Menu for the week of 20 June 2010

Well, here I am - a week before the big move.
I bought stuff this weekend, mostly because I'm torn between trying to empty my fridge/freezer and trying to serve nutritious meals. A few articles I discovered recently should help me get rid of a few things (like 10 Ways to Clean out Condiments and 10 Quick and Easy Stir Fry Dinners). It also helps explain the number of times I'm serving crudites & dip this week.

The excess of baking is mostly to try and remove a few things from my pantry (but also because I got fresh rhubarb this week). The tart recipes are really just Mark Bittman's recipe for berry pie, served in pre-cooked tart shells. It's a quick way to make a delicious desert.

Saturday, 19	Dinner out with friends Rhubarb crisp (make 6)
Sunday, 20	Breakfast out. BBQ hamburgers, all dressed. Make blueberry tarts and make strawberry-rhubarb tarts Chopped greek salad with chicken
Monday, 21	Fruit, nuts, cottage cheese Chicken salad sandwich with crudites & dip, yogurt, fruit BBQ steak, baked potatoes & salad with crudites & dip, rhubarb crisp & ice cream Bake empanadas (for lunches this week)
Tuesday, 22	Fruit, nuts, cottage cheese Empanadas, salsa & salad BBQ fish, sticky rice with sauce, steamed vegetables, tart & ice cream
Wednesday, 23	Fruit, nuts, cottage cheese Chicken salad sandwich with crudites & dip, yogurt, fruit Chicken fried rice with crudites & dip, Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Thursday, 24	Fruit, nuts, cottage cheese Empanadas, salsa & salad, yogurt, fruit BBQ chicken skewers & green salad with crudites & dip, rhubarb crisp & ice cream
Friday, 25	Leftover buffet

Menu for the week of 30 May 2010

Wow. It's been a while since I've posted my menu.
This week I'm expecting to do a lot of salads, as side dishes for BBQ meals, as lunches and possibly even as breakfasts! Welcome to summer.

Saturday 29				Roast chicken with hummus, fresh bread, & Salad
Sunday 30				BBQ Steak, baked potato/sweet potato, mixed green salad with spicy carrot and turnip salad
Monday 31				Lunch: Colorful black bean and crab salad. Quesadillas with argulara and blue cheese salad.
Tuesday 1				Chopped Greek salad with chicken and feta
Wednesday 2				Grilled Salmon with lime butter and a mixed green salad
Thursday 3				BBQ Hamburgers & Salad Plate
Friday 4				Leftover buffet
Saturday 5				Shopping/Sale day

Menu for the week of April 18-24, 2010

Here's my plan for the week.
The Cobble Hill Roast Striped Bass recipe has been on the menu plan for a while--and I intend to actually make it this week. Cooking a whole fish (even with the head already removed) is something I've only done a few times. I love the taste, but it does take some practice to deal with the bones.

Sunday 18	The best and simplest green salad, Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)
Monday 19	Cornbread, Chicken Tournados*, PC Orzo with Beans and goat cheese**
Tuesday 20	Leftover Chili (add hamburger) Serve with leftover cornbread
Wednesday 21	Cobble Hill Roast Striped Bass, Steamed vegetables, Arroz mexicano
Thursday 22	Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits, Hamburger soup (Leftovers)
Friday 23	The best and simplest green salad, Blue Ribbon Chicken
Saturday 24	Chicken Quesadillas

* Chicken breasts wrapped in bacon. Great for barbecuing. I get them from my butcher.
** More about PC Orzo with Beans and Goat Cheese can be found here.

Menu for the week of April 3 - 9, 2010

I did an inventory of my pantry again this weekend. It's amazing how tiny bottles of sauces, condiments (OK, some not so tiny), oils and vinegars really start to pile up. I am officially out of red wine vinegar, and this week should run out of white wine and apple cider vinegar. If all goes well I'll even manage to polish off one (of the two) bottles of rice wine vinegar sitting in my pantry. :D

Vinaigrette recipes are simple (thus no links) 3 tablespoons good vinegar, 2 tablespoons good olive oil, a small sprinkling of herbs (preferably fresh) and a good shake of fresh cracked black pepper. I typically make just enough vinaigrette for the salad I'm serving (or enough in a very small container for lunch). I'm trying really hard not to buy any dressing, as it contains too many things that are not good for me. I should try making thousand island dressing myself sometime. There's lots of good recipes for it out there.

The best and simplest green salad is a Mark Bittman recipe (thus again, no link). Well, more a potential list of ingredients. For us, it means - romaine lettuce, baby spinach, a diced bell pepper and occasionally an ounce or two of cheese. Sometimes we add soy or other nuts, and additional greens (red or green radicchio, and other greens as they comes into season). In winter the salad is typically 1/2 iceberg and 1/2 romaine without the spinach and we add a few tablespoons of mixed tinned beans. Now that spring is here I can start buying spring mix and adding a handful of that to the salad to replace some of the romaine.

This week I picked up a small bag of broccoli slaw. I love it. So now I have another use for broccoli stems. The mix is about 3/4 finely julienned broccoli stems (peeled) and 1/4 carrot.

I cleaned the kitchen floor on the weekend (a task that was much-needed, and takes about 3 hours to do properly). The floor is very old, scratched, and covered in something that discolors quickly. The coating is slowly coming off - unevenly and thus makes even a clean floor rather gray in places. But, with that task out of the way I now have to sort through my under-cabinets. I should be getting boxes this week to label Recycle and Give Away. The process will be fairly painful but much-needed. I'll try to take pics.

Snacks this week are: apples (always) and quaker rice crisps (90 calorie pouches).

