There's been a lot going on in my world the past couple of weeks. Without boring you with all the details, suffice it to say that it's been a time of personal challenges. Cooking has often taken a back seat to other things, both because of my work schedule and because of the other stuff going on in my life. Our menus reflect this: They're all over the place this time. There's some scratch cooking, some junk food, some healthy choices, some not-so-healthy.
I did some of the cooking during this time but my husband cooked too. Increasingly, my work schedule is requiring that he take up some of the slack in the kitchen. He's a competent cook but he tends to cook a lot more animal protein than I do. We're having to adjust our shopping and our budget to accommodate the change.
Still, despite all the challenges, and despite having two different cooks in the kitchen, I think we managed reasonably well.
Here's what we've been eating:
Monday, March 11:
- Breakfast - Homemade yogurt and home canned pears
- Supper - Rajma (north Indian kidney bean stew), cauliflower pakoras, chapatis. Homemade orange sorbet for dessert.
Tuesday, March 12:
- Breakfast - Homemade granola and homemade yogurt
- Supper - Basa fillets breaded with focaccia crumbs and parmesan and pan fried in a mixture of olive oil and butter, roasted potatoes and beets, steamed peas. Pumpkin pudding with oatmeal struesel.
Wednesday, March 13:
- Breakfast - Toasted whole wheat English muffins topped with shredded Edam cheese melted under the broiler, apples
- Supper - Cream of asparagus soup, onion bun sandwiches filled with fried eggs, broiled tomato slices, pea shoots (grown on our windowsill), and homemade mayonnaise. Coffee house cake for dessert.
Thursday, March 14:
- Breakfast - Pineapple ginger muffins, oranges
- Supper - Broiled salmon with pesto, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots and green beans, parfaits of pumpkin pudding and brown sugar pound cake (from the freezer).
Friday, March 15:
- Breakfast - Oatmeal and applesauce
- Supper - Fish sticks and Kraft dinner (My husband's request. It's his very favourite meal.), red cabbage and carrot slaw, DQ for dessert
Saturday, March 16:
- Breakfast - Boiled eggs, whole wheat toast, apples
- Supper - Vegetarian black bean chili over brown rice, oranges
Sunday, March 17:
- Breakfast - Farmstead waffles topped with homemade cherry pie filling and a dollop of homemade yogurt
- Supper - Veggie burgers with patties made from Saturday's leftover black bean chili and rice garnished with red onion and sliced tomato, served on home baked multigrain buns, a salad of roasted tomato, basil (grown on my windowsill), and red onion, dressed with a red wine vinaigrette, mocha cupcakes.
Monday, March 18:
- Breakfast - Poached eggs on whole wheat English muffins
- Supper - (Brown bagging it at work) Home canned vegetable soup, cheese and chutney sandwiches (sharp cheddar, homemade apple and cranberry chutney, whole wheat bread), applesauce cookies
Tuesday, March 19:
- Breakfast - Oatmeal and applesauce
- Supper - (Brown bagging it at work) Egg salad sandwiches made with guacamole (made with avocados from my freezer) instead of mayonnaise, garnished with pea shoots, on homemade whole wheat buns, a tomato, roasted pepper, and onion salad with a vinaigrette made from basil and garlic infused red wine vinegar, homemade vanilla frozen yogurt.
Wednesday, March 20:
- Breakfast - Peanut butter, marmalade, and raisin sandwiches on toasted multigrain bread
- Supper - Turkey and eggplant parmagiana casseroles (from the freezer), cracked black pepper focaccia (from the freezer), Salad of mixed spring greens and spinach, pea shoots, and red onion, lemon infused extra virgin olive oil and fig infused balsamic vinegar for dipping the bread and dressing the salad. Home canned cherries for dessert.
Thursday, March 21:
- Breakfast - Pineapple ginger muffins with brie
- Supper - Rib steak, baked potatoes with homemade Greek style yogurt and chopped chives (from my sister-in-law's garden), steamed broccoli and carrots, date and nut pudding cake.
Friday, March 22:
- Breakfast - Home canned pears, toasted whole wheat English muffins (from the freezer)
- Supper - (Brown bagging it at work) Savoury bread pudding with croissants and andouille, celery salad, canned peaches and homemade yogurt (for me) and leftover date and nut pudding cake (for my fella).
Saturday, March 23:
- Breakfast - Homemade granola, apples
- Supper - Slow cooker pork ribs in thick teryaki sauce, vegetable fried rice, a stir fry of carrots, onions and peppers in a sauce made with homemade pork stock and garlic black bean sauce. Canned peaches for dessert.
Sunday, March 24:
- Breakfast - Nothing for me (I was not feeling well), almost whole wheat pancakes from the freezer for my fella, with honey (A gift from Tomatoes on the Vine. Thank you Velva!)
- Supper - Meat pulled from Saturday's leftover teryaki pork ribs, finely minced and mixed with some of the pan juices from cooking the ribs, steamed shredded cabbage and carrots, and chopped chives, all wrapped in won ton wrappers to make dumplings and steamed, plum sauce for dipping, leftover stir fry from Saturday mixed with rice noodles seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and freshly cracked black pepper. (My fella cooked this meal while I slept. I'm very proud of him for being so creative.)