Here I am with another Sunday Meals of the Week post.  This is the day I generally share with you all of the main meals that I have cooked for myself in the previous week.  A delicious recap of how I have been feeding myself.

I determined when I moved into my own place that I as not going to become one of those people who ate out of cans and boxes, not while I had the ability to cook for myself that is.  I am a person who loves to cook and I think I would be rather bored eating ready-meals and frozen dinners. So as long as I can cook, I WILL cook!

I also hate waste so I always try to use up everything that I have as much as possible.  Its very hard sometimes, so I tend to shop for myself every few days now rather than once a week.  I find that the fresh ingredients like salad, etc. just don't last any longer than a few days.  I would rather go a bit more often and throw out less.

If, along the way, I can inspire some of you with some of your menu planning, then that makes me very happy.  

Here are my meals for the past week. If I have eaten out, I have endeavored in most cases to provide you with a recipe that you can make at home.  I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed eating the meals and writing it up!

SUNDAY, May 21st - Most Sunday's I have Sunday Dinner at my sister's place.   I love these Sunday dinners.  It is something I missed when I was living over in the UK. There were no family dinners.  I had no family there and my then husband's family lived far too far away from us to entertain such an idea.  Needless to say I really appreciate these family times.  

This week it was Air Fryer Roast Chicken with all the fixings. 

For dessert she had a made a homemade Banana Cake with whipped cream. It was a simple and easy cake, no frosting, but it was really moist and delicious.

MONDAY, May 22nd - Amish Country Casserole

On Monday I made a half batch of this delicious Amish Country Casserole. The recipe posted is a small batch version, which makes four servings, but I cut it in half yet again as there is just me, which gave me some to enjoy on the day and some to pop into a freezer container for another time.  

This is a fabulously tasty casserole. Those Amish really no how to cook. Cheap, cheerful and delicious.  I enjoyed this with a salad on the side and some Easy Stuffed Cheesy Bread. It was a great meal!

TUESDAY, May 23rd - Macaroni and Cheese Meatloaf Casserole

I wanted to take something delicious over to my sister's for their supper.  I knew she would not mind me removing a small serving for myself.  This is a wonderful casserole that I got from a blog called Full Bellies Happy Kids.  

This was simply wonderful!  What you have is a base composed of BBQ glazed meatloaf. On top is a rich layer of macaroni and cheese. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this. I had a nice salad on the side.

WEDNESDAY, May 24th - Dinner out with Dad

On Wednesday nights I always have dinner out with my father and his friends. We go to a local eatery.  I had the Hot Turkey Sandwich with potatoes and coleslaw.  It was really delicious. 

Slices of turkey meat in between two slices of bread slathered with gravy.  Carrots (not peas) on the side.  This week I did not have any dessert. The best part is having dinner with my dad.

THURSDAY, May 25th - Lunch out at Jonny's Cookhouse

My sister and I had to take my father into Kentville on Thursday morning to see his heart specialist. We decided to stop at Jonny's Cookhouse on the way back and treat us all to some fish and chips. Sorry I had already broken into my fish before I remembered to take a photograph!  The pieces of fish were huge.  We could not eat it all. There was also coleslaw and tartar sauce.

This is a photograph I took of my father enjoying his fish and chips.  Everyone in my family enjoys fish and chips.  Most of the time when we go out it is what we all order.  Jonny's fish and chips was really good.  All of their food is really good. Usually my sister and I order the True Newf Poutine when we are there, but this time we fancied a change.  You can find my Copy Cat recipe for the True Newf here. Its fabulous!

FRIDAY, May 26th - Sausage, Beans and Boursin Stuffed Jacket Potatoes

After eating out for two days in a row, it was nice to enjoy a meal at home. I had some chipolata (breakfast) sausages which I cooked, along with some tinned beans and baked these delicious stuffed jacket potatoes to enjoy on the side.  Home cooked meals are always the best.

There was one time back in the late 1970's that my ex husband and I were moving with our family from Northern Alberta to Southern Alberta. While we were waiting for our furniture to arrive, believe it or not, I spend 21 days living in a motel room with two toddlers, a new born baby and a cat. I was never so happy to move into my own place and eat anything but restaurant food in my life!  You do get tired of it!

SATURDAY, May 27th - Crispy Chicken Salad

After all of the heavy eating and eating out this week, I fancied something light and so I made myself one of my favorite Chicken salads.  It was also a lovely and warm summery day, so a tasty salad was more than welcome. 

This one boasts a lovely mixed leaf base with some carrots, cucumber and tomatoes.  The chicken itself is lightly coated in a Parmesan Bread crumb, and briefly fried until crispy, finishing it off in the oven  A delicious creamy Parmesan and Lemon dressing is drizzled over top.  Yep, tis salad season for sure!

And there you have it, my meals of the week for the past week. I wonder what the next week will bring???  Its exciting to think about!  (Or is that just me!)