Saturday 3	Breakfast: 1 feta omelet with whole wheat toast Lunch: 2 chicken drumsticks, small side salad with homemade vinagrette Dinner: East Side Mario's out with friends.
Sunday 4	Breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 pc whole wheat toast, 1 apple Lunch: Chicken pita wrap with broccoli slaw salad Dinner: Steak sandwiches with cheese The best and simplest green salad with homemade Cesar salad dressing
Monday 5	Breakfast: 1 goat-cheese omelet with whole wheat toast Lunch: Pot noodle with homemade chicken stock & vegetables Dinner: Arahova Souvlaki take-out (Gyro pitas!)
Tuesday 6	Breakfast: 1 apple, Oatmeal, 1/2 banana Lunch: Chicken thighs in tomato sauce with rice & green beans Dinner: Baked potatoes & salad with white wine vinaigrette BBQ Chicken breasts in homemade barbecue sauce Desert: Banana Bread
Wednesday 7	Breakfast: Toast & almond butter, 1 apple Lunch: Chicken thighs in tomato sauce with rice & green beans Dinner: Cornbread & Hamburger soup (leftovers)
Thursday 8	Breakfast: Toasted cornbread & butter, 1 banana Lunch: Chicken thighs in BBQ sauce, side salad with homemade vinagrette Dinner: Soda biscuits & Two Bean Chili
Friday 9	Breakfast: Oatmeal & banana Lunch: Chicken thighs in BBQ sauce, side salad with homemade vinagrette Dinner: Buttered noodles & salad with apple cider vinagrette, Cobble Hill Roast Striped Bass

Menu for the week of March 21, 2010

I planned this week pretty well. Sunday I made bread, roasted chicken, and... didn't quite getting around to cooking the baked beans. They were actually cooked on Monday. The bread mostly came out OK and set the tone for my week. It's been mostly OK.

The seasonal cold has retreated into the background, and my fridge now overfloweth with leftovers again and my freezer is full-to-bursting. Tuesday's dinner was technically unplanned (it would have been Easter Monday Ham & Cheese Bake, but I went for deli-bought fried chicken instead). I have a bad habit of going in and changing my weekly menu on Springpad about twice or three times before the week is out. Officially I never plan dinners on Friday or Saturday night.

Friday night is my night out - if I've not already ordered in or brought in take-out during the week. Saturday I shop, so dinner is as much determined by what's on sale that day as by what's available in my fridge/freezer/pantry.

I do inventory on Wednesday, write my menu on Thursday, visit the butcher/deli on Friday and the bulk store/vegetables/everything else on Saturday. Then I tweak the menu again on Saturday to better match what I have/have bought.

Sunday 21	Toast & almond butter Keller's Roast Chicken with Winter Vegetables Vegetarian Baked Beans Hony Oatmeal Bread
Monday 22	Breakfast toast & Almond butter Leftover Keller's Roast Chicken with Winter Vegetables Spice-rubbed BBQ Flank Steak and Cesar mixed-leaf salad
Tuesday 23	Breakfast egg sandwich with cheese Leftover Black beans & rice with Baked beans Fried chicken, sweet-potato fries & leftover Cesar mixed-leaf salad
Wednesday 24	Breakfast oatmeal Leftover Keller's Roast Chicken with Winter Vegetables Lemon-pepper white fish & risotto
Thursday 25	Breakfast musli Leftover Black beans & rice with Baked beans Roasted Chicken Thighs with Black Bean Garlic Marinade with Mixed-leaf salad and vinagrette dressing for 6.
Friday 26	Toast & almond butter Leftover Baked Beans, rice & Steamed Vegetables Hosin chicken rice bowls
Saturday 27	Breakfast egg sandwich Lunch roast chicken, fresh bread and salad Dinner: TBD!

Menu plan for the week of March 14, 2010

What a week! The weather has become warm and spring-like and the colds are finally lifting from my house. There's lots to do this week that didn't get done last week (being sick is not condusive to doing chores); and the week is perfect for baking (not too warm and not too cold), so I'm going to make cookies this week and try to squeeze some bread-making in on the weekend.

Typically I have less than a serving left over after dinner. So, I just dump them in a container and put it in the freezer. Most lunches are the contents of one or two containers combined. I realized earlier, while talking to a co-worker - if I actually layered my leftovers rather than just dumping them in a single container - I could call my leftover lunches a "bento" again. They'd probably be a lot more appetizing to look at too.

Not many links this week, as most of the recipes are pretty straight forward.

snacks: I have a lot of choices for snacks this week as we did a run to the local Cosco recently.
taco chips (remainders from a party on the weekend)
mixed veggies & dip (leftovers from a party platter on the weekend)
pita chips & hummus (neither of which is homemade)
yogurt & flax seed
apples (always)
granola bars
rice crisps

The menu:

Sunday 14	Toast & almond butter Crab pasta salad Leftover Lentil and sausage soup
Monday 15	Breakfast oatmeal Leftover chili, spaghetti & salad BBQ hamburgers with The best and simplest green salad by Mark Bittman topped with Red wine and feta vinaigrette
Tuesday 16	Breakfast musli Taco salad Leftovers Steamed vegetables with Black Beans and Rice, My Way
Wednesday 17	Breakfast oatmeal Chicken salad sandwich and soup The best and simplest green salad with red wine vinagrette BBQ New York Strip steak & Mashed Potatoes Gratin The Whole Wheat Tollhouse Cookies
Thursday 18	Breakfast musli Lunch Bento Chinese Buffet - for 4
Friday 19	Toast & almond butter Lunch Bento Shawarma sandwich with rice & salad - for 6
Saturday 20	Breakfast egg sandwich Lunch roast chicken, fresh bread and salad Dinner: TBD Event: Draconis Game Day

Menu for the week of 21 Feburary

Belated posting.
I'm following my own advice from last week, buying only what I need and trying to use up what I have. The hardest part is actually sticking to the menu. I remembered to put it on my kitchen table, and that's helped. I also chose recipes that weren't supposed to be too fussy (see my notes to see how well that worked).

