We start the week with a nice pot of beef stew that does a slow simmer for hours in the oven or slow cooker. Full of flavor it reheat or freezes well. We throw out too much good food every year. Instead I’m try to offer recipes that either reheat throughout the week or freeze until a later date for consumption. Your freezer is your friend if you use it as a tool. I’m guilty of turning it into a storage shed where food stays for eons. Your refrigerator/freezer is one of the many tools in your kitchen to help you. Use them wisely. So starting this week on the menu you’ll note that Thursday nights are leftover or reheat frozen food night. It helps circulate the assets you have stored in your refrigerator. It’s a discipline to develop. I find myself pushing aside leftover food for something new. I forget how much I enjoyed the food the first time. To my surprise I enjoy it more the second time such as the beef stew. I no longer use a microwave to reheat food. (I’ve moved from the house in the pic above and redoing my current kitchen) I use my oven or stove top. However I have found that a steam oven does the best job overall. A decent countertop model can be found for under $300. The same you pay for a microwave. It doesn’t change the flavor of the food. I personally feel safer by using it. Plus I use it for more than just to reheat food. Appliances that I have in my kitchen these days has to serve more than one purpose. The only exception is my ice cream maker.

SUNDAY
Brunch breakfast hash, toast w/ jam, orange
Dinner beef stew, fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange or clementine
Lunch salami sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner chicken thighs w/ roasted vegetables, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange
Lunch chicken soup, fresh or canned fruit
Dinner leftover beef stew, fruit

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast granola, orange
Lunch peanut butter sandwich, fruit
Dinner buffalo style chicken thighs, salad w/ranch dressing

THURSDAY
Breakfast Breakfast sandwich, orange
Lunch chicken thighs or chicken salad
Dinner leftovers or reheated frozen soup or chef salad,fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast granola hot or cold, orange or clementine
Lunch cheese sandwich fruit
Dinner baked cod with roasted potatoes and asparagus (make a big bowl of popcorn and watch a movie)

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash or poached eggs and toast, orange
Dinner hamburger, salad, fruit

SHOPPING LIST
Chicken thighs,chuck roast, hamburger, asparagus, eggs, milk, salami,bread, potatoes, carrots, romaine lettuce, fruit