Meatloaf and more: cooking for the week

meatloaf

Meatloaf
This meatloaf will be used for at least four more  meals. I cooked the meatloaf on Saturday and had potatoes and green beans and unsweetened tea, plus the meatloaf missing from the pan. I just love this square pan for meatloaf. I prefer thin meatloaf.



Black eyed peas
This time, first time ever, I cooked in a large, deep iron skillet instead of the iron Dutch oven. Notice the hand-carved maple spoon utensil. One scoop with that is more than a serving! I cooked these on Sunday.



Time to eat
The color on this picture is horrible. I had little meatloaf because I ate a bit of meatloaf earlier. It's so good I could eat it all, but I won't so I will have three more days of this. I have already had one, plus this meal, and three more...yum.

The coleslaw has grape tomatoes cut in half. I found a pint at the market for $1.67, about $2 cheaper than at the grocery store. The slaw will last two more meals. I have more cabbage, shredded. But, you know how slaw does not last long.

The black eyed peas are delicious with no salt, just cooked in water.

I eat only whole grain wheat bread that has no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup. But, with meatloaf I like Texas Toast with butter on top and browned under the broiler. Well, I won these huge buns that taste just like Texas Toast when broiled.

Best tomatoes in winter
The best tasting are the plum tomatoes. Other tomatoes taste horrible in the winter since they must be shipped here. Of course, the plum tomatoes are shipped here, too. For whatever reason plum tomatoes taste summer fresh.

Cooking for a week
I was sick of beef. I wanted chicken, so Sunday I baked chicken breasts on top of the stove. That makes--chicken, meatloaf, and black eyed peas already to eat. I can make slaw twice more. The tomatoes will last about five more meals. The chicken will be for lunch--sandwiches or in Alfredo sauce with noodles. Turnip greens were destined to be opened for tonight, but I was not very hungry since I ate a little bit earlier.

Some of the food will be sent back with exbf who is coming up Wednesday to help me around the house and yard. He likes for me to pack him a lunch in a Tupperware plate.

I will freeze a pint of the black eyed peas. I usually freeze several pints of each pot of peas. Eventually, I don't need to cook beans or peas, just remove from the refrigerator, especially on days I am in a hurry. I am not so tempted to get fast food or eat junk here, knowing I have good food available and fast. Besides, a pint of beans with catsup or greens (not both) are a perfect, healthy make-do meal.

Eating this every dinner for the rest of the week will be no problem for me. Turnip greens will be added to meals tomorrow. This is a frugal meal or meals. Because I cannot safely chop the cabbage, I do buy packaged, shredded cabbage and carrots. Maybe the grape tomatoes were a luxury and uncalled for.

Bell peppers and onion were scrounged from chicken food box. Meat and beans were free. I won the buns. Oats (1/2 cup) in the meatloaf were bought on sale with coupon. Cole slaw mix was on sale this week. I suppose the 6 meals for the week cost me less than $4. Actually, there will be beans leftover for several more meals beyond this week. That is less than $.50 per meal. Not bad.

Your turn
Do you have planned leftovers?  It was soup for me last week. All. Week. Maybe you don't like leftovers at all?