Getting back on the path
Last we came together I had plans for the last week of April. I had a goal to use my leftover pork loin for two different meals along with a few other family favorites. I was headed to be part of the “waste not want not” royalty so I could beat my drum in triumph for once. And I did pretty good at least on that front for that week.
I did end up using the pork loin in a version of stroganoff and a pozole dish. The stroganoff was mediocre at best. The pork added an unexpected texture to the dish and the “sauce” was not very rich as compared to my family favorite version of beef stroganoff. The saving grace for me on the dish was the sauteed mushrooms that added much needed flavor and umami. Having said that, my partner asked me not to make it again if we had a choice and I was the one who ended up having to eat the leftovers. Not a keeper.
The pork pozole was a complete opposite to the pork stroganoff. The dish had great flavor to the soup itself and was extremely easy to make. Even my toddler ate it excitedly really enjoying the hominy, after explaining it as “puffy corn” to make it a more familiar food easing the toddler “new food” reticence. In the end I think everyone had two portions and leftovers were not a problem. The pozole will definitely be a combo recipe in the future whenever we make a pork loin roast dish.
Rounding out the week, I was able to make the chicken enchiladas, which the family usually eats without praise or complaint. It’s super easy as I have a simple red sauce recipe I make for it. Then I use Costco shredded chicken with a can of beans and some shredded cheese. I put them together New Mexico style which takes me 5 minutes preparation before they hit the oven to meld the flavors. The only other dish that got made was a vegetarian 3 bean and barley dish that we all eat multiple bowls full eagerly.
And as I was about ready to bring my drum out marking my triumph of only eating junk one day that week, we hit a week of rough seas and eating out that knocked us off the path completely. We had all the go to default favorites make an appearance as we tried to cope with the shear stress of what was devolving around us. We hit burgers, Taco Bell, the local fast food Mexican place, the national chain of “home cooking” type foods restaurant and a fast-food salad joint which we were hopeful that it was an alternative to the absolute junk we had already devoured. Not our brightest week when trying to control our finances and what we eat for sustenance, but this is a journey.
So, it is time to dust ourselves off and try again to walk the path we hope for ourselves. Time to meal plan again. And this week my planning centered around a few things that I somehow ended up with a lot of - red potatoes and russet potatoes. Man, I have more potatoes than I know what to do with. It’s a real good thing my family likes them but even I had to choose a few other dishes for variety.
Menu planning this week:
Monday: Sausage, potatoes and cabbage
Tuesday: Ultimate Pot Roast with root vegetables
Wednesday: Grains and Beans
Thursday: Chili Potatoes (using freezer ready chili)
Friday: Turkey Rice Soup (using mainly freezer turkey and turkey stock)
Sunday: Personal handmade pizzas
Hopefully there is enough variety in there that we still all like potatoes after this week.
