Now that it's just me I'm cooking for, I struggle a little with whether I need or want to plan my weekly menus. However, without proper planning the temptation to pick up some kind of fast food is occasionally just overwhelming. I usually don't give in to that temptation but each time I do is one time too many so back to menu planning for me.
You know, it doesn't seem that cooking for one person would be much different than cooking for two people but it is, at least for me. I don't mind eating leftovers but I prefer to either plan for them ahead of time or revamp them so that I don't feel like I'm eating the same thing over and over and over. But sometimes my kitchen creativity gene is dormant so unless the main dish is something basic like broiled steak, fajita meat, or roasted chicken I try to cook just enough for one meal. And that's when the trouble starts. I think I'll eat all that lovely homemade meat crust pizza but I actually eat only a little bit and I really don't like it warmed up for a later meal. So this cooking for one without having many leftovers trips me up now and then!
Anyway, a friend and I are going out for dinner one night this week, her treat, but we haven't yet decided where. We'll probably go for Chinese or Tex Mex but who knows, we might get wild and crazy and have barbecue!
Last night's dinner was a very nice crustless quiche that used the last of a fantastic cheese sauce I made a couple of days ago. The sauce was the same recipe as I use for Alfredo but I used Mozzarella cheese rather than Parmesan and half and half and water rather than milk. To make last night's fare I just dumped the sauce in a bowl and added three eggs, about 1/8 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, a bit of chopped red bell pepper, about 3 Tablespoons of leftover green beans and some spices, mixed it, poured it into a baking pan and baked it at 325 for about 20 minutes. The resulting quiche was excellent with roasted brussels sprouts and a tossed salad and there's enough for at least two meals, both of which will probably be lunch at work.
Tonight I'll have grilled ribeye steak with sauteed mushrooms and green and red bell pepper. If there's any left, I'll have it for lunch at work the next day.
The rest of the week I'll have, in no particular order:
Beef and chicken fajitas with a little wild rice and guacamole
Homemade chunky vegetable soup
Jambalaya made with riced cauliflower instead of rice
Leftover fajita meat with steamed fresh vegetables, homemade queso blanco, and avocado slices
And that sums it up for this coming week. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get some basics but I don't plan to buy a lot. Of course, if there are any great deals on meat or vegetables I'll take advantage of those but otherwise, I only need a few things.
Here's to this week being a good one! Mosey on over to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by the lovely Laura, and see what others are planning to eat.
