Weekly Menu Planning – November 2022

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Let’s use this thread to share concise weekly dinner menus for each week in November. It’s helpful if you can include your location and how many people you are feeding. Links to recipes are always appreciated, and sources help.

In the US, are you hosting or attending a family Thanksgiving? What are your favorite side-dishes? My own November meals will continue to use up food in my upright freezer, making room for December cookie-baking results. It would take a keen eye to notice the progress from October’s effort.

We all know plans can change, so it’s fine (practically expected) when your week gets rearranged from your posted plan. You may choose to report actuals for the prior week to share ideas with others.

The October discussion is still available for reporting the last week and follow-ups

Reminder – Keep your comments menu / food related. And in the interest of faster viewing times, please use the Knife&Fork “like” under a comment to indicate you liked it or want to echo what was said by another, rather than posting a separate comment.

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Cooking for 1 at the Jersey Shore and trying to use up what I have in the freezer

Sunday: Turkey sweet potato meatloaf https://www.skinnytaste.com/sweet-potato-turkey-meatloaf/ , jasmine rice, sauteed zucchini
Monday: French onion soup https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/french-onion-soup-recipe-1939059
Tuesday: leftover soup
Wednesday: bow ties with pesto (from freezer) topped with ricotta
Thursday: leftover bow ties and ricotta
Friday: roast pork loin, mashed potatoes, steamed buffalo cauliflower
Saturday: Friday leftovers

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Cooking for two adults and a tween in the Boston burbs, or for one adult and the tween while the other adult travels!

Sun: “many-bean chili” which entails buying one can of each type of beans in stock at the grocery store - today it was 9. Canned tomatoes in varying forms and a ton of chili powder. Served with cornbread muffins. We have so much chili left that I will probably freeze some and hope for the best.

Mon: chicken tortilla soup (SK) and cheesy chips. Eating early before trick or treating starts.

Tues: chicken saltimbocca and arugula/tomato salad (or just tomatoes for DS) - Rachael Ray Week in a Day

Weds AM: I leave for Philadelphia for a conference. I’m hoping to have a decent lunch and/or dinner (with one or two coworkers at most) that night. Both Thurs and Fri nights we will be dining at the hotel so I don’t have high expectations.
Guys will have:
Weds chicken (marinated b/s breasts in the fridge just need to be cooked), cornbread (yes again), peas
Thurs nachos
Fri going out

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Soup week was well-timed, as my husband was feeling under the weather. Many negative tests between us, so we think the swings in weather here aggravated allergies. On the mend now, but still going for comfort food here. I am not sticking to our at least “one veg, one seafood” meals this week, because I’m also trying to clean out the fridge. Gotta prep for Thanksgiving!

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: Not gonna lie. I’m eating chocolate bundt cake to get through this week.

S: takeout - pizza

Su: (tonight) Beer cheese soup with chicken - inspired by: https://alexandracooks.com/2022/01/23/vermont-cheddar-cheese-beer-soup-vegetarian/ - postponed from Friday because my husband wanted pizza for Friday and Saturday.

M: Chicken nachos

T: Chicken and veggie stir-fry with rice

W: Piroshky Piroshky from freezer. Beef and cheddar for me, salmon paté for him.

Th: Chicken sausage (from freezer) and veggie scramble with home fries.

F: Rigatoni with white bolognese (cleaning out the carrots and celery), my version

Have a good week!

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Cooking for two in the UK.

Tue: Aloo Tikki Sandwiches from Herbivoracious

Wed: Cheeseburger Toastie for me and a Flatbread version for my partner served with salad

Thu: Veggie Sausages and Beans

Fri: Malabar Spiced Cauliflower dish from Thali that I’ll serve woth the recommended chapattis and dal

Sat: Cauliflower Cheese with Smoked Sausage

Sun: Sausage and Liver Casserole

Mon: Potato Leek Soup

I’m also going to bake a cake with raspberry jam filling and syrup.

Have a happy November everyone!

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Hi everyone

I’ve been visiting family this past week for nephew’s birthday and Diwali, so not much planning of my own, a little bit of cooking, and a lot of takeout.

