Meals of the Week, December 28th - January 3rd, 2026

 

Hello everyone and welcome to my first Meals of the Week post for 2026!  On Sundays I like to do a recap of all of the main meals that I have enjoyed over the past seven days.  Seven tasty entrees with all of the sides and menu suggestions along with the pertinent recipes. That's a whole lot of deliciousness if I don't say so myself!

This was another week with a holiday meal, New Year's Day. I also had company visiting for a part of the week. I did eat at my sister's three times this week, and we all enjoyed a meal out as a family once.  There was nothing too elaborate about any of it. Just good, delicious, wholesome food.  Food enjoyed together as a family is the best kind!

I am a senior person who lives on her own.  I love to cook, and I love to eat, and I love to share what I cook and eat with you, my dear readers.   This serves a dual purpose.

One, hopefully, it will inspire others who find themselves in the same boat to start cooking for themselves.  The temptation when you live on your own can be to just pop a frozen dinner in the microwave or to eat a takeaway.  My next-door neighbor exists on sandwiches, I am sure. I often share my meals with her just to make sure she gets something nutritious.

The sad truth is a lot of elderly people are suffering from malnutrition.  I am determined that won't be me, so I cook. My meals are never complicated but they are also never boring. At least I don't think that they are.

Secondly, I like to cook, and I love to eat and homemade food tastes a heck of a lot better than anything else! Its also a lot healthier and more economical than eating out or buying ready meals that are loaded with salt, sugar and fat.

For breakfast most days I will have a protein shake. I buy the powder online and it comes in a multitude of gorgeous flavors. My absolute favorite is the Orange Creamsicle flavor.  

I will have my main meal around early afternoon, usually by one pm. I don't like to have anything heavy laying on my stomach later on in the day.  I suffer from GERD and so I really need to watch things.

In the early evening, I will have a salad, or a sandwich, or sometimes a bowl of cereal or some toast, or fruit even. Nothing too heavy.

I try to make sure my meals are all nutritionally sound and budget friendly.  I think I do a pretty good job of it.  And having said all that, here are my meals of the week!

SUNDAY, December 28th - Sunday Dinner with the family

My son and grandsons were supposed to arrive on Sunday but delayed their trip due to weather conditions, so I went to my sister's place for Sunday dinner. She cooked a pot roast and as always it was delicious. Tender beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and veggies.  

In it's place I am sharing my recipe for a Classic Pot Roast for two.  This is a smaller sized roast dinner, complete with meat, potatoes, carrots, etc. and a delicious gravy. Sized for the smaller family to enjoy on the day and then some leftovers the day after.  Tender, juicy and loaded with flavor.

MONDAY, December 29th - School Cafeteria Pizza

My son and his boys arrived and we enjoyed pizza. One of my grandsons has an eating disorder and only eats certain things, Pizza being one of them. Nobody really minded eating pizza. We all enjoy it and this is a really delicious version of pizza. 

So good and super easy to make with a simple pourable pizza crust. Yeast, flour, dry milk, sugar, salt, water, and oil. Top the pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. We kept it plain with just pepperoni.  I had a salad made to enjoy on the side and of course there were a multitude of Christmas goodies to enjoy. Date squares, mince pies, Christmas cake, etc.

TUESDAY, December 30th - Dinner out with the family

On Tuesday we all went out together as a family for our dinner.  Cindy, Dan, myself, my son and my grandsons. We went to Angies which is just around the corner from where I live. Most of the time their food is pretty good.  Dad, Anthony and Gabe had the one piece Fish and Chips.  Luke had a Milkshake and Chicken Strips.  Dan had the Bourbon Burger. Cindy had the Haddie Bits and I chose the small eaters Hot Turkey Sandwich.

The only one who was happy with their meal was Dan.  He told the waitress he wanted his burger hot and it came out before anyone else's food and it was hot.  Everyone who had the fish and chips thought their fish tasted kind of fish.  Luke drank his milkshake and left the chicken strips because they were not as he liked.  Cindy thought her haddie bits were fishy also.  I didn't like my sandwich either. The gravy was flavorless and it just didn't taste good.  But at least we were all together and that was the main thing.

In the place of my hot turkey sando I am sharing my recipe for a Hot Chicken Sandwich. Its always good, with a lovely flavored gravy. When you are eating a hot sandwich like this, the gravy is everything!!

WEDNESDAY, December 31st - New Year's Eve Supper

My son and grandson's left to go back to New Brunswick on Wednesday and my sister invited me over for a New Year's Eve supper.  We enjoyed lovely homemade French Canadian Tourtiere. Many people also call this Meat Pie.  My father calls is Meat Pie.  In his family Tourtiere is a pie made with a mix of meats, potatoes and onions, and is simmered low and slow in a pastry crust all day. Tourtiere Lac St Jean.  This is also very delicious.

My sister makes the best Meat Pies. We enjoyed this along with fresh green beans and some pan fried potatoes. It was a lovely supper!  We had cheesecake for dessert.

THURSDAY, January 1st. 2025 - New Year's Day Dinner

On Thursday the family enjoyed another lovely day together. Cindy, Dan, myself and dad.  My sister roasted a ham.  You can find my recipe for the Apricot Glazed Roast Ham here.  It was fabulously tasty.  We enjoyed it with Scalloped Potatoes, steamed Carrots, Pineapple Baked Beans, and a Cheesy Corn Casserole, which my sister had made.

For dessert we had sugar free Jello with squirty cream as that is my father's favorite dessert.  We all enjoyed everything very much, and of course the best part was enjoying it together. What a wonderful beginning to the new year! Family times are the best of times! 

FRIDAY, January 2nd - Tuna Patties 

I felt like having some fish on Friday after all of the excess of the holidays. Something simple.  I made Tuna Patties and enjoyed them on their own along with a salad on the side.  I didn't need anything else as I ate both patties. (Oink! Oink!)   I did make a homemade tartar sauce to go with them.

My salad was a simple mixed salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and spring onions.  I created a simple homemade vinaigrette to drizzle over top. I was totally happy with this.

Normally I would have enjoyed these with some Macaroni and Cheese and a vegetable on the side.

SATURDAY, January 3rd - Beans on Toast 

A simple store cupboard meal but one which I really enjoy. Beans on toast.  A nice, toasted slice of toasted sourdough bread topped with some tasty Sprague Baked Beans, and a handful of good cheddar cheese grated over the top. This is one of my favorite quick fix meals!

It was snowy and blowy, so I was quite unable to get out to the shops like I wanted to. I think Winter has well and truly arrived.  I was very happy with my supper even if it wasn't anything too fancy.  Sometimes it really is the simple things in life which bring us the most joy.

And those were my meals of the week, for this, the last week of December and beginning of January

I hope you will be inspired to want to make a few of these recipes for yourself!  Happy New Year!

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