Weekly meals Dec. 18 – Dec. 23

Meal updates from last week:
We loved both of the soups and the chicken taquitos.  The noodle salad was good, but I found it a little salty.  We liked the tofu bowls, but I have made better recipes.  This weekend was quiet, I still had a sick kid at home so we didn’t end up doing much.  Friday night we ordered food from Cactus Club, Saturday I made a simple tomato sauce pasta with salad and Sunday we had family Christmas.  My mom made the majority of the food: turkey, stuffing with Italian sausage, turnips and gravy.  I took a broccoli and cauliflower bake and there were also mashed and baked sweet potatoes as well as salad.  If you are looking for any Christmas dinner recipes just use the search engine.

This week we are eating at home Monday-Thursday, Friday we will order in, Saturday night we are going to a party and then we are hosting Christmas Eve.

• Creamy cauliflower soup from @nytcooking, you need a subscription for this site but I found a similar recipe here.
• Baked salmon from @cremedelacrumb I will serve it with some steamed rice and a green veggie.
• BBQ sausage with fries and a fall salad from @dianemorrisey.  You can find all of her recipes on her IG account.
• Pork stir fry from @theendlessmeal I will serve this with some steamed rice.
• Taking sausage stuffed dates to the party on Saturday night
• Christmas Eve: wine-braised short ribs, mashed potatoes and harvest salad.  Cookie tray for dessert.  I am thinking of serving a winter Aperol spritz, I found this recipe and this one.
• Christmas morning: cinnamon french toast muffins with fresh fruit and coffee.
• Christmas dinner: pesto stuffed shells with vodka sauce, fresh bread and house salad.

Today I baked Swiss Mountain Shortbread, the entire tray will go to my husband’s office with coffee for his staff to enjoy.  I think that means that I am finished baking for the season!  You never know if I will make another recipe, but as of today I feel like I’m done.  My grocery shop today was a huge one!  I shopped for my entire week, and then also tried to buy for the weekend including Christmas Eve and Day.  It took me a long time to make my list, and I only missed a few things that I will pick up tomorrow.  The grocery list 31 23 is really long, but includes all meals up till Christmas Day.  This will be my last post of 2023 as I am going to take a break and spend time with my family during the holiday season.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
Sara

Weekly meals Jan. 10 – Jan. 14

Meal updates from week:
We enjoyed all of the meals from last week, except for the salmon, but that was because I cooked it too long.  I am still without an oven and I am finding the air fryer challenging to bake with.  It is only because I know my oven so well and have the cooking time of many proteins memorized.  Alas, I will be without an oven for a few more weeks, here’s to hoping that they are able to fix it.  This weekend we ordered sushi on Friday night and then I made spaghetti on Saturday night.  I rarely make spaghetti but thought with all of this cold weather that it would be the perfect comfort meal.

This week we will be eating at home Sunday to Thursday, we don’t have plans Friday and are heading to friends Saturday.  We all head back to school this week after an extended winter break, all extracurricular activities begin again this week.

• Whole30 pork stir fry from @nocrumbsleft the recipes call for cauliflower rice, but my kids aren’t a fan.  I made steamed rice for them and had mine on a bed of spinach.
• Baked chicken breasts from @skinnytaste I will serve this with a salad for the adults and some buttered pasta for the kids.
• Cobb salad with green goddess dressing from @mandysalads cookbook.  You can find a similar recipe from @littlebrokenblog here.  I will make the kids BLAT sandwiches as they don’t love eating lettuce, but will eat it in a sandwich!  Who knows?
• Spicy miso chicken katsu ramen from @halfbakedharvest we will see what my kids think about this recipe.
• Leftover beef burritos from @bestofbridge I made a large amount during the break and froze half.  I will defrost and cook them in the air fryer, after topping with taco sauce and cheese.

I don’t have any plans to bake as I am without an oven.  I have used the air fryer to make muffins, but it is not ideal to bake with.  This week my kids are taking cheese buns with jam and alphabet soup in their lunches.  For fruit I am sending mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries and blackberries), kiwi and sliced apples with cinnamon.  I tend to pack too many things in their lunches, but I don’t ever want them to not have enough.  Shopping made easier using grocery list 2 22

Stay healthy,
Sara

Weekly meals March 1 – March 5

Meal updates from last week:
We LOVED both bowls from Mandy’s cookbook, and the sheet pan meatballs with broccoli and sausage was delicious.  It was the easiest sheet pan dinner that I have made and the kids gobbled it up.  I didn’t have a chance to make the soup last week, so I have moved it to this week.  We decided mid-week to go for sushi so I ended up with a meal I didn’t cook.  Friday night we made pizza with ingredients from the new Lina’s market in Britannia.  We got: pizza dough, sauce, pepperoni, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, artichoke hearts, basil and some cannolis for dessert.  Total cost for our pizza night was $22!  I would say that it was well worth it.  Saturday night we had bang bang chicken bowl and Sunday night our son had baseball tryouts.

This week we will be eating at home Monday-Thursday, we don’t have plans for the weekend, but the weather is looking so good!  There may be a BBQ in our future.  We start back with some activities this week, our daughter starts back at dance and our son has another baseball tryout.

• BBQ chicken bowls with sweet potatoes and coleslaw from @40aprons we ate this bowl tonight and it was a hit!  My husband ate two large bowls.  My kids ate their chicken on cheese buns with a plate of fruit and veggies.  I didn’t make the quick pickles and I didn’t add any store bought either.
• Broccoli cheese soup from @averiecooks this recipe returns from last week!
• Teriyaki pork stir fry from @dinneratthezoo I bought some pork loin a couple of weeks ago as they were on super sale, so I decided to use them in this stir fry.  The kids will eat theirs with some steamed rice and my husband and I will have cauli rice.
• BBQ chicken and apple sausages from @spolumbos, fries and Waldorf salad from Mandy’s Salad cookbook.  You can find a similar recipe from @skinnytaste she adds chicken and uses a creamy dressing, I will be using a balsamic dressing on mine.

I talked about all things lemon last week and shared a recipe for some lemon cookies.  I didn’t have time to make the cookies, but I did make a small batch of whipped yogurt cheesecake, and topped them with mixed berries.  These mini no bake cheesecakes come together so quickly and taste fantastic!  To add the lemon flavour I was craving I grated some lemon zest into the cheesecake before they set in the fridge.  I have a few spotted bananas, but think I need a few more to make muffins, we will see what the rest of the week has in store.  Enjoy your week and take the stress out of shopping with grocery list 8 21

Stay safe and healthy,
Sara