Week 37 - Back to School Series, Part 4: Double Duty Meals

Printable Version of Meal Plan

So if you've been hanging around here you know I often have leftovers for lunch. All of my lunches this week are based on leftovers from the night before... with a little twist to make them not just the same meal two days in a row. The thing I like most about this is that it really forces me to make lunches right after supper.  I mean when supper is done there's really no point in packaging up the leftovers just to take them out again later to repackage them into lunch is there?  Then I finish cleaning the kitchen and I'm done for the night!  Sweet!  I find this especially great in the fall when I want to get in my cozy clothes, curl up, watch new TV and knit.   

Recipe Quick Links

Apple Pie Overnight Oats, Oh She Glows
Fish Tacos, Canadian Living
Corn Tortillas, 100 Days of Real Food
Sticky Chicken, Canadian Family
Kale Salad, Marin Mama Cooks
Potato Chips, Canadian Family
Cold Chicken Noodle Salad, Canadian Living
Re-fried Beans, 100 Days of Real Food
Whole Wheat Tortillas, 100 Days of Real Food
Pumpkin Buns, Today's Parent

 

Week in Review

 

Make Ahead Snack

Pumpkin Buns - These "buns" I would actually consider more of a muffin.  They were quick and easy to make and turned out real moist and mild tasting.  I find a lot of pumpkin recipes call for cinnamon or pumpkin spice but these were just pumpkin and small amount of sugar, nothing too overpowering.  A nice little fall lunchbox treat!

Pumpkin Bun

Monday

Apple Pie Overnight Oats - So you may have noticed I'm a bit of a fan of the overnight oats.  I'm also a big fan of Oh She Glows so when I saw this post for Apple Chia Jam Overnight Oats I had to try... it sure made my Monday morning!!  This was overnight oats meets the fall.  It was a bit like having apple pie for breakfast, hence I'm referring to this as "Apple Pie Overnight Oats".  I used homemade almond milk (another favorite Oh She Glow's recipe) but I used Steel Cut Oats instead of rolled oats.  I did finally try the rolled oats and as suspected I was not a fan of the texture.

Squash Soup - I'm sure this was inspired by a recipe I saw at one point but I wouldn't remember where.  I made a batch of this soup on the weekend instead of the curry I had been intending to make.  I wanted to use up leftover squash and also stock my freezer with some soup for easy lunch options in the weeks ahead.  I roasted the squash first and I have to say it looked and tasted so delicious coming out of the oven it almost didn't make it in the soup.  I'll estimate it was 2lbs of diced squash.  While the squash was roasting I heated some oil in a large pot and sauteed a chopped onion and 2 chopped apples with curry powder (~1T), garam masala(~1t) and cumin (~1t).  When the onion was translucent I added chicken broth (~2 cups) and the squash and simmered until all the veggies were super soft.  Then I pureed the soup using a hand blender and stirred in a can of coconut milk.  Yummy!

Fish Tacos - I actually tried a slightly different version than the one I'm linking here but this one is still my fave.  The recipe I followed used green apple in the salsa instead of mango, which given the time of year you might prefer.  I also made corn tortillas which pretty much have to be made fresh, but they are super easy to make and if you have the time are definitely worth the effort!!

Corn Tortillas

Tuesday

Fish Lettuce Roll-ups - The extra fish and apple salsa were rolled up in lettuce leaves for lunch.  My original plan was to use rice wrappers but I went with the lettuce leaves thinking they'd be easier to work with.   In the end they didn't stay together that well so I'd recommend the rice wrappers for a more portable lunch.  I mixed sour cream with a little regular jarred salsa for dipping.  Messy but good.

Sticky Chicken w/ Kale Salad and Potato Chips - Loved, loved and loved.  This chicken was super easy to make and really tasty.  A winner!  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and marinated them the night before.  I put 2 extra pieces on without the marinade to use in tomorrow's lunch.  And this kale salad is old news around here but I happened to find a different variety of kale I wanted to try.  Around here you usually find "curly" kale but I finally found the variety that has a flatter darker leaf.  It was a bit better, although I wouldn't turn down a bowl made with the curly kale either.  I also made potato chips which were a big hit with Marin!  I skipped the rosemary but that does sound delicious.  I don't have a mandolin slicer (hmmm.... perhaps Santa is listening again??) but was able to slice the potatoes thin enough with a sharp knife.

Wednesday

Cold Chicken Noodle Salad - Meh.  Didn't love this.  My last few attempts at salad with vermicelli noodles have not been overly successful.  The noodles are always too chewy.  Perhaps the package was open too long?  Anyone know the secret to cooking vermicelli?

Steak, Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Salad -  Stretching grilling season out as long as I can!!  It was a beautiful day so we did the steak and a mix of peppers on the grill.  That was layered on top of lettuce with cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

Thursday

Goat Cheese and Grilled Veggie Omelettes - Goat cheese and grilled veggies automatically make me think of omelettes.  The veggies were leftover from supper so this was a really quick lunch to prepare.   Not sure why I've never thought to pack omelettes for lunch before??  I had it with a Pumpkin Bun and Coffee. 

Re-fried Beans on Whole Wheat Tortillas with Cheese, Sour Cream and Guacamole - I made the tortillas the night before and I have to say I'm still blown away that I can make tortillas.  Watching them puff up in the pan is one of the most exciting things ever.  Fresh, warm, chewy tortillas topped with homemade re-fried beans and the fixin's...  I really can't think of anything better.  Except for maybe fresh, warm, chewy tortillas topped with.... well pretty much anything.  And it was on the table within 10 minutes of walking in the door.  AND instead of having to threaten time-outs and no dessert to get Marin to eat, she literally inhaled this and asked for more.  This meal scores a 10 out of 10 in my books!

This is around the time I start to get excited!

The finished product.  Don't they look delicious!?

All loaded up!

I wasn't the only one super excited about this meal.

Friday

Layered Nacho Dip - It's the first thing to go at a pot-luck so why not make a meal out of it??  Use re-fried beans as a base layer and it's a filling (and fun!) lunch.  I served it with a baggie of Blue Corn Tortillas chips.

Grilled Apple & Cheese Sandwiches with Ginger Lime Thyme Jelly - Easy and delicious.

Hello weekend!

Sandra