A little over a week ago I wrote about my meal plan for that week. I had a beef roast and a whole chicken to use for meat for the week. By Friday I had roasted the chicken and used it in 2 meals. Friday is our pizza night, so we set the chicken aside for a day, then used the last of it Saturday and Sunday. Here are the meals we made this week.
Friday
scratch pepperoni pizza
steamed spinach
tangerines
applesauce snack cake
Saturday
chicken, vegetables, and dumplings
applesauce snack cake
Sunday
chicken and vegetable tortilla soup
dried prunes
applesauce snack cake
Monday
tuna-macaroni salad
avocado slices
gingered pears
pecan pie (My daughters baked us a pecan pie over the weekend. Wasn't that sweet of them?)
Tuesday
ground beef stroganoff
brown rice
steamed broccoli
tomato slices
pecan pie
Wednesday
spinach frittata
turkey bacon (I said yesterday that I didn't buy any treats when grocery shopping last. I forgot about 3 packs of turkey bacon -- on sale -- and 1 pack of pork bacon for Valentine's Day.)
oven fries roasted in beef fat
avocado, celery, cabbage salad in homemade apple cider vinaigrette (This is the apple cider vinegar that I made in the fall.)
tangerines
Thursday
beef fajita enchilada casserole (slow-cooked beef, peppers, onions, canned tomatoes, seasonings layered with corn tortillas and topped with cheese, then baked)
canned green beans
sautéed cinnamon apples
By Friday I just wanted to bake something sweet, but I wanted it to be easy. So I went with an applesauce snack cake. I've posted this recipe before, but I'll add it here again. It's a winner and so easy to make. It freezes well, so you could cut the cake into squares or in half, wrap and freeze some for another day. No eggs, no milk. And you can mix the batter right in the (ungreased) pan.
Applesauce Snack Cake
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar with a spoonful of molasses added to the liquids)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (or cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg or any combination)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
Mix flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, salt with a fork in an ungreased 8 X 8 X 2-inch baking pan. Stir together the liquid ingredients and incorporate with the dry in the pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly.
This Saturday we're planning a Valentine's brunch for the four of us. It'll be low-key, but I hope tasty. I'm planning on waffles, preserves and homemade fruity syrup, bacon, sausage, and a fruit salad using fresh pear, apple, banana, and tangerine. I'm not sure what I'll make for dinner, but I am planning a cherry pie for dessert.
What was on your menu this past week? Have you planned anything for Valentine's Day? Have a lovely weekend!
You did amazingly well in spite of your difficult week.
ReplyDeleteI am diving even deeper into my freezer and came across about 8 plastic containers of something my mom gave me and what I took from dad's freezer when he passed away and they were what mom called "spaghetti sauce" which only was diced peppers, onions and tomato mostly as a spaghetti starter. They were buried under a freezer bin. The date on them was 2021. I never gave it a thought and took several out to make omelets and a big pot of spaghetti sauce. I took an "omelet" to work and a coworker said it smelled like steak so when I told her it was 2021 items from my mom she about had a heart attack proclaiming that I should not eat something that old. I'm of the different opinion in that it looked good, thawed nicely and cooked up delicious. I think freezer items can still be good as long as they are packaged properly.
I also found some bananas that I made into a banana cake and banana pancakes. I still have a ways to go in using the some things in the freezer that you don't use every day but I'm working hard at it. I also decided that if I see something on sale, I might still buy it because once i'm out of chicken or ground beef doesn't mean I have to stop eating. So I'm about out of both of those so when I see a deal I will stock up again.
Alice
We've eaten older freezer items. Nobody has died from it, haha. I don't think food safety is a concern with what you ate. The quality might not have been what it once was, but depending on how you prepare it, it's generally fine. People have all sorts of opinions about safe food storage. I tend to avoid participating in those conversations and make non-commital sounds if something like that comes up. ;)
DeleteI can't spell today. Noncommittal. Argh.
DeleteHi Alice,
DeleteIt sounds like you're making good use of your "found" freezer foods. And I totally agree, foods well packaged will keep in the freezer for a long time. It's more about the texture and flavor that become affected with time, not safety. I would definitely use the 2021 spaghetti sauce starter.
I agree with Alice that you did remarkably well with your meals this week even with the difficult circumstances.
ReplyDeleteWe have nothing special planned for Valentines Day. Sometimes we do something and sometimes we don't. This year, we've been distracted caring for my FIL who was in the hospital, so we have decided a low-key day is just what we need.
Hi Live and Learn,
DeleteI'm sorry to hear your father-in-law has been in the hospital. I hope he recovers well. Yes, a low-key day does sound in order after expending so much emotion and effort caring for your father-in-law. I hope you enjoyed the day, just as it was.
Does it feel comforting to you to prepare good meals? Sometimes I crave doing something "normal " when life has been turned upside down.
ReplyDeleteWe've made use of leftovers this week, which has been helpful, time wise. 2 different kinds of sou, and turkey pot pie served twice.
soup, not sou
DeleteHi Kris,
DeletePreparing family meals is part of who I am after so many years. So, yes, I do think making efforts to do regular meals does make me feel like life is "normal" even when it isn't. And since it's the part of my role that affects my whole family, it's something I can do that takes care of everyone all in one fell swoop.
I can't imagine why leftovers have gotten such a bad rap. They often taste better by day two, and they're so handy. I'm glad you could have a successful leftover week.