Sunday, February 6, 2011

And Sometimes, We Fall Down

Regardless of how much I love to cook whole foods and eat well, every once in a while, I have to take a detour off the high road. Today, I opted for a weekly meal plan that is a little less ambitious than normal, while also learning an important lesson about when NOT to get off the high road.

I recently picked up some brie and a 'fresh' fig and balsamic compote from the Safeway deli, remembering the fig and walnut butter that I loved so much, and thinking that it would be a nice treat in the evening. I finally got around to them tonight, and I was sorely disappointed. The compote tasted watered down and not very fresh, which shouldn't come as a surprise, since it can sit in the deli in a plastic container for weeks. If I want a fig compote, I should make it myself, or at the very least buy another jar of the fig and walnut butter. It's more like jam, and so doesn't pretend to be 'fresh.' Even the brie was disappointing. I think I'll just have to hold out for a visit to the Bulk Cheese Warehouse in the next while.

As for my meal plan, I got the healthy and bean-filled dinner out of the way tonight, with roasted spaghetti squash and lentil tomato sauce. The rest of the week will be a little more pedestrian, but still (mostly) whole foods.

Monday
BLTs and sweet potato fries (I still have a chunk of my dad's home-smoked bacon in the fridge leftover from our pizza night. It will do wonders in a simple sandwich...although nice tomatoes are painfully difficult to find this time of year)
Our bread of choice is the multigrain loaf from Christie's Mayfair bakery. I never get tired of it, and I eat toast most mornings. Christie's is the main reason I haven't ventured very far into making my own bread...

Tuesday
Roast chicken, roast potatoes, peas, salad (I've been serving chicken a lot in an effort to get through the Hutterite chickens in my freezer, which are rapidly getting past their prime)

Wednesday
Sloppy joes (since we're heading out of town on Thursday evening, I was aiming for something freezable, in the event of leftovers. I (uncharacteristically) suggested chili, because I know my husband loves it, and we don't have it very often. He countered with the suggestion of sloppy joes. That's something I have never made before, so I found a slow-cooker recipe online. You can't go wrong with a recipe that calls for ketchup, mustard and brown sugar, mixed with ground beef. I'm serious! That's my favourite meatloaf topping, so I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with my first try at sloppy joes. Every once in a while I have to pull out the redneck ingredients and give a nod to my country roots)
As for veggies on Wednesday, I'll probably just cut up some more carrots, cucumbers, peppers and celery to have with the leftover dip from Saturday's party.

Thursday night, we'll be driving home to my parents' farm, and having dinner somewhere along the way, so the meal plan this week is a short one.

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