Sun - Diwali dinner with family friends. I was asked to make my mom’s whole masoor dal, so I did. Lots of food, most of the leftovers went home with the guests.

Mon - Family Diwali dinner. I made two kinds of potatoes, puris, and mattha (like shrikhand, but homemade). SIL made chhole / chickpeas and bhajiyas / tempura – potato, onion, serrano pepper for one kid.

Tues - Chinese takeout.

Wed - Pasta, salad, and (beyond) meatballs for the kids, assorted leftovers for the adults.

Thurs - Indian leftovers. I added fresh dal to supplement.

Fri - Pizza at home. I made (and loved) Roberta’s-style dough , sib made the pizza. There was also steak to supplement.

Sat - Mac & cheese, salad, steak

Sun - Assorted takeout: Thai for some, ramen for others. One kid and his playdates had grilled cheese and vegetables (well, kid had vegetables, his friends left them).

Next few days TBD - pizza has been requested for the birthday dinner (I’m going to let sib make “his” dough this time, lol), my SIL wants me to make pav bhaji one day (mixed vegetables with pan-fried bread, Bombay street food), and I want to make biryani for the sib so I have to squeeze that in somewhere if I can.

Hope everyone is surviving sick season - more than a third of the kids at my nephews’ school are out with one of COVID, the flu, or RSV, which seems like some kind of awful roulette wheel to be playing!

Happy, healthy, week ahead to all!

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Greetings, people.

A bit of an international mash-up this week as I continue to work down our stores of harvest veg, along with pantry and freezer staples.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW.

FRI: Cooking Light’s spicy, honey-glazed chicken thighs. Steamed rice. Asian slaw.

SAT: Mediterranean-style lamb meatballs. Pita. Greek salad.

SUN: Burgers on the grill. Pub buns from the local bakery.

MON: French onion soup from the freezer. Leftover roast chicken. Green salad.

TUE: NYT’s Moroccan-spiced chicken meatballs. Rice pilaf with apricots and almonds. Carrot and currant salad.

WED: The Guardian’s Ethiopian lentil soup. NYT’s North African meatballs over couscous.

THUR: Winter minestrone with kale and Italian sausage.

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I love an international mash-up!

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Good afternoon from a balmy city of Ottawa. The temperatures this week have been summerlike and I hope it continues into the weekend. I am now wearing a heart monitor as a result of a fall I had at the end of September and I have to wear it for 72 hours. I take it off mid afternoon tomorrow then I have to take it back to the hospital so my Saturday will be a write off. Sunday I run errands.

My menu this week involves a couple of repeats from last week in an effort to finish up some random veggies in the fridge. This is what this week looks like:

Today: I had a veal parmigiana sandwich for lunch so I will have some kale potato soup for dinner.

Saturday: Cauliflower curry, udon noodles.

Sunday: Spring roll bowl.

Monday: Peanut butter noodles with cucumber.

Tuesday: Lemon risotto with leeks.

Wednesday: tagliatelle with Brussels sprouts and gorgonzola, side veggies tbd.

Thursday: Film society screening so I will grab a bite to eat before the movies.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we’re enjoying fall foliage and summer-y temperatures…
Friday, November 4 (tonight): Out for dinner before a concert, our first in years. I love it when your favorite bands get old and start playing at 7 :slight_smile:
Saturday: Ginger Karaage chicken (I love how it takes “1.62 hrs.” to make), rice, carrot salad
Sunday: Mixed bean salad with pancetta, chocolate-hazelnut pudding
Monday: Hoping to finally make the veggie pancakes I had planned for last week…
Tuesday: Scrounge
Wednesday: Spaghetti with garlic and green olives, Brussels sprouts
Thursday-Friday: TBD. DH has a faculty lunch Friday so he’s probably not going to be very interested in food…
Have a great week, everyone, and happy cooking!

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Hello to everyone from the I don’t know what month it is weather wise Twin Cities of MN! We had a record high of 76F yesterday (plus an amazing lighting storm/show) and it barely hit 40 today. At least it rained, but that made the leaves just a little bit heavier to load and haul off. Autumn isn’t my real name but it’s my favorite season. Cooking for 2 adults and 2 growing girls mostly actuals and a few plans where the reno marches on- the electrician has wires all over the place!