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

This week for my Meals of the Week, I challenged myself to forgo going to the shops and eat entirely from out of my store-cupboard, freezer and refrigerator.  I am lucky in that I have a pretty healthy store-cupboard!  So much so that if I don't really start to using some of it, then some might not be at its optimum. Hence the challenge for myself.

I can be rather lazy sometimes and I will forget to take some protein out of the freezer to cook and I end up picking up more at the shops.  I need to train myself to use what I have before I buy more, especially in these modern times when the cost of food is escalating with every day that Passes.

These meals are just what I had for my suppers and I can promise you that everything I used was things I already had in house!  I made good use of frozen vegetables and meats, tinned beans, dried fruit, and even stale bread.

For lunches I had salads or a sandwich and for breakfast toast or granola/cereal.  As you can see I ate rather well.  I do eat out one night a week with my father and his friends, but for that day I shared a delicious salad that I had for my lunch with a lush blue cheese dressing.

I share these meals because perhaps some of you, like myself, struggle from time to time to find inspiration for your meal times.  As a person on my own, the temptation can be to just eat a frozen dinner or to pop open a can.  I do not want to be that person.

Instead I want to prepare for myself delicious, well balanced meals that I enjoy, both in the cooking and in the eating!  Streamlined for the smaller family for the most part.  I hope some of you find this useful as well!

 

MONDAY, MAY 8th - Cheesy Chili Pork and Rice

I used some of the leftover roast pork and combined it with a few store cupboard ingredients to make a delicious casserole.  Cooked rice, canned chopped chilis, sour cream, cheddar cheese.  

Simple to make and quite delicious. You can adapt this tasty casserole to any kind of leftover cooked protein. Quick and easy, I served this along with some sliced ripe tomatoes and steamed string beans.

TUESDAY MAY 9th - Teriyaki Steak Stir Fry

I used a piece of steak that I had in the freezer that as  not overly large to create a delicious stir fry sized just for two people. You can very easily double it.  The steak is marinated in some soy sauce and black pepper while you prepare your vegetables. You can use any vegetables that you have, even frozen.

The star of this dish is that delicious homemade Teriyaki Sauce.  Sweet and spicy and salty, this sauce would go with just about any protein or vegetable. This was a delicious meal that I served with some brown rice. A tasty way to use up some of the veggies in the veggie in in my refrigerator.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10th - Tossed Salad with Martha's Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

I normally go out for supper on Wednesday nights with my father and a few friends. This week was no different.  I made myself a delicious salad for my lunch however as I wanted to use up some of the salad fixings in the veggie drawer.

To go with them I made a lovely Blue Cheese Salad Dressing. I had seen Martha prepping this on YouTube a few weeks ago and mentally bookmarked it to make at a later date. It went down a real treat.  I love this simple dressing. Rich and creamy with just the right amount of blue cheese.

THURSDAY, MAY 11th - Amish Chicken & Stuffing

This has to be one of my all time favorite meals. I love stuffing of any kind, but mix it with some cooked chicken and turn it into a main dish and I am in paradise.  

This is a simple and easy recipe, that is a great way to use up stale bread or rolls. You can also use leftover cooked chicken in it, but generally I will poach chicken specifically to use in this,  which is what I did today, using two chicken breasts from my freezer. 

Delicious with some boiled potatoes and cooked frozen broccoli and cauliflower. You can also make a simple gravy to ladle over top.  Tastes just like Thanksgiving.

FRIDAY, MAY 12th - Pub Cheese Open Faced Burger 

Day six of my store cupboard challenge saw me enjoying a tasty  homemade open-faced burger.  A ground steak burger, sitting on top of a Parmesan Cheese toasted slice of sour dough bread.  Topped with some moreish strong cheddar cheese spread, also known as pub cheese and grilled onions, this went down a real treat!  

I enjoyed some lettuce and tomato on the side.

SATURDAY, May 13th - Frankly Chili

I had my father over for supper on Saturday night. My father likes really simple food. Two of his favorites are hot dogs and beans. I decided to combine the two and serve him a hearty bowl of my Frankly Chili.  He loves chili too, so I thought I would kill three birds with one stone by serving him this delicious bowl of red.  He loved it. 

This is an old prize winning recipe from a contest put out by Maple Leaf Weiners back in the 1970's.  Its simple and its delicious. I baked some cheddar corn muffins to go along side and for dessert he had a piece of banana cake with some squirty cream on top. 

He was one very happy camper!

So there you have it.  My meals for this past week. As you can see I was not deprived in the least and ate very well indeed!!!  Hopefully you will be inspired to want to do the same! 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com . 

Most Sundays I go to my sister's home for Sunday Dinner. Sometimes it's a roast beef dinner, other's it might be chicken or even pork. Whatever the main course, it is a wonderful opportunity for us to get together as a family and break some bread together.

