Monday, November 12, 2012

Weekly Menu Retrospective #87

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!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here.   

Breakfasts:
Granola (p. 92), Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins (p. 96), Blueberry Clafouti (variation of this recipe, p. 223)

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza 

Dinners:

Monday: Leftover Buffet (lots of leftovers from my son's birthday dinner the day before)

Tuesday: Kusherie (Egyptian lentils and rice with a spicy tomato sauce and sauteed onions)

Wednesday: Spicy Peanut and Tomato Soup (p.163), Cornbread (p. 212)

Thursday: Leftover Buffet again (I don't know how I managed to have this many leftovers in one week - I wish it would happen more often, lol!)

Friday: Broccoli and Bacon Alfredo Pasta (just invented this one - super yummy!)

Saturday: Cabbage and Beef Soup (p.167), Pizza Breadsticks (variation of this recipe, p. 214)

Sunday: Pork and Apple Stew (p. 156), 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), coconut milk, canola oil, raisins (in granola), sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), bananas, pineapple, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!)

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, apples, cabbage, cucumbers, garlic, salsa (home-canned), ground beef and pork (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk, *eggs, sour cream 

Local AND organic: peanut butter,
sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats (in granola and baked oatmeal), cornmeal, apple cider vinegar, popcorn

*I'm SO excited about the free-range, organically-fed chicken, duck and quail eggs we bought this weekend from a local small-scale producer. I'll be sharing more info on them later this week :)

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

  1. Yum!! The cabbage & beef soup sounds especially appealing!! I have so many food allergies that I don't usually buy recipe books.. do you have any recipe samples? I can't eat gluten, dairy, soy, raw fruits/veggies or sulphites/preservatives. Hard to find recipes like that.. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally understand why you wouldn't want to buy a "regular" cookbook when you have so many dietary restrictions! Tell you what - I'll email you the soup recipe :)

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