Can you guess what day this is?  You are right!  It is Meals of the Week Day!  The day when I gather together and share with you all the meals that I have cooked or eaten over the past week. 

You have all said that you enjoy these posts, and I actually find this very helpful myself, for a few reasons. One if helps me to look back on how I have been eating and perhaps make some changes in future weeks, and two, it helps me to plan my meals for the week ahead.

The temptation when one lives by themselves is to not cook, or to eat out of cans, bottles and boxes.  Frozen dinners, ready meals, etc. I don't want to be that person.  Already prepared food is quite expensive for one thing, and it is usually filled with salt, fat, sugar and a lot of other things I don't really want to be eating.

When I lived in the UK, eating small was a lot easier actually.  The UK is the King of the Ready Meal!  They have it down to an art and some of them are really quite good.  Marks and Spencer is the best at it. I used to love LOVE shopping there. Their ready meals were fabulous and did I live in the UK, I would probably eat more of them. 

I discovered this American couple on YouTube this week. The Magic Geekdom.  They had a whole video dedicated to shopping in M&S.  Do check it out if you are interested. They were huge fans. they made me feel quite homesick, and they were in the Chester M&S also, the one I used to shop at.

In any case, ready meals here in Canada cannot compare to M&S. I cook for myself all the time.  I might cheat every now and then and buy a rotisserie chicken, but who doesn't!

In any case these are the meals that I cooked for myself, or was treated to over the past week. I ate out twice and had dinner at my sister's on my Brother in Law's birthday, so not everything was cooked at home. I have provided recipes for those alternatives in the place of the restaurant food that are equal to or better then most of the restaurant food I had.

SUNDAY May 28th, Grilled BBQ Chicken

Usually on Sundays I go to my sister's for Sunday dinner. This week I had everyone here so that my sister could have the treat of going out golfing with her husband Dan.  Because I had church in the morning, I kept it really simple with some Grilled BBQ Chicken.

I also made a  Herbed Potato Salad. I had some baby potatoes that we had bought at Costco the other week that I wanted to use up and had everything in house ready to do it.  Its a very simple salad I think. Must easier than the mayonnaise type. It has a vinaigrette and herb dressing that you toss the warm potatoes into.  They soak up all the lovely flavors.  Light and delicious.

We also enjoyed a mixed salad and some garlic bread sticks from the store. (DON'T!  Essentially they were hotdog buns coated in garlic butter. Not that great.  Very bready.)  For dessert my sister had brought over a Sugar Free Apple pie.  Yummy!

 

 

TUESDAY, May 30th - Ham and Cheese Bow Ties

I decided to make myself a delicious casserole using some cooked ham that I had in my freezer, leftover from Easter. I had cubed it and froze it in one cup sized packages. Just the right size for the smaller family to use in casseroles like this one.

Cooked bow tie pasta is tossed together with the cooked ham in a rich and creamy, cheesy, garlicky sauce. Its delicious served with some steamed vegetables on the side.

WEDNESDAY, May 31st -  Dinner out with Dad and his friends

THURSDAY, June 1st. - True Newf Poutine, copycat

On Thursday my sister and I took my daughter and her husband out to lunch. We went to Jonny's Cookhouse in Berwick. Eileen and Tim had never been there so it was a real treat for them. My sister and I had been craving the True Newf Poutine for a while, so that is what we had. Hot chips topped with cheese curds, gravy and Newfoundland stuffing. Its delicious and this copycat recipe is even more so! I could eat that stuffing with a spoon.

 

 

FRIDAY, June 2nd - Pizza at my sister's

Friday was my brother in law Dan's birthday so my sister had us all over for homemade Pizza, salad and cake.  My sister makes a great homemade pizza.  The cake was a double chocolate that she makes which has pureed dates in the batter and a chocolate cream cheese frosting. Very yummy.

I have taken the liberty here of linking to my homemade School Cafeteria Pizza. This is one of the best pizzas to make at home. The crust is a pourable crust. Easy peasy.  I like to use my homemade pizza sauce which took me years to hone to perfection. We enjoy it topped with pepperoni, bacon, peppers, sausage, olives, etc.  Delicious!!

Of course the best part was being together as a family to celebrate a special occasion!

SATURDAY, June 3rd - Easy Chili Mac & Cheese

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. 

Well, its Sunday 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 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.

It is all to tempting when you are a person who lives all on your own 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 liked the turkey one. No surprise there as I love turkey also, just not in a TV dinner. 

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. Oh how I miss her.

