I like to cook for myself for the most part, except for the occasional meal out or for dinner at my sister's place on Sundays and a family meal out on most Wednesday nights at a local eatery. I don't really like eating frozen dinners or ready meals if I can help it. They are always high in salt and fat, sugar too, and they never taste even a fraction as good as the photograph on the outside of the package.
I just don't like them. Not one little bit. They might be convenient but they are hardly worth even the small effort it takes to heat them up in the microwave or whatever. When I was younger I used to enjoy a Stouffer' macaroni and cheese every now and then or turkey tetrazzini, but something has happened since then. Either my taste has drastically improved or the quality of them has gone way down hill. I think perhaps a bit of both to be honest!
I cook simple, budget friendly meals for the most part. Food using honest and whole ingredients. East to prepare as well. I don't like to get too fancy in my every day cooking, unless I am having people over to supper. Most of the time I do keep things fairly simple. I had enough of complicated in my work life. Now, in my retirement, I find that simple suits me just fine.
I am also on a limited budget as most seniors are and so I try to keep things down, cost-wise, and take advantage of specials, etc. Also I live by myself, so most of my meals are now tailored to suit small families, of only one or two people, although most of my recipes can certainly be doubled to feed larger groups.
I try to keep my meals varied and somewhat healthy, with plenty of vegetables most of the time, not a lot of fried foods. I do like my cheese. But there are far worse things I could indulge in, and I don't eat cheese every day. Its a good source of protein some of the time.
I do enjoy sharing these weekly menu and recipe roundups with you and I know from the feedback that you give you do as well. If I can inspire someone to cook for themselves and eat a varied menu then that makes me very happy.
I have provided recipes for everything I ate and in the case of eating out I have tried to provide a like recipe in its place.
And without further adieu here you have it. My meals for the last week of July 2026. Enjoy!
SUNDAY, July 26th - Sunday Dinner with the family
Eileen was with me for the weekend and we went to my sister's place for Sunday Dinner. We were not disappointed. She cooked a fabulous meal as always. Swiss Steak with mashed potatoes. The gravy was thick and rich and loaded with peppers and onions. The potatoes fluffy and buttery. She didn't serve a vegetable with them.
In their place I am sharing a recipe for Swiss Steak that I made as a part of one of my Vintage Menus back in November of 2023. The Menu was taken from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook and consisted of:
I wanted to use up some leftovers that I had in the freezer, in particular cooked chicken pieces, gravy and stuffing. (I never throw anything away because I know I will find a use for it somewhere down the road!)
This is one of my favorite meals. A real treat made up of simple leftovers. What you have here is a base of crisp oven chips that I cooked in the air fryer. Topped with pieces of chicken in gravy, cheese curds, stuffing crumbles and some sweet baby peas. Seriously simple and oh-so-delicious! And I love the fact that I am using up all of my leftovers in the most delicious way.
TUESDAY, July 28th - Pork Chops with Cream Gravy
Red meat is not something that I eat very often, but when I do, I like to make sure that I give it the best treatment possible. I wrap and freeze all of my chops and my steaks, etc. individually. That way I can just take one out whenever I want to enjoy one. I have become quite adept at reducing everything down to one.
This recipe for Pork Chops with Cream Gravy is an special favorite of mine. I love the tenderness of the meat and that flavor-filled gravy. So delicious with some mashed potatoes and a salad on the side. This week I made mashed potatoes from scratch as I had something I wanted to do with them later in the week, but most of the time these days I use the instant mash if I am only cooking for me. Over in the U.K. I would be using the frozen mash pellets. So convenient and so tasty!
WEDNESDAY, July 29th - Dinner out with Dad and Cindy
On Wednesday nights I always, or at least almost always, enjoy dinner out with my father, sister, my daughter Eileen, and my father's friend Hazel. We usually go to the same place each week. The Big Scoop and Family Takeaway. The food can be a bit hit and miss, but the service is pretty good and when they get it right they get it right. I have learned not to order anything with bacon on it as I will be disappointed. You will be playing hunt the bacon as there is never more than a few thumbnail pieces included. This week I got my old standard Fish and Chips, which you see above. Those are usually done very well, depending on who is cooking and this week it was the good guy.
My sister and dad had the burger special. Cindy chose to have sweet potato fries with hers, but she found a hair in the fries which spoilt the whole experience for her. They did refund the cost of the fries but still charged for her burger. Hazel had her grilled haddock and Eileen had a grilled cheese sandwich and bowl of turkey soup.
If you would like to try making your own fish and chips at home, I am linking to my own recipe for Beer Battered Cod and Chips. That batter is superb and the chips are pretty perfect as well. Such a family favorite!
THURSDAY, July 30th - One Pan Egg Toast Omelet
It was rainy, hot and humid on Thursday so not a day I really felt much like cooking. I took the easy way out and made myself a One Pan Egg Toast Omelet. Oh boy but they are some delicious. Quantities are for one, but you can only really make one at a time anyways. Breakfast for dinner has always been one of my favorite things to have.
I don't do it very often, but I really enjoyed it on this day. It is like a savory combination of French Toast and an Omelet, with cheese in the middle. Tres delicious. I enjoyed some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.
FRIDAY, August 9th - Broccoli Cheese Soup, small batch
I wasn't feeling really well on Friday. I had a lot of pain issued with my arthritis, etc. I decided it was the perfect day to enjoy some hot soup and so I made a small batch of my Broccoli Cheese Soup.
.JPG "School Cafeteria Pizza")
Nobody really minds eating pizza. We all enjoy it and this is a really delicious version.
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