Another Sunday, another Meals of the week post. The post where I catch you up with all of the things which I have cooked for myself over the previous week. I may live on my own, but as you can see, I eat very well.
I love doing these meals of the week posts. I know that I, myself, on occasions need a bit of inspiration when it comes to meal planning and if I can help anyone to do that for themselves or their family that makes me very happy.
I try to keep everything as nutritious as possible, and I try to cook my own meals from scratch most of the time. Readymade food is usually not all that good for you, being loaded with salt, sugar and fat. I do not believe it is meant to be consumed on a regular business.
I, like many seniors, live within a budget so what I eat also has to fit within that structure. It is getting more and more difficult to do, but it can be done with a little bit of planning ahead.
I also have my daughter staying with me at the moment while she recovers from a major surgery. That does present a bit of a challenge as I try to tempt her appetite with things that are simple and yet delicious without being overly rich or complicated.
She is spending quite a bit of time sleeping at the moment and isn't really all that hungry, although she is drinking plenty and soup seems to be a favourite meal, always a good thing.
These are my main meals, not my breakfasts and suppers. Breakfast will usually be something simple like a protein shake. I buy my protein powder here. They have loads of flavors. The Orange Cream Pop is my favorite. Sometimes I will have toast, and other times Oatmeal or my homemade granola. (Usually with some plain yogurt and fruit.)
My lunches will be very simple. Sometimes a salad and some fruit, sometimes a sandwich, occasionally soup, and sometimes a bowl of cereal and milk, or some cheese and crackers.
In any case, here are the meals of the week I enjoyed over the past seven days! I hope you will be inspired to want to cook a few of them for yourself! Delicious, nutritious and economical for the most part!
SUNDAY, October 18th - French Onion Cottage Pie
We were not able to get out to my sister's again because of Eileen's slow recovery, so I decided to make us a comfort meal we could hopefully both enjoy. I cooked the meat in the slow-cooker the night before. tender and juicy beef, falling apart and melt in the mouth. I only made two small individual ones though, freezing the extra meat for another time.
This is always so delicious. You get tender chunks of beef in a delicious gravy at the bottom, topped with peas, carrots, and corn and then a thatch of buttery Parmesan mash gilding the top. So delicious.
I was grateful I had made only the two servings. Eileen was only able to eat a small portion of hers. She did eat some of the gravy with some bread though, which was good. I had made a small salad to enjoy with it. She ate some of that as well. Baby steps.
MONDAY, October 18th - Monterrey Chicken Quesadillas
I tried tempting her appetite again with these delicious Quesadillas. We both really love Mexican food flavours and I know she really likes Quesadillas.
The filling in these is delicious and never disappoints. Shredded rotisserie chicken (I used canned), crumbled bacon, chopped onion, plenty of cheddar cheese and some spicy sweetness from the use of BBQ sauce.Then there is the crispness of the flour tortilla shell. Brushing them with butter prior to baking ensures that they turn out crisp and golden brown and deliciously buttery flavored.
Altogether scrumptiously tasty! This recipe has been adapted and downsized to feed only two people. We enjoyed these with some homemade salsa that I had picked up at Peltons and some sour cream. Eileen really really enjoyed these, and managed to eat a whole one. Normally I would accompany this with a salad, but on this day we kept things very simple.
Another comfort meal designed to tempt Eileen's appetite. You cannot beat a nice bowl of chicken soup for comfort and sustenance, and I had some of this frozen in the freezer ready to reheat.
This is a very simple and easy soup to make. I often use the carcass from a roast chicken to make this, saving some chicken from the roast to use also. As I always cut up chickens myself to use in other recipes, I usually always have bags of chicken backs and necks in the freezer as well, which are very good when used in this soup! Its amazing what you can do with a few bones and some vegetables!
This is rich, delicious and comforting. We enjoyed it simply with some crackers. (Butter on them for Eileen.) A heartier eater might want to add a grilled cheese or other sandwich on the side.
I know, soup two days in a row, but I am really trying to keep things fairly simple for Eileen whilst trying to tempt her appetite at the same time. She does love tomato soup. (I like to melt a knob of butter into the top of mine.) I had some Cheddar Cheese & Chive Scones in the freezer so I took several of them out and heated them up to have with our soup.
Normally on Wednesdays we would be going out with my sister and father for supper. I can't see that happening for at least another few weeks anyways.
Eileen did enjoy the soup. What can be more comforting than a hot bowl of tomato soup, and those biscuits, well . . . they are pretty hard to resist.
On Thursday I made us these tasty omelet sandwiches. Quick and easy to make and quite benign. I thought Eileen would really enjoy one of these perhaps with some potato chips and salad on the side. This tasty sandwich is kind of like a combination of an omelet and French toast and can be as tasty or benign as you wish. Eggs, bread, cheese. Hearty and filling.
It goes together very quickly and easily as well, and I have to tell you, it is really, REALLY delicious! I am sure you could amp it up by adding your favorite omelet fillings. Some ham or other sliced meats, perhaps some fried peppers and onions. Sliced ripe tomato. Maybe some sauteed mushrooms. Whatever it is that you enjoy in an omelet! I guarantee you are going to love this!
We kept it simple for Eileen with just cheese. She managed to eat half of one and a few chips. I also gave her a cup of Broccoli Cheese Cup of Soup. (I get it from a British Shop.) She really likes that soup.
This Pot Roasted Pork with Cabbage and carrots is one of my favorite meals to cook when the temperatures start dropping and the nights begin to draw in. A long slow braise results in succulent moist pork, tender roasted carrots, butter tender cabbage and a rich gravy that is to die for. I thought I could tempt Eileen with it. I had thought to do it with sauerkraut, but then kept it simple with two of her favorite vegetables. Cabbage and Carrots.
I made this and some mashed potatoes to enjoy on the side and she really enjoyed it. She was having a good day on Friday, which did my heart good to see. She felt a bit more like herself. This has been a pretty traumatic experience for her. She has a long ways to go before she will be fully healed.
I used some of the pork leftover from the roast to make us a pan of Pork Fried Rice on Friday. I also cooked some chicken tenders on the side, which we enjoyed with some plum sauce for dipping.
Fried rice is a very forgiving dish to make. It will work with just about whatever you have to throw into the pan. Pork, chicken, beef, ham . . . shrimps . . .
I had mentioned making Pork Fried Rice with the leftovers on Friday and Eileen's eyes lit right up. What could I do but indulge her desires! We both really enjoyed this. I like to use lots of veggies in my rice. You could make a meal of this all on it's own. But, as I said, I cooked some frozen chicken tenders to enjoy and it was as if we had gone to our favourite Chinese restaurant for supper, except better.
And there you have it, these were my Meals of the Week for the past week. I think we ate pretty well. What do you think? None of it was very complicated at all, and everything was homemade as well as within budget! I do hope that you will be inspired to cook some of these tasty meals for yourself and your loved ones!
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