Time to plan our weekly menu! When it's this warm, I have a hard time getting motivated to cook, unfortunately, so it's actually more important than ever to have a PLAN. That way I don't have to think much, instead I can just look at the list and just.do.it.
Tonight we had Polenta Pizza (with Cheese for the dairy eaters, with Nutritional Yeast for those who don't eat Dairy, Steamed Broccoli, and Cherry Tomatoes
Monday: Embellished Shabbat Leftovers
Tuesday: ?? Still up in the air with our plans for Tuesday, so we'll just have to "wing it"
Wednesday: Scrambled eggs, French Fries, Whatever veggies need to be used up
Thursday: Baked Ziti (+ a wheat free, dairy free alternative for me), Salad, Balsamic vinegar Roasted Red/Yellow Peppers (I got a lot of peppers really cheap on Friday, and while I can wrap them well to make them last, they will need to be used up on Thursday)
Lunches will be completely totally random whatever we are in the mood to pull together. I'm counting on my kids to help me out here! (we had tuna and egg salad sandwiches and salad today, we'll probably have more sandwiches or rice and lentils most of the week...)
I am going to try out something new though - I'll make a huge batch of pancakes tonight that the kids can warm in the toaster oven for breakfast tomorrow and maybe Tuesday... oatmeal doesn't have lots of takers, lately, and some of my children have taken to eating very little for breakfast. Gotta fix that, because they do get hungry!
What do you feed your family when it's this hot?
Once again, I sit here planning my menu. Not because I want to cook in advance... it's because this cuts down on impulse spending and last minute scrambling for food, which often turns into an expensive endeavor.
I've got to feed a family of six, including two teenage boys, every meal, every day of the week (plus random guests and friends). Some of you have bigger households, and some have smaller households, but for any household looking to reduce expenses, I believe having a plan makes a HUGE difference and can really help everyone spend a little (or a lot) less.
This week is a minimal grocery shoping week for me, as I want to make room in the freezer and I realized there are too many random odds and ends piling up in there.
So this is a mostly pantry challenge type menu! I'm planning suppers, but of course we'll eat breakfast - probably oatmeal/muffins/branflakes/fruit and lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers from other days' suppers.
Sunday - Pasta Two Ways (wheat free pasta with tons of sauteed veggies, and traditional baked ziti for those who eat wheat and dairy), salad
Monday - Shabbat leftovers embellished with freezer findings
Tuesday - Smorgasbord of freezer findings
Wednesday - Soup using freezer findings, tuna and seaweed patties (chick pea fritters for the ones who won't eat fish), baked potatoes (I've had a bag of seaweed sitting here for a while, time to use it!)
Thursday - leftovers from the week or more pasta and veggies
Do you menu plan? I'd love to hear your thoughts about this tactic!
My kids complained that lately I've been neglecting my duties and haven't been posting our weekly menu.
Something about teenage boys always wanting know what the next meal is going to be!
So here's the plan:
Sunday night: Vegetable soup, Brown Rice, Scrambled Eggs, Cucumbers and techina
Monday night: Embellished Shabbat leftovers
Tuesday night: Baked potatoes with various toppings, vegetable sticks with chumus, and Red Lentil Soup
Wednesday night: Homemade dinner rolls with spreads and Minestrone soup
Thursday night: Any leftovers from the week
Lunches - gosh knows what. I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll find something most days!!
Since we have a month to go till Pesach, I decided it is HIGH time we get a move on using up our pantry/freezer stash.
So the plan for the week is to use whatever we can from the freezer! But I will buy fresh milk and fruits and vegetables.
We have all sorts of random foods to use up, so that's what we're doing.
What about you?
(Some things we have are single servings of salmon, pans of pasta, containers of soup, and I'm sure plenty of other foods I will find as I embark on my archaeology expedition!)
Let me know if you're also doing a pantry challenge!
(We will have fresh food for Shabbat, though, I'm reserving my pantry challenge for weekdays only at the moment)
I'd love to hear about your pantry challenge!
Tonight I found a couple of packages of gnocchi hanging out in the pantry, some fried fish, some corn shnitzels, and served that with some of the veggies/salads we had in the fridge.
Tomorrow, we'll have another surprise for supper, and I'm making tomato-rice soup for lunch, using leftover rice from Purim seudah.
This week's menu is going to be variations on the theme "Easy" - I seem to have a lot to do this week besides my regular routine (that already keeps me quite busy).
Lunches will be soups and pasta and sandwiches and whatever veggies we have on hand.
Suppers:
Sunday: Mushroom barley stew, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, cut veggies
Monday: Shabbat leftovers
Tuesday: Split Pea Soup, Roasted Vegetable Casserole
Wednesday: Scrambled eggs, Salad, Baked Potatoes
Thursday: Anything left from the week
Looks like Thursday I have a whole bunch of cooking and baking to do - we may be hosting a siyum/kiddush this Shabbat (local friends who read my blog, take note!)! If it happens, I will try to post my plan for that too!
