Menu Planning - Better Late than Never!

Menu for the week:

Sunday night - Break the fast - we had a pasta dinner

Monday night - Embellished Shabbat Leftovers

Tuesday night - Baked Potatoes, Vegetable "Quiche" (recipe soon - it's wheat free and pareve), tomatoes and cucumbers

Wednesday - Rice, Stir Fried Veggies, Spicy Lentils.

Thursday - Omelettes, Hash Browns, Gevinah Levana, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes

Lunches have been and will continue to be totally random - leftovers, sandwiches, cottage cheese, etc.

Do you do menu planning? Do you think it helps with your budget?

Post-Aliyah Survival

I'm writing this post to all of you out there who just made aliyah, are thinking of making aliyah, or will soon be making aliyah.

We've been here a little over 5 years (this time around), and I cannot lie. It's hard. It's not ALWAYS hard. But overall, there are so many adjustments to make when you pick up and move from a Western country to Israel, so I won't lie and say that it's easy.

But it's important to remember why you're here. Each of us has our own reasons for picking up and making this move, so it's important to keep that in mind, especially on the hard days.

Remembering why you came will help you get through the hard times. 

Here are a few other things I think can help:

Find support. I cannot stress enough just how important it is to have someone to talk to when things aren't going your way. Someone who will understand you, won't judge you, and hopefully, maybe, will help you see your way back to feeling better. If you don't have support, some days it will seem like it's just too much for you to handle! (This can be a supportive friend, family member, or a therapist. It all depends on what works for you.)

Have an emergency fund. I know it's not easy to save money, but try to scrimp and save and set some aside. Because one day you're going to need that emergency fund. Maybe your landlord lied to you and your new place is not livable and you need to move - you'll need a way to pay for it. Or maybe your roof in your new house is leaky - and you'll need to find a way to fix it. (Trust me, I speak from experience. My roof has sprung a leak. Again.)

Live smaller than you are used to. It isn't easy, but if your emergency funds are low, this is the only way to build it up. Live small, and save any extra shekels. Are you used to ordering pizza on a regular basis? Maybe that's the 50 shekels a week you can set aside. Make a simple supper at home (nothing wrong with eating sandwiches for supper sometimes!) instead of ordering pizza, and use that money to build up your emergency fund! Or maybe you don't even order pizza ever. There is probably something you can cut back on. I have rarely met a new "oleh" in this country who doesn't spend extra somewhere.

Learn Hebrew. I know, it's hard. It really is. But when you don't understand the language it's easy to feel lost. So if you are eligible for a subsidized Ulpan, I recommend you MAKE IT HAPPEN. Too many olim I've spoken to don't bother to do ulpan, or drop out after a short time. It's not worth it! Speaking Hebrew will help you survive for the decades ahead.

Check your credit card statements. I have heard the (rare) story of horrendous mistakes. You can log in to your account (where exactly depends who issued your card) and keep track. If there is a mistake, make sure you track down the source (did your barber charge you 5000 shekels instead of 50, like the story I heard recently?) and get it fixed. You can also call the credit card company for help with that. 

Check your bills. Does your water bill list the correct number of people in your household? Did you know that if you have a larger family than what they think, you are missing out on your rate reduction? Get it straightened out, right away. Most water companies won't do much about retroactive reductions, but at least you'll have a lower bill from now on.

Find Discounts. Keep track of things like income tax refund programs, and arnona discounts you may be eligible for. Apply early - too many people push it off and miss out.

Give yourself a break. Making aliyah is stressful. If you don't relax and de-stress, it's going to wear you out. Pick an hour a week when you have down-time. This doesn't actually have to cost you anything. It can be as simple as turning off your phone and going for a walk to a nearby scenic overlook. Or sit and talk with a friend (in person or on the phone), or watch a movie or TV show with your spouse or significant other, or anything else that may relax you. As long as you see this as "my break-time", it can go a long way in recharging your batteries and helping you de-stress.

I'd love to hear all of your survival tactics, too. Please leave yours in the comments section below!

Let's also remember that sometimes a smile and a helping hand to someone who's new here and having a tough time can REALLY go a long way!

