It feels like a long time since we shared what we've been eating for weeknight meals. So I thought back to the last couple of weeks. Obviously, our meals while we were out of town were considerably different from those we eat at home. I did my best to keep us from spending an exorbitant amount of food for those 6 days, from bringing snack lunches for the plane, to buying snack foods, fruits, chips, crackers, and juice at markets for in between meal times, and shopping at the market for some of our lunches. We still ate our share of restaurant food, but we stuck to food courts and take-out places to avoid sit-down meal pricing.
Anyway, here's what we did for dinners, beginning with our week away through to today.
While we were away, we did a combination of meals from local markets and restaurant meals. We didn't have kitchen facilities where we stayed, but we were able to do salads, sandwiches, fruit, crackers, chips, etc, outdoors several days and food courts or take-out meals on other days.
We returned a week ago Monday. That was the day our afternoon flight way delayed until evening. With the airline-provided meal vouchers we had entree salads, sandwiches, chips, and fruit. I bought the meals shortly before boarding time, and we ate in flight. When we got home, I made myself a cup of cocoa and then went to bed.
Tuesday I woke up sick. My two daughters took over dinners Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I hadn't planned anything for those days yet. So everything was up to my daughters. It's a bit of a blur what we ate, but I think we had spaghetti with meat sauce, scrambled eggs, and beef and vegetable stir fry. Sides would have been canned or frozen vegetables, fresh, frozen, or dried fruit, and rice, bread, or pasta.
Friday we had our usual pizza and movie night. My daughter made a scratch cheese pizza, mixed vegetables (frozen), and crabapple-applesauce (from the freezer).
Saturday we had leftover stir fry that my other daughter had made earlier in the week with orange wedges.
Sunday after church I went to Walmart and picked up cabbage, apples, bananas, and milk. My husband made refried beans, oven-fried corn tortilla chips, Cole slaw, and steamed carrots.
Monday I roasted a whole chicken. I got tied up in taxes earlier in the day. So getting dinner to the table in time meant I skipped making gravy. We had roast chicken with chutney, leftover cooked pasta heated with frozen spinach, garlic, and olive oil, cabbage salad with vinaigrette dressing, and dried Asian pears and prunes.
Tuesday I made gravy for the leftover chicken. We had hot chicken and gravy sandwiches on homemade bread, cabbage and avocado salad with salsa/mayo/avocado oil dressing, and green beans.
Wednesday I pulled chicken off the bones to make a chicken, rice, and vegetable (carrots and Brussel sprout leaves) casserole in a creamy soy milk and cheese sauce. With the casserole we had frozen peas and tangerines.
Thursday I simmered the chicken carcass for several hours, then pulled the very last of the chicken off the bones and made a chicken and vegetable soup to go with fresh bread and more home-dried fruit. I only had about 1 cup of chicken meat, so I also added an egg to the soup for a quasi-egg drop soup. I was able to freeze a couple of containers of chicken stock for future cooking, too.
I've been going through the deep freeze, looking for what is left from last summer's harvest. It's looking emptier and emptier with each passing week. That's a good thing. It means we're actually eating what we have. I need to do something to get the rest of my family to use some of these frozen foods in meals they prepare. I think it's more difficult for them to remember to use those frozen foods, as they don't see them as often as I do. Anyway, I need to continue to use those foods. Before I know it, it'll be time to defrost the garage freezers again.
What's been on your menu the last couple of weeks? Do you have any tricks for economizing on meals when you're traveling?
Have a great weekend, friends!
With your food sensitivities, did you have any problems eating out while you were on your trip?
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteI found Asian and Mexican food to be best for me, with rice or corn tortillas as the grain. We had street tacos one day for lunch and those were good, tasty, and simple in ingredients. The Asian meals were also good, using rice as a grain and simple meat and veggies. Food courts worked well, too, as I could scan all of the locations to see what I could eat, and everyone else could get what they wanted. The markets also proved to be an excellent choice for us. The days we had entree salads, I could also get a box of crackers that I can have and sandwiches for those who wanted that to go with their salad. Also fresh fruit was a go-to from the market to go with any lunch or dinner. I just have to think outside the box and avoid restaurant chains or cuisines that I know don't work for me. Thanks for asking.
Even though you were sick and the family pitched in, I thought your meals were exciting. The fact that they made a lot from scratch is commendable. These are the kinds of meals we eat any time and not just a "oh, mom's sick so all we get is this" type of meal. We had similar meals all week with a chicken stir fry from boneless skinless chicken thighs. It was a 6 pack so only used 4 for the stir fry and the other two became chicken/grape curry salad. Home made pizza with leftovers. Pork steak, hash brown casserole, creamy tomato soup, BLTs all with enough for another day as leftovers. I prep (which means grab items from freezer and write down what I'm going to do with them) on Sunday and then during the week I follow the list in no specific order. So it's Friday today and one serving of stir fry leftover for a lunch today or tomorrow. Tonight will probably be hamburgers and home fries.
ReplyDeleteThe freezer had very little meat but we did buy maple/brown sugar sausage, plain sausage, a coupld pork steaks and ground beef from a butcher because we like the quality at slightly high prices. We have several whole chickens and no other chicken pieces and no other pork for now. I have a couple of beef roasts so we're not in need of anything. Big storm rolling around again this weekend but we have food and a gas range if we lose power we can still cook on the cooktop.
Alice
Hi Alice,
DeleteI hope you didn't lose power this weekend. But if you did, it sounds like you're prepared.
My daughters, especially, can cook well now. They're adults and could take care of themselves or a family, when that time comes. They did really well, even with cooking from scratch and me not being able to add to their knowledge about what goes with what. My husband can also cook a decent meal from scratch. It's not his favorite activity, but he can do it.
