Keeping it Simple

Last week's meals went almost as planned!  I think that's a first since I started sharing my meal plans here.  I swapped chickpea-and-orzo salad for bean salad, but I figure that was close enough, and it allowed me to use up leftover orzo from earlier in the week.   

This week we'll be relying on big-batch cooking to provide leftovers for several suppers.  I know a lot of people balk at leftovers, but I can live with eating the same meal more than once if it means less cooking and clean-up.  It's going to be a busy enough week as it is!

Still figuring out the new board.

On Sunday we'll prepare a big shepherd's pie using a recipe from my old "Second Harvest Cookbook" as a guide.  I have had this cookbook for years.  I remember seeing an article about Second Harvest in the Globe and Mail. I was so intrigued that I mailed a cheque to get the cookbook. Newspaper, cheque, mail. That should give you an idea how long I've had this cookbook. 

We'll also prepare tofu and rice bowls inspired by the tofu poke bento recipe in "Simply Bento" by Yuko and Noriko.  I borrowed this cookbook from the library.  It is a beautiful cookbook, but the recipes are far too labour-intensive for my current cooking style.  I returned the book, but it has influenced how I think about packed lunches.

And once again, I'm relying on Stephanie Kay's "Red's 5-Ingredient Meals" for a big batch of Tex-Mex quinoa.  This cookbook has had a huge impact on how I think about our meals. I've been too distracted by the onslaught of "healthy eating" information out there.  This cookbook has been a good reminder that not every dish needs to be crammed full of "superfoods" to be healthy.  Delicious, good-for-you meals don't have to be complicated.  How did I forget that?  

(*Note:  I don't get anything for the links above.  They're there for your information.  Hope you find them useful.)