A Week Of...???

[englanddg]

Considering the various constraints (and unexpected surprises) you had with some of the ingredients, I think your dessert looked outstanding! Yum city!!!

Thanks! I was worried in the store when I read that the "cherry" fruit salad had other ingredients, as I envisioned originally reducing the cherry salad in a pan and making a drizzle / topping for the ice cream.

But, the sauce turned out just fine. The cinnamon was a good choice, and it would have tasted great drizzled over some vanilla ice cream. But, my dish called for chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, and had I made that the "star" of the dish, I was afraid the chocolate would have overpowered the fruit.

I couldn't get a good picture of it, but the sauce brought a nice tang to the dish. Worked out well.

 

[englanddg]

I expect that we will not be losing as much (if any) weight this week.

On the plus side, some of this is shaping up to be food .

Yeah, I'm going to have to watch that too. I tend to maintain around 210. I'd rather be 180, but I'm not 20 anymore.

It's turning out better than I planned, however! Every recipe, outside of the lunch I had today (the sardine half sandwich), is one I've quite literally made up the details of on the spot.

 

[englanddg]

the end product looks great

Thanks! It was quite tasty!

 

[englanddg]

Week 2 - Day 2 - Meal 3 - Manwich

Can't do a week of canned goods with out one of the classics, right? So, for dinner, I'm having Manwich!

Brown the ground beef and then add chopped celery and chopped onion.



Add the manwich sauce and stir well.



Keep it warming on a low simmer.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nvru1u]

Chop a slice of tomato.

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Add carrot sticks and chopped iceberg lettuce to a bowl.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nvH79V]

Add a nice large dollop of mayo (about 2 - 3 tablespoons) and some red wine vinegar. Stir with a fork (though, I think it's easier to stir with your hands).

[url=https://flic.kr/p/nvH6K8]

Then add about 1 - 2 tsp of celery seed, and stir.



Toast a hamburger bun (I used an onion loaf bun) in the oven at 350 for about 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the tomato, a slice of cheese (I used white american, but I'd imagine a sharp cheddar would have worked extremely well!). Top liberally with the Manwich and the lettuce slaw.

DEVOUR!



This turned out pretty good. I mean, it was manwich, but adding some fresh veg really gave it a nice texture. The slaw turned out just fine, and added some tangy crunch as well. The tomato was a good addition, as it not only tasted good, but helped give the beef a "base" to sit on so it didn't soak the loaf or fall apart while eating (something we all remember from Manwich meals in the past!). I'd make this again, and it was a nice quick meal.

Overall, I really liked this!

Meal Grade (purely subjective) - B
Daily Grade (purely subjective) - A​

See you with breakfast![/url][/url][/url][/url]

 

[MinnieM123]

I would eat that! Question: Is a Manwich similar to a Sloppy Joes? It kinda looks that way. The only real difference I can see is the addition of a few veggies and the slice of cheese.

 

[englanddg]

I would eat that! Question: Is a Manwich similar to a Sloppy Joes? It kinda looks that way. The only real difference I can see is the addition of a few veggies and the slice of cheese.

Yes. Manwich is a brand name for a canned Sloppy Joe sauce. They are the same thing.

 

[JenniferS]

Yes. Manwich is a brand name for a canned Sloppy Joe sauce. They are the same thing.

I like to eat my Manwich de-constructed.

Cannot eat soggy bread, so I always have my meat on one side of the plate, bread on the other; salad in a bowl.

Along these same lines, I do not add crackers to my soup, nor do I eat the bread/crouton in French Onion soup.

 

[englanddg]

I like to eat my Manwich de-constructed.

Cannot eat soggy bread, so I always have my meat on one side of the plate, bread on the other; salad in a bowl.

Along these same lines, I do not add crackers to my soup, nor do I eat the bread/crouton in French Onion soup.

I hadn't had the canned sauce in years. Normally I make it myself (it's not hard). But, it turned out pretty tasty. I'd easily make that meal again. The slaw turned out great, though I wish I'd had some cabbage instead of iceberg so I could have made real cole slaw.

 

[englanddg]

Week 2 - Day 3 - Meal 1 - Banana Sweet Oatmeal

A quick and easy breakfast this morning, a long week stares me in the face at work. So, lets go with a classic.

But first, metrics. My weight is 204.2, my BMI is 24.6 and my hydration is 53%. Hrm, I need some water today...

Anyhow, lets get started!



Add 2 cups of the milk to a pan, and bring to boil over medium. Once boiling, add 1 cup of the oatmeal.



Stir and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring often. While doing this, chop a banana.



And in a small bowl, add 2 tsp of brown sugar (dark or light) and 1 heaping teaspoon of honey.



Mix, and then add a healthy amount of fresh grated cinnamon. About 1/2 tsp or so.



When the oatmeal is done, add the brown sugar to it. Use the teaspoon to stir it in. The heat from the oatmeal will melt the brown sugar mixture off the spoon.



Then add the sliced banana.