I've learned from practice, that since by Friday I'm just tired and uninspired that I'll either cook up with the leftovers in the fridge or eat out. It's pretty much whatever strikes my fancy.

Saturday 20	Breakfast: Breakfast out. Lunch: Chicken sandwich on whole wheat with hummus & salad Dinner: Beef fajitas
Sunday 21	Breakfast: Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup Dinner: Quiznos
Monday 22	Breakfast: Cinnamon oatmeal Lunch: Leftover meatballs, spaghetti sauce and basmati rice Dinner: Salad-dressing marinaded and breaded (baked) chicken [Springpad link], green salad with red wine vinagrette
Tuesday 23	Breakfast: Cinnamon oatmeal Lunch: Tortierre and green salad with red wine vinagrette Dinner: Almond haddock fillets [Springpad link], green salad with red wine vinagrette and basmati rice.
Wednesday 24	Breakfast: Cinnamon oatmeal Lunch: Empanadas and broccoli with salsa Dinner: Hamburgers, all dressed.
Thursday 25	Breakfast: Toast & banana with almond butter Lunch: Tortierre and salad with red wine vinagrette Dinner: Beef Strogonoff [Springpad link]
Friday 26	Breakfast: Toast & banana with almond butter Lunch: Almond crusted fish with basmati rice and green beans Dinner: Leftover buffet & Steamed vegetables

Menu for February 7th and a change for the better

Friday night, coming back from work - and the car dies. Drama ensues, a good Samaritan with jumper cables are found -- but then the car starts. We heap praises on the Samaritan, and head directly home. No stopping at the butcher, the bulk store, or the box store. Straight. Home.

We count our pennies. We pinch our belts. And I do a quick inventory and menu based completely on what's in my pantry.

I make my menus on Thursday nights, and my planned menu used very little of any of what I actually had in my pantry. I was surprised at what I had in my pantry.

• navy beans (dried and tinned),
• split peas (about 1 cup),
• a ton of popcorn (microwavable & kernels)
  
• mixed beans (tinned),
  
• corn meal,
  
• lots of flour (whole wheat, barley, AP) and baking stuff (baking soda, baking powder, ...),
  
• 6 tins of no-salt-added diced tomatoes,
  
• lots of herbs (including fresh garlic & ginger, pesto, cilantro, and fresh parsley)
  
• 2 L chicken broth,
  
• 1 lb of hamburger,
  
• a box of frozen appetizers,
  
• a bag of shrimp with shells on (uncooked),
• a bag of frozen cranberries,
  
• a bag of frozen strawberries,
  
• a tortierre and a bit,
• some leftover Shepperd's pie
  
• some leftover sausage,
  
• some yogurt (flavoured & not),
  
• 1 lb flank steak,
  
• 1 box of mac and cheese,
  
• lots of milk,
  
• 1 box of tomato soup,
  
• sandwich bread,
  
• eggs,
  
• bacon,
  
• rice,
  
• frozen vegetables (broccoli, beans, summer mix, endame, and corn).

So, what can you make with that handful of ingredients? Turns out, quite a lot actually. I didn't use it all this week, although I did put a serious dent in my pantry.

Sunday 7	Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry (Overnight) Oatmeal [Spring pad link] Lunch: Appetizers Dinner: Beef empanadas with salsa & cheese [Spring pad link] Desert: Rick Gallop's Banana bread This was a day I went rummaging and digging stuff out of the corners of my kitchen. I have a tube of steel-cut oats, so I set those to bake overnight and stored what I didn't eat for lunches during the week. The box of frozen appetizers has been in the freezer since before Christmas ('09). They made a tasty lunch. For the banana bread I ended up mixing white, whole wheat, barley flour and flax together; but you can't really tell in the finished product. It seems I made a double batch of empanadas, enough to store the dough and mix and have it again later in the week. I baked them, but the original recipe also has instructions for frying.
Monday 8	Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry Oatmeal (leftovers from Sunday) Lunch: Leftover tortierre & steamed vegetables Dinner:Mac and Cheese (boxed) & best ever green salad [Spring pad link] I went out and bought salad greens and 1/2 a dozen apples (lunches and snacks), and some cheese for tomorrow night. I finished off the flavoured yogurt in the fridge, and found a few forgotten containers of leftovers in the freezer that made good lunches. Mac and cheese is one of those pantry staples I always have around. Normally it's used as the odd weekend (or day off) lunch; but paired with a salad with goat cheese & pistachios (leftovers from my last attempt at making pistachio ice cream) it made for a very filling meal.
Tuesday 9	Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry Oatmeal (leftovers from Sunday) Lunch: Shrimp salad with olives and herb vinagrette dressing Dinner: Grilled cheese & bacon sandwiches & Hearty Tomato Soup The bag of shrimp were another frozen leftover. I cooked them the night before and garnished some leftover (and undressed) salad for lunch. The vinagrette is simple- olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon (total) of oregano, pepper, and thyme. Store in a bottle. Shake before using. Dinner was another lunch time favourite. The tomato soup came from a box, but it was a good box. :)
Wednesday 10	Breakfast: Spiced Cranberry Oatmeal (leftovers from Sunday) Lunch: Leftover Sheppard's pie Dinner: Fried chicken & french fries The car was out of the shop, and we wanted to celebrate. I bought a bag of freezer fries, we picked up fried chicken at the grocery store and went home to have dinner. Total cost: 15.00. We also picked up some cold cuts, cheese, and a box of smoked meat (adding another 15.00 to the bill). The former for lunches fro the rest of the week, and the latter for the weekend (and because it was on sale).
Thursday 11	Breakfast: Banana bread & peanut butter (leftovers from Sunday) Lunch: Chicken sandwich with Havarti cheese & chicken soup Dinner: Marterdi [Spring pad link] & steamed basmati rice Friends are coming over. I've made Marterdi successfully before, and it's regularly well received. This week I'm adding vegetables to this dish and using leftover ground beef (empanada mix & one lone hamburger) and sliced cooked sausage instead of uncooked 12 sausages. I'll serve it over chicken-broth infused basmati rice, cooked with a nob of butter.
Friday 12	Breakfast: Banana bread & peanut butter Lunch: Chicken sandwich with havarti cheese & chicken soup Dinner: Leftover buffet & Steamed vegetables Right now this looks like it will be the last of the chicken broth, leftover marterdi (mostly beans & veg), and/or more appetizers and empanadas. It could be fried eggs over beans, or maybe a big salad with some cheese, beans, and slices of apple; we shall see

