Meal Planning Saga: Week Five

Clearly I'm a few days behind here, but the good news is, I've successfully made it to reading week. As I head into the final reading week of my undergrad career, I've realized I now fully understand the 'reading' portion of reading week. I remember when I had time to take a vacation, a break, whatever, but the next week will be spent in the library, doing research and writing essays, and yes, reading. But however much of that I do, there will be cooking (and hopefully neglected baking)!

Sunday - Roast chicken, spinach and roasted yam. Simple and covered us for meals for both Monday and Tuesday.

We just cannot carve a chicken... it's on the list.

Monday - Chicken and mushroom risotto, of course using some of the leftover chicken and stock.

Tuesday - Chicken and vegetable soup. This was quick and comforting, which was great since we were off to Edmonton Opera's second performance of the season, The Abduction from the Seraglio. We enjoyed this one immensely, and I should have posted on it the night of. It was hilarious! And references to Canadian politics, Facebook, You Tube, and the use of video in the performance kept everyone on their toes and laughing.

Wednesday - Things switched up a bit, and we ended up at Sugarbowl that evening with a friend. We both did the evening special - a meatloaf sandwich - which didn't really impress either of us. Now the beer, that was good. Charles did his current favourite - Chimay Red - while I was off to their 'Features/Staff Picks' board for an Anchor Brewing Porter, which was creamy and rich - perfect for a cool-ish evening.

Thursday - Slow cooker 'Bison' Goulash. This one was adapted from The Gourmet Slow Cooker, where the original protein called for was beef. We had some bison in the freezer so we thought we'd give it a try, and thankfully, it worked. We also had some leftover mushrooms in the fridge, and added those to the mix as well for a rich, flavourful Thursday meal (this one also made for a great lunch on day two).

Friday - Louisiana Trout, with more spinach and roasted yam. This recipe from Moosewood Simple Suppers was originally listed for our first week of the 'saga'. Though Charles preferred the Moroccan spiced fish, I was quite taken by the slight spiciness of this one along with the rich paprika. And more yam here. I found what I felt was a gigantic yam (you know, in a 'for two people' sort of way) at the Italian Centre a couple weeks ago, and I finally got around to chopping it up. Some of it got roasted as you see below, and some of it was roasted, mashed then frozen in anticipation of making this loaf over the 'break'.

 The yam!

Saturday - Slow Cooker Dal, another one from The Gourmet Slow Cooker. I added a bit of curry powder to the garlic and ginger mix here and I still think it was good move. This recipe was fantastic, and the flavour certainly improved the next day, and even Monday for a tasty lunch. The yogurt provided a tangy creaminess and the cilantro a very necessary brightness and hint of green.

And there's week five.