Welcome once again to my Sunday Meals of the Week Post. On Sundays I like to share with you, my readers, all of the main dishes and recipes that I have enjoyed for my main meals over the past seven days. Doing so helps me to eat much better than I would otherwise and I hope inspires you to want to cook something new for yourself as well! 

I have always loved to cook and to eat. I have been cooking for a family since my teens and now find myself late in life having only myself to cook for. Cooking for yourself is quite a challenge as compared to cooking a family. Food shares is always enjoyed more than food eaten on your own.

The temptation can be to want to eat from cans and packages or to buy ready meals and frozen dinners.  Those things are always high in salt and fat and, contrary to what they would have you believe, and not all that nutritionally sound, no matter how many times they put the word "Healthy" on the label.  Cooking for yourself is always going to be infinitely better!

It will taste better and be more nutritionally sound. You control what goes into it and I believe that it is also much cheaper to cook for yourself, no matter how much of a pain it might be from time to time.  I have made a promise to myself that so long as I am capable of cooking for myself, I will do just that.

And to that end once a week I share with you the things I have cooked, hopefully you will also be inspired. I am eating more meatless meals and trying to include more vegetables into my diet.  My last series of blood tests showed my sugars were up and my iron was low. This had not happened in quite a while so it was an indication to me that I needed to do better.

And so, here I am, doing better! I have eaten out a few times this week, but where I have, I have included a similar recipe to what I have eaten with menu suggestions for you to cook.  Enjoy!

 

We were in the midst of a major snow storm on Sunday so nobody was going anywhere. Usually on Sunday's I go to my sister's place for supper, but this week I stayed home.  I enjoyed a lovely baked Jacket Potato, with a beautiful crisp and crackling skin with some baked beans and grated cheese on top. It was some good and very comforting. Also very filling.

I enjoyed a delicious  mixed salad on the side with the indulgence of some Homemade Salad Cream.  If you have never made your own salad cream, you really need to try it. In the U.K. (at least when I first moved over there) salad cream was the only dressing offered when you got a salad at a cafe. Its delicious.

MONDAY, February 5th - Bok Choy Chicken

I had bought some bok choy on offer at the shops on Friday and decided to use it by making a delicious stir fry for my dinner. This was quick, easy, and really delicious.  It was also very healthy.  The chicken was marinated first (sliced) in a mix of soy sauce and cornstarch.  Then it was flash fried.  Bok Choy and ginger were added and a lush but very simple sauce.

I enjoyed this with some simple steamed rice. I buy the rice ready cooked in packages. That is what make the most sense for me as there is less waste involved. Uncle Bens and Tilda both do very good versions of this that come in a huge variety of flavors.  They are great for the smaller family or singleton.

TUESDAY, February 6th - Cheesy Potato and Baked Bean Pie

I had half a tin of baked beans leftover from Sunday and decided to make a recipe that I had seen on What's For Tea? on YouTube.  A simple Cheesy Potato and Baked Bean Pie. I love Potato Pie and I love Baked Beans, so it sounded right up my alley!  Genius to combine the two!

It was fabulously delicious and such a simple make. Of course I small batched the recipe.  It was still very generous, even cut in half.  I enjoyed this with a simple cucumber and tomato salad and some buttered bread.

WEDNESDAY, February 7th - Dinner out with Dad

The snow had been cleared away for the most part and so Cindy and I went to the Big Scoop for dinner with Dad and Hazel, as per usual.  It was nice to be out together.  Dad had the special which was a lovely Seafood Chowder, topped with some bacon seared scallops.  Hazel had the pan grilled Haddock with chips and salad.  Cindy had  the Double Dorn Burger which was on special with chips. I had the Veggie Burger with chips. It was okay.  I couldn't complain.

I am sharing my recipe for Jacquie's Tofu Burgers in it's place. My friend Jacquie makes the best Tofu Burgers. I have been enjoying them for over 25 years now. Even the Missionaries love them. They go great with salad and or oven chips, and a nice whole wheat crusty roll!