Time to plan my weekly supper menu, before we run into some crisis and the kids start bugging me to order pizza on a random night (they try that pretty frequently but I try not to give in...)!
So here's the plan. It might be a little boring, but I'm trying not to shop much this week:
Sunday night: Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, fresh vegetable sticks
Monday night: Shabbat leftovers
Tuesday night: Homemade dinner rolls or bagels (depends how much energy I have), cream cheese, mushroom-barley soup
Wednesday night: Black bean and tomato soup, baked potatoes, whatever fresh vegetables need to be used up.
Thursday night: Split pea soup, random leftovers from the week
Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches or pancakes...
What's your plan for keeping your family fed for the week?
This has been a whirlwind month, but now we are entering our first week since late July when we do not have guests from overseas staying with us. And the Bar Mitzvah (of our second son) has come and gone, and it was wonderful and emotional and crazy and more...
But now, it's basically time to get back to normal, whatever that means. Our new normal is not working so well for me, so it's time to set things up anew. That means convincing a 7 year old that she's tired enough to go to sleep around 8:30 pm! I'll let you know how that one goes...
And of course, it means getting back to menu planning, especially since the Chagim (Holidays) are really sneaking up on us!
Anyhow, so, since I haven't done a really good grocery shopping run in a while, my meals may seem a bit haphazard, but I'll try to make sure we stock up on some basics later in the week!
Here's the plan right now:
Sunday lunch: felafel
Sunday supper: pasta with tomato sauce and cheese
Monday lunch: pancakes, cottage cheese, fruit
Monday supper: rice, black bean crumbles in tomato sauce, steamed or roasted veggies (whatever I dig up)
Tuesday lunch: Sandwiches and cut veggies
Tuesday supper: ??
Wed lunch: Sandwiches and cut veggies
Wed supper: lentil sloppy sams, fresh rolls, steamed veggies
Thursday lunch: leftovers from the week/fridge cleanout lunch
Thursday supper: quick garlic breadsticks, scrambled eggs, salad
What's on your menu?
It's that after-the-holiday time now, and time to plan my week from all sorts of angles. As it turns out, I actually have a super busy week ahead, with more than enough to keep me busy! And I don't want to end up having food crises, because hungry kids are not happy kids...
So here's the FOOD plan:
Monday:
Lunch - Dairy and Pareve leftovers from Chag
Supper - Shabbat leftovers (including chicken, cholent, potato kugel, broccoli...)
Tuesday
Lunch: Lentil Patties, Baked Potatoes, carrot sticks
Supper: Macaroni and Cheese
Wednesday
Lunch: Baked Potatoes with various toppings, hard boiled eggs, make-your-own-salad
Supper: Pizza (quick crust recipe)
Thursday
Lunch: Sandwiches, carrots and celery sticks
Supper: Any leftovers from the week!
Alright - it is time to face reality and get back into "things", including making sure we eat properly this week, without spending a fortune - I really don't want to spend more than 100 shekels this week on groceries, as last week, our post-Pesach shopping was BIG, and I hadn't really intended that...
So here's the plan, focusing on using up what I have in the house, especially those carrots, tomatoes, cabbages, and cucumbers we got for 1 shekel/kg!
Lunches: Soups, sandwiches, salads and leftovers from supper
Suppers:
Sunday: Pasta (whole wheat) with tomato sauce (and veggies) and cheese, carrot and cucumber sticks
Monday: Sloppy sams, homemade rolls, carrot and cucumber sticks, cabbage salad
Tuesday: Split pea soup, Rice, Stir-fried vegetables (cabbage, carrots, kohlrabi, onions, peppers) with cashews
Wednesday: Crock-Pot Mushroom-Vegetable-Barley Stew, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, tomato and chick pea salad
Thursday: Felafel night? I think, as it's Yom Ha'atzma'ut!
What's on your table this week?
Hi everyone! It's Monday afternoon already. That seems to be the time I get around to sitting down and planning my weekly menu. I guess I'll just have to go with it for now.
Doesn't life always seem to get busy?
I know it's easiest to function when things are busy when there is some sort of plan in place, so here's my menu plan for the week (feeding the family seems to be one of those things I just can't skip):
Sunday
Lunch: Vegetable soup with noodles
Supper: Embellished Shabbat leftovers
Monday
Lunch: Red lentil soup (spiced with onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, hot pepper, and salt. Yum)
Supper: Grilled cheese sandwiches? cucumbers, carrots, and red peppers
Tuesday
Lunch: Pancakes, veggies
Supper: Baked ziti, salad, steamed kishuim
Wednesday
Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches, veggies
Supper: Tomato soup with rice, tuna patties, salad
Thursday
Lunch: any leftovers from the week
Supper: Vegetable soup, Spaghetti with tomato-vegetable sauce (and cheese for the cheese eaters), salad
It's turning into a crazy week for me - there is no hot water in my house still, and my hands are cracked and bleeding from washing vegetables, dishes, and my hands in F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G cold water! I truly hope I can get the plumber to come here tomorrow and figure out the extent of our problem (is it a quick small repair, or a large, very expensive repair?), and maybe even shut off the dud shemesh so we can use the electric boiler if we have to wait to repair it.
