Meals of the Week, May 17th - 23rd, 2026

 

True to form the week has flown past and here we are at another Sunday, another Meals of the Week Post. I have been doing this for several years now. These weekly round ups have  become something that I really enjoy doing each week, and you all seem to enjoy me sharing them with you!

I am determined to cook myself decent meals even though I find myself living on my own.  I don't ever want to be that person who indulges in overly processed premade meals and takeaways.  Although this past week,  I have eaten out twice, not counting Sunday dinner at my sister's place. (NOT normal.)  Usually I do eat out once  a week with my dad and I try to choose a healthy option most of the time when I do. 

I have provided a suitable alternative that compares well with what I have eaten when I was out. I do think that home cooked food, whilst more labor intensive for sure, is always better for you and better tasting in most cases!

I am also cooking for my oldest daughter who has been living with me temporarily over these past few months. It's been fun revisiting some of her old favorites and just having some to enjoy all that I cook with!  She will be with me for a few months longer, at least. I am not complaining! I love having her here.

Sharing these recipes with you each week inspires me to cook regularly.  I love sharing my recipes with you and I really do hope that you are inspired to want to cook them and to cook regularly for yourself as well!  Together we can all eat healthier, well managed  and complete meals that don't necessarily require a whole lot of work to put together!

 I try to keep things as healthy and low cost as I can. In these days of rising food costs, every little bit helps!

In any case, here are the delicious main meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days. I hope that you will get some ideas about how you can cook some of them for yourself, save some money and eat as well as we have enjoyed eating!

 

 

SUNDAY, May 17th - Sunday Dinner with the family

Most Sundays we go to my sister's for a nice Sunday Dinner. This week was no different. My sister cooked us a delicious meal as always. We had Honey Garlic Balls (using a jarred sauce), stir fried vegetables and brown rice. With sugar free jelly and whippy cream for dessert.  We all really enjoyed it.

In it's place I am sharing my own recipe for Sweet & Sour Meatballs.  This is a dish I made fairly often when my children were growing up. They always loved them and it was a great way to stretch a small amount of ground beef to feed a large family.  I like to bake the meatballs ahead of time in the oven, rather than fry them. You can even do this a day ahead of time.  A delicious sweet and sour sauce is made using pineapple juice, tomato ketchup, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar. I also like to add a tiny bit of sriracha sauce for just a touch of garlicky heat.  I stir in a can of pineapple tidbits and the cooked meat balls and then bake them in the oven until all of the flavors meld beautifully together. It doesn't take long.

A simple garnish of chopped spring onions and some homemade fried rice on the side containing lots of veggies and dinner is served!

MONDAY, May 18th - Easy Chicken Gyros

Something quick, easy and different for Monday night. I am enjoying introducing Eileen to dishes that she may not have been able to try before.  Chicken Gyros (Yee-roes) are something she had never tried before so this was a real treat for her. 

Gyros are a Greek sandwich which consists of grilled meat (chicken, lamb, beef or pork) which has been marinated in a deliciously flavorful marinade prior to grilling. Once grilled the meat is sliced and layered onto a flat bread along with some salad and a creamy Tzatzki sauce.

Needless to say these are really quite easy to make, but also very filling, with the flat bread etc.  Tender juicy, nicely spiced bits of chicken, tomato, cucumber, red onions and sauce. We enjoyed these with a leafy green salad on the side and were stuffed to the gills!  Delicious!

TUESDAY, May 19th - Smoked Sausage & Sauerkraut

It's really nice to have someone sharing my house with me who enjoys sauerkraut as much as I do.  I am loving it.  Sauerkraut is something that I have enjoyed all of my life. My grandfather used to make his own kraut every year. It was fabulous.

When I cook kraut, I do like to add a few bits to it which really help to enhance its flavors and bring it to life. I start with onions and apples.  Sauerkraut, onions and apples are a trinity of excellent taste!  A bit of brown sugar and some apple juice to keep things moist. I also like to add a bit of smokiness to it with bacon, pickled pork, etc. This day I used some smoked sausage.