Cindy and I each ordered a slice of cheese cake for dessert. She ordered the coconut cream and I ordered the white chocolate and raspberry. We shared some of each with each other. Neither one of us liked the coconut cream one. It had a funny taste.  We both liked the white chocolate and raspberry.  To be honest however, the slices were very small and they charge $8 for each. Far too much for what you get.

THURSDAY, February 8th - Chicken Escallops with Kiev Butter

I was really wanting some chicken and so I made myself Chicken Escallops with Kiev Butter, which is a really way to enjoy Chicken Kiev without all of the faffing about. Chicken breasts are cut into thin escallops, seasoned and then dipped in olive oil and fresh bread crumbs before pan frying them until golden brown.  They are served hot and fresh from the pan with slices of a moreish herb and garlic Kiev butter melting on top. They are not hard to make at all.

I enjoyed with some Crumb Topped Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots on the side.  I cooked the full recipe of the chicken and froze the extra escallops for another time as well as the extra Kiev butter.  Always a good thing to have something like this in the freezer that you can reheat and enjoy quickly on a busy day.  Delicious!

FRIDAY, February 9th - Lunch out with Cindy

Cindy and I were both feeling the Winter blues and so we decided to go out to lunch to try and shake them off. We went to a place just around the corner from me called Angies.  We both had the one piece fish and chips and then picked up some dessert on the way home at the local grocery store, still feeling somewhat disappointed over the cost and quality of the dessert we had enjoyed on Wednesday night.

We got two pieces of Brownie Fudge Cheesecake for the same price as we had paid for one slice of the cheesecake on Wednesday night and it was delicious. Also, each slice was twice the size! I could not finish mine as much as I wanted to!

I am sharing my Baked Haddock with Cracker Crumb Topping in the place of the fish. In my opinion it is every bit as delicious as the deep fried haddock and a lot better for you probably. Especially if you serve it with a variety of vegetables as you can see above!

SATURDAY, February 10th - Scalloped Macaroni

This is quite simply one of my all time favorite comfort food dishes. Scalloped Macaroni and I was really craving it. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is mine. I love macaroni. I love tomatoes. I love cheese. Put the three together and you have my idea of heavenly bliss. I could eat this until it comes out my ears.  I also like to eat the leftovers for breakfast.  (Don't judge, lol)

I enjoyed a nice bowl of this along with some salad and homemade Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread. (made in the bread machine)  I was a very happy camper.

Well, another Sunday has rolled around and you know what that means!!  A recap of all the meals I cooked or ate over the previous week. My Meals of the Week.  I am really enjoying gathering these meals together and sharing them with you each week. It helps me to plan my meals for the week ahead and helps me to keep a note of exactly what and how I am eating!  That can't be bad

When you are a person who lives on your own it can be only too tempting to eat out of cans, takeaways or frozen meals. My mother lived on her own from the age of 53 until she passed away at the age of 87. She always cooked for herself.  She never ate out unless it was with other people. 

Occasionally she would treat herself to a TV dinner buying them when they were on special. She especially liked the turkey one. No surprise there as I love turkey also, just not in a TV dinner. I have tried one or two different ones since I have been back in Canada and have found them to be most disappointing.  Not all that great tasting and loaded in salt, sugar and fat. Not nice.

Mom always enjoyed feeding herself healthy meals for the most part. She also enjoyed a glass of red wine every night and a small dish of ice cream.  I might not do the wine or the ice cream, but I try to channel her inspiration in my meals. Oh how I miss her.  I don't think you ever stop missing your mom.

Each week, I am taking a leaf from her book, and making sure that I eat a decent meal every day of the week.  I hope you don't mind me bringing you along for the ride.  Perhaps you will be inspired to do the same and maybe even get some new ideas from what I am cooking for your own meals!

Here is what I cooked myself over the past week. (Where I have eaten out, I have provided a similar option so that  you can cook it yourself.) Let me know what you think!

SUNDAY, November 12th - Family Dinner at my Sisters

Every Sunday night, for the most part, I have dinner with my family at my sister's place. There are usually just the four of us. Myself, my sister, her husband and my father.  I really enjoy these dinners.

