The 2020 Week 20 Menu Plan is filled with various leftovers and freezer meals. Since the ‘Ole Buckeye is away on an adventure I plan to make eating this week as uncomplicated as possible. I am not certain when he will return but it most certainly will be after Sunday. My daughter and I will eat several meals together and the meals I eat solo will be extremely easy. Before the ‘Ole Buckeye left, I made several of his favorites and most of those have portions remaining in the refrigerator or freezer.
Breakfast
There is nothing exciting planned during 2020 week 20 for breakfast because it is already prepared and found in the refrigerator or freezer. I made so many favorites for the ‘Ole Buckeye before he left that I can simply pull it out and enjoy.
Lunch
The lunch plans are similar to breakfast due to leftovers from previous lunches or small servings left from dinners. There is one new recipe included for the Broccoli Raisin Salad. I have a huge bag of broccoli that needs to be utilized and I have a new plant based recipe for the salad.
Dinner
The 2020 week 20 dinner plans are a combination of left overs and favorites. I am particularly looking forward to our Sunday dinner. I love halibut and my daughter makes a great crusted fish. In fact, it was almost my choice for Mother’s Day, but I had a craving for steak. I get the best of both worlds by moving the halibut to this Sunday. The gourmet burgers were on sale this week and my daughter in law picked them up when she was doing her weekly shopping. I have not made the zoodle rosa in forever, and it fits nicely into a plant based meal.
Hits and Misses
This is the second time I have made this frittata. I have always omitted the potato, using vegetables only. It is a great way to utilize vegetables that may be slightly past their prime. This time I included red, yellow and green peppers, red onion, garlic, jalapeño, and halved grape tomatoes. A dollop of Greek yogurt makes for a delicious lunch.
The oatmeal muffin recipe was a plant based recipe that caught my eye. I have been eating these several mornings, as well as later in the day as a snack. I will definitely make them again.
I think I have shared before that I attempt to try a new recipe everyday. It doesn’t always happen, but I do try. On Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, chicken enchiladas were on the menu. My last delivery from Costco included avocados and they were ripe. Luckily I had all ingredients on hand to make this Guacamole salad. The only change I made was to use Avocado oil in place of olive oil. Keeper!
What to do when you find your fresh spinach partially frozen in the back of the frig…use it. This recipe is a family favorite and was planned, but when I realized the spinach could no longer be used fresh in salads, I used it all in this recipe. I also had mushrooms past their prime. After putting the mushrooms in the sun for over an hour (to increase the vitamin D), I finely chopped them and browned them along with the ground turkey. Although the lasagna was overly packed with spinach, it was still excellent.
Mother’s Day Dinner
What could be more special than filet mignon? The weather was lovely and enabled us to have dinner in the courtyard. The filet paired with sautéed mushrooms, sautéed spinach and a Greek salad made for a spectacular meal.
As a real treat I purchased a cake last week at the Farmer’s Market. I popped it in the freezer for Mother’s Day weekend. Shortly afternoon my daughter and I joined my daughter in law and granddaughters outdoors for mimosas and sunshine. We toasted the special day and sampled the cake. We had it again for dessert after dinner.
This special cake is a plant based treat from Empowered Plant Cakes. We had the Fig and Lemon with Raspberry Chia Jam. (Ingredients: Cashews, Dates, Shredded Coconut, GF Rolled Oats, Dried Figs, Rasperries, Lemon Juice, Chia Seeds,Maple Syrup, Coconut , Oil, Almonds, Coconut Milk, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Sea Salt)
Absolutely Delicious. I cannot wait to try some of the other flavors.
Food for Thought
Do you remember when we were told that coffee is bad for you? Well it ain’t so. The most up to date research boasts the importance of the roast.
Coffee’s health-promoting properties are likely due to the antioxidants naturally occurring in the coffee bean. A typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries, and oranges. Antioxidants in coffee may dampen inflammation, reducing the risk of disorders related to it, like cardiovascular disease.
It’s a Wrap
Once again we enjoyed a week of healthy meals and family times together. I have been fortunate in getting nearly everything I need in the grocery deliveries, and for that I am very thankful. I continue to have a well stocked pantry and freezer, but am finding that planning ahead is more and more important. We no longer make a grocery run. If it isn’t delivered, we deal with what we have. There is no “normal” right now. I watch, learn, and adjust. Until next week…Bon Appetit!