It got me thinking.
At some point, I began buying what I wanted to make and supplementing from my pantry. Instead, I should have been starting with my pantry and supplementing with what I buy. The realization that I had it all backwards was rather startling. I read all kinds of cooking, frugal, and menu-planning blogs; but I'd forgotten this step.

1. Inventory your pantry.
2. Look at the flyers to figure out what's on sale (and where).
   
3. Make your menu from your inventory.
4. Figure out the maximum you can make from your inventory, then supplement by buying extras.

So, that's what I'm going to do next week.
Also, I'm going to stop planning (and buying for) 7 dinners & lunches. Instead I'll plan 5-6 a week, and expect to make at most 5.

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.

As 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.

Menu plan for the week of January 10, 2010

And so it continues.
We've not even had the Cosco card for a month, and already we're planning our next trip. Still, if we're careful then the purchase of a membership at our local bulk store is a wise decision. Figures though, one week after getting the card and we stumble on a 1/2 price sale for toilet paper. So that's one thing we won't be buying at Cosco for a while.

They have everything at Cosco. It's rather intimidating. Being part of a household of two - any six pack of consumables that can't be frozen (bread, baked goods, cheeses, etc) are problematic, and even those that can be frozen (meats, finished meals, etc) are often so large that my new and ginormous fridge-freezer is too small to store them properly. It's a hard question to ask. But do you really need to purchase a six month supply of eggs, shampoo and office supplies? The savings on such things are often marginal at best. But if you're careful, you can find a few deals. Note to self: pack a calculator and your price book.

As 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 10	Breakfast: Egg sandwich, whole grain, turkey sausage. Tea. Snack: Rice cakes Lunch: Smoked meat sandwich, diet coke. Snack: Kellog's bar Dinner: Chicken nuggets & mixed green salad. Diet coke.
	It was my day to cook; I just didn't cook dinner. Dinner was frozen chicken nuggets with a bag of mixed salad and bottled salad dressing. Yummy - but not home cooked. Today I baked two turkey legs (strained and saved the broth, shredded the meat and saved the bones for soup. I made 4l of chicken broth (with mostly leftover vegetables and a bit of chicken bones) in the crock pot, and a cooked up two breakfasts worth of blackberry multi-grain oatmeal.
Monday 11	Breakfast: Tea. Blackberry multi-grain oatmeal. Snack: Kellog's bar Lunch: Risotto & cassoulet. Apple & diet coke Snack: cottage cheese Dinner: Hearty Ministrone soup and leftover bread. Tea. Snack: Banana bread?
	This is a great bean soup with a few vegetables. It tastes best when made with homemade stock, but any stock will do. The recipe I'm using makes enough for 4 hungry people; so I'm hoping to have a small amount left over for lunches. I also hope to make some more banana bread (mostly for breakfasts later in the week, but also as tonight's desert). Only time will tell if this happens though.
Tuesday 12	Deli-style coleslaw and meatball subs
	A classic combination, this is another version of a very sloppy joe. The meatballs are drenched in freshly made tomato sauce that is barely even seasoned. I am just as apt to use store-bought meatballs as homemade for this recipe; but the tomato sauce is simple and comes together so quickly that it is worth making from scratch. The coleslaw is creamy and gives the meal the traditional deli twist that would be otherwise lacking from eating on real plates with cutlery.
Wednesday 13	Basic sauteed chicken cutlets with mixed green salad
	This is quickly becoming a winter staple for me. The chicken breasts and flattened (or cut, depending on how I feel) and then pan fried in very little oil. Sometimes I make a sauce, but most times I don't.
Thursday 14	Risotto and Martedi and possibly apple pie
	Can you tell I have people coming over? Risotto is a pleasantly creamy dish that goes well with anything. Martedi is a recipe (of sorts) by Fae; and a great way to feed a crowd with very little preparation. The dinner isn't gorgeous, but it is delicious. There's been a request in my house for me to make another apple pie. I've given a definite maybe to the request. If it's gonna happen -- it will be the night folk come over.
Friday 15	Soda biscuits and turkey a la king
	The recipe is for chicken a la king, but I have leftover (cooked) turkey thanks to the cooking I did on Sunday. Soda biscuits are the easiest bread you'll ever make and come together in less than 30 minutes. They'll be put in the oven as soon as the turkey a la king goes onto the stove and both should be ready about the same time.

