Weekly Menu Planning - February 2024

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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It’s Friday already.

We’re going low sodium for the foreseeable future, so that changes some of my prep.

I have 2 big bowls of fruit salad in the fridge to last a few days.

There’s also large bowl of roasted spaghetti squash with sugar, pumpkin pie spice and butter, as a quick side dish, and Calabrian-style eggplant parm (roasted eggplant rather than breaded/fried), as an ongoing side dish in the fridge.

Tonight, Friday,
Vegetarian Russian cabbage soup ,
salmon, either Plaki-style with tomatoes, or the Bonnie Stern recipe with oranges.

Saturday
Made-ahead biftekia
Made-ahead lemon potatoes

Sunday
Probably roast chicken and potatoes
Purchased Crème Caramel from a bakery.

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58

I am now wrapping up a busy yet fulfilling week. I made it out to a couple of meetups this week and more to come. I have been spending too much time by myself these days and I need to do some peopling. I went to a movie then dessert on Monday and a very last minute dinner out last night bumping my film society screening. Off to another movie and dessert tonight then a lecture or two next week. Meals got rearranged/bumped so I will post actuals from last Monday to planned through next Thursday.

Last Monday: I decided to go on an impromptu movie screening with a meetup group I recently joined. I didn’t have time to make dinner at home beforehand so I went to a nearby pub for dinner then off to the movies. We met up at the back of the theatre when the movie was over then went to a dessert place across the street for desert and to discuss the movie. It seems to have an Asian twist which includes bubble tea, egg waffles, and shaved ice but also includes traditional desserts like pastries and sundaes. Most of the clientele seems to be university aged so I’m not sure if it’s due to its proximity to a nearby university a couple blocks south of where we were or if it’s just the type of restaurant that would appeal to that age group. We were initially looking for a restaurant in the area where we could go for dessert and to discuss the film but most restaurants seem to be closed on Mondays. The dessert place we went to is a favourite of one of the younger people in our group and it was open. I ordered a New York style cheesecake and it was the worst cheesecake I’ve ever had. The bottom crust was packed brown sugar and the cheese filling was absolutely void of flavour. It had the right texture but it just didn’t taste like anything. What hurts the most is that I paid $10 for it and I could have bought a much tastier mango cake in Chinatown for half the price. (Sadly they didn’t have any mango cakes where we went.) The movie itself was enjoyable (we saw a Tunisian film called The Four Sisters) and the discussion was lively.

Tuesday: I completely forgot it was pancake Tuesday. I headed over to the market to pick up sausages and maple syrup (I already had pancake ingredients) so that’s what was for dinner.

Wednesday: I had intended on having a kale salad planned for this week but by the time Wednesday rolled around the only salad ingredient I had left was the kale! :slight_smile: Actually I found half a red pepper in the fridge and another one of the sausages I bought yesterday so I made a stir fry similar to this but using different veggies.

Thursday: I had a film society screening last night however the movie they were showing truly didn’t interest me. One of the meetup groups I’m in was having dinner at a nearby restaurant that has a burger special on Thursdays so all of their burgers are $10. At the very last minute I decided to join the meetup and I had a lovely time.

Tonight: I am going to another movie with a meetup group (we will be seeing The Promised Land) then coffee and dessert after for a discussion. I will be having another quick dinner before the film.

Saturday: Curry chicken with fresh pineapple, rice on the side.

Sunday: Linguine with scallops and leeks, salad on the side.

Monday: Vegetarian Thai red curry, rice on the side.

Tuesday: I may or may not be going to a lecture tonight. It’s in the west end which would mean bussing it out there and having another dinner out. I may be reaching my saturation point with dinners out by then so I may just stay close to home. I’ll see how I feel when it gets closer to the day.

Wednesday: Weeknight spicy pork and rice noodle bowl.

Thursday: fettucine al pesto, veggies tbd.

Have a lovely week everyone.

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59

Hi, all! Cooking for 4-7 in Livermore, California. Enjoying cooking for and with my family here.
Actuals and vague plans for the week:
Thursday, February 15: After a fun trip to Berkeley Bowl, we cooked up a feast of broiled garlic shrimp, eggplant adobo, sweet potatoes, and rice.
Friday: Spinach and tofu wonton soup from Family; chocoflanes
Breakfast: Brown soda bread scones
Saturday: The kids will be gone but vegetarian sister still in town. Up for debate, but maybe ricotta gnocchi with asparagus sauce? I noticed asparagus is in season here…
Sunday: Usually a restaurant day around here
Monday: Paprika chicken
Tuesday-Thursday: Probably out or leftovers; my dad and stepmom have a lot of activities in the evenings!
Friday: Back to Chattanooga; hard to say what we’ll have, but most likely out if DH can handle it after a week of fending for himself…
Hope everyone’s doing OK with the weather coming through. Have a great weekend and happy cooking!