Aliyah may be stressful, but I know you can do it. I'm rooting for you!

Shabbat Menu Planning

It's Thursday night again! I can't believe how the weeks keep flying by and before you know it you're staring Shabbat in the face - and with Shabbat starting at 4pm-ish, well... even I feel like I need to start getting ready Thursday night! But I was so happy that last week I was able to cook so quickly, so I'm going to try to keep everything super simple again!

Here's the plan

Homemade Challah  (set the dough up already tonight, used Spelt Flour this time - I'm avoiding wheat for the time being...)
Vegetable Soup (or Split Pea Soup, depends on my mood tomorrow)
Spicy Roast Chicken with Rice
Vegetarian Rice and Tofu Shnitzels (shnitzels from the freezer, I made a large batch last time) for the resident vegetarian
Apple Crisp
Butternut Squash (not sure what I'm doing with it yet)
Lettuce Salad with Honey-Cinnamon Oranges
Vegetable Sticks (cucumbers, peppers, carrots, kohlrabi)
Black Bean Cholent for lunch 
Kiwi or other fruit for dessert

How are you handling these early winter Shabbatot?

Thinking about costumes!

 *this post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

It's time to shop for costumes!

I know, we just lit the first chanukah candle, and here I am, talking to you about Purim. Sounds crazy?

Bear with me.

You see, if you don't want to have to pay premium local prices for your kids' favorite costumes, it's time to order them RIGHT NOW - unless you were super organized and ordered them right after Halloween.

But I'll assume you're more like me, and you just might not have gotten around to it a month ago...

Well, I'm here to tell you that you STILL have time to order costumes and they'll get here in time for Purim, assuming delivery times are the way they've been from China lately.

And I KNOW that ordering from Aliexpress (carefully checking prices and seller ratings, of course) will end up saving me money if the alternative is buying locally right before Purim. So don't wait! Figure out those costumes today, place your order, and you should be all set!

Weekly Menu

I am having a hard time transitioning to summer menus. It's hot and I have little energy in the late afternoon for cooking. SOOO... if you have ideas for healthy suppers that 1)my husband and kids will eat 2)preferably don't have too many ingredients I'm unable to eat (right now that includes nuts, dairy, and wheat), 3) can be eaten cold, and 4) are not expensive and are preferably vegetarian, PLEASE let me know!

In the meantime here's my plan for the week:

Sunday night: rice, roasted kishuim, roasted corn, baked beans,  watermelon

Monday night: Garlic bread, lasagna, salad (I'll probably have polenta with tomato sauce and nutritional yeast) - that's a birthday dinner!

Tuesday night: Scrambled eggs, home-fries, cut vegetables

Wednesday night: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (more polenta for me), make-your-own salad

Thursday night: No idea yet!

Lunches will be random whatever shmorgasbord of things I can put together without too much thought...

How are you handling this summer heat?

Shabbat Menu!

 
This has been a super crazy week, and for Shabbat we have a houseful of guests!

We will be 11 people Friday night (plus an infant), 13-14 people for lunch, and 8 (plus an infant) for seudah shlishit.
And somehow I still have shopping to do tomorrow - so not only a I behind in the cooking, but I am also behind in the shopping!

Of course, I could freak out, and I probably will freak out. But for now, I will pretend it's all good and that I have things under control...

Here's the plan:

Friday night:
Homemade Challot
Salad course - vegetarian liver, cut veggies, other salads
Spicy Roast Chicken
(Rice?)
Potato Kugel
Broccoli (Roasted)
Apple Kugel
Chocolate Cake

Lunch:
Homemade Challot
Salad Course
Black Bean Cholent
Shnitzel
(Rice?)
Potato Kugel
Apple Kugel
Watermelon, Chocolate Cake

Seudah shlishit:
Challah Rolls
Tuna
Egg Salad
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Leftover spreads and salads from lunch
Cut vegetables

Ok, now, if I wasn't earlier, I am totally looking forward to a Shabbat nap!

Shabbat Menu

Time to cook for Shabbat!
Shabbat is special, and we like to eat our special Shabbat foods, with little variation, week after week...
Sometimes things get "changed up" because of seasonal prices. This week there weren't any super amazing deals to be had in our neck of the woods, though, so I'm working with whatever we managed to get...