Weekly menu for January 03, 2010

Happy New Year!
My sister gave me a blank recipe book for Christmas. I promised my mother I'd fill it with recipes and give it to her. If all works well, I can give her the book and a link to my Springpad! At least then she'll be able to read my recipes. I'm trying to update them and comment on them as I use them; in most cases this also means minor alterations due to either goofs on my part (leaving out a recipe, misreading when it's supposed to go in, etc), or simply having to substitute ingredients due to costs.

There's another round of clean-out-your pantry going on out there in the Internet (as hosted by Jessica at Life as Mom and Crystal at Money Saving Mom). I'm not going to partake; but I am trying to design meals around what I have rather than what I need.

I'm still trying to finish off the little bottles in my fridge; but there's only so many uses I can find for hot and savory sauces. Friends comment that my fridge is always full to bursting; I tell them to look again just before I go shopping -- it gets pretty empty around then.

As 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). I'm trying to stay away from deserts for a while, but (considering the number of dead bananas in my fridge), I can see myself making a loaf (or two) of banana bread.

Sunday 4	Chicken Cassoulet, steamed broccoli
	The dish took a fair bit of time to assemble, but I was able to do it with company in the house. I cooked way too much and will be eating the leftovers for lunches this week. It's a very hearty meal, but a bit bland for my tastes. Cheese helps, but I'm wondering if some of the spicy pastes in my pantry wouldn't help more.
Monday 5	Steak Fajitas.
	Served atop flour tortillas (warmed in the stove), these are filled with a mixture of sandwich steak, bell pepper, salsa, and sour cream. Just one problem -- I'm out of tortillas. I made quesadillas for friends on Saturday and that used up my supply. I found a recipe online, so this might just work.
Tuesday 6	Fish sticks, steamed vegetables, basmati rice
	I'll make the rice with chicken broth & herbs; mostly just to give it some flavour. As to the fish sticks - they're store bought.
Wednesday 7	Turkey Scallopini, buttered noodles and green salad
	I have a package of Turkey Scallopini in the freezer that's been there a while. This is another easy meal. The noodles are whole wheat egg noodles that I'll cook up and add a bit of thyme and butter to flavour. The green salad is dressed with a red wine vinagrette.
Thursday 8	Cracker crusted fish, risotto and steamed vegetables. Banana bread.
	Every time I put this recipe on my menu, something happens. Last time we ran out of crackers for ... um ... some unknown reason. Still, I want to use up the fish in my freezer -- so crackers or no crackers -- it will be eaten on Thursday. The banana bread is technically for Friday night; but it has to be tested before I can dole it out to friends.
Friday 9	Santa-Fey Chicken Chili with cornbread biscuits. Banana bread (leftovers).
	Chili always pleases a crowd. Ideally, I'll have everything mixed up and cooked before leaving the house in the morning. I realized this weekend that, whenever I bring soups, stews or chili's (or even wet ingredients for a meal) to serve to people, I pack the food hot in to freshly-washed mason jars. The results are easy to carry and I never worry about leakage.

Weekly menu for December 13 - 18, 2009

I'm trying to get ahead of the game this week, mostly by writing this on the Thursday prior to the dates in the title; as that's when I normally make my shopping list. The week is fraught with baking, shopping, and meeting friends. I suspect I'll not have much time to throw dinner together or eat for that matter; and yet I still need to make enough to bring leftovers as lunches throughout the week.

Sunday 13	Family dinner. Apple-cinnamon cake
	I'm off to a family dinner. I'm bringing a gift of truffles and an apple-cinnamon cake for desert.
Monday 14	Fajitas.
	Served atop flour tortillas (warmed in the stove), these are filled with a mixture of cooked chicken, bell pepper, salsa, and sour cream. Since I'm finishing off my Christmas shopping this week, it seemed safest to serve a simple meal.
Tuesday 15	Cracker and parmesan crusted fish, Steamed vegetables and basmati rice
	Crispy fish, rice made with chicken broth, and a green salad dressed with homemade vinagrette. Simple, quick, and easy. This has been one recipe I keep meaning to make.
Wednesday 16	Quick chicken cassoulet, green salad and cappuchino chocolate cheesecake
	This is a "fake" cassoulet, in that it doesn't have to bake for hours to be ready to eat. The desert is not, unfortunately for Wednesday night. I'll serve a small one on Thursday to guests and bring the rest to a pot-luck on Friday.
Thursday 17	Yellow split-pea soup and soda biscuits
	This is a dinner for 6, hopefully with left-overs. The recipe is an old family favourite that is a crock-pot meal. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes!
Friday 18	Leftover buffet
	Most Friday nights I want a simple and quick meal. Since I shop on Saturdays, I also want to clean out my fridge/freezer. Often I cook without a recipe, finding bits that should be used up and making something dinner-like out of it. This is also the day of my office's pot luck; so I suspect that by dinner time I'm not going to be all that hungry.

Weekly menu for November 29th, 2009

Where does the time go? This weekend had a lot more running around than I initially thought. The menu this week is all comfort food as we both try to get over lingering aches and pains of colds and gym workouts. I aimed for simple recipes that I know fairly well (even the new ones seem familiar and should be easy to make). I hate to say it, but I'm also carefully doubling any recipe I bake and freezing half because, you know, that season is on the horizon and fast approaching.