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60

Glad for a long weekend. This semester has started off busy and stressful. The students, faculty, and staff all seem to feel that way. sigh Gonna be a long semester. So, this week is about simplicity and trying to use up stuff we have on hand.

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Maybe this week I will bake. Maybe… starting off with toasted chocolate bread from a local bakery.

S: (tonight) takeout - pizza, wrapping up “stuff my husband would request” week. :slight_smile:

Su: Kielbasa, roasted potatoes, and salad.

M: Pasta with light cream sauce and peas, topped with fish - seafood

T: Kielbasa, onions, peppers, yellow rice… kind of a pseudo-jambalaya

W: TJs green chile tamale topped with Hatch green sauce and cheese, with salad and avocado - vegetarian

Th: Leftovers from the freezer - chicken, gnocchi, veggies added to tomato soup. Who knows how this will turn out? - soup

F: Chicken tacos

Have a good week!

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61

Oh wow, such great plans and news.

When I was in grad school in the SF Bay area decades, and I do mean decades, ago, as someone from the East coast (North Carolina and Boston), I remember with much fondness and enduring wonder at the strawberries and asparagus in season in February! I still have some ancient photos of picnics at Foothills park eating those things!

Sounds like you have had a wonderful time away and I hope when you get back to Chattanooga, you and DH go out or get take out as you adjust to the time and seasonal and cultural differences.

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62

Actuals for Feb 12 week, cooking for 2 in MN where winter snow found us, at last, on Wed. That Feb 6 pound of Costco spinach kept nicely in two tight sealed “leakproof” clear plastic containers (9.6 C/2.3 L each). After daily salads for husband (joined on alternating days by me), one final serving remains, 12 days later. A Friday excursion to the NordicWare factory outlet with my baking buddy resulted in additions to my Bundt collection - a pair of microwave mug-cake mini-pans and a factory-2nd loaf pan in their newest design - Pirouette.

Mon: Lunch - Hot ham & swiss on homemade wheat buns. Dinner - me -OUT, fancy fundraiser event, he - eggbake
Tues: lunch reheat Tamale Casserole & spinach. Supper OUT - Chick Fil A
Wed (Valentines Day): Cold shrimp w/ cocktail sauce. Steak, mushrooms, sweet potato, reheated spinach souffle, reheated mixed veggies. Red grapes. Strawberries w/ whipped cream.
Thurs: Sheetpan – Sausage/potatoes/peppers, sliced fresh orange
Fri: reheat Sheetpan – Sausage/potatoes/peppers, sliced fresh orange
Mug cakes microwaved in new Nordicware mini pans – more practice needed, they did not release cleanly/hold shape. But each had great flavor – Chocolate Peanut butter and Cinnamon Snickerdoodle
Sat/Sun - noon: Creamy Alfredo Tomato bacon pasta – Julia Pacheco. Spinach salad. Baguette. For Dinner: Curry Cod, coconut rice, peas with cashews

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63

It truly is wondrous!

Yep, I had to laugh at the “minestrone” I thawed: turned out to be a mixture of summer vegetables with no broth. (I will, someday, remember the importance of labels!)

Cooking for two adults, both vegetarian, in Pasadena, California. I tend to batch cook, due to some health issues that constrain energy, cognition, and physical abilities.

After giving my attempts at WMP some pondering, I’ve come to realize that my life/body/cognition are such that trying to hold myself to a daily plan is too stressful. In looking at how some of the rest of y’all approach things, I’m thinking of trying something different to see if it works for me. Instead of a daily plan I’m going to see if I do better with more flexibility.

With that in mind, for the next week I’d like to:

  • Bake two types of quick breads (for freezer and to send to FIL)
  • Make another batch of beige soup (to eat/freeze/send to FIL
  • Cook/make something with the pierogis that are taking up too much space in the freezer

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

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64

Whatever works best for you! Menu planning is the only thing in my life that needs to have some kind of order, mostly so I don’t get stuck in a food rut, and also to effectively use up everything in a very full freezer.

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65

This recipe? https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/crispy-black-bean-tacos-with-feta-and-cabbage-slaw

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66

Cooking for three in Asheville, one who eats primarily carbs and another who decided to eliminate a lot of them from his diet, while also lowering dietary fat to help cholesterol. Fun times. I’m not making myself crazy over it.

A bunch of ideas for the next 2-3 weeks. Many sides/veg still TBD.

-Tonight - Afghan-rubbed “lightly smoked” slow-roasted salmon, zhoug, sauteed coriander Brussels, and leftover brown rice stir-fried with shallot, and tossed with TJ’s lemon pesto, dried cherries/cranberries, pistachios, and chopped parsley. Leftover poppy seed slaw. Kiddo will have breaded fish filets with doctored leftover boxed shells n cheese, leftover corn pudding, and mini peppers with dip.

-Pulled chicken tacos/tostadas w creamy cilantro slaw. Kiddo’s fave in heavy rotation.

