Isn't it amazing how quickly the weeks are rolling around. It is hard to believe that here we are in the middle of the month of June and I am sharing another of my Meals of the Week posts with you!
On Sundays I like to share with you, my readers, all of the delicious meals which I have cooked and enjoyed for myself over the past seven days. That's a whole lot of tasty!
I do live on my own now and cooking for one can sometimes be a challenge. After many years of cooking professionally for a family and for my own large family, I now find myself in later life, having to cook for only one person.
Like many of you, I am on a limited budget as well. I do have to watch my pennies and try to cook and eat within the perimeters that budget allows for. That doesn't mean that I have to eat poorly, or that I have to eat out of tins and cheap frozen dinners that are loaded with fat, salt, sugar and preservatives!!
I am determined as much as possible to cook for myself meals from scratch that are not only economical, but delicious and interesting and full of variety. I also try to make them as healthy as possible.
You would be surprised at the number of seniors that are suffering from malnutrition! Mostly because they rely on ready meals or tinned foods. Our appetites as we get older are also not as hearty as they are when they were younger. We just don't burn or need the calories of a younger person.
To that end I basically eat one, fairly balanced and nutritious meal a day, and I normally eat it at noon, unless I am going out or to someone else's home to eat. The rest of the day I also eat or try to eat healthy.
Lately I have been enjoying a protein shake in the mornings. I get my protein powder from Good Protein. They have a nice variety of flavors and are very nutritious, low fat, no sugar, vegan approved. I have the Orange Cream Pop one (a real favorite), a Strawberries and Cream and a Vanilla. I love them all. They provide me with lots of vitamins and protein, fiber as well and help to keep me full all morning and into the afternoon, without me picking like I used to do. I highly recommend them and no, I am not being paid or asked to say so. I am simply sharing something which is working for me and which I like.
For my supper I will have something light as well, somedays it might be toast and peanut butter, and other times a bowl of cereal. Sometimes (more often than not) I will have a nice salad. I like to sprinkle croutons on top and crispy onions. I make my own dressing from scratch. Sometimes I will add a bit of cooked chicken to it or some boiled egg, but usually I have it just with the salad vegetables. (Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions, chopped peppers, radish, etc.)
I never eat past 7 p.m. and this is what works for me. Gone now are the days when I can eat a pizza or box of macaroni and cheese for a bed lunch! The indigestion from doing so would keep me up all night! My ex husband and I often did things like that when we were younger. Ate pizza or macaroni before going to bed. Youth! Of course as a young mom of five children I used to burn up all those calories! Not so anymore!
In any case without further chit chat, here are my meals of the week for the past seven days. I hope that they might inspire you to want to cook something for yourself as well!
SUNDAY, June 9th - Dinner out with Dad
Usually on Sunday's we have dinner at my sister's. She usually cooks a roast of some sort and it is always delicious. This week my father wanted to take us all out for a meal. He wanted to show appreciation to Dan and Cindy for all that they have been doing in helping him to move and of course included me with everyone else. I am helping a bit, but they are really doing a lot more as it is their house that he is moving into. We went to a restaurant around the corner from myself called Angies.
I decided to break away from tradition and I ordered Pineapple Curried Chicken. My dad had grilled haddock. My sister had Fish and Chips, Dan had Hamburger Steak and Gravy. To be honest I was really disappointed with my meal. There was too much sauce with very little chicken. The rice was drowning in the sauce. I would have rather had my own homemade Coconut Chicken Curry, which is what you see above!
Nobody could complain that there is no chicken in this curry. Its delicious with plenty of chicken. Its a fabulously rich and fruity chicken curry with a beautiful sauce and lovely flavors. It is also very simple to make.
MONDAY, June 10th - Sausage Casserole for Two(Air Fryer)
I picked up some lovely sausages from the shops. I love the Bangers which PC makes. They are thick and rich and meaty. They also make both sweet and hot Italian, and Honey Garlic. The Bangers are my favorite.
I froze 3 of them, but I decided to cook the other two in my air fryer. I am trying to use my electrical appliances more and there is no better time to make good use of the air fryer than in the summer months when you don't want to heat up your kitchen too much.
