Weekly Menu Retrospective #75

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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This week was a bit of an unusual one in our household - my 14 year old son is away at camp, and my hubby was not around for dinner much. So meals were a little bit more "casual" than normal as it was often just myself and my 12 year old son. I also can't help but notice how many more leftovers we had this week with one less teenager in the house (I'm really missing him, though!)


Breakfasts:
Granola (p. 92), Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, p. 114), peanut butter toast, pancakes, cherry clafouti (p. 223)

Lunches: 
Toad-in-the-hole (p. 180), leftovers, sandwiches 

Dinners:

Monday: Lime and Garlic Chicken (p. 184), Skillet Millet, Build a Bean and Cucumber Salad (p. 209)

Tuesday: Out for dinner with friends (me), grilled cheese and assorted leftovers (hubby and 12 yr old)

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

Thursday: Swiss Chard, Bacon and Cheese Egg Puff (variation of the recipe on p. 181), green beans

Friday: Spicy Pork Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Saturday: Leftover pasta

Sunday: Pizza, Colourful Cabbage Salad (p.207)

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, canola oil, brown sugar (in granola), cane sugar (in coffee/tea),  raisins (in granola), sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds (in bread), millet, bananas, lemons

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers, red peppers, cabbage, chicken legs and ground beef (from VG Meats), milk, eggs, sour cream  

Local AND organic: oats (in granola), sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves),  green beans, Swiss chard and garlic (from West Hamilton Produce Cooperative*), herbs and cherry tomatoes from our backyard garden

*The WHPC produce is not "certified organic" but is pesticide-free.

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

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