This is one very excellent meal. We enjoyed it with a pile of fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes. I love to mash my potatoes together with more butter and the kraut on my plate.  Yes, I am weird that way, but to me it just tastes fabulous! Like manna from Heaven.  You don't really need a veggie on the side as Sauerkraut is a vegetable (cabbage) but you could add some carrots or green beans if you really want another extra vegetable to enjoy.

WEDNESDAY, May 20th - Dinner out with the family

On Wednesday night we went to our usual dinner out with the family at a local eatery.  Our father really enjoys these nights out. He looks forward to them every week.  We usually all get something different.  This week Cindy, Hazel and I each got the one piece fish and chips.  Dad got the grilled haddock dinner and Eileen got the Double Oklahoma Smashie Burger. It came with fries and a milkshake and she was really looking forward to that milkshake!  She enjoyed!

In it's place I am sharing my recipe for Smash Burgers. The secret to these tasty burgers lies in searing them on a very hot pan quickly and pressing them down as flat as you can so that they cook quickly and brown nicely. Because they cook rather quickly all of the juices stay inside and you get a really tasty burger. The heat from the burgers melts the cheese. That combination served on a toasted bun with your favorite garnishes results in a burger that is very delicious indeed.

On the side you could have some potato chips and coleslaw, or if you are going for the restaurant experience, a side of skinny French fries and some slaw. It all depends on how hungry you are!

THURSDAY, May 21st - Simple Grilled Steak with sides

Red meat again, what can I say. Some weeks are just like that. I had bought some inexpensive rib eye steaks (ungraded beef) at the grocery store and was keen to try one. They were largish. Each one was big enough for two people.  I marinated one of them in this Simple Steak Marinade,  and then grilled it in my electric griddle. The end result was quick, easy and delicious.  Even though it was a thickish steak, it was cooked in four minutes. (Cooking from both sides at the same time speeded things up.)

We enjoyed this with a baked sweet potato, some broccoli and I cooked some Butter Fried Parsnips for Eileen as she was wanting them. 

Steak in the middle of the week? Now that's what I call a real treat! 

FRIDAY, May 22nd - Amish Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

I had some cooked chicken in the freezer to use up so I made something I knew Eileen would really love. Amish Chicken and Stuffing Casserole. This is a real favorite casserole We love chicken. We love stuffing. The two together are amazing!

This is one of my absolute all time favorite chicken casseroles. Not only is is a great way to use up stale bread, but you can also use up leftover cooked chicken or even turkey, or you can cook chicken specifically just to use in it. Celery, onion, herbs, butter, the shredded chicken, stock, mixed together and baked to give you one very delicious and simple entree.

Served simply with some gravy to pour over top and a salad on the side, this went down a real treat! 

SATURDAY, May 23rd - Dinner out with the family

Eileen was away for the weekend to her People's First Conference and everyone else wanted to take ourselves up to Parker's Cove to the Crows Nest for Supper.  It worked out well as Eileen does not like fish of any kind, and basically the Crows Nest is a seafood restaurant right on the shore of the Bay of Fundy.  Their fish and chips is usually very good, and it's a beautiful drive to get there down the valley and up over the mountain to the Cove.

Cindy, Dan and I each had the English style fish and chips and Dad had the seafood chowder. I shared some of mine with him. All of the fish and the chips tasted burnt, and was very dark.  It tasted like the oil was old, and dad was not overly fond of his chowder either. We were all pretty disappointed, and it will be a long time before we go back again, if ever. I should have taken photos to show you. The service wasn't great either. The tables seem to have gotten a lot smaller as well. We felt really crowded.

In it's place I am sharing a simple recipe for  Pan Fried Fish. This was a part of a vintage menu which consisted of  the perfectly pan-fried fish (of course),  mixed vegetables,  crispy edged cottage fried potatoes, perfection salad and a delicious dessert.  I will also share my recipe for Nova Scotia Fish Chowder.  You really can't go wrong with either of these recipes.

And there you have it. My meals of the week for the second-last week in May, 2026.  We both really enjoyed our meals very much. I hope you will too! 

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