Homemade soup and meatloaf from scratch meant this week wasn’t my usual quick-and-easy cooking, but extra effort does mean the end result is that much more delicious…

Had in kitchen (leftover from other recipes/cooking staples): Garlic, eggs, carrots

Bought: Chicken broth, onions, celery, egg noodles, bread/rolls, cold cuts, ground turkey, Italian breadcrumbs, onion, Worcestershire sauce, shredded mozzarella, tomato sauce, sweet potato, frozen chopped spinach, eggplant, salad fixins’ (spinach, grape tomatoes, dressing)

Daily Breakfast: Scrambled egg pita

Comments from Claire: Used pitas from last week’s gyros with eggs scrambled with spinach and feta. Quick Greek-influenced breakfast!

MONDAY

Lunch: Leftovers from Sunday night dinner

Dinner: Homemade chicken soup and sandwich

Comments from Claire: I had a rotisserie chicken this weekend so instead of throwing the carcass out I decided to make homemade chicken noodle soup. This is something my parents always do after they make a roast chicken, ham, etc, and something I’ve carried on because I think it’s a great way to use as much of the item as possible without throwing usable food away. Normally I would do this on a Sunday, use a mixture of water and store-brought chicken broth and really let it simmer all day to create a broth from scratch. Since I was doing this on a weeknight and more pressed for time, I used all store-bought chicken broth and threw in the chicken, a few carrots, a whole onion (with peel), a few stalks of celery and let it simmer for an hour or two. Then you strain the broth, throw out the soaked vegetables, and pick all of the chicken meat out and throw the rest of it away. Add in new chopped celery, onion, carrots, and the egg noodles and meat last. You can also cook the noodles separately if you’re making a large portion and don’t want the noodles to get soggy over the week.

TUESDAY

Lunch: Leftover soup and sandwich

Dinner: Spinach stuffed meatloaf and smashed sweet potatoes

Claire’s Quips: These were both recipes I found while trolling Pinterest, as one incessantly does (meatloaf and potatoes). Both were really yummy but definitely a lot for a weeknight, especially time-wise. Next time I would save these for a weekend venture!

WEDNESDAY

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Eggplant pizzas (see top photo)

Comments from Claire: From the master herself, this was easy peezy and delicious. Through the quick-homemade tomato sauce was easy, instead I just bought a jar sauce to make it even easier – plus I needed it for the meatloaf too so I was able to double-use the ingredient (same with the shredded mozzarella cheese).

THURSDAY

Lunch: Leftover pizzas

Dinner: Meatloaf sandwich + salad

Comments from Claire: Love when I can reuse leftovers in a newer way so it’s not exactly like eating the same thing over and over again! I had bought (whole-wheat) rolls for Monday’s soup-and-sandwich, so I threw a hefty slice of meatloaf on a toasted roll with a little more cheese and made a quick side salad. Love that this sandwich can be either cold or hot too, which adds another slight variety.

Friday

Lunch: Meatloaf sandwich + salad

Dinner: Out to eat

See you next week! To see what I’m eating in the meantime, follow me on Twitter or Instagram @ClaireLeaden