-Chipotle chicken chowder

Seared peppered tuna Niçoise salad with haricots, redskin potatoes, and Kalamata olives. Not authentic but :woman_shrugging:t2:

Grilled Kufta kebab in TJ’s handmade ww tortillas with hummus, feta, cukes, tomatoes, and turmeric yogurt sauce. Probably more zhoug.

Baked b/s chicken thighs with peppers, onion, garlic, and rice. Loosely based on this recipe, but I’m planning to use partially cooked brown basmati rice and add a little Schmaltz and powdered gelatin to make up for the missing skin and bone.

Amylu Teriyaki chicken meatball lettuce wraps with cucumber, pickled carrot, fresh chili, sticky rice, and hoisin sauce and garlic-chili vinegar. The meatballs weren’t the hit I’d expected, so hoping this disposes of them.

Ina Garten’s [chicken] meatloaf with cauliflower puree and sauteed haricots

Homestyle braised tofu with [crimini] mushrooms, carrots, and [sugar snaps] over rice

Shrimp burgers with Old Bay remoulade on sesame brioche buns

Peanut chicken stew (Azin Nsonou) with okra and bay-infused fonio. (“View details–>view all details” to see ingredient list).

Pinchos morunos and boxed red beans and rice.

Harissa-orange chicken thighs with freekeh

Chicken Rahmschnitzel with trofie and mushroom sauce from the freezer

Jackfruit crab cakes (can you sense my dwindling enthusiasm?)

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67

I’ve tried the Amylu meatballs before and I always want them to be better than they are. I think your lettuce wrap approach is sound, hope it works!

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68

I agree. For how much sodium they have they were rather bland. I think I stirred in some mango chutney to help things out

A bummer cause normally Amylu has pretty good stuff

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69

There’s a lot of delicious stuff there! Your menus are always so ambitious – I run out of steam after a couple of new things :joy:

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70

Sounds like a great plan. For me, this has really helped me with grocery shopping… I buy less and waste less this way. Meals seldom happen on the day planned, but most happen at some point in the week. I love that we can all make this work for us in some form.

Good luck with this week’s rain!

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71

The menus, yes. The executed meals less so. Things like leftovers, availability of ingredients, energy, and life get in the way​:face_with_hand_over_mouth::sweat_smile:

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72

Hi everyone

I feel like I’m hitting a bit of food wall. Thinking I need to simplify for a bit.

Canceled most of my plans over the week and weekend for weather and lack of motivation. Did however go to a fun Filipino meal with fellow Onions on Sunday, then walk around the Little Manila neighborhood and browse the Filipino and Thai markets.

Ideas for the week:
— Ants Climbing a Tree: Sichuan noodles with ground pork (but turkey)
(Made twice already with two different noodles – here and here)
— Cauliflower tart (inspired by this SK version of a Bon Appetit recipe, but modifying to what I have at hand) to use up a GIANT cauliflower
— Dal, rice, cauliflower sabzi, fish in chutney (really zhoug) or mustard
— Hainan or white-cooked chicken breast + rice cooked in the broth + tbd veg
— Chicken Quesadillas (using up flour tortillas from my tortilla pizza craving + leftover Hainan chicken)
— Hoppin John or Black-eyed pea Pulao
— Some kind of noodles (longevity, umami, miso butter) with mushrooms, and maybe steak on the side
— Ikea copycat broccoli & potato medallions (one of these days I’ll actually make this) + roasted salmon

Have a great week!

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73

When I first started making them, years ago, it was that recipe. But I have streamlined them to the point that they’re not the same. I doctor the beans (a bit of butter, cumin, lime juice, etc), then stick them in regular corn tacos shells with shredded cabbage and feta.

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74

So much sounds delicious here!

Sympathy on the various eating roadblocks!

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75

Greetings, People.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW:

FRI: A new-to-me chowder recipe: Swedish salmon soup from The Happy Foodie (UK). This one looks promising with spinach and tomatoes. Biscuits of some variety to go with.

SAT: Leftover Senate Bean Soup from the freezer. Leftover biscuits.

SUN: My turn for pinchos morunos. Couscous probably, and thinking of a grated carrot salad to go with.

MON: Pizza night. Variety TBD, but will be served with green salad.

TUE: NYT’s mac and cheese with greens – we like this best with spinach instead of kale (gift link).

WED: Ruth Reichl’s chicken diavolo (another gift link). Salad greens.

THUR: Steak on the grill. Green salad.

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76

I had another health wake-up call this week. LOL.

It’ll be healthier food at home. I already cook relatively healthy meals. So -

Wed:
We had salmon with lemon and dill, shrimp with garlic and oregano, eggplant parm from the freezer,
angel hair with garlic and tomatoes

Thu:
Probably baked biftekia
Russian cabbage soup
Maybe use up some Ukrainian mushrooms dumplings from the freezer
Pierogies (some are cabbage filled instead of potato)

Fri:
I guess it’ll be a white fish, either halibut or haddock. Style tbd. Probably some rice.

Sat:
Healthy-ish takeout for me.

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