Hello and welcome to my Meals of the Week! Every Sunday I like to share with you, my dear readers and subscribers, my meals of the week from the previous week. That is everything that I have cooked, eaten and enjoyed for my main meals over the past seven days. It is something I enjoy doing and something which you all also seem to enjoy.
A delicious recap of the week just passed.
As a Senior on a limited budget, and a person who lives on their own cooking can be somewhat of a challenge for me. It really does take an effort some days. I need to make myself cook and I need to make an effort to set myself a place and sit down at the table. With nobody here to share it with, the temptation is really there to just sit in front of the television and eat off a TV tray, or to not bother to cook and just eat frozen, take aways, or ready meals.
That kind of food is loaded with salt, sugar and fat however, so I do make an effort and each week I like to share what I have eaten with you for my main meals.
For breakfast most days I will have a protein shake. I enjoy those and I can sip at it all morning as I work, and putter. I will have my main meal in the early afternoon most days, unless I am eating out with friends or family. On those occasions I will eat later in the day. Also, if I am having company, my main meal will be later in the day.
Supper will usually be my lunch, and it is always very light. Fruit, or a salad, or both. Maybe a sandwich on occasion, and yes, sometimes I do have a bowl of cereal. I have always loved enjoying a bowl of cereal in the evening. I have fond memories of sitting in my brother's highchair and eating a bowl of cereal as I watched my mother scrub the floors after my sister and brother had been put to bed. My mother was a very hard worker.
Anyways, I do eat out from time to time. On Sundays, unless I am having the family here, I will have a family dinner over at my sister's. I have provided a like recipe and menu for you in that case. If I have eaten out for a meal I will also share a like recipe for whatever it is I have eaten in that case as well.
I have provided links to the recipes as well as menu suggestions. I do hope that you enjoy what I am sharing with you this week. I know I sure did!
SUNDAY, September 14th - Sunday Dinner at Cindy's
On Sundays I usually have Sunday Dinner with the family at my sister's. This week she cooked roast beef which we enjoyed with roasted potatoes, carrots and gravy. For dessert we had some cake. It was delicious.
In it's place I am sharing my recipe for "Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef." This is more of a technique than it is a recipe. There is a lot more to cooking a roast than just banging into an oven. Whilst it is also very simple to cook, there is a proper way to do it and helps and tips that can produce the perfect roast every time. It is something which I got from the grandmother of an old friend of mine some 50 year or so ago and it really produces one of the best roasts. Trust me on this.
MONDAY, September 15th - Orange Glazed Dinner Ham
I had picked up a small dinner ham on offer at the store a while back and decided to cook it on Monday. That way I would have ham for sandwiches and maybe a small casserole to enjoy later in the week. I did it simply in the oven with a simple Orange Marmalade glaze. It was juicy and loaded with flavor.
I enjoyed this with some Macaroni and Cheese and a mix of beans and carrots. I also send a dinner to my next-door neighbor. She really enjoyed it. You really cannot go wrong with buying one of these small hams. You can get a lot of mileage out of one!
I made my Deviled Ham Spread with some of the leftovers. I love that stuff. It is so much tastier made from scratch than anything you could buy in a tin. In sandwiches or with crackers. You can't beat it!
TUESDAY, September 16th - Lamb & Damson Stew
I had not had lamb stew in a very long time. I had some plums which needed using and so I made Lamb & Damson Stew. This is a really delicious stew. Fruit goes very well with red meats like lamb and pork. The lamb for this stew always comes out tender, melt-in-the-mouth. There is a variety of root vegetables, carrots, parsnips, Swede (rutabaga) in a rich and delicious gravy.
I top it with some baked suet dumplings at the end and served it with fluffy mashed potatoes. I had enough to freeze some stew for a later date. It is delicious and will probably taste even better when I go to eat it again! This is a very seasonal recipe and best enjoyed in the autumn when fresh plums are local and at their best!
WEDNESDAY, September 17th - Ham, Leek & Potato Gratin
A tasty gratin that makes great use of leftover baked ham, boiled ham, or cooked ham hocks. I made use of some of my leftover ham from the other day. Ham is layered in a baking dish with sliced potato, and sauteed leeks. A rich bechamel sauce is poured over top and then the whole thing is covered in a blanket of buttered breadcrumbs and cheese.
It's quite simply delicious! I love the rich, earthy, sharp flavor of leeks, and they go really well in dishes like this one. I cut the recipe way down to make one just for me and some to share with next door. (Always welcomed.) I enjoyed with a tossed salad for the win!
FRIDAY, December 20th - Classic Tuna Melt
Fish for Friday with a Classic Tuna Melt Sandwich. I had a lot of running around to do on Friday. When I got home, I was too tired to cook much of anything, so I made myself a Classic Tuna Melt Sandwich. That is always a real treat for me! I do so love a Tuna Melt.
Delicious tuna filling, rich cheese, toasty buttery bread. What's not to love about a tuna melt? I was cheeky and just had some potato chips on the side. Any kind of salad would go well as would a hot bowl of soup. You cannot beat the combination of a soup and sandwich. I could easily eat two of these, they are so delicious, but I do restrain myself and hold it down to one, lol.
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SATURDAY, September 20th - BBQ Beef Croissant Pie
This was something I had not made in a very long time. When my kids were growing up I used to make them these BBQ Beef Cups that they really loved. This is a much easier version on that theme, using refrigerated croissant dough to make a full pie instead of individual cups. The beef filling is the star here. It is rich and delicious with a snappy BBQ flavor. There is also plenty of cheese involved. Altogether this is a very simple dinner to make and incredibly tasty!
I enjoyed this with some salad and broccoli on the side, just to get in a couple of my five a day. I think you are going to really love this simple supper if you try it!
And there you have it, my meals of the week for the past seven days. I think you will agree that I ate very well and kept things well within my budget! I hope you will want to give some of these a go!
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