I was blessed with leftovers last week.  That probably seems odd to you since you know that I am recently retired and have all the time in the world.  Although I love to cook, there are times that I get wrapped up in other projects and yearn for a quick leftover meal.  Last week nearly the entire week was blessed with leftovers and meals out.

On Monday we enjoyed pork roast once again and on Tuesday we savored Amy’s chicken with prosciutto and cheese.  Both meals reheated well.

On Wednesday I prepared a meal for the family.  My son’s family loves meatballs and one of their favorite new recipes is Sriracha Marinara and Meatballs.  The sauce is spicy and the meatballs packed with nutrition,  a sneaky way of incorporating spinach.  This time instead of serving the meatballs with pasta I decided to make the dish with zucchini noodles.  I made the meatballs and sauce in advance, heated them slowly in the crockpot and added the zoodles prior to serving allowing enough time to heat through.  I will not do that again.  There was enough moisture left in the zucchini noodles that it watered down the sauce.  Although the zoodles are a healthy addition, the next time I will heat them separately and serve them as a side.  Regardless of the sides you choose to accompany this dish, the meatballs and sauce are outstanding, a definite addition to any meatball lover’s collection.

Sriracha Marinara and Meatballs

Sriracha hot sauce adds subtle kick to classic marinara sauce. The meatballs are made with a combination of lean ground pork and lean ground turkey, plus nutrient-rich spinach, making this meal a better-for-you dinner option. Prep: Total Time: Servings: 8 Recipe continues below this recipe video Source: Everyday Food, January/February 2011 The Food Newsletter Great tips & recipes delivered to your inbox.

Thursday evening took us to Richmond.  We were leaving after delivering the 4th grader to swim practice, so instead of eating a late night meal on the road I reheated the meatballs for the two of us.  They tasted great and gave us an uncomplicated trip to Richmond, making the trip much more cost effective.

Friday evening we ate at one of our favorite chain restaurants…Flemings Prime Steak House and Wine Bar.  Flemings became one of our favorites when we lived in Illinois. The closest location now is in Richmond.  As soon as I found out that we would have a day in Richmond, I looked forward to dinner at Flemings.

On Saturday Night we had a lovely evening at the USO Gala celebrating 75 Years.  The ‘Ole Buckeye has volunteered for the USO for years, first at Great Lakes, and now at Little Creek.  I had the pleasure of meeting his co-working volunteers and their families.  It was a lovely evening of food, drink and entertainment.

Sunday featured a new recipe.  I had pre-sliced and frozen flank steak so the prep was quite simple.  In addition, it was a crock pot meal and needed very little attention.  That was a good thing actually.  We had a late night on Saturday and lost an hour of sleep due to the time change.  The fact that the meal was on its’ own allowed me to take an afternoon nap-one of the benefits of retirement.

The meal, although acceptable, we collectively agreed was a MISS.  I served the beef with brown rice, roasted brussel sprouts, and my cantaloupe arugula salad.  The Mongolian beef was fair, but since there are so many other ways prepare flank steak, we will not use this recipe again.  It was too sweet, and too salty disquising the flavor of the steak.  I will say this…the house was filled with AMAZING  aromas as the meal cooked all day!

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef | The Recipe Critic

Beef that slow cooks to tender melt in your mouth perfection. This takes minutes to throw into the crockpot and has such amazing flavor! One of the best things that you will make in your slow cooker! Isn’t it funny how we count down the days until school gets out for summer?

All in all it was a great week of eating without major effort.  The week ahead however is filled with new creations that will require much more attention.  Hopefully it will be filled with lots of hits!