Anyhow, because of this craziness I anticipate a lot of time shuttling off to shower outside of our home, and a lot of time waiting around for a plumber. (Just trying to be realistic!) So not much time for shopping.
So who knows how much of this menu I'll stick to! But I'll give it a try. And forgive the question marks, some of my menu depends upon what produce I end up buying this week - but I never know what I'll find when for a great deal!
Sunday
Lunch: vegetable and lentil stew, crackers and chumus
Supper, pancakes, roast potatoes, unstuffed cabbage, and leftover soup with noodles
Monday
Lunch: Sandwiches and cut vegetables
Supper: Baked ziti, steamed kishuim
Tuesday
Lunch: Red Lentil Soup, ???
Supper: Chinese-style vegetable soup, Rice, tuna patties
Wednesday
Lunch: Sandwiches, leftover soup
Supper: Tomato soup, Rice, Red lentil patties, vegetable sticks
Thursday
Lunch: All leftovers from the week
Supper: Pizza, salad, ???
What's your plan for the week?
We are pretty well stocked up at the moment, and I see no reason to go out and buy anything this week - especially with a cold winter storm on the way (with the exception of milk and a few fruits and veggies, which I plan to get today when I'm out (we're out of apples and carrots and down to only 2 bananas!). Although I reserve the right to stock up on something if there is a "can't miss" sale, but I haven't seen that yet, and I don't plan to do much running around...
So, we have plenty of legumes, rice, pasta, and most staples, and we even have a lot of veggies, either fresh or frozen. Here's what I came up with using the things I see I have on hand:
Monday:
Lunch: Pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables, (rice or baked potato for the kids who aren't feeling great)
Supper: Split Pea Soup, baked sweet potatoes, and fresh bread with spreads
Tuesday:
Lunch: Lentil and vegetable stew (leftover from Sunday), sandwiches if anyone wants, using Monday's bread
Supper: Vegetable soup with noodles, Rice, Black bean "burgers"
Wednesday:
Lunch: Split pea soup (leftover from Monday) with some kind of muffins
Supper: Tuna patties with Wakame, roasted potato wedges, salad
Thursday:
Lunch: any and all leftovers
Supper: Eggplant lasagna (I have breaded eggplant in the freezer), baked ziti from the freezer for those who won't eat eggplant, Green Vegetable Soup
For snacks, we have muffins (my freezer is well stocked with muffins), banana cakes galore in the freezer, kiwis I picked up for 2 shekels/kg because they are funny shapes, oranges, and some homemade granola; We also have cakes from the kiddush in the freezer if there's any reason to pull out cake!
I truly hope I don't spend more than 50 shekels this week on groceries! Anyone else feel like doing a pantry challenge this week?
Here's my thrown-together menu for the week, based loosely on staples I know I have in the house. I'm going to have to assume I can manage to get some decently priced fruits and vegetables Monday or Tuesday...
Breakfast will be oatmeal, toast, whatever
Lunches will be sandwiches or leftovers from the previous night.
Here are the Suppers:
Sunday: Fresh Whole Wheat Dinner rolls, Black Bean and Tomato Soup, Scrambled eggs, Cut veggies
Monday: Embellished Shabbat Leftovers
Tuesday: Split Pea Soup, Baked Ziti, Cut veggies
Wednesday: Tomato-Rice Soup, Lentil Patties on fresh rolls, veggies
Thursday: Soup? Oven fries, tuna patties? really not sure about this meal, actually! (feel free to share ideas!)
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?
Time to plan again, because without planning I tend to get stuck in a rut. And that is not a place I like to be, and truthfully, my kids and husband hate it when I'm there, and tend to ask for pizza A LOT.
Does that happen to you as well?
So here's the plan:
Lunches will be stews or leftovers from suppers.
Sunday night was Shabbat leftovers
Monday night: Red Lentil Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, carrot and cucumber sticks
Tuesday night: Baked Ziti, Salad, Quick Garlic Breadsticks
Wednesday night: Vegetable-Barley or Mushroom-Barley Soup,
Whole Wheat dinner rolls with spreads
Thursday night: Scrambled eggs, Baked potatoes, cut veggies with dips
This plan is subject to change! It usually gets changed up here and there!
How are you with meal planning?
I'm hoping to buy very little this week, but I will be buying fresh milk, and fruits and veggies. Other than that, I am trying to do a pantry challenge!
So here's the plan: breakfasts will be mostly oatmeal and fruit
Lunches will be random - sandwiches and veggies, or leftovers from the previous night's supper.
Suppers:
Sunday night: Shabbat Leftovers
Monday night: Lentil and vegetable soup, Rice, stir fried veggies
Tuesday night: Baked Ziti, Cut vegetables
Wednesday night: Scrambled eggs, Corn bread muffins, salad
Thursday night: Garlic bread, Vegetable-Barley Soup, ??
Anyone else out there trying not to shop? How's your pantry stocked?
Five out of six of us are sick - we seem to have caught a nasty summer cold.
I'm hoping it clears up soon, but with all but the 9 yr old sick, we'll just be eating whatever I have the energy to pull together.
Here are some of the easy-to-prepare foods I've got around:
Pasta with veggies (found that in the freezer)
Other pasta (have about 3 bags of pasta in the house)
Noodle soup left from shabbat
Lentil soup
Split pea soup
Baked potatoes (planning to scrub and bake a whole oven-full of those just as soon as I can get myself into the kitchen, that way they are here and ready to be used whenever)
Scrambled eggs
And whatever else we can manage until I'm feeling less feverish.
Luckily, no one is too hungry and everyone has been fine with tea and toast so far today!
Has anyone else caught this stinkin' summer cold?
How are you all holding up?
p.s. Did you check out my "what I'd bring on my lift" list yet?
I keep shoving things into my freezer and it's time to use some of it up.
In reality, my pantry shelves are getting a little bare, but I have too much in my freezer, so I'm hoping to get away with minimal shopping this week.
(Full disclosure, I will buy a few things - fresh milk and some fresh produce, plus I really am low on olive oil so I need to restock that, and perhaps a couple of bags of pasta and cornmeal, since I'm out of those essentials...)
So the plan is to do a mostly pantry challenge week - so we use up things that have been hanging around for a while. In light of that, I'm not planning a menu, I'm just going to have to see what I find in the freezer and fridge to use up and DO it.
I'll try to blog some interesting menus during the week! I know there's a strange mix of stuff in my freezer!
Anyone else doing a pantry challenge?
I'm actually sharing a picture of my ridiculously over-full freezer for all of you to see. PLEASE don't jump down my throat if you see something odd or completely junky in there. Yes, even here, we occasionally succumb to temptation and buy the junk! Please be kind to me when I just bared the contents of my normally private freezer.
(I feel so exposed.)
So far this week has been some roller coaster ride.
Here in Israel, the entire country is anxiously awaiting good news about the 3 boys who were kidnapped. Theoughts of them and prayers for them have taken over much of our time.
In addition, we still have to live regular life. We're in the middle of recital season and summer is starting; excitement is in the air.
And regular life means work, learning, appointments, and paperwork and whatever comes our way -- it all still needs to be dealt with.
And with all that, I never planned my week's meals. And you can tell, as twice so far this week I've ended up picking up packages of pitot, and it's only Monday! Woops.
So now, I'm making a plan.
Tues - lunch - pancakes, scrambled eggs, yogurt and salad
supper - baked ziti (with goat cheese and veggies) and salad
Wed - lunch - sandwiches, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, etc
supper - rice and stir fried veggies, not sure what else - some of sort of vegetable pancakes with a dipping sauce, perhaps.
Thurs - lunch - leftovers from the week
supper - pizza on quick pizza crusts, salad
Friday - lunch - not sure at all. we'll see if I'm in the mood to cook anything, or if we just go play at the pool, have slushies and snacks...
Shabbat is a "freezer take-out" Shabbat. Gotta make room in the freezer for new things I want to make!
How's your week coming along?
Somehow, my supplies are beginning to run low!
I'm out of oats, black beans, split peas, and sugar. Almost out of pasta, rice, green lentils, honey, and chick peas.
I wasn't actually planning to do much shopping this week, so I guess we'll be "making do"
One day this week I plan to make some food for a friend who just had a baby, so I'm sure I will end up buying a few supplies to make her a nice meal! (Thinking of making her a lasagna. Or maybe not. I will have to see what I have on hand when I actually get around to cooking! She's a fish-eating vegetarian.)
Here's the plan:
Lunches will be sandwiches and soups and leftovers from supper
Suppers (just listing the main components)
Sunday: Pasta with tomato sauce and veggies and goat cheese
Monday: Whatever is left from Shabbat, supplemented with a fresh potato kugel
Tuesday: Cornbread and Scrambled Eggs (will improvise for the egg allergic daughter)
Wednesday: Baked Potatoes, Something with frozen peas
Thursday: Celebratory post-dance recital meal out ?
Do you plan your weekly menu? Let me know what's on yours this week!