Anyhow, here's the plan.

Challah: It may be obvious by now, I always make my Whole Wheat and Oat Bran Challah. It's always a hit, and I like making whole grain breads, especially ones with extra fiber and omega 3s from flaxseed!

Soup - not this week!

Salads: homemade chummus, eggplant with techina, vegetarian liver, cabbage salad, kishuim, peppers, and garlic roasted in balsamic vinegar, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, probably olives and pickles (canned) as well

Cholent - I almost always make a Black Bean Vegan Cholent, sometimes with Vegan Kishke. I'll try to make the kishke - not sure if I'll get to it. (Still haven't posted the recipe, sorry!)

Main Dish: Oven Fried Chicken and Baked Shnitzels, Tofu Shnitzels for the vegetarian(s)

Side Dishes: Butternut Squash Kugel, Potato Kugel, Apple Kugel, Brown Rice with Wild Rice

Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Seudah Shlishit: Challah rolls, PB&J, egg salad, grapefruit halves, Carrot Muffins

Breakfast and Snacks: Banana Muffins, Popcorn, Spicy Roasted Chick Peas, perhaps popsicles

What are you making for Shabbat?

Shabbat Menu Planning

Here's my plan for this post-Pesach Shabbat!

I'm still a bit under the weather (yes, it's getting ridiculous already), so I hope this plan is not too ambitious. Most of the oven cooking will be done all at the same time, and I'm putting my kids to work chopping all the various vegetables...

Fresh Challot
Vegetable-noodle soup
Black bean Cholent with vegetarian kishke (have to write up that recipe someday soon)
Oven Fried Chicken
Baked Rice with garlic
Apple Crisp
Roasted Vegetables (I've got kohlrabi, kishuim, eggplant, and peppers)
Make your own salad

For seudah shlishit, I'm making challah rolls and salads:
pasta salad
potato salad
chumus
cut veggies

For dessert, I will have one of the kids make a chocolate chip cake 

What's on your Shabbat menu?

Shabbat Menu!

Surprise! We are home for Shabbat instead of going away.

This means 2 things - we did have to do some shopping this week after all, but at least we took advantage of it and got a couple of 9 shekel/kg chickens (and promptly froze them, as whole chicken was not in my plans this week), and we'll be colder than we'd thought, as our heat doesn't work so well... one day we'll save enough to actually replace it with a better system for our first floor.

But we shouldn't be too cold! It's amazing how much the platta, when placed in the middle of the kitchen, warms the downstairs of our house. And we have nice, warm down comforters ! And I really really want to just stay home wrapped in a blanket this Shabbat if I have to be home.

But anyways, here's my cooking plan:

Challot (from the freezer)
Vegetable soup
Oven-fried shnitzel
Garlic and herb chicken wings
Tofu shnitzels for the vegetarian
Kugels from the freezer
Rice
Make your own salad
Black Bean Cholent

Dessert will be chocolate chip cake and cinnamon cake

And I don't know what Seudah Shlishit will be, but by the time Shabbat starts, I'll have something.

What's on your menu?

Menu Plan for the week

By now, you all know how I feel about menu plans. Having one is good, even if I don't stick to it perfectly. Not having one means we are always scrambling and we don't eat anything resembling balanced meals. SO -- here's my plan for suppers for this week:





Sunday night -Vegetable Soup, Tuna Patties, Oven-fries

Monday night - Shabbat Leftovers

Tuesday night - Sloppy Sams on Fresh Rolls, Salad, Roasted Root Vegetables

Wednesday night - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato soup with rice, carrots and cucumbers

Thursday night - Pasta of some sort, Make your own salad

What about lunches, you ask?

Good question.

I've been having a harder time with lunches lately, and I'm not sure why. Maybe when I say "I'll serve leftovers" I forget that with one teenage boy and one almost teenage boy in the house, there are rarely any substantial leftovers around. So I plan to serve pasta some days, soup other days, and we'll supplement with sandwiches, vegetables, eggs, and fruit. We are well stocked with peanut butter!

