Weekly Menu Retrospective #112

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.    

[sorry, no page numbers today - I'm blogging on the fly and don't have my book index with me!] 

This past week my younger son was away for 3 days on his Grade 8 Ottawa trip and the rest of us were really busy with a bunch of other end-of-the-school-year activities so meals were a bit simpler than usual and there were more leftovers to "reuse"!

Breakfasts:
Granola with yogurt, peanut butter toast, blueberry clafouti

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza, scrambled eggs and salad, quinoa salad

Dinners:

Monday: Leftover Spicy Black Bean Bake
  
Tuesday: Leftover Italian-Style Baked Pasta

Wednesday: Potato and Onion Frittata, tossed salad

Thursday: Pork with roasted vegetables and creamy mustard sauce

Friday: Indian-Spiced Honey Garlic Chicken, Coconut Rice, roasted asparagus
  
Saturday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Vegetable Sauce

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Skillet Millet, roasted asparagus (leftover from Friday), raspberries with custard sauce

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 milk, coconut oil (in granola), olive oil, raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, cane sugar,  mustard, tamari, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, cumin, black pepper, parsley, paprika, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, onions, red peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, salsa (home-canned), ground beef and bacon (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk

Local AND organic: sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegar,  popcorn, millet, whole wheat flour

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my new "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

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

SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I have a free sample available that you can read here! It's super-affordably priced, too - more details are here.

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