I am taking a leaf from her book, and making sure that I eat a decent meal every day of the week, and I am enjoying bringing you along for the ride.  Hopefully 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, May 14th - Mother's Day

This was Mother's day and I was treated to a dinner out by my daughter Eileen and Son In Law Tim. Tim's mother was also there.  We went to Angie's, which is a restaurant very close to me, and we both had the turkey dinner, small eaters size.  

Of course it was not like my own Homemade Turkey Dinner (this one is sized for two people), but it was very good. Eileen had the meatloaf and Tim had his usual fish and chips.  For dessert Jean (Tim's mom) and I split a slice of Turtle Cheesecake.  Oh my but it was some good!

MONDAY, May 15th - Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Crispy Baked Potato Wedges

I just wanted something simple for my supper on Monday so I made myself a tasty Grilled Cheese Sandwich and some crispy baked potato wedges, and some coleslaw on the side. 

I set aside half of the potato wedges to serve on another day and enjoyed the ones I did on the day very much.  That is the good thing about them. You can reheat them very easily.  It was a delicious dinner for sure!

TUESDAY, May 16th - 5-Minute Steak Dinner for One 

I had been to the grocery store and was lucky enough one day a couple of weeks ago and scored two nice strip loin steaks marked down as they were on their sell-by date. I froze them. 

On Tuesday I thawed one of them out to make a recipe that I had seen on Food 52 for a delicious steak dinner for one, which had a fabulous sounding sauce to serve with it.  Of course it had green beans in the recipe as well, and I just heated up the leftover potato wedges from the day before.  DELICIOUS!

WEDNESDAY May 17th - Dinner out with Dad 

Wednesday nights I usually go out for dinner with my father and his friends. Dad wanted to treat me this week as I had taken him to the Doctors up country on Monday for his check up.  

Dad and I both had the fish and chips. Hazel had the clams and chips.  Dad had apple pie with whipped cream for dessert, Hazel had her usual Chocolate Fudge Sundae and I had a small bowl of ice cream.  I usually get the kiddies cone without the cone. It is soft serve ice cream. The fish and chips were okay this week, the fish was a bit over cooked, but they were very busy with a large birthday party in attendance. 

If you are wanting a delicious way to cook fish that is always perfectly cooked and never day, why not try out my recipe for Baked Haddock with a Buttery Cracker Topping. This is quite simply one of the most delicious ways to cook fish and it always turned out perfectly.

THURSDAY, May 18th - Cacio e Pepe

On Thursday I was in the mood for pasta and so I made myself some Cacio e Pepe.  It was a dish that I had wanted to try out for a very long time. I downsized it to feed two people. I had the leftovers for breakfast on Friday. 

Does anyone else out there enjoy leftovers for breakfast?  I love having leftover pizza or mac and cheese for breakfast.  Cacio e Pepe is a simple pasta dish that uses only the pasta, some of the pasta cooking water, some cheese, olive oil and plenty of pepper. I have seen some people add butter also. It is simple and its delicious. I enjoyed this along with a tossed salad. (I was wishing I had garlic bread, lol)

FRIDAY, May 19th - Tuna Burger

On Friday I really felt like having a Tuna Burger.  I have been making Tuna Burgers since I was a teenager.  They are really simple to make and incredibly delicious. I always enjoy them with a bit of cheese melted on top, served in a toasted bun with some lettuce and tomato. Lemon Mayonnaise is also very nice spread on the bun, or even tartar sauce.

You could serve these with potato chips on the side if you wished, or salad, even coleslaw.  I always find them to be very filling so am happy with just the burger.

SATURDAY, May 20th - Chicken Tikka Masala

When I lived in the UK, Saturday nights were usually the nights that people enjoyed a nice curry supper or a Chinese.  This week I was craving curry and so I made a small batch of my favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. My sister stopped by after I had cooked it and she said, it smells fantastic in here, what are you cooking?  This recipe is from one of my favorite chef's Tamasin Day-Lewis and is a simple to make and incredibly tasty version of the UK's favorite curry.  Not too spicy, creamy and delicious!

I enjoyed with some steamed basmati rice and some mango chutney on the side. I was wishing for some Peshwari Naan bread. Oh how I miss Peshwari Naan. It is my favorite of all the Naan Breads. It has a filling of coconut, raisins and almonds. I will have to try the recipe linked and see how it compares. Watch this space.

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!  

I organized my larder on Thursday. It was in a right mess.  If you can't see what you have you can't use it. I moved all of my cans and jars out to the attached garage to my house. It stays a pretty level temperature in there. Not too hot. Not too cold. And its dark. Now I can see everything and I am sure to use it up.  I think I have a bazillion cans of tomatoes and creamed corn. DUH!  I won't need to buy any of that for a while!

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.