All the dairy, all the flavour

Week of 2 July 2026

Week Ten: Cheese Challenge Week

This week we have challenged ourselves to use one ingredient in every meal. When the family were asked what ingredient should be the star of the show, cheese was the unanimous winner. Given what we already know about how dairy affects the tablets, this week should be particularly interesting from a Parkinson’s observation perspective. Every meal, every day, features cheese in some form. Let’s see what the data shows.

This Week’s Menu

Dinner	Source	Notes for Parkinson’s Observation
🍳 Cheesy Beef & Veg Rice Skillet	Family recipe	One-pan meal with rice, beef, and a generous amount of cheese.
🤪 Cheesy Mince Tacos / Nachos	Family recipe	Tacos for some, nachos for others. Cheese is the star throughout.
🧀 Grilled Cheese Toasties + Cup of Soup	Family recipe	Melted cheese between toasted bread. Perfect pairing with soup.
🍔 Cheeseburgers + Oven Chips	Family recipe	Beef patties topped with melted cheese. Chips on the side.
🌷 Cheesy Chicken Schnitzels with Mash & Peas	Family recipe	Coated chicken with melted cheese on top. Creamy mash as a side.
🌯 Beef & Cheese Quesadillas	Family recipe	Flour tortillas with beef, cheese, and your choice of toppings.
🥞 Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash Topping	Family recipe	Minced beef base with a mashed potato topping enriched with cheese.

Our Own Recipes This Week

🍳 Cheesy Beef & Veg Rice Skillet

A one-pan meal with rice, beef, and a generous helping of melted cheese.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g beef mince
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1½ cups grated cheese
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for cooking

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan and brown the mince with onion.
2. Add carrots and frozen vegetables, cook for 3 minutes.
3. Stir in cooked rice and beef stock.
4. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
5. Top generously with grated cheese and cook for another 2–3 minutes until melted.
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

🤪 Cheesy Mince Tacos / Nachos

Same filling, two serving styles. Cheese is generous throughout.

Taco Mince Filling

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
• Salt and pepper

To Serve

• Taco shells or soft tortillas
• 2 cups grated cheese
• Salsa, sour cream, lettuce
• Corn chips (for nachos version)

Method

• Brown mince and onion in a pan.
• Add spices and cook for 1 minute.
• For tacos: fill shells with mince and top with cheese.
• For nachos: layer chips on a plate, top with mince, then cover with cheese and grill until melted.

🧀 Grilled Cheese Toasties + Cup of Soup

Simple, classic, and cheese-forward.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 8 slices bread
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 4 tbsp butter
• Soup of your choice

Method

1. Butter one side of each bread slice.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat.
3. Place a slice of bread butter-side down, top with generous cheese, then another slice butter-side up.
4. Cook for 2–3 minutes until golden, then flip and cook the other side.
5. Serve alongside a hot cup of soup.

🍔 Cheeseburgers + Oven Chips

Beef patties topped with melted cheese.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500–600g beef mince
• 4 burger buns
• 4 slices cheese
• Lettuce, tomato, onion
• Sauce of choice
• Oil for cooking
• Oven chips (frozen)

Method

1. Form mince into 4 patties and cook in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Cook for 3–4 minutes each side, then top with cheese and let it melt.
3. Meanwhile, bake oven chips according to packet instructions.
4. Toast buns lightly.
5. Assemble burgers and serve with chips.

🌷 Cheesy Chicken Schnitzels with Mash & Peas

Coated chicken topped with melted cheese and served with creamy mashed potato.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 chicken schnitzels (store-bought or homemade)
• 4 slices cheese
• 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Butter and milk (for mash)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for cooking

Method

• Cook schnitzels in a pan over medium heat until cooked through.
• Top each schnitzel with a slice of cheese and cook for another minute until melted.
• Boil potatoes until soft, then mash with butter and milk.
• Cook peas according to packet instructions.
• Plate schnitzel, mash, and peas. Serve immediately.

🌯 Beef & Cheese Quesadillas

Flour tortillas filled with seasoned beef and plenty of melted cheese.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 flour tortillas
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for cooking

To Serve (optional)

• Sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Method

• Brown mince and onion, add cumin and paprika. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a tortilla on a pan, fill half with beef mixture and cheese.
• Fold in half and cook until the cheese melts and the tortilla is golden, about 2 minutes each side.
• Serve with optional toppings.

🥞 Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash Topping

Minced beef base with a mashed potato topping enriched with plenty of cheese.

Ingredients (serves 4–5)

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Butter and milk (for mash)
• 1½ cups grated cheese

Method

• Brown mince and onion in a pan.
• Add carrots and cook for 3 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, then add stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add peas and season with salt and pepper.
• Spread mince mixture into an oven-safe dish.
• Boil potatoes until soft, mash with butter and milk.
• Stir cheese into the mash, then spread over the mince.
• Bake at 200°C for 15–20 minutes until the top is golden.

Observations — Cheese Challenge Week

Lots of cheese this week \u2014 to the point that a mouse would have thought the fridge was heaven. We don’t usually cook with this much cheese, but when you have a kilo of ricotta to use up, what do you do?

On the family favourites front, J’s pick for the week was the grilled cheese toasties with soup. Hubby’s clear winner was the Cottage Pie \u2014 the cheesy mash topping was a hit.

The cheese definitely makes a difference with the tablets. The cheese toasties night showed this clearly \u2014 hubby had two with his soup and experienced extended downtime. The dairy pattern we’ve been tracking continues to hold.

Burger night was the most challenging. With a kilo of ricotta to use up, I changed the burger recipe entirely ricotta mixed into the patties, ricotta mayo for the buns, and a ricotta dip for the chips. They don’t look appetising making them, but they were yummy when completed. Even though hubby bypassed the actual burgers and went for mince and dip instead, the ricotta content still extended his off period. A good data point on just how much dairy ; in this case, a lot of ricotta; affects the tablets.

Part of an ongoing series tracking diet and Parkinson’s medication response.