Sometimes it’s fun to shake things up a bit. This week I decided to feature foods from different countries. Not only will this be a nice change of pace but it will help me use up some items that I have had on hand awhile – a pantry challenge, of sorts. So let’s take a look at my choices for “International Foods Week”.
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Dee’s Menu
Monday
I made lasagna on Christmas day and had bought two containers of ricotta cheese. I only used one so I put the other in the freezer before the expiration date. Last night I used part of a bottle of tomato sauce to make a small amount of pizza sauce (for a recipe I’ll be sharing soon!). I’ll use the rest to make the sauce for the lasagna. I also have a partial box of lasagna noodles in the pantry, enough salad greens for one more big salad and a few pieces of French bread for the garlic toast. The nice thing about lasagna roll-ups as opposed to a regular pan of lasagna is that you can make the exact portions you desire.
- lasagna roll-ups (I’ll probably make a vegetarian version.)
- tossed green salad
- garlic toast
Tuesday
I haven’t made curry in ages but it’s a delicious way to use up extra vegetables. I have potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers and garlic plus frozen peas, green beans and corn. That should make a really tasty curry served over rice with fresh naan bread on the side.
- vegetable curry
- rice
- homemade naan bread
Wednesday
I’ve had Pad Thai noodles in the pantry for quite awhile. I think it’s time to use them!
- Vegetarian Pad Thai (will substitute sunflower seed butter because I’m allergic to peanuts)
- fresh fruit salad
Thursday
David and I have a late afternoon meeting so we’ll stay in town and have our “date night”.
Friday
I bought some huge, organic bone-in chicken breasts at Whole Foods on my last grocery haul and put them in the freezer. I also have more potatoes and carrots to use up.
- Chicken Breasts with Classic French Pan Sauce
- mashed potatoes
- roasted carrots
- tossed green salad
- toasted baguette
- a nice bottle of French wine
Saturday
I have nearly all of the ingredients needed for the meatballs (need some saffron!). I’m pretty sure I have couscous. If not I could substitute rice. I’ll just need to buy the spinach and cauliflower.
- North African Meatballs
- couscous
- sautéed spinach
- roasted cauliflower
Sunday
I’m hoping to finally be over this asthma attack I’ve been dealing with and be able to make it to church. I’ve been avoiding crowds as much as possible because another cold would totally send me to the E.R. and ain’t nobody got time for that! So, if we make it to church we’ll go out for Mexican food afterwards and save half for dinner.
Do you have any favorite “international” recipes? I’d love to see them. Leave me a comment with a link if you have one.
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Fun idea, and – as you said – a great way to use things up. Most of the meals sound tasty (and those that don’t would be if you substituted the meat for something vegetarian friendly).
By the way, the French cafe was nice, though not as amazing as it should have been for what they were charging. We’d go again, but not very often, since we wouldn’t be able to justify the expense (especially when there are places we’ve enjoyed the food at more, which cost a whole lot less). I also have an issue with their claim of what hubby ordered being a “French breakfast” when it was basically a fry-up with smaller portion sizes.
Anyway… Here’s what my menu looks like this week:
Monday: Chinese food ordered in.
Tuesday: Cheese and potato pie and sprouts.
Wednesday: We’re heading in to town, so will grab something while we’re out, then just make sandwiches if we want anything later in the day.
Thursday: Broccoli and tomato pasta bake.
Friday: Leftovers from Thursday.
Saturday: Breakfast wraps.
Sunday: Roasted vegetables.
It’s too bad that the French cafe didn’t quite live up to expectations. Your menu sounds good! We just finished eating vegetable curry which was a nice change of pace. I haven’t made curry in ages. It’s not one of David’s favorites. He’ll eat it but it’s not something he’ll beg me to make.
Glad you enjoyed your curry. We end up with two menus in this house, since I’m a vegetarian, and my hubby isn’t, and is very picky about what veggies he’ll eat. So we solve the problem by creating our own menus, but trying to time the cooking so our meals are ready as close as possible to the same time, so we can eat together.
So you each cook separate meals? Does he ever eat any of yours or does he always eat meat? David enjoys meat but is usually happy with meatless meals, too. We ate vegetarian for a year and he didn’t complain.
He wouldn’t last a week as a vegetarian, never mind a year. 😉
He’ll sometimes have what I’m having, but it happens very rarely. I always offer, but more often than not he’ll say, “no thanks.” Most of the time he either has something totally different, or will have some of what I’m having to go with his meat (more often than not, it’s the former).
Sorting our own menus, but timing the meals so we’re usually eating together, seemed like a good plan to us when I first became fully vegetarian, since it’s what we’d done when I had what my brother called “vegetarian phases” before. We’ve been doing things this way full time for somewhere around nine years now, and had done it on and off since we met, so it feels normal to us.
It sounds like you have it all sorted out and it works well for you.