This is an excellent casserole, yes, done in the air fryer. You have tender and juicy cooked sausages, nicely browned on the outside and perfectly cooked inside, with a sauce/loose gravy containing peppers and onions. Flavored with fennel seed and smoked paprika, this is simple to make and really delicious served with a pile of hot and fluffy mashed potatoes.
TUESDAY, June 11th - Turkey Taco Salad
We had some lovely hot weather this week and I was really busy helping my sister with my father. We are getting him ready to move into my sister's place. I just made myself a quick supper that night. Turkey Taco Salad. Instead of having it in a tortilla bowl, I spooned it over some tortilla chips, which worked beautifully. If you have the time then making the bowls is also lovely.
I had made this turkey taco meat previously and frozen it in single serving containers. I simply thawed it out and quickly reheated it in a skillet. Spooned over the tortilla chips I topped it with some grated cheese, shredded lettuce and sliced spring onions . . . then drizzled it with ranch dressing and sprinkled on some cherry tomatoes. It was really delicious and I was quite satisfied.
WEDNESDAY, June 12th - Classic BLT Sandwich
Another day of running around with dad and sorting things out at his place, so not a lot of time to cook. I made myself a Classic BLT Sandwich for my supper which I enjoyed with a cup of hot soup (tomato). Yes from a tin. I prefer the Heinz Tomato soup over the Campbells. I always have done.
This is your classic BLT with toasted bread, spread with a good quality mayo (Hellman's) and topped with crisp iceberg lettuce (it shines in a BLT), thick slices of ripe tomato and a layer of crisp bacon. Then because my dinner was a bit on the light side I felt righteous in enjoying a dessert. I had baked a Coconut Cake earlier in the week and I enjoyed a cheeky slice of that for dessert! I was quite full after all of that!
THURSDAY, June 13th - Roast Chicken with Mini Roasts and Sides
This was a meal that I had enjoyed a number of years back through the Hello Fresh company. They aways come with a recipe card and to be honest, the recipes and meals are very easy to replicate at a later date, which is what I did. This was like a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings, but I didn't have to roast a chicken to enjoy it.
It consisted of perfectly seasoned, pan grilled and roasted skin on boneless chicken breast, with oven roasted potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli. The carrots were sweetened with a bit of honey and some gravy was made from the juices of the chicken that were left in the frying pan after browning it.
I cut everything in half to make only one serving for myself. I really enjoyed this meal. It was hearty and delicious and did not require a lot of muss or fuss in preparing it.
FRIDAY, June 14th - Cheesy Tuna Skillet Pasta
I was craving tuna casserole on Friday, but didn't want to go to the hassle of heating up my oven. I remembered this delicious skillet pasta dish that I had made a number of years back in which everything cooked in the same pan. Pasta, sauce and everything. It tastes very much like a traditional tuna casserole, but there is no heating up the kitchen with a hot oven. Friday was the hottest day of the year so far for us.
I used frozen peas, but you could use frozen mixed vegetables, or frozen broccoli, etc. Just use any vegetable that you enjoy. This is fabulously delicious with a rich and cream cheese sauce, perfectly cooked macaroni and lots of tuna and vegetables. Just enough at any rate. It is simple, quick, easy and economical to make as well. I cut the recipe in half to make just two servings and served it with a salad on the side.
I enjoyed the second serving for breakfast the next day. Yes, I am a person who loves to enjoy leftovers for breakfast.
SATURDAY, June 15th - Beans on Toast
Since I had had such a hearty breakfast I decided to make myself some Beans on Toast for my supper. I had some lovely sour dough bread which I toasted and then topped with cheese and grilled under the grill until the cheese has melted. I then topped with some sliced spring onions and ladled the heated beans on top. ( I really enjoy a layer of toasted cheese under my baked beans from time to time.)
It was a cold and drizzly day all day so this was quite simple and very nice. I enjoyed some canned peaches afterward for dessert. I don't always have dessert but on this day I thought I could. I love canned peaches. I know not everyone does. There are not many canned fruits that I don't like, except for maybe canned berries. Those I prefer to eat fresh!
And there you have it! All of my main meals for the week. In a week which was super busy and in which I didn't have a lot of time to really cook much I still managed to feed myself very well! I hope that you will be inspired to do the same!
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