This week we had Baked Ham.  Dan had gotten given a ham from work and my sister cooked it along with a tasty mix of Scalloped Potatoes on the side and some roasted vegetables. It was really delicious!

Dad always looks for something sweet at the end of his meals and so my sister had some sugar free jello with whipped cream for him.  He has been suffering with the Shingles.  Poor dad. This, his 89th year, has been one thing right after another, starting with Covid in the spring.  I can say one thing for him, he has a really strong constitution!  He doesn't stay down for long!  And we are glad of that!

MONDAY, November 13th - Lemon and Chicken Soup

I fancied something simple and so I made a delicious soup for my supper. This is a fabulously tasty chicken soup, with fresh flavors!  It uses chicken stock along with lemon juice.  

You might think the lemon would be overpowering, but it really isn't.  It adds a lovely layer of flavor that is quite pleasant! It is delicious and hearty. 

A nice hot bowl of this with some crackers on the side and some fruit for afters was all I needed.

TUESDAY, November 14th - Vintage Dinner Menu

Most weeks on Tuesdays, I try to cook myself a Vintage Dinner menu using recipes from one of my Vintage Cookbooks.  This week was no different. I treated myself to a delicious Salmon Loaf with Creamed Peas. Macaroni and Cheese.  A tasty salad with an American style French Dressing and for dessert some tinned pears and a cookie.

This meal reminded me very much of the meals that my mother would make for us when I was growing up. We didn't have salmon a lot in our home as it was rather expensive, but when we did it was usually canned salmon. This was a really delicious way of preparing it.  I love Creamed Peas on Salmon. The two things just go together very well!

WEDNESDAY, November 15th - Dinner out with Dad and Hazel

On Wednesday nights I usually have dinner out with my father and his friend Hazel.  We go to a local spot called The Big Scoop.  Most of the time we will all have fish and chips. Sometimes we will shake things up and all order something different.  This week I fancied a steak, and so I ordered their steak dinner.  It was fabulous.

It was perfectly cooked and I had some mushrooms and onions on the side, along with mash this time and some vegetables.  I really enjoyed it.

I am sharing my 5-Minute Steak Dinner for One recipe with you in it's stead.  You can always double or triple, or quadruple it if you wish to feed more. The steak in this recipe is fabulously tasty. Perfectly cooked. 

THURSDAY, November 16th - Homestyle Baked Haddock Dinner

I'm afraid I had a second meal out this week. This time with my friend Jacqueline.  She had actually asked me to go out with her last week, but I was too busy so we did it this week instead.  We went to a place outside of Aylesford that I had not been to in many years called Farmer's Family Diner. 

The last time I had been there I had the fish and chips.  Today I decided to have the pan fried haddock with vegetables. It was lovely.  The recipe I am showing you here is for my Homestyle Baked Haddock. Also very delicious!

FRIDAY, November 17th - Instant Pot Bolognese

I had my son coming over from the Island for the weekend and I wasn't sure what time he would get here so I made a quick Bolognese to serve with spaghetti in my Instant Pot. This was enjoyed with some garlic bread and a salad on the side. 

Traditionally a Bolognese Sauce needs to be slow simmered on top of the stove for several hours in order for the flavors to deepen, and the sauce to thicken to a great consistency. This simple recipe reduces that time by more than half, without reducing any of the delicious flavors. The leftovers also freeze very well.

SATURDAY, November 18th - Quick & Easy Baked Chicken Tacos for Two

My son and I are both huge fans of Mexican flavors.  There are no Mexican restaurants in our area, not even a Taco Bell and so we enjoyed some Homemade Baked Chicken Tacos with all of our favorite toppings.

I know these are not as authentic as what you might find in the Southern Border States or Mexico, but they are Mexican enough for us. They  are so quick to throw together. You can have them made, baked and on the table in about 20 minutes, ready to enjoy. Not only are they quick and easy, but they are also very delicious! 

And those were my meals of the week for this past week. As you can see I ate very well. I even managed to eat fish twice!  It was another delicious week!

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