I know it's a little late, but while the challahs are baking I wanted to post the menu I made for this week. I can't express enough how much easier having a menu has made all the dinner prep. I am sold on the idea and hope to continue this new-found good habit, b"eH.
You'll notice that a number of the dishes at the beginning of the week are from Shabbos. There is actually a concept that's popular now called OAMC, or Once A Month Cooking. People who do this set aside one day a month for an all-day cooking session to prepare large quantities of dishes they will freeze and serve throughout the month.
Cooking extra for Shabbos is a similar idea, only on a weekly level. Either you're prepared for unexpected company, as some of us are fortunate to have regularly (I guess that makes them expected, then), or you have leftovers for weekdays. Basically, you just make more of what you're planning on making for the Shabbos meals and carry the extras over into the week to make life a little easier.
Highlights from the menu below were the squash soup, the dinner rolls and the cookies. The rolls were unbelievable - "light, fluffy, pieces of heaven" as we termed them. I found the recipe on my favorite recipe site, http://www.recipezaar.com/. They are the top-rated breadmachine roll, and for good reason. The chocolate chip cookies were possibly the best I have ever made. I finally followed my sous-chef's advice and made sure not to overcook them. Two words - yuh mee.
Sunday:
Shabbos Leftovers (chicken, zucchini, rice)
Monday:
Apricot Chicken (Easy and the kids like it)
Corn Salad with red pepper and peas (from Shabbos)
Apple Cranberry Bake (from Shabbos)
Tuesday:
Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup
Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon
Bulgur and Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms (I must admit, it sounds better than it tasted)
Wednesday:
Sloppy Joes on Homemade Dinner Rolls (made in the breadmachine)
Mashed Potatoes
Greenbeans
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thursday:
Pasta
Salad
Pretty impressive, Naam. My gastronomic achievement of the week was stuffed butternut squash! It's reassuring to know that my grandchildren are well fed.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I must admit, though, the salmon was for the grown-ups; the kids had fish rings, their favorite.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I made your lentil soup recipe, but it came out more like stew for some reason. Still delish, and good with a little plain yogurt added, too.