10-31: Meatballs and sauce in the crock pot for after trick or treating. A bit of a tradition that works better when there is a person at home to start the pasta while the trick or treaters wander back. Granted one needs to have a a stove for that to work. . .

Tues 1: Both kiddos skated at different rinks. Take out/ drive ttru one of those nights

Weds 2: Big kiddo had a total meltdown in the morning so much that I held her out of school for an hour. Then running around on house stuff but I managed to sign off on cabinet color!, electrical placement, and have lunch out with Mr Autumm. Big kiddo skated . Costco frozen gyros

Thurs 3: White chicken chili per big kiddo’s request. Not my favorite but both girls love it so a double batch with half for the freezer

Fri 4: Today/Tonight: Takeout Both girls skated back to back, my parent’s here to help with leaf removal. Thankfully my parents are staying in a hotel but were very excited to see house progress. I was in charge of big kiddo- taught her she could get her sandwich from Subway (not my fav but I get the draw) and Mc Donalds fries for the ultimate experience. ( or I just really needed the McDonald’s diet coke)

Sat 5: My parents here! Skating competition for big kiddo! Meatballs and sauce with pasta and salads. Thankful for the end of daylight savings time to facilitate an extra hour of sleep opportunity even if bedtime is later than I want

Sun 6/Mon7: One of the days leftover white chicken chili. Other good luck!

Take care everyone! May your gutters be free of leaves and your electrician be true (also. the switch I really wanted at the base of the stairs but didn’t have is now required by code! Sorry for the cost but Yippie!

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Hope everything is ok, and that Saturday doesn’t end up being a total waste.

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I went to an Asian night market at the end of September aand was a block away and passed out. I spent the night at the hospital and they ran some tests and advised me to contact my family doctor for a heart monitor. My doctor looked at the results and said everything looks finenit looks like it was nothing more than a fainting episode. It looks like the doctor at the hospital was just being overly cautious but I’m wearing this heart monitor just to be on the safe side.

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I’ve done the 48 hour heart monitor thing, and everything was absolutely fine. I’m so glad your doctor feels that everything is fine. And again, I hope you’re able to salvage part of the day.

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I was able to squeeze in some rest time this afternoon since it was too late in the day to go out shopping or for a museum visit. So I am now curled up on the sofa with a martini and a book. I am presently reading “New York” by Edward Rutherford.

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Cuddly reading time with a martini is pretty much perfect to me!

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Sounds great! I hope the heart monitor turns out ok and I’m glad you got the reassurance it probably will.
I am always impressed with your menus and cultural excursions, well…to be frank, I am jealous. I really enjoy them vicariously with you. Take care and keep us posted!

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Cooking for 1 at the Jersey Shore

Sunday: chicken cacciatore https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/keith-youngs-chicken-cacciatore-recipe-1946896 over cavatappi pasta
Monday: blue cheese burger https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blue-cheese-burgers-recipe-1948164 with frozen fries
Tuesday: Sunday leftovers
Wednesday: Tuesday leftovers
Thursday: bolognese from the freezer https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-bolognese-sauce/ over shell pasta
Friday: Thursday leftovers
Saturday: mustard marinated pork chop, mashed potatoes, steamed veg mix

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Another busy week ahead.

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: chocolate chip scones

S: (tonight) takeout - red chile beef and beef burritos

Su: Rigatoni with white bolognese, my version - was scheduled for last Friday, but my husband suggested we try Popeye’s spicy chicken sandwiches for lunch (soooo good), and no dinner was required after that indulgence.

M: Breaded chicken with creamed spinach. My husband requested some sort of breaded chicken. Seasoned breadcrumbs with parm? TBD

T: Crab fried rice - seafood

W: Pasta with chicken and asparagus, dressed with oil, garlic, and parm

Th: Cheese and veggie enchiladas - vegetarian

F: Sloppy joes with cheese and sourdough, served like a dip, not a sandwich.

Have a good week!

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You didn’t mention if you were looking for ideas, but Ina Garten has a terrific recipe for a dredged (floured, but technically not breaded) boneless, skin-on chicken breast.

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