Your chicken and grape curry salad sounds so tasty. I will remember adding grapes to a curry salad the next time I make something along those lines. I like your practice on Sundays to prep for the week. That must really simplify weeknight cooking for you. Did you do this also when your kids were growing up?
I didn't do the Sunday prep when the kids were little because I only worked part time giving me more time to prepare meals daily. They were hearty eaters and so I didn't have much leftovers but I had time each evening to get the meals cooked when I began full time work. Thinking back I must have done some sort of a plan because I had thawed meat or put it in the crockpot but I guess I'm not thinking that was prepping.
DeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteThanks for the reply. It makes sense for your circumstances at the time.
You did very well for meals in a place where you didn't have a kitchen, especially since you flew to your location and were limited on what you could bring. Did you have a microwave? When my husband and I went on trips to the UP the past 2 years, we only had a fridge and microwave available to us. We brought pre-cooked food which we could reheat for dinner (pork BBQ meat, chicken taco meat--things that can be easily eaten with a bun/tortilla), as well as lots of sandwich fixings and easy fruit/veggies (pre-cooked green beans that could be reheated, baby carrots, etc.). We ate some meals out, but the area we were in didn't have many restaurants available. Part of my criteria for bringing meals was that they required minimal dish-washing. I think my biggest learning curve with travel food items is that tortillas are easier to manage than a loaf of bread. They pack up smaller and don't get smushed up as easily. Don't know if my thoughts are helpful to you. It's much easier to pack food when you are driving than it is when you fly somewhere.
ReplyDeleteBoth kids are home this week, so I've been pulling out recipes that I haven't used for awhile. I made chicken with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes one night (that's the closest I get to fancy cooking, haha) over quinoa, Greek chicken sandwiches on naan last night, and tonight I'm making lasagna soup. My daughter just got done making your pan veloce veloce bread, Lili. I thought that would be a good recipe for her to have in her back pocket, as she will be living in an apartment starting this summer.
Your chicken and gravy sandwiches sound really good. I should roast a chicken sometime. That's another thing that I haven't done in a long time.
Hi Kris,
DeleteWe had a microwave and very small fridge (no freezer compartment at all). We used the microwave for heating leftovers and water for tea. But I didn't try "cooking" anything in it. I suppose I could have bought microwave meals and heated those for a dinner.
I agree, it's so much easier to economize when traveling if going by car. In 2013 we took a long road trip and brought several frozen solid pre-made meals with us to heat in the microwave at night. Even in a cooler in the car on a long day's drive, frozen solid meals would stay frozen until I could get them into a fridge overnight. I made meals with different thaw times, like a soup that would stay solid for most of a week in the motel fridge, a pasta casserole that thawed in a couple of days, cooked pizza that was ready to heat and eat at the end of the first day, etc. We ate the meals in the order that they thawed. At the end of a long week we were eating reheated thick and hearty bean soup. That block of soup stayed frozen for so long! Tortillas are great! We use them for sandwiches, too. The same fillings that can go between two slices of bread can also be rolled up in a tortilla. When our kids were young, I would buy canned refried beans and a package of tortillas plus bring a block of cheese from home and make bean/cheese burritos in the microwave. I would make a huge bag of carrot sticks at home and bring those too, as a vegetable side to a simple roll-up or burrito meal.
Traveling by plane is trickier, as you said. I have brought sliced homemade French bread, salami, and cheese packed in my backpack before though., along with a lock of baked brownies, to make a couple of lunches in the room to take sightseeing. But most of the time, since we travel just with small backpacks and no real luggage, I barely have room for my clothing and toiletries (plus now all kinds of electronics and their charging cables).
Oh yum, Greek sandwiches sound tasty. Did you make a tzatziki sauce for them? I hope you're enjoying time with both kids there. Good job teaching your kids how to cook so many different foods, especially ones (easy bread and pizza) that will be useful to them at this stage in their lives.
Yes, I did make a tzaziki sauce. It's super simple to do. My son asked for the recipes for that meal. :)
DeleteI'll pass on your refried beans/cheese/tortilla meal to my daughter. I'm in the process of gathering simple, inexpensive meal ideas for her, and will put them in a binder. She's doing a summer internship and staying in a house on campus this summer. I know her energy level will be low after working all day, and quick, easy meals will be helpful. I will also make and freeze individual meals for her to use, to help her get started with this new life stage.
Have you ever tried sweet potato and black bean tacos? There are recipes online. We really like them.
No, I haven't tried sweet potato and black beans as a taco filling, Kris. That sounds interesting. It's something I could eat in a bowl, too, if I wanted something slightly lighter (no shell or tortilla). I'll look for some recipes. Thanks!
DeleteWhen we go to an event like a festival, we use our pockets. Each person has a beef stick, a dried fruit packet, a granola bar and a cheese stick if its not too hot. Carry a water bottle. Helps to keep us from getting famished and spending too much on overly priced food stalls. I've gotten to where I really hate air travel. I always end up sick . Would prefer to travel by auto and eat from a ice chest.. Amazing meals considering you were unwell. My family would be down to peanut butter sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteHi friend,
DeleteWe do the same with packing our waist packs, purses or pockets with highly portable foods. The foods you listed could stand in for a meal, even. We carried protein bars, meat snack sticks, and dried fruit with us, as we each wanted, this trip. Since everyone gets hungry on a different schedule, it gives us each a little something to tide over if necessary to the next meal. And you're right, festival/fair food is so pricey!
I feel the same about air travel. It's crowded, you have to jump through hoops in the airport before your flight, our airport is an hour drive from home in good traffic, and someone in the group gets sick each time. We weighed the options before booking this trip. I'm in the mostly want to drive camp, but sometimes it just doesn't work out (not enough time -- we live up in the far northwest corner of the continental states, everything is far away). Thanks for commenting.