What you REALLY need for Pesach

 Pesach's almost here! And the stores are getting full of special foods for Pesach. And isn't that so exciting?!
But then, you start to pile them into your shopping cart, and you suddenly realize that the cost really ADDS UP FAST. Uh oh. What about that little thing called "a budget"?

Here's the thing. Pesach is ONE week. So if you can make it one week without buying premade cakes and cookies and crackers and who knows what else, you'll save a lot of money.

There are some things you really do need for Pesach:

Matzah

Grape Juice or Wine

Maror (this can be lettuce! But I also bought a small piece of horseradish for about 6 NIS at Yesh)

Karpas (Potatoes or Celery)

Charoset (I always have to improvise this one because of my nut allergy and other family members' uncooked apple allergies. (So much fun!) Last year I made a stewed fruit charoset - chopped apples stewed with cinnamon, raisins, dates, and grape juice. I might have put some dried apricots in there but that's no longer an option for me due to another allergy popping up. It worked out well, though, so I'll probably do something similar again.)

Salt

Other basics for things you like to eat.

I make sure we have these foods available:

Chicken (whatever's on sale leading up to the holiday)

Beef if there's a good sale or if I stocked up another time and there's some in my freezer labeled Kosher for Pesach

Fish fillets if there's a good sale or if I stocked up another time and there's some in my freezer labeled Kosher for Pesach

Eggs

Oil

Butter

Jelly

Cream Cheese

Basic fruits and vegetables (including potatoes and onions because we MUST have potato kugel)

Ingredients for brownies not already listed above: potato starch, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips

If we buy tomato paste and cheese, we can make matzah pizza or matzah lasagna, so we try to make sure there's some of that around.

I like to make a HUGE vegetable soup at the beginning of the chag and use it for the chag and also several days of Chol Hamoed - this way there's food around.

I am committed to avoiding making anything that takes too much time or energy so that also will keep my expenses down.

Everything else is extra. My family really likes eating kneidlach and pesach rolls so having a couple packages of matzah meal on hand is good - but I don't personally make these anymore because my wheat allergy gets activated when I touch wheat-based products and any matzah meal dust in the air is hazardous to me...

I personally stock up at Pesach on things that are not going to contain traces of wheat at this time, but you don't need to if you don't have a reason to! So don't go crazy. 

If it's been a tough year for you financially, you can do this simply. Just make sure you have brownies on hand to keep everyone happy - make the recipe I posted and you can't go wrong! Warning: You may have to make a batch every day😀.

Do you have other "must-haves" for Pesach? Let me know!

Shabbat Menu

We're still in super-simple food mode, as my hand is still recuperating from that burn. It's much improved, but I'm not quite ready for doing things like making challah, yet. Soon, I hope!

So here's the plan for Shabbat:



Store-bought challah
Vegetable Soup
Super Simple Spicy Roast chicken with Rice
(Plain Rice for the vegetarian)
Roasted Veggies - whatever we have around (Kishuim, Various Root vegetables, not sure what else is here)
Apple Crisp
Cabbage Salad
Cucumbers and Tomatoes
Black Bean Cholent for Lunch
Melon and other fruit for dessert

For seudah shlishit, we'll have challah, egg salad and some vegetables (or leftover vegetables/salad from lunch)

Mostly this means cutting up some vegetables (my kids can help) and cleaning a chicken. Everything after those stages just gets thrown together, either in the oven or in a pot on the stove!

What's doing for Shabbat at your house?

Pesach No-Pasta-Minestrone Soup

I'm really feeling like it's possible to enjoy the simplicity of food on Pesach. There are fewer options available to me in my non-kitniyot kitchen than I normally have on hand, but it's ok. We're all eating and doing just fine.

Here's one favorite of the week:

Pesach No-Pasta-Minestrone Soup

1-2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 sweet peppers (whatever color), diced
2-3 kishuim, diced
4 carrots, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
any other vegetables you want - I added celery and mushrooms as well, feel free to add whatever works for you!
1 can tomato paste
water
seasonings - salt, pepper, basil, oregano, etc

Here's my quick and easy soup method.

Place oil in pot. Add all the chopped/diced vegetables (including the garlic). Turn flame on to medium-high and start cooking those vegetables, stirring frequently (I use a trusty wooden spoon). When they are softened, add liquids and seasonings, and stir well. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the flame to simmer for 10-20 min.


Soup's done and you're all set for (the start of) a great meal!

This soup served 6 plus a few leftover portions for the next day. 

I bought a ton of soup vegetables for Pesach, figuring between soups and baked potatoes I can get a bunch of easy meals together for the family.

What's your family eating this Pesach?

Menu for the Week

It's that time of the week again - you know, when I realize that if I don't plan out certain things, we'll just get STUCK!

Among all the other things requiring my attention is our menu planning.

