Sometimes I get asked: “Do you cook dinner EVERY night?” Well. That’s a rather personal question. The question is predicated on the fact that I have a lot of peeps to feed, that I keep strictly kosher, and that I work. So here’s the answer, for posterity.
NO.
Here’s my system. Please bear in mind that:
- As confessed previously, I am not a foodie (that’s code for “I don’t like to cook”)
- I am not a health nut, though I try to upgrade my food wherever possible, like using brown rice and Barilla plus pasta
- I only cook things that are very, very, very easy.
- I also serve some kind of salad/veggie at every meal so I’m not listing that, plus the occasional soup when I’m feeling domestic.
Sunday is mac ‘n cheese. We usually have some leftovers from Shabbat, but most of us don’t want to even look at them, including myself so I can’t even get annoyed. We usually run around on Sunday either doing stuff with the kids, catching up on home jobs, and/or chauffeuring the kids to various activities, so it’s gotta be quick and easy.
Monday is always dairy night or pareve (neither meat nor dairy). Since we keep kosher, the menu plan always breaks down to either meat-based or dairy-based. I usually serve fish on Monday too, so like salmon and quiche; lasagna; tuna casserole; sushi salad (basically unrolled sushi).
Tuesday is chicken night. Baked chicken; drumsticks in the crock pot; Asian stirfry. Sides would be couscous, rice, quinoa, or potatoes. I have a rice cooker. It rocks.
Wednesday is meat night. Usually ground beef cuz it’s cheap and everyone likes it. I usually mix it with ground turkey (1/2 and 1/2) for health purposes, to the chagrin of my unhealthy children. Some choices would be spaghetti and meatballs; unstuffed cabbage (the lazy girl’s way to pretend you know how to cook Hungarian); beef stirfry. I don’t buy roasts or anything fancy, aside from a special Shabbat or holidays.
Thursday is pizza night. Usually we order it; rarely we go out; occasionally I make it myself. Thursday night I am already prepping for Shabbat so I go the easy route.
Friday night is… Shabbat! I pull out all the stops. Well, for me 🙂 I still only make things that are very, very easy, but I have lots of yummy food. Shabbat gets its own blog post, so stay tuned.
Saturday night we are all full from all the Shabbat delicacies. I usually retire without eating any major dinner; my kids might fix themselves grilled cheese or something, and my hubby always enjoys leftovers!
And of course there’s always the occasional night when everything is crazy. Then either my kids fix dinner, or it’s laissez-faire dinner… which my mother never, ever did… no guilt there or anything…
Sounds like a great menu plan! Thanks for sharing.
I menu plan too – or at least I try too. We started a few weeks ago ambitiously trying to plan a menu the night I go grocery shopping for the whole week – it lasted 2 weeks *sigh*.
Sunday night is either leftovers from Shabbat night, soup/salad night (with leftover chicken for the hubby) or convince one of the parents or grandparents that we haven't seen them in a while and need to go over for dinner (or out). Monday is often fish, Tuesday is chicken or ground beef night (mmm taco night!), Wednesday is fend for yourself night (I go to the gym from 6-9), Thursday is something easy – stir fry if we have meat or quiche and salad. Shabbat is easy too – I don't cook fancy, but I do cook tasty! Half hour or less per dish is my goal – or something that can be put in the oven while I do something else.
Love the post Ruchi. I am one of your silent followers. I actually meal plan once a week before I shop and I have a similar lay out as you do. I try and do simple during the week too. I alway have the yogurt or cereal option on dairy nights or PB &J on meat nights for the kids who don't like my dinner (like my 4 year old who is pretty much a vegetarian)! Thanks for writing. You have a real gift.
My weeks don't stay similar enough from one to the next to give such a list. Also, my kids are little and still would rather live on Cream Cheese then gourmet who knows what anyways. We love breakfast suppers like pancakes and/or scrambled eggs. Great post! (Do you realize, You are becomming quite a foodie as of the last few posts?)
(BTW, I finally wrote a current blog post.)
Thanks everyone!! I finally realized that the main stress of cooking dinner was not in the actual prep, but in the deciding. Hence my system, which takes the guesswork out of it.
RNF where is it?
Thanks for sharing. Love your attitude about the cooking situation we all face daily.
Im enjoying your blog.
Chanale-www.chanalesing.blogspot.com
But isn't it the vegetables that actually take the most time? Washing salad lettuce takes as long as doing a stir-fry, and requires more attention. Chopping things, sauteeing them, these are the time-consuming things in my experience. And because the vegetables need to be fresh (unless you are doing frozen), it means shopping has to be more than once a week.
And in my house, the kids are not particularly grateful for all the time and thought that the vegs require…
chanalesings, welcome to OOTOB! Thanks for the comment. Just checked out and subscribed to your blog. I've heard of you from the music world – I'm in a band and I know you came to Cleveland recently, though I missed your appearance 🙁
SBW: I make nice leafy green salads for Shabbos, and sometimes for weekday too, if I have the time. Otherwise it's cabbage based or veggies without lettuce (one of my favorites is chickpeas, avocado, purple onion…
I also have a daughter who drives and can help with the shopping, and my husband picks stuff up for me too whenever I need. Only about half of us eat the salad…
You should be able to find it under my profile but anyways, it's called FFI http://frum-from-introspection.blogspot.com/
I have a question that I also sent to askmoses but would like an opinion from a real frum person like this blog’s author. I am not frum. I wrote the following argument, trying to understand this Torah question:
“We know well that the rules of kosher/kashrut and meat/milk originated from the specific commandment in the Written Torah that the kid should not be boiled in its mothers milk. Through tradition and halacha, not only the combinations of beef/milk and goat/goat’ milk have been banned, but any combination between the two categories meat/milk. Chicken, though genetically dissimilar from beef/lamb/veal/etc. and also dissimilar in color to red meat, is considered meat and subject to be same halacha as beef and lamb.
My halachic question is, ought we not today to implement the zeal and authenticity of halacha and go even further than it? If almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, or rice milk, even slightly resembles milk, should it not be halacha to define it as milk, using the same strenuous judgment as regards with chicken? We should not have any resemblance of evil. As chicken resembles meat, even more so soy cheese resembles cheese and margarine resembles butter. The resemblance and taste certainly are comparable. Should we refrain from confusion and accidental mixing of milchig and fleishig? Would it not be an offense to even If it goes so far as chicken, why should it not go as far as soy milk?
Halacha is dynamic and changing, therefore ought not the highest halachic authorities ought to remain faithful to the authenticity of halacha throughout the ages by extending halacha to the modern world today? I hope this question and dilemma will be referred to halachic authority to be determined. “
Hi, K,
That's why the Shulchan Aruch (code of Jewish law) states that if almond milk is served at a meat meal one should place some almonds near it so no one should think it's truly milk.
As to what gets prohibited and what doesn't, I refer you to the beginning of the Ethics of the Fathers where the transmission of tradition is recorded. And the very first dictum is: "Be very deliberate in law" – ie, once the Men of the Great Assembly sealed the prophetic era, the rabbis were admonished to be excruciatingly cautious regarding what they forbid.
It's possible (my own conjecture) that chicken is still more similar to beef than cow's milk to almond milk. There's still an animal element involved and therefore kindness mandated.