Meals of the Week, April 7th - 13th, 2024

  

Here we are, Sunday again and its another opportunity for me to share with you, my sweet readers, my meals of the week!  All of the delicious main meals that I have enjoyed over the past seven days, along with the relevant recipes and any menu suggestions I might have for something to enjoy on the side.

I do love creating these posts for you.  They help to keep me accountable as far as my eating goes. They also help to provide interest in my diet and keep me from becoming bored. When you are bored you tend to eat very poorly.  I have  found that to be true, at least for me.

As a person who lives on my own, it is very easy to become bored with food. Without anyone to share your table or your meals with you may often end up sitting in front of the television eating off a TV tray while you watch the telly. Unconscious eating. Its just the way it is.

I find that I need to make a concerted effort to sit down at the table and to enjoy my meals. This can only happen if I plan them properly and if I make them interesting, which is what I try to do. 

Some people have asked what do I do with the leftovers. In many cases I cut the recipes down to make only two servings, and then cut them down again, for just me.  In other cases, such as with a soup or a casserole, I will make the full lot and then freeze it in individual servings for me to thaw out and enjoy at another time. 

I can assure you that I try to waste as little as possible.  In this day and age, with the cost of food going up as much as it seems to go up every week, this is important.  Who can afford to throw good food away?  Not me!  That's who!

So what you have here are my main meals for the past seven days. I try to keep them affordable and as healthy as I can. I try to stretch things where possible, and I try to keep things interesting.   In the instances where I have eaten out I have provided a similar recipe to what I have enjoyed. 

I really do hope that you will at least be inspired to want to cook and enjoy a few of these things for yourself!

SUNDAY, April 7th - Sunday Dinner with the Family

Most Sundays I go to my sister's for supper. Usually she has a roast of some sort. This week she did Onion Pot Roast.   She served this with piles of fluffy mash and an assortment of cooked vegetables. Of course she also did her fabulous gravy to go along with it.  It was a lovely meal. For dessert we had a dish each of Orange Pineapple Ice Cream. One of my favorites!

If you are a smaller family and are wanting a small batch Pot Roast, do check my recipe for Classic Por Roast for Two.

MONDAY, April 8th - Sheet Pan Chinese Pork Tenderloin for two 

One thing I miss about not cooking my own Sunday Dinner is not having leftovers to play with on Monday. Mom always called me the Queen of Leftovers.  On Monday last I cooked myself this delicious Sheet Pan Chinese Pork Tenderloin which is perfectly sized for two. That meant on Monday I could enjoy the Pork with some vegetables and roasted potatoes and then I would have some leftovers to play with on Tuesday.

I love sheet pan dinners. They are so quick and easy to throw together and there is minimal clean up. This one boasts tender and juicy pieces of pork flavored with a lovely oriental rub and some hoisin sauce prior to roasting.  Delicious!

TUESDAY, April 9th - Pork Fried Rice with some vegetable spring rolls

I used the leftover pork to make myself some pork fried rice on Tuesday.  You can use either chopped raw veggies in this or leftover cooked vegetables. It is delicious either way.  It has buckets of flavor and is such a quick and easy make.  I served it with some vegetable spring rolls with came with their own plum sauce for dipping.  

This is the brand of Spring Rolls I buy. I love their flavor. They always come out nice and crisp and are abundantly filled. The sauce is also really nice!

WEDNESDAY, April 10th - Dinner out with my dad

On Wednesday nights we usually go out to dinner with my father.  We go to a local eatery called The Big Scoop Family Restaurant and TakeOut. They specialize in burgers, fish, chips and diner types of food. This week we all had the haddock dinner which came with a roll, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, yellow beans and mashed squash.

In it's place I am sharing my recipe for Sole Fillets with Lemon & Thyme. This is such a lovely recipe and always results in perfectly cooked fish. I love sole. It has such a delicate and delicious flavor!

THURSDAY, April 11th - Spicy Turkey Ranch Burgers 

My sister and I had a day of running around. We drove all the way up to Coldbrook and enjoyed a cheeky slice of Pie at Callister's Diner for our lunch.  They have the best pies. I had Lemon Meringue and my sister had Coconut Cream. We had a taste of each others and I can tell you both pies were fabulous!

When I got home I wasn't overly hungry really. I did remember that I had some of these delicious Spicy Turkey Ranch Burgers frozen, so I took one out and cooked it up. I had it plain without the bun and some salad on the side.  It was just perfect for me on a day when I wasn't feeling overly hungry.

If you are hungry however, I suggest enjoying it with a slice of cheese melted on top in a toasted bun with some coleslaw and oven chips on the side!

FRIDAY, April 12th - Skinny Mac & Cheese

On Friday I wanted to make up for the indulgence of the day before with that huge piece of pie so I made some Skinny Mac & Cheese, which I served with a salad.

This tasty version of Mac & Cheese uses whole wheat pasta, although you could certainly use plain ordinary pasta if you wish.  It is tossed together with some crispy tender cauliflower florets and a delicious, lush low fat cheese sauce.  You can add ham if you like, but I did not on this day, preferring to just have it without any meat. I like to top it before baking with some sliced tomatoes to add another one of my five a day. 

This was delicious served with some salad and I added a crusty roll. I felt justified in buttering it where the rest of the meal was low fat and healthy. I know.  Two steps forward and one step back, haha! (At least its progress!)

SATURDAY, April 13th - Chicken Tikka Masala

On Saturday I fancied an Indian Meal. Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorites.  When I lived in the U.K. Saturday nights were often curry nights. a night where we enjoyed a curry of some kind or another.  I served this with some steamed Basmati rice and Naan bread to sop up all of that creamy sauce.  I also had some mango chutney with the curry.

 I make my own Naan Bread from a yeast free recipe which I have.   It always turns out beautiful.

This is a lovely curry that is not overly spicy for those who are not into really spicy foods. It is not too mild either. I call it just right. The recipe comes from a book I have by Tamsin Day Lewis (the sister of actor Daniel Day Lewis.) She is one of my favorite U.K. chefs/food writers.

And there you have it, all of the deliciousness of my last seven days. I ate quite well. I kept everything within budget and I tried to eat fairly healthy.  If you have any suggestions, questions or comments please leave them below in my comments section!

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