Welcome back to October’s No Grocery Shopping Challenge! It’s week three and I must confess this week has been a definite challenge! The first two weeks were a breeze! We had Thanksgiving so there were lots of tasty things to eat and my brother took home some leftovers plus I froze some chicken meat for soup or stew as well as some ham. We had plenty of leftovers and that helped greatly!
The pantry, fridge and freezer are still looking organized and we are using up some items which is great! If you would like to see how we prepped for this challenge, you can read all about it here.
Unfortunately we are running low on a few items and are out of some stuff as well. We only have a few eggs left – we made two different kinds of Christmas Fruitcakes which used up a dozen eggs — that’s a lot of eggs!! With Thanksgiving, I used up the rest of the lettuce and carrots. We are also low on milk. It seems we often run out of milk and carrots! Perhaps I need to purchase more!
For our meal plans this week, my daughters and I planned them together. My brother was over for a couple days again, so he also made meal requests. We often leave a couple days through the week for leftovers. This week’s meals have been delicious!
Let’s get to it!
Week Three – This week is from October 14 to October 20
October 14
Lunch — Fried Ham, Fried Eggs with garden jalapeno, Toasted Homemade Sourdough Bread and Potato Farl
Supper — Hot Chicken Sandwich with leftovers, pumpkin pie and date cake
For the Hot Chicken Sandwich, toast bread. Butter and place on plate. Place heated chicken meat on top with fresh cracked salt and pepper and warmed gravy.
October 15
Lunch — leftovers
Supper — Fajita-Style Chicken, Natchinka and Stuffing leftovers
For the fajita-style chicken, I sautéed onion and jalapeno together. Once the onion was nearly cooked, I added the leftover turkey along with bbq seasoning and bbq sauce. Cook for a few minutes and serve.
October 16
Lunch — breakfast for lunch
Supper — Cabbage Roll Casserole turned into soup
For the soup, I sautéed onion, added tomato sauce, pasta, water and the leftover cabbage roll casserole and cooked until the pasta was done. I suggest cooking the pasta before adding the casserole to the soup. I added dill seasoning and Italian seasoning. So yummy!
October 17
Lunch — Pesto Pasta with Sourdough Garlic Chive & Cheese Biscuits using my recipe for Sourdough Cheese Biscuits and adding a couple tablespoons of fresh chives from the garden
Supper — Taco Beef on Homemade Flour Tortillas with Rice & Veggies
For the pasta, I cooked green beans first for about 8 minutes before adding the pasta. Then I drained it and added it back to the pot along with pre-made pesto we had to use up and Parmesan cheese.
October 18
Lunch — Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetables with Rice
Supper — leftovers from today and yesterday
October 19
Lunch — last of the leftovers
Supper — Winter Warmer – Beans & Wieners with English Muffin Bread and Sautéed Zucchini
October 20
Lunch — Halloumi Curry and Rice Bowl
Supper — Homemade Sourdough Pizza and Cheesy Italian Bread (half and half)
For the Halloumi Curry I first chopped and browned the halloumi. Remove from pan and sauté onion and garlic. I added diced potatoes, water, salt and pepper and an Indian Spice blend I had in my spice cupboard. Cover and cook until potatoes are half cooked. Add shredded zucchini. Sauté until zucchini is almost tender. Add peas and a sprinkle more of the spice blend. You could add bell peppers as well if you like. Once vegetables are cooked, add 1 cup crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Stir well. Add about 2/3 cup milk. You could also use coconut milk. Stir and heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Top with halloumi. Garnish with cilantro if you like.
Date Cake
“Real cooking is more about following your heart than following recipes.”
– Unknown
Everything was delicious this week! We all had some favorites!! My girls really liked the curry, pesto pasta and winter warmer casserole and I really liked the hot turkey sandwich and beef tacos! My brother enjoyed the beef tacos too. All in all the meals were tasty, had tons of flavor, used up ingredients from the fridge and hearty. Everyone’s bellies were full and that’s the most important!!
The upcoming week will be a real challenge especially since we are running low on a few ingredients! But I like a challenge and I’m sure I’ll create some magnificent hearty and nourishing meals!
What meals did you enjoy this past week?
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours