Menu - January 19, 2013

Here's my first menu! Where possible/necessary, links to the recipes are included below.

Menu

Saturday - Roasted Vegetables, Sausages and Spaghetti 

Sunday - Salmon with Raw Beet Salad and Rice

Monday - Lamb and Beef Chili with Crusty Bread

Tuesday - Chinese 5 Spice Roast Chicken Breast with Asian Slaw and Mashed Potatoes














Wednesday - Store Bought Tortellini with Salad

Thursday - Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes, Runner Beans and Apple Sauce














Friday - Homemade Squash Soup & Sandwich

The Verdict

A couple of nights were really easy- obviously the store bought pasta night was a cinch, I simply had to boil water, heat up sauce, and make sure that I had a salad on hand. Roasted vegetables/sausages/noodles was also an easy one as the prep required is pretty minimal (some chopping) and can even be done the evening prior. Then it's just a question of tossing everything on a baking sheet and throwing it in the oven. At the halfway mark, turn everything over and get the pasta going and you're set. It gives you a couple of longish segments of time to pay any required attention to the kidlets who may be needing it. 

Some other nights, like chill and roasted chicken, could also work provided that the meal was done on the weekend (chili is easy to do on the weekend and have either frozen or just sitting in the fridge waiting for an early weeknight) or the prep was done beforehand. Same with the soup. In the case of the chicken, it's the Asian slaw that needs a bit more chopping time. If that can be done the night before then you only have to make the dressing and toss together, something which takes 5 minutes or less. 

The pork tenderloin is probably the most labour intensive and requires the most time in order to get really nice roasted potatoes. It's one of my all time favourite meals, but it should probably be done on a weekend when you have a bit more time.

Links to Recipes

Where possible, I've included links to the recipes. Where there is no link, it generally means I've just done something standard that is pretty easy to find anywhere online if you're unsure how to prepare your own version. Or I cheated and I bought it from a local store that makes things from scratch (for instance I buy all my stuffed pasta from Parma Ravioli). Eventually, maybe, some day, I may just get a link for everything on the menu. Something to aspire to... :)

Saturday
Vegetables, Sausages and Spaghetti

Sunday
Beet Salad

Monday
Lamb and Beef Chili
Crusty Bread - to Janet's bread I added roasted garlic (a whole clove roasted the previous day when I was cooking the sausage and noodles dish), about 1/2 cup of coarsely grated parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of diced green onions.

Tuesday
Chinese 5 Spice Roasted Chicken Breast
Asian Slaw - I've made this salad a few times now and it's such a keeper. So yummy.