Meals of the Week, September 29th - October 5th, 2024

Here we are another Sunday, another of my Meals of the Week posts. I really enjoy doing these posts every week. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to review all of the delicious things that I have been lucky enough to have cooked and eaten for my main meals over the past seven days and for me to be able to share them with you. Hopefully you will be inspired to want to cook some of these meals for yourself!

I spent a great deal of my life cooking for a large family and again, as a Personal Chef, cooking for another family and their guests. It is a real challenge for me, at this point in my life,  that I find myself cooking for just one person, myself. It is not something I had ever envisioned, but I am trying to make it something which not only enriches my life but also the lives of others.

I think, in many ways, it is much harder to cook for just one or two people than it is to cook for a group. There is a huge temptation to just say to yourself, “why bother?” It would be so much easier and quicker to just open a tin can, or take a frozen dinner from out of the freezer.

The hard truth is however, that as easier or quicker as those temptations might be, they are not very healthy. Most processed foods, whether we get them from tins, or frozen packages, or ready meals from the shops, are loaded with salt, sugar and fat. This is not something we want to be living on. They are okay on occasion, but not on a steady basis.

Not only that, but they can be quite expensive as compared to cooking from scratch, and I can promise you that it is a very rare occasion that they even live up to a portion of the promise shared on the cover of their packaging.  In fact, I have never ever yet cooked a frozen or ready meal and had it come out looking like I was deluded into thinking it might look.  And  . . .  the taste and deliciousness promised  . . .  is never fulfilled.

Why waste time and money on things like this when with only a tiny bit of effort, and less dosh, we can cook simple, nutritious and healthy meals for ourselves. That is my goal.  And in that process my goal is to also share them with you in an effort to inspire you to want to do the same!  Whether you cook for yourself, or a small family, or a large family.  There are plenty of things here to tempt your tastebuds.

Usually I will eat my main meal at noon.  For breakfasts, I normally have a protein shake or some overnight oats, sometimes a bowl of oatmeal. My suppers are usually something light, such as a sandwich, or a salad, sometimes toast and occasionally a bowl of cereal.

Here are the main meals that I indulged in over the past seven days. I truly hope that you will find something here to tempt your tastebuds to want to cook for yourself also!

 SUNDAY, September 29th – Sunday Dinner at Cindy’s

My sister cooked her usual Sunday Dinner for us all on Sunday. I do so appreciate her including me every week. It is so good to be able to spend the time with my family and she always cooks a delicious meal for us.  I really love going there. 

This week we had Swiss Steak and mashed potatoes, along with some carrots and Brussels sprouts on the side. It was delicious as always.  Swiss steak is something that our mother used to make for us when we were children. It was a delicious way of making a cheaper cut of beef taste really special. Mom and dad used to buy a hind of beef every six months or so and so beef was often on the menu.

I am sharing my own recipe for Swiss Steak with you this week. It is something that my family always enjoyed very much, and I think you will as well! Tender pieces of beef that melt in the mouth with a delicious tomato gravy. What’s not to love!

MONDAY, September 30th – Lasagna Roll Ups 

I had some Lasagna Roll Ups in my freezer based on a recipe that I adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen.  If you are looking for a full batch do check out her recipe. My adaptation made four roll ups, which was enough to enjoy on the day for myself and then another serving to freeze.  The recipe feeds two people generously.  

They are rich and delicious and I loved how it didn’t slide all over the plate. Everything was compact in a nice neat little package.  I enjoyed with some crusty bread and a salad on the side.

TUESDAY, October 1st – Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos

I put my hand up!  I adore Tex-Mex anything and these quick and easy baked chicken tacos were absolutely wonderful.  This is a small batch recipe with an easy, not too spicey (although you could amp that up very easily if you wished) chicken and cheese filling! I used corn tortillas that had been brushed with a bit of light olive oil on the outsides before filling.

They bake up really lovely and crispy in a hot oven in about 16 minutes or so. Ready to enjoy with all of your favorite taco toppings and add ins!  There is only one word to describe these and that is delicious!

WEDNESDAY, October 2nd – Beans On Toast

Normally on Wednesday nights I go out to supper with my father and his friend Hazel. They were going for a Chinese meal in Greenwood this week and I didn’t want to go because, to be honest, I don’t like the food at that particular restaurant. I spent a goodly portion of my day out shopping with my sister and so I just made myself a simple supper of beans on toast when I got home.  A nice, toasted slice of homemade brown bread topped with some tasty Sprague Baked Beans, and a handful of good cheddar cheese grated over the top.  I had picked up some salad bags that were on special in my shopping and ended up having half of one of those on the side, just to add something green and healthy to the mix. 

I love Beans on Toast.  It’s one of my favorite quick fix suppers.  I don’t always have cheese on top, but I had picked up a good cheddar in my shopping as well and thought why not!

THURSDAY, October 3rd – Turkey Stuffing Meatballs

This was a recipe that I had adapted from the Epicurious site.  The meatballs were tender and delicious.  Ground turkey is mixed with a box of turkey stuffing mix and a few other bits before being shaped and baked to perfection on a sheet pan.  Veggies are roasted at the same time on another baking sheet. I did potatoes, carrots and Brussel’s sprouts.

This was a fabulous dinner which I served with some wild cranberry sauce on the side.  I should have made gravy also, but I didn’t this time. This would make a great alternative holiday dinner if you were not wanting to cook a whole turkey. It had all the flavors and feels without having to take a ton of time.  Delicious and on the table in about 45 minutes of time from start to finish.

FRIDAY, December 15th - Crispy Coated Honey Mustard Baked Salmon Fillets

This is what I had planned on cooking for myself on Friday, however I ended up in emergency instead. I was there from midday until almost 10 PM.  Thankfully nothing was untoward, and I was able to come home.  I had to make do with a buttered whole grain roll when I got home and half a mug of Horlicks. It was so late in the day and I didn’t want to go to bed on a full stomach. To be honest, I really couldn’t have eaten a full meal then anyways.  Thankfully I had had enough forethought to put the salmon back in the freezer before we left, so nothing was lost.  But this had been my plan.

This was always one of the favorite ways that my boss liked me to cook salmon for them when I worked at the manor. Being an oily fish with a stronger flavor, salmon holds up very well with the zippy flavor of the Dijon mustard in that crispy coating.  Tender juicy perfectly cooked fish with a beautifully flavored crisp crumb on top. 

This is a really lovely way to enjoy salmon.  All you need on the side to complete the meal is some type of starch. I love to enjoy  Potatoes Gratin with this and steamed broccoli.  Both go very well with salmon.

SATURDAY, October 5th - Dinner at Cindy’s

My sister decided to have her big meal on Saturday this week and of course I was invited over to enjoy it with them. She had made homemade Cabbage rolls which is everyone’s favorite dinner! After the fiasco of the day before I was really looking forward to it.

She served them with salad and home fried potatoes. It was delicious. We all enjoyed them very much. She does make her cabbage rolls a bit differently than I do.

I am sharing my recipe for Cabbage Rolls in it’s place. They are beautifully delicious with a lovely sweet and sour sauce and go beautifully with rice and vegetables.  I have been making them this way for years and years and years, having got the recipe from one of those old Church Lady’s cookbooks that we had put together at a church I was attending in the 1980′s as a fund raiser.   I used to make them all the time for pot lucks and I can tell you I always came home with an empty roasting pan.  I would do a full turkey roaster full of them and they were always very well received.

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