The 2021 week 21 menu plan (catchy right?) is complete…and late. My excuse is that last week’s plan was radically adjusted. Not only did I prepare a dinner for 6 on Thursday, but an unexpected family dinner for 7 on Sunday. Needless to say there were plenty of modifications.
Breakfast
This week I will be alternating E meals at breakfast and lunch. I will admit that some of the oatmeal recipes over the past weeks went untried due to morning schedules, but I will get back to them at some point. I have added the Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal as the only new recipe. Everything else planned is past favorites.
Lunch
Let me begin by saying that we have a refrigerator full of dinner leftovers…not quite enough for an additional evening meal, but definitely enough for lunches. I will complete the week with soup, one being a new chili recipe that sounds particularly good.
Dinner
The dinner plans for 2021 week 21 include two Green Chef meals with our daughter, the roasted sausage and peppers originally on last week’s menu and cook-out meals for the holiday weekend.
Hits and Misses
We enjoyed yet another good oatmeal recipe, but this one is totally plant based and vegan as written. In fact the “egg” is actually ground flaxseed and water.
I decided to plan this salad as a lunch entree but it was not enough for the ‘Ole Buckeye. He definitely needed more, so I combined the salad with an open faced Ezekiel English muffin with garbanzo bean spread.
Mediterranean White Bean Salad
I came across this recipe when looking for a plant based meal using jalapeño, since we have an abundance. Not only was this a satisfying lunch, quick and easily prepared, but it also served several lunches. It was particularly good with a slice of fresh sourdough bread easing the spiciness.
Dinner for 6
The Thursday dinner for 6 was a celebration of the journey of Second Chance last year from St Thomas to St Augustine. It was uncanny that we celebrated exactly one year from the date of their arrival. I planned a nautical theme for the celebration.
The appetizer that I prepared for our dinner party for six was an easy preparation of stuffed mushrooms which has been a favorite of our’s for many years, but hasn’t been reintroduced for quite some time.
Stuffed Cream Cheese Mushrooms
This salad was first introduced during our time share stay in Aruba. It was a hit then and it was a hit once again.
The entree for our dinner party was Chicken Piccata with Carbonara. I have always used Giada’s recipe, tweaking it by using grated parmesan in place of other breading on the chicken. I don’t mess with the carbonara recipe, with the exception of using whole grain pasta. A little splurge never hurts.
The brussel sprouts were a new Italian rendition added after sourcing the internet.
I don’t need to explain the success of dessert. Aside from the presentation there were plenty of oohhs and aahhs from the dinner table.
Low Carb Red, White, and Blue Trifle
The only other planned meal to hit the table was pork chops…quick, easy and always moist and delicious. A frequent addition when pork is on sale.
Emeril’s Pan Roasted Pork Chops
Recap
The roasted sausage and peppers and the new recipe for unconstructed pizza casserole never made it to the table. Our plans changed. On Sunday I volunteered to prepare a birthday dinner for 7 since there was a soccer game in northern Virginia taking the birthday girl out of town until late. On Monday, we were invited to dinner on Second Chance. I will relay more about both of these meals on a later blog.
We have returned to “social” living and I must admit that cooking and preparation are exhausting when out of the habit of doing so. In fact…thinking ahead of too much time in the kitchen this next week is not appealing at all. I am sure I will get a second wind. We continue the journey of healthy meals and sharing them with family and friends. Bon Appetit!