This week I decided to bring some dessert. I was feeling very nostalgic so I decided to make Grandmother's Five Cup Salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't overmix the fruit. Fold it all together gently. If you work it in too much you will break up the fruit and it won't be as pretty.

This is not a dessert which freezes well. If you freeze it the dressing/sour cream splits. You also shouldn't leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.  It will become watery as well if left that long.

It really is best served chilled from the refrigerator.

 

You can use colored marshmallows if you want to use more colors. I used white today and to be honest most of the time I use white.  I am a purist when it comes to that I guess!!

This really is a simple and easy salad/dessert to make.  It would be perfect for Mother's Day. You could even get the kids to help you make it.

Its also very easy to reduce the amounts. As there is 1 cup only of each ingredient, you can halve it (to serve 4) by reducing the amount to 1/2 cup of each ingredient, or (to serve 2) using only 1/4 cup of each ingredient!

That's how simple and versatile this tasty dessert is! 

Some other easy and simple desserts here in my English Kitchen are:

EASY BLACKBERRY AND LEMON DESSERT - A simple layered dessert of Greek yogurt (tangy), a lush whole blackberry syrup, tart lemon curd and crisp broken sweet meringues. Such a simple and yet incredibly delicious thing!  A great last minute dessert! 

JAM JAR TRIFLES - Fresh berries are mixed together with a small bit of jam to sweeten and make a kind of a sauce, and then layered together in jars with store bought pound/madeira cake and a lush lemon cream! Simply delicious.  A perfect warm weather dessert as well.

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

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Grandmother's Five Cup Salad

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 5 MinInactive time: 6 HourTotal time: 6 H & 35 M

This is a lovely old fashioned dessert. Simple to make and very delicious. A beautiful taste of nostalgia.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (75g) shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup (50g) mini marshmallows
• 1 cup (225g) well drained crushed pineapple (pineapple crush)
• 1 cup (200g) well drained tinned mandarin orange segments
• 1 cup (120g) full fat sour cream

Instructions

1. Make sure your fruit is well drained. I set it in a sieve over a bowl and leave it to drain for at least half an hour.
2. Place the pineapple, coconut, sour cream and marshmallows in a bowl and fold together.
3. Gently fold in the mandarin segments, taking care not to break them as much as possible.
4. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 5 to 6 hours.
5. Serve well chilled.

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• 2 cup (280g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• the finely grated zest of 1 large orange (Wash it well first)
• 1 cup (100g) fresh cranberries, chopped (rinse and pat dry before chopping)
• 1/2 cup (60g) chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
• 1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (180ml) fresh orange juice (add water to make up the full measure)
• 
  

 

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY, NUT & ORANGE BREAD

Quick breads such as this one are always very easy to make. They usually involve not much more than whisking together the dry and wet ingredients together separately and then briefly combining them to make a batter.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf tin, shaking out any excess flour. Alternately line with baking paper, buttering both the tin and the paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries, walnuts (if using), and orange zest.

 

Whisk the egg, butter and orange/water together. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir everything together just to combine. Scrape into your prepared loaf tin.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let stand in the pan for about 10 minutes before tipping out. Cool completely, then wrap and store for one full day before cutting.

 

 

Some other quick bread recipes which I enjoy and have posted on here that I think you might also enjoy are:

APPLESAUCE NUT BREAD - Moist and delicious. Nicely spiced and studded with toasted nuts. Not overly sweet either. A real winner.

CORNBREAD WITH FENNEL, CRANBERRIES & SULTANAS -This is one of my favourite of all the quick breads that I make. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of cornbread. I also happen to love quick breads with dried fruit in them, especially raisins and cranberries. Add fennel seed to anything and I am so on it! I just adore that slight anise like flavor of fennel seed! This lovely bread incorporates those three loves of mine in a most delicious way!

Yield: 8 (one loaf)

Author: Marie Rayner

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Cranberry, Nut & Orange Loaf

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourInactive time: 24 HourTotal time: 25 H & 15 M

I have been making this for years. It's an old standby that has never let me down. The nuts are optional. I don't always add them.

IngredientsUSMetric

• 2 cup (280g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• the finely grated zest of 1 large orange (Wash it well first)
• 1 cup (100g) fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup (60g) chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
• 1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
• 3/4 cup (180ml) fresh orange juice (add water to make up the full measure)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf tin, shaking out any excess flour. Alternately line with baking paper, buttering both the tin and the paper.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries, walnuts (if using), and orange zest.
3. Whisk the egg, butter and orange/water together. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir everything together just to combine. Scrape into your prepared loaf tin.
4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Let stand in the pan for about 10 minutes before tipping out. Cool completely, then wrap and store for one full day before cutting.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530

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This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 

 Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again! 

 Follow me on Bloglovin