And stir gently.



Garnish with a touch of fresh chopped mint, some more grated cinnamon, and a healthy drizzle of honey and serve.

Nommers!

Meal Grade - B​

Next is lunch!

 

[JenniferS]

I love oatmeal. Whenever I go to a Disney character buffet, I usually end up filling up primarily on oatmeal, juice and coffee.
And bacon.

 

[englanddg]

Week 2 - Day 3 - Meal 2 - Greek Style Chicken Pita

I don't know about anyone else, but I have fond childhood memories of Underwood Spreads, especially the chicken. My mother would never buy them for me, but I'd have them at friends houses with some Kool Aid, and adored their salty taste.

As an adult, I've tried it several times, and I have no idea how I enjoyed it as a child. But, I'm going to give these a shot for this week's challenge!

So, on to the ingredients!



I'm going to use some nice flat bread pita, toasted at 350 degrees as I make the rest.



Lets see what we have to work with...not much.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/neWWTR]

So I chop up some red and green pepper...and sautee in nothing (no butter, no oil)...



Then add the "meat" and stir.



Cook well until warm, then move onto the sauce...

Chop up a cucumber.



Save a few slices for the final dish, the rest goes into the pan.



Stir it in over medium heat, and keep the meat mixture warm over low.

As you do so, add some greek yogurt to the mix, along with some fresh chopped dill. Mix.



Add some more chopped cucumber, and season to taste.



Put the chicken mixture in the base of the toasted pita, and top with sauce and fresh cucumbers.

Devour!



It turned out quite well.



A very nice lunch...

Meal Grade - B​

Next is dinner![/url]

 

[MinnieM123]

That was amazing what you did with the Underwood chicken. I've never tried their chicken in a can, let alone try to cook with it.

However, I do like (maybe a few times a year) their deviled ham. I know it's gross, high in fat, etc., but for some unexplainable reason, I really like it! Never used it in a cooking recipe though; I just use it in a sandwich with some lettuce and light mayo. Chips on the side go well with this sammie, too! (Underwood deviled ham was created in 1866 in Boston, MA.)

 

[englanddg]

That was amazing what you did with the Underwood chicken. I've never tried their chicken in a can, let alone try to cook with it.

However, I do like (maybe a few times a year) their deviled ham. I know it's gross, high in fat, etc., but for some unexplainable reason, I really like it! Never used it in a cooking recipe though; I just use it in a sandwich with some lettuce and light mayo. Chips on the side go well with this sammie, too! (Underwood deviled ham was created in 1866 in Boston, MA.)

Learn something new every day!

I have the ham on the menu for later this week, and I like them both. I like the chicken a tad better, because even though it's salty, it's not as salty as the ham.

 

[trr1]

so when is dinner and todays meals?

 

[englanddg]

so when is dinner and todays meals?

Tonight. I have the pictures, just haven't uploaded and posted it yet. I've got 8 meals to post. Way behind!

 

[trr1]

Tonight. I have the pictures, just haven't uploaded and posted it yet. I've got 8 meals to post. Way behind!

cant wait to see

 

[englanddg]

Week 2 - Day 3 - Meal 3 - Clam Spaghetti

Well, time for dinner.



Boil some water with about 2 tbls of olive oil and a large pinch of salt.



Add the spaghetti.



When finished, drain the spaghetti.



Now, lets see what these cans give me to work with.

The clams are meh...



So is the sauce, though I am pleasantly surprised that it has clam chunks.



Add all these, including the mushrooms to a large skillet, and heat over medium high. We are gonna reduce this!



Stir a bit, looking good.



Looking VERY good...time to taste for seasoning...



It is quite well seasoned, no need to add anything. This surprised me.

Add the spaghetti!



And saute stirring often for about 3 - 5 minutes. This will allow the spaghetti to become "one" with the sauce (meaning, it absorbs it, etc...)...

Chop up some parsley.



Time to serve!



This turned out much better than I expected. It could have used another can of clams to add to the sauce, but overall the sauce was well seasoned, and I really didn't have to do much but toss this all together. I don't think the mushrooms brought anything to the dish, and would probably skip them in the future.

But overall? Quite a great dish! I'd do this again!

Meal Grade - A
Daily Grade - A​

 

[MinnieM123]

Plated, that looks very good. Normally, I wouldn't be a fan of clam sauce and spaghetti, but you have this uncanny (no pun intended . . .) gift of presentation. All of your meal photos look like they came out of Cooks Illustrated!

 

[JenniferS]

Wrong!
Mushrooms (like onions and BACON!) make everything better.

 

[JenniferS]

Plated, that looks very good. Normally, I wouldn't be a fan of clam sauce and spaghetti, but you have this uncanny (no pun intended . . .) gift of presentation. All of your meal photos look like they came out of Cooks Illustrated!

Except for that canned chicken paste.
Oh my word, I wanted to hurl.

I have already called dibs on @englanddg, if my Hubby ever trades me in for a newer model.