So here' what we're having this week:






Breakfasts: muffins, oatmeal, toast, cereal, fruit

Lunches: Soups, sandwiches, random leftovers

Suppers: Sunday: Shabbat leftovers
Monday: Vegetable-Barley Soup, Fresh whole wheat dinner rolls with butter
Tuesday: Split Pea Soup, ??
Wednesday: Baked Ziti, Salad
Thursday: Spicy Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs, Salad

Of course, this menu is subject to change according to my mood!

What's your menu for the week look like?

Lunch!

I don't usually bother to post lunches but  we are having our first watermelon of the season and I just wanted to share it.

Lunch today is grilled cheese sandwiches, cherry tomatoes (got some for 2.90/kg), and watermelon. Simple stuff, but everyone is happy to have them!

THIS is what summer feels like! I love when we can just cut open a watermelon and enjoy its sweet juiciness...

What's your favorite summer treat?

I'm waiting for grapes to come into season! I love summer fruits. And smoothies made with them...

Shabbat Menu

It's time to post a Shabbat menu and time to start cooking it too!

Here's what we're having (trying to get everything into the oven at the same time, too) - same stuff for Friday night and Shabbat lunch!




Challot (I bought this week - can you believe it? It's just very very busy here right now, and made sense)
Roast chicken (rubbed with spices, and with lots of onion)
Apple crisp
Roast kishuim (summer squash) 
Eggplant in tomato sauce
Noodles with lentils
Cornbread (yes, I have a vegan version)

Melon (we have two kinds) and grapes for dessert

For seudah shlishit (we've been feeling like we need a more substantial one lately):

Challah with spreads - chumus, peanut butter, cream cheese, egg salad for the egg eaters. There is only so long I can make my family go without eggs because I think one of us may be allergic to it...
Pasta (not sure how I'm preparing it)
Cut veggies
Plums

What are you making for Shabbat?

Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashana is Sunday night.

I am so not ready, but I'm trying.

I do not want to be in the kitchen all week, so I'm *trying* to keep it simple. My menu is far from gourmet, so if you're looking for gourmet, you're going to have to look somewhere else!

Here's the plan:

Pareve Foods: 

Round Honey Challot (hopefully I'll get the round weaving thing!!)

Split pea soup (I happen to still have a lot of split peas in the house...)

Maple-roasted pumpkin (my girls LOVED it last Shabbat!)

Apple Kugel (already made)

Roasted potatoes

Make-your-own-salad

Grilled zucchini

Toasted Barley with mushrooms (I have some frozen, sliced mushrooms I got on sale a LONG time ago hanging out in the freezer)



I'm making at least one milchig meal -

Spinach lasagna

Some sort of quiche - we'll see what is affordable later in the week

Desserts:

Honey Cake (already made)

Brownies

Molasses Cookies

Apple Pie

Now, I just need to print this out, hang it up on the fridge, and get to work! Some of these things I will double or triple so we have for other meals as well...

Of course, we'll be having apples and honey, and a new fruit as well.

Shana Tova!

Please let me know what you're making!

Shabbat Menu planning

Keeping it simple this Shabbat. I am so not in the mood to be in the kitchen all day Friday!

So... quick! What's in my freezer stash?
Here's what we're having, serving the same thing for Friday night and for Shabbat Lunch

(I might even buy challot, just cuz life is so busy right now! All good, don't worry)
Chicken with onions, garlic, ginger, and pineapple juice (from freezer)
Rice with mushrooms (from freezer)
Vegetable-noodle kugel (from freezer)
Carrot kugel (from freezer)
Roasted kishuim (making fresh)
make your own salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, avocado, and whatever else I find


Cherries (got some for a decent price, finally!) and other fruit for dessert

Tamari and Noodle Vegetable Soup

It started out as a vegetable and potato soup, but after dicing one potato I decided to change it.

I diced: 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 large carrots, 1 large potato, 1/2 head of cabbage, 2 stalks of celery.

Heat olive oil in pot, then add diced vegetables. Stir frequently while cooking. Cook them about 15 min. like this. Add Tamari sauce, a splash of vinegar, some honey, ginger, and ground black pepper. Simmer for 5 min or so. Add water to cover, and more. Bring to a rolling boil. Add a package of noodles. Cook for an addtional 5 min. Serve hot.

We made a meal out of this and some oat bran muffins (not very sweet).

Not Gourmet

I am a busy person. I used to cook all sorts of complicated recipes, and I really enjoyed the challenge. Now, though, I don't have time for that. And my kids like simple flavors better, so I rarely use recipes (sometimes recipe is a stretch, I improvise so much!) that have multiple stages, more than one bowl, or complicated instructions (that's why there won't be any recipes that require that you separate eggs and beat the whites). These menus are for people like me - people who have busy lives and, perhaps, picky kids.