Sunday 29	Smoked meat sandwiches & dill pickles. Blueberry pie.
	We buy packaged smoked meat from time to time. It comes in a box with four little packages. The package is boiled for seven minutes, then carefully opened. Served on toasted whole wheat with lots of mustard and a dill pickle on the side. Desert was the last slices of blueberry pie fresh from the bakery... some days ago.
Monday 26	Tacos. Chocolate mousse?
	Served atop corn tortillas (warmed on the stove top), these are filled with a mixture of diced romaine lettuce, diced bell pepper, salsa, sour cream and cheese. He asked for it last week, so thought I'd make some up. Tonight I have to make up a big batch of apple oatmeal for breakfasts this week. Lately steel-cut oats seem to be the only thing that keeps me from getting really hungry between breakfast and lunch. If I have the time, I also want to make up some lentil and bulgar salad. This makes a nice accompaniment with lunch, and should help keep me full until dinner.
Tuesday 27	Parmesan chicken & steamed vegetables.
	When I came across this recipe last week, I knew I wanted to make it. Crispy chicken without frying? If it's even half as good as that sounds, it will quickly become a family favourite.
Wednesday 28	Cracker and Parmesan crusted fish fillets, basmati rice & best green salad
	Crispy fish, rice made with chicken broth, and a green salad dressed with homemade vinagrette. Simple, quick, and easy. If I can manage it, I want to try making brown butter & ginger cookies; mostly so there will be leftovers for company on Thursday and more cookie dough for my freezer.
Thursday 29	Crockpot hungarian goulash, soda biscuits and green salad
	This is a dinner for 6, hopefully with left-overs. I'll serve the goulash over the soda biscuits (instead of pasta).
Friday 30	Meatball subs
	Meatballs, cooked in spaghetti sauce, then poured between freshly baked whole-wheat bread. Friday meals should always be this easy.

Weekly menu for November 23rd, 2009

The week got off to a rough start. I'm going to dart out for a few fresh supplies this week, but there's no plan to actually *buy groceries* like we normally do. I've been very impressed by Saucy Apron, who went a whole month without buying groceries! While I'm not trying to repeat her triumph, I am trying once more to eat down my fridge/freezer/pantry before buying more. Beacuse this week will be spent using up leftovers, I don't have many recipes to share. Next week I'll go back to trying to use up what I have before buying more. So, here's the plan. Lets hope it survives confrontation with my life, such as it is.

Sunday 22	Take out
	After a day of chores and visitors, there was no energy left to make food. Lunch was a bowl of reheated chili and dinner was takeout. Yummy. Yummy. Take out.
Monday 26	Chicken with Provencal Sauce, steamed wild rice, steamed green beans, and banana bread for desert.
	It's a very simple saute recipe that comes together by the time the rice is done. It makes very little sauce, but it's well worth it. The wild rice in my pantry is the last cup from a much larger bag. Breakfast: steel cut oats, dried cranberries & cinnamon. Lunch: Heat and serve basil chicken with broccoli & pasta Snacks: Crackers, 1 red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons hummus We have dying bananas, and so I should make banana bread. My preference is to use Rick Gallop's banana bread which includes flax seed, wheat germ, and no sugar. Mmmm banana bread sandwiches with peanut butter for breakfast!
Tuesday 27	Steak sandwiches with cheese and salad
	This is one of my favourite fast meals. I don't really have a recipe for it. Served on good crusty bread, the sandwich meat is quick fried and served with slightly melted cheese. The salad, topped with a bitter vinagrette is also a family favourite - this time using up some of the walnuts stored in my pantry along with my dwindling supply of red wine vinegar. Breakfast: steel cut oats, dried cranberries & cinnamon. Lunch: Pork (leftovers) with fermented black bean sauce (tiny jar), steamed wild rice, steamed green beans. Snacks: banana bread, 1 red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons hummus
Wednesday 28	Hosin chicken breasts, BBQ potatoes and green salad
	The Hosin sauce is low-sodium and is one of the many little bottles in my fridge. The breast marinade in the sauce and then are barbecued until done. The potatoes are the last of the summer harvest from the farmer's market and cook quickly. The salad will be topped with herbs, croutons (the last of my supply) and bottled dressing (of which I have lots). Breakfast: Toasted banana bread with peanut butter Lunch: Steak sandwich with cheese, salad Snacks: fruit, 1 red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons hummus
Thursday 29	Meatloaf with creamed sauce, polenta, steamed vegetables and cookies for desert!
	The cream sauce is new, but the meatloaf is not. I made Bittman's meatloaf a while back and froze the extra. I'll serve it up over polenta with steamed vegetables and top it with a creamy herb sauce. Should make for a fairly quick and easy dinner. I'm making cookies tonight. One batch will be (mostly) wheat free to feed to a friend with a wheat allergy (and to get rid of my barley flour); while the other batch will be made with a mix of whole wheat and white flour. I'm thinking of making either peanut butter or oatmeal cookies. Hrm. Peanut butter oatmeal? Breakfast: Toasted banana bread with peanut butter Lunch: Hosin chicken breasts, BBQ potatoes and green salad Snacks: fruit, cottage cheese & crackers
Friday 30	Leftover beef barley soup
	I made this for last Thursday's crowd and threw the leftovers into the freezer. It will be tonight's dinner for up to 6 people. I'll fry an onion and some celery to go into the mix, and thin it a bit with some broth before serving. Now, if someone brings bread -- it should make a delicious meal. Breakfast: Toasted banana bread with peanut butter Lunch: Meatloaf with creamed sauce, polenta, steamed vegetables Snacks: cottage cheese & crackers, fruit

Weekly menu for 26 October, 2009

We got the shopping done a bit late this week (finishing it off on Sunday instead of Saturday); and there were a few items I didn't like the look/price of--so my menu's changed a bit since I designed it last Thursday. This week I had decided to attack my condiments! Use them up and clean out my fridge. Unfortunately a single week of recipes just won't do it. I know these recipes will definitely put a dent in them though; and using condiments to plan a menu certainly brought lots of inspiration.

