Weekly Menu Retrospective #83

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

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You will note there is a lot of turkey on the menu this week - we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada the weekend preceding these meals, so we had a lot of leftover turkey to use up (although I love it so much I don't think there can be such a thing as *too many* leftovers). I also made a big batch of stock to replenish my freezer stash! 

Breakfasts:
Granola (p. 92), Morning Glory Muffins (p. 98), Upside-Down Apple Oven Pancake (p. 95), Cornbread (p. 212)

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza 

Dinners:

Monday: "Turkey overs" (leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner)

Tuesday: Southwestern Turkey & Pasta Soup (a variation of the recipe on p. 166) and Cornbread (p. 212)

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Creamy Vegetable Meat Sauce

Thursday: Classic Beef Burgers (p. 125) and Easy Oven Fries (p. 194)

Friday: Ham, Broccoli and Mozzarella Egg Puff (variation of the recipe on p. 181)

Saturday: Moroccan Chickpea Stew (p. 159)

Sunday: Turkey Pot Pie (p. 175), Lemon Thyme Roasted Root Vegetables (a variation of this recipe on p. 202), Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding (p. 233)

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), canola oil, raisins (in granola), sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), tortilla chips (for snacks)

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, apples, broccoli, ground beef (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk, eggs, sour cream  

Local AND organic: sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats (in granola), cornmeal, red peppers, green onions, herbs and cherry tomatoes from our backyard garden

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.
  
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