Monday, January 18, 2010

Menu plan for the week of January 17, 2010

What a week!
It seemed like every day there was some new chore to run. I tried to limit what I bought this week, intending to eat out of the pantry. I dug out some new spices, went fishing through my collected recipes on Spring pad and came up with a few interesting ideas.

Monday menu planning with the Organizing JunkieAs always, lunches are leftovers. Snacks are fresh fruits/vegetables with simple dips. Breakfast is toast & natural peanut butter or oatmeal. My drinks of choice are tea, diet coke and water (unfortunately, in that order). My goal this week is to get through to Friday without ordering in or not making something on the menu. Wish me luck!

Sunday
17
Breakfast: Multigrain Breakfast Musli, an apple & tea.
Lunch: Steak burritos, diet coke. Snack: broccoli, cauliflower, dip
Dinner: Roast chicken, baby potatoes & salad with red wine vinagrette, diet coke

I had a ton of folks over in the afternoon, and even with the smell of roasting chickens, they didn't stay for dinner. :)

I bought two small grain-fed chickens, trussed them with lemons, tossed two cut up carrots, some celery, an onion and a ton of herbs and butter in with the birds and cooked them for about an hour. This results in one bird for dinner, and the second for leftover chicken for the week. I've also now got tons of stuff to make more chicken broth this weekend.

Monday
18
Breakfast: Multigrain Breakfast Musli, an apple & tea.
Lunch: Shepperd's pie, diet coke. Snack: an apple
Dinner: Chicken a la king, soda biscuits, salad & green tea
Desert: Pistachio ice cream

Chicken a la king, also known as chicken and vegetables in a white sauce. It's one of my favourite ways to use up leftover chicken. I always try to make a few extra soda biscuits as they make really good additions to a lunch and they freeze well, even when baked.

The ice cream was requested specifically. It will mean a fair bit of shifting of things in my freezer; but it shall be made tonight and ready to eat either late tonight or tomorrow night for dinner. If anyone has a favourite ice cream recipe--please share. I'm always looking to expand my repertoire.

Tuesday
19
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter, tea. Snack: an apple
Lunch: Roast chicken legs, potatoes, asparagus & peppers, diet coke, an apple. Snack: yogurt & flax seed
Dinner: Mom's cold season chicken soup with day old bread, tea.

Chicken soup is a very fast meal to make if you have all the ingredients handy. Tasty too. Any leftovers should go great as additions to lunch (like the basis of a healtier raman) or last in the fridge until the weekend.

Wednesday
20
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter, tea. Snack: an apple
Lunch: Healthier Raman, diet coke, an apple Snack: yogurt & flax seed
Dinner: Slow cooked beef & buttered noodles

It seems odd to make this recipe from a good cut of beef; but it's a bit freezer burned and needs to be used up. Without good grilling weather, it's therefore destined for the crock pot. The grey weather of late has me wanting gravy and this dish can produce a lot of it.

Thursday
21
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter, tea. Snack: an apple
Lunch: Lemon pepper tuna, crackers, and mixed vegetables, diet coke, an apple. Snack: Pretzels
Dinner: Broiled white fish, steamed green beans, tea.

A simple dinner of fish and vegetables, it's healthy and easy to make.
Friday
22
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter, tea. Snack: an apple
Lunch: Leftover bonanza, diet coke, an apple. Snack: Pretzels
Dinner: Pot luck & Leftovers
I regularly bring food over to a friend's place and cook it. The problem is, I never know what I'm going to make until the day arrives. Then I email friends, tell them what I'm lacking and bring the rest. Dinners can be quite creative; but are always served (soup, meal & salad, sometimes desert) for 5$ a head. Sometimes I completely blow the budget (often with desert), but in general it's a fairly easy guideline. If someone brings food for the dinner (and not just snacks for the evening) they don't have to pay me $5.

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