The end of the week will likely be a little nutty, as we plan to host yet another kiddush. I'll post my plan for that soon!

Shabbat Menu!

It's that time again, when I try to come up with my Shabbat menu, and then I fall back on all my old stand-bys (my family isn't feeling adventurous these days).

So I made sure to have the basics in the house - but I don't have much for a green or Israeli salad yet. I assume I can rectify that situation soon.

So here's the plan:

Friday night: Us plus several guests

Whole Wheat and Oat Bran Challot
Vegetable Soup
Salads: Purple cabbage salad, roasted eggplant and peppers, lentil salad with persimmons and craisins, (and hopefully green salad with honey-cinnamon oranges or an Israeli salad)
Spicy Roast chicken
Rice
Potato Kugel
Butternut Squash (not sure yet what recipe)
Black Bean "meatballs" with sweet and sour sauce (for the vegetarian)
Apple Crisp

Dessert will be chocolate cake and tea

Shabbat lunch:

Challot
Black bean cholent
Baked shnitzel
Potato Kugel
Salads

Now that I know what I have to make, I really ought to get to work. So far all I've done is put the black beans up to soak and pull some chicken out of the freezer to defrost. 

I think it's going to be a long night ahead of me.
What about you?

More Post-Pesach Wrap-Up

Things I learned about Pesach shopping:

I bought too much potato starch and shredded coconut and chocolate and chocolate chips.
See, I had visions of making TONS of baking experiments and turning my kitchen into Pesach Pastry Central, BUT two things got in my way - life, and a lack of flaxseed. I did not check enough flaxseeds to fuel all my eggless baking experiments!

So for next year, I plan to check a whole lot more flaxseed. And perhaps buy a little less chocolate and potato starch and coconut. Or not.

And next year, I'm going to kasher the little kitchen long before the big kitchen, and get pesach baking and cooking underway very early! 

I'm just warning you now.
Or asking you to remind me to change my little kitchen over a week after Purim...
:-)

The Chagim are coming!

It's Elul, and that means a few things.

1. Time for some introspection.

2. Time to mend our ways.

3. Time to start a new "school" year.

4. Time to start thinking about the chagim.

I guess before I can really plan my menus, I must solidify my plans. Whether we'll be away at all, who is coming over when... those silly details!

But I can start planning my menus anyhow!

Are you planning yours?

So far, I have a list of things to bake (this is for all the chagim, I plan to fill up the freezer!):

Round sweet challot
Honey Cake
Brownies
Banana Cake
Cornmeal and Molasses muffins
Molasses Cookies
Apple Pie

More lists coming in the next few days!

(And I will try to post recipes over the next two weeks)

I'd love to hear what you are making!

Last Minute Supper Plan!

For some reason, when it is this hot, I get the feeling that time slips past me, and dinnertime is always here before I am ready. Either that, or I delusionally believe someone else will take care of the meal-prep task FOR me.

In any case, so we are having the last minute supper crisis. The kids are outside playing and I expect them to walk in the door in a little over half an hour. They'll be hot, thirsty, and hungry.

I am still kind of low on groceries, as I went to one of the local supermarkets and discovered that vegetables have gotten outrageously expensive!

But here's the plan:

Cucumber slices
Watermelon
Pea Soup (not split pea soup, this soup is made with frozen peas. It's simply sauteed onion and garlic, frozen peas, vegetable stock, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil. Puree. Serve. Easy and fast!)
Pita triangles with melted cheese (I have a couple of slices of cheese left for the week. I guess I should use them up)
Cottage Cheese and grilled peaches...

That ought to do it.
Ok now I have about 1/2 an hour to pull it all together!

Shopping Habits

I just evaluated our grocery purchases over the past month and discovered that I overbought some things (that's ok, they are dry goods and will last) and underbought others.

Like rice. I totally ran out of rice a week before I thought I would.
And black beans. Same thing.
But I have 2 extra kg of red lentils...

So now, it is time to re-work the staples list, so next time I can plan better!

Do you have a "monthly staples" list?

Mine has been in my head for a while. But I think it may be time to write it down, and keep track of our actual usage...