving the whole section of breast meat from the bone after cooking allows for simplicity in carving it into servings for dinner (and sandwiches!) The meat always comes out tender and juicy, perfectly cooked. Nicely herby with plenty of juicy flavor which penetrates the meat.  The skin ends up nice and crispy as well. You cannot lose with this one.

 

THURSDAY, January 23rd. - Crispy Refried Bean Tacos

These are a real doddle to make. It takes longer to chop up and prepare the toppings than it does to cook these tasty tacos! They have a rich bean, cheese and green chili filling. The tortillas are filled and then fried until crispy and golden brown on both sides.

You then fill them with your favorite taco toppings. For me that means chopped tomatoes, olives, spring onions, peppers and lettuce. You can also serve some taco sauce on the side as well as some salsa or taco sauce and some sour cream.

I can promise you nobody will miss the meat in these tasty, well-flavored tacos!

FRIDAY, January 24th - Shake and Bake Chicken, with Scalloped Potatoes and Yellow Wax Beans

I had scored on a really expensive whole chicken, marked down to 50% at the grocery store so I cut it up into pieces. It needed cooking on the day and I didn't want to cook a whole chicken, so cutting it up and freezing the portions I didn't cook for a future date was the best idea.

Cutting up a whole chicken is not that hard to do.  There is a great video here on how to do just that. 

Two of the chicken pieces I coated with some shake and bake coating.  I also made some Double Scalloped Potatoes to go along with them and heated up some yellow beans. I had in mind to send some supper to my next-door neighbor, which I did when everything was done.

This is a really simple and easy version of scalloped potatoes which uses thinly sliced sweet and white potatoes, some seasonings, herbs and cream. The vegetables cook up tender and delicious every time. This is a real favorite!

SATURDAY, January 25th - Classic Tuna Casserole

I felt like enjoying something comforting on Friday ad nothing is as comforting as this old-fashioned classic tuna casserole with potato chips scattered over top. Every once in a while, I just feel very nostalgic, and I crave something from my childhood as well. Classic Tuna Casserole is just such a dish.

This easy tuna casserole is probably something most of us grew up on. You can try to fancy these things up as much as you want, but the heart still wants what it wants. You just cannot beat the classics in my opinion.  Tuna, noodles, peas, a creamy sauce and crushed potato chips on top. It doesn't get much better than this. Add a nice salad to the side and you have a really delicious meal.

And there you have it!  My meals of the week for the past seven days. I think you will agree with me when I say that I ate very well indeed!

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