Back to the Dinner Fix Challenge!
After a wonderful week in Grand Cayman, I really felt that I’ve recharged my batteries and ready to jump right into the Challenge! I thought I’d share some of our meals from this week and let you know how things went!
Monday: This was a Holiday, and our first day home, so luckily dinner was leftover Turkey at Andrew’s Moms house. YUMMY! Turkey is my favorite!
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Garlic Cheese Bread (chosen by Mackenzie)
This was actually a really easy meal, as I generally make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce, then freeze it flat in large zipper freezer bags. Another thing that would work well, (as I’m trying to cut down on plastic bag use,) is to freeze the sauce in a circular container like an icecream container and place it in your crockpot for the day to warm. I made whole wheat spaghetti and picked up a fresh loaf of French Bread for the Garlic Cheese Bread.
Outcome: Well accepted by everyone, but Liam, but he did actually have a few bites, this is a start!
Wednesday: Beef in a Bag
Another easy meal that I really enjoy! I have mentioned this before on one of our MomTalk Podcasts called “What’s for Dinner?”. It’s made with a product from Club House, called “Bag n Season” it’s found in the garvy and sauces secion of your grocery store.
I threw in an inside round cut of roast beef in the bag along with an onion, potatoes, carrots, turnip and sweet potato, I tried something a little different and put in a can of beef broth in with the season mix and set the oven to use the delayed start, so I wouldn’t get side tracked and forgot to put it in. About 2 hours later, it was all perfectly cooked and delicious. If you’d rather use your own seasonings for your roast, you can also buy oven bags made called Look! You can usually find these in the area where freezer bags, plastic wrap and tin foil are found in your grocery store.
Outcome: Mackenzie, Ciaran and I all went back for seconds, Liam, would not try anything. He ended up having a ham sandwich. I did tell him, that if he wasn’t eating what everyone else was, that he’d have to wait until we were all finished before he got his. We’ll keep trying!
Thursday: Old Fashioned Potato Scallop and Ham
This recipe is so easy and came from a cooking course I took many years ago at a family resource centre in Nova Scotia.
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
1 onion thinly sliced
2 T flour
2 T margarine
2 cups of hot milk
1 cup of cheddar cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper
Slice potatoes into thin, coin shaped pieces. Slice onion into thin slices.
Layer 1/3 of potatoes in bottom of roasting pan (I use a 9×13 glass casserole). Cover with 1/3 of onion. Dot with margarine and sprinkle with 1/3 of flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 1/3 of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers until all ingredients are layered. Pour hot milk over all ingredients, place into oven uncovered. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour, or until potatoes are baked through.
The ham was one I picked up on sale that I threw in the freezer, I took it out to thaw in the refrigerator Tuesday night. It was one that was already pre-cooked so all that had to be done was heat in up. I sliced it and placed it in a casserole dish and drizzled on some pure maple syrup and baked it in the over for about 15- 20 minutes.
Outcome: Liam would not touch the Potato Scallop, but gobbled up a really thick piece of ham.
Friday: Yellow Thai Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice
This sounds like a really complicated dish, but I use a shortcut…canned vegetables! I know that they can be a little higher in salt content, so I make sure to rinse them first! I used to be able to find a really great curry paste at a local Asian market, but they don’t sell it anymore! I decided to try a can of PC’s Thai Yellow Curry Sauce (see photo below) and it’s really good! It’s extra hot so I add a can of coconut milk to it along with the vegetables (sweet potato, baby corn, potatoes, water chestnuts) and about 3 chicken breast that were already sliced and cooked.
Outcome: Everyone enjoyed and although Liam would not eat and of the vegetables in the curry, he did have a big bowl of Jasmine Rice with the curry sauce on it, it’s a start!
Now off to plan a family meeting on this week’s meal plan! I’m so proud of myself for sticking to the plan all week, this challenge is just what we needed!