Sunday 25	Leftover buffet
	A name that inspires confidence! Essentially it was a fend-for-yourself night. The fridge is full of leftovers (soups, roast pork, roast chicken, etc...) and after a day of running around (and an amazing lunch at the Old Dublin pub), we just weren't that hungry.
Monday 26	Beef Sate with peanut sauce, steamed rice & vegetables.
	Tonight I'm trying to get rid of my little bottle of Thai red curry paste. Hopefully I can do this without making the dish too hot to eat. Beef Sate is very easy to make and leftovers of it (with the peanut sauce) are even more amazing as a lunch.
Tuesday 27	Bittman's Meatloaf with salad.
	Another great as leftovers meal. I hanker for meatloaf sandwiches, but I have a friend coming over. I'm going to use the homemade seafood sauce (ketchup + Shireah) as a topping for the meatloaf, thus technically getting rid of more condiments from my kitchen. I'll use my imported mustard to make a fancy dijon vinagrette for the salad.
Wednesday 28	Mac and cheese with salad.
	I made this not too long ago and it was a big hit; so I'm making it again. Mac and cheese has always been comfort food to me. This recipe is so much better than the store-bought blue box that I find it difficult to even think about going back. It takes more work and is longer to make -- but there are no leftovers. :) The salad will be dressed with a red wine vinagrette and beans.
Thursday 29	Chicken Thighs with Spicy Tomato Sauce with polenta and Cesar salad
	I shall try to make this with Chicken breasts. This recipe won't reduce my condiment bottles--but the Cesar salad will (as I have a bottle and a half of anchovies). The polenta (or possibly wild rice, haven't decided) are much needed for this very saucy recipe.
Friday 30	Vietnamese Noodle Soup with Oxtail
	I intend to make the stock throughout the week, then bring it to a gathering with me. Hopefully friends will bring noodles, veggies, and meats to go with the meal. I'll keep the meat to serve with the soup and probably bring some shaved carrot, beansprouts, and definitely the hot sauce -- hopefully the gathering will use it up.

Weekly menu for 18th October, 2009

Planning meals has been going well (even when I forget to post my menu here). This week I knew I wouldn't have time for much shopping; so I'd be eating down the fridge (so to speak). In my case there's far more sauces and condiments than actual food to use up, but we'll see. I'm hoping to free up enough space in the freeze to make ice cream on Saturday morning before I go do my shopping for next week.

Sunday 18	Dinner out.
	Take-out to be exact. The Draconis convention ended on a high note and I was exhausted. We grabbed some Lebanese on the way home (with extra hummus).
Monday 19	Ministrone soup and fresh brown baguette.
	Tinned soup and bread. Simple and warm. It was just what we needed after a cold fall day and a very long weekend.
Tuesday 20	Sloppy Joes with the best green salad.
	This recipe is always great for leftovers. It's warm and hearty with a fair amount of vegetables stashed in the marinara sauce. Sometimes I use homemade, other times I buy a bottle--it doesn't seem to change the taste very much either way. The Best green salad in my house is a rough mix of romaine and spinach with a chopped bell pepper mixed in. It's topped with a tablespoon or two of mixed beans, some olive oil and red wine vinegar. Some nights it's seasoned with pepper and oregano; other nights it's not.
Wednesday 21	Bite-sized chicken terriaki, basmati rice, and steamed vegetables.
	This is another great meal for lunches, so I always make sure to make extra. The Bite-sized chicken terriaki recipe calls for thigh meat -- I use breast instead and cut it up into bite-sized pieces. I make rice with homemade de-fatted chicken broth instead of water to give it some flavour and save a bit of the chicken terriaki sauce to coat the vegetables just before serving. Delicious.
Thursday 22	Hamburger soup and soda biscuits with Whole Wheat Banana bread for desert.
	I'm having friends over; and this is a traditional fall meal in my house. The soup is a crock-pot meal, so it simmers all day long filling the house with its smell. The soda biscuits are served right out of the oven, and as soon as the
Friday 23	Roasted Pork with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Potatoes and Apples, Beverly's anytime salsa dip.
	More friends are coming over, so I'm making a roast. To start I'll serve the family favourite version of Mexican flag dip; just in case folk arrive early or dinner runs late. I'm not preparing a desert as I'm hopeful someone will bring something.

Weekly menu for Sept 27/09

With the new fridge and stove now safely standing in my kitchen, you'd think I'd be baking up a storm. After 6 months of using only my barbecue and range top, I'm a bit trepidations to going back to using the stove. We'll see how it goes.

Sunday 27	Baked fish, french fries and green salad
	There's no menu for this one. I used frozen fish fillets, string fries and a home made mix of romaine, spinach, mushrooms, radishes and yellow bell pepper in an Italian vinagrette.
Monday 28	Beef kebabs with green salad, No-bake protein bars, Oatmeal bread
	The protein bars are something I keep adding to my menu, then not making. Tonight is the night! They're supposed to be great lunch-box stuffers and, for once, I deliberately bought no granola bars, cookies, or other lunch-box stuffers when I went for groceries. The oatmeal bread is a favourite of mine, and one I've been wanting to make again. The recipe from King Arthur Flour produces a pleasantly dense loaf -- perfect for toasting.
Tuesday 29	Gnocchi, marinara sauce with meatballs & green salad
	Again, no recipe. The gnocchi is pre-packaged, the marinara sauce and meatballs are already made and in my freezer. I made both using Mark Bittman's recipes from How to Cook Everything.
Wednesday 30	Bangers and Mash with Radish slaw
	Bangers (sausage) and mash (potatoes) is an old family favourite. I have two types of sausages: chicken pesto and hot italian, and baby white potatoes for the meal. The radish slaw is a recipe I found some time ago, but have yet to make it. I love cold slaw, so I'm hopeful.
Thursday 1	Beef tacos Tea bread & cookies
	My night to bake. The tacos are made using fresh (soft) corn tortillas and lots of veggies. The tea bread and cookies shows my intention to bake something; but I'm not yet certain what to bake.
Friday 2	Protein poisoning chili
	Another family favourite. This chili is thick and rich with sausage, ground beef and two types of beans. I've got fresh tomatoes and bell peppers (instead of the tinned variety), and it will sit all day in the crock pot becoming quite fragrant by dinner time. Served with polenta or rice.

Menu for September 20, 2009 & starter kitchens

This is the week I'm supposed to get my new fridge (and hopefully) my new stove. I'm very excited. So excited the fact that the new couch and love seat are being delivered the same day have hardly registered. This does mean, however, that I'm cooking mostly from reserves -- trying to empty out the fridge and freezer as much as possible. I've played around with clean-out-the-fridge/pantry blog events in the past, but I actually do this on a pretty regular basis.
At what point is a pantry overloaded as opposed to over-stocked?

Sunday	1/2 Bagelette with pepperoni Steak sandwiches with cheese Tinned soup
20
Monday	Oatmeal Frozen vegetable lazagnia Gnocchi (packaged), homemade marinara sauce with meatballs & steamed vegetables Snacks: popcorn, apple, cookie pack
21
Tuesday	Oatmeal Smoked meat sandwich on whole wheat & Easy Black Beans and Yellow Rice Unbaked energy bars (for lunches) Snacks: carrots & hummous
22
Wednesday	BBQ hamburgers & mixed green salad Homemade ice cream
23
Thursday	Mixed green salad & Grilled Asian Chicken for 6 Ice cream sandwiches
24
Friday	Fajitas Jello
25
Saturday	Chicken noodle soup
26

Menu for the week of July 26, 2009

Every week I try to make a weekly plan for what I'm going to eat, and then shop accordingly for those ingredients. Most weeks I make it until Wednesday before my plan fails utterly. If I'm really lucky, I am able to use up what's in the fridge before it goes bad. Once in a while I get upset at the amount of food in the fridge/freezer/pantry and try to plan most of my meals around it.

Here's this week's attempt:

Sunday 26	Breakfast: Egg sandwich with bacon, lettuce & mayo Lunch: Chicken grilled cheese sandwich & cup of tomato soup Dinner: Out
Monday 27	Breakfast: Whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, skim milk Snacks: 2 Apples, Yogurt Lunch: Chicken soup with raman noodles and mixed vegetables Dinner: Pasta with sausage and vodka rose sauce
Tuesday 28	Breakfast: Whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, skim milk Lunch: Mixed green salad with crab, tomatoes, spinach, romaine, chicken & cheese; Italian herb dressing, Snacks: yogurt, apple, celery Dinner: BBQ salmon, chicken rice and steamed green beans Make: Protein bars
Wednesday 29	Breakfast: Yogurt with granola & blueberries Snacks: Crackers & goat cheese, apple, celery Lunch: BBQ salmon over chicken rice with edamame Dinner: Chicken Gyros Make: Ice cream!
Thursday 30	Breakfast: Yogurt with granola & blueberries Lunch: Chicken Gyros, side of edamame & broccoli, apple Snacks: Crackers & goat cheese, apple, celery Dinner: Bean chili with beef over rice or hamburgers
Friday 31	Breakfast: Cereal, skim milk, blueberries Lunch: Gnocchi with vodka sauce & chicken, side of broccoli Dinner: Chicken salad & crackers, apple, protein bar
Saturday 1	Breakfast: Egg on toast Lunch: Fridge-fixings Dinner: TBD

Snacks:

• Apples.
• Crackers & cheese (goat, emmental or cheddar).
• Yogurt (with flax, or granola, or blueberries).
• Celery, Carrots, Bell pepper (with Labneh & spices, peanut butter, sour cream onion dip).
• Tinned tuna, mayo & crackers.
• Diced chicken, mayo & crackers.
• Dill pickles.
  

Menu for the week of July 19, 2009

My desire to cook weakens over the summer.

Sunday 19	Breakfast: Egg sandwich with sausage patties on whole grain bread Lunch: Minestrone soup (leftovers), scones & devonshire cream Dinner: hamburgers, all dressed
Monday 20	Breakfast: Minestrone soup (leftovers), crackers Snack: cottage cheese, apple Lunch: Roast chicken & mixed vegetables Snack: snack bar, apple Dinner: The best and simplest green salad (Bittman) Basic sauteéd chicken cutlet (Bittman) Make: Roasted chicken stock for use later in the week.
Tuesday 21	Breakfast: Minestrone soup (leftovers), crackers Snack: cottage cheese, apple Lunch: Last night's leftovers. Snack: snack bar, apple Dinner: Grilled tiliapa with lemon, rice and steamed vegetables
Wednesday 22	Breakfast: Granola, skim milk, banana Snack: apple, Yogurt & flax seed Lunch: Grilled tiliapa with lemon, rice and steamed vegetables Dinner: Chicken Cesar salad
Thursday 23	Breakfast: Lunch: Chicken cesar salad Dinner: Steak sandwiches
Friday 24	Breakfast: Lunch: Steak sandwiches Dinner:
Saturday 25	Breakfast: Out. Lunch: Dinner: