Weekly Menu Planning - September 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 September. 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.

September brings an abundance of produce, new cooking options from (slightly) cooler temperatures, and for many of us big changes in juggling “who’s home to eat what when” as activities at school, work or volunteering ramp up. Do you throw up your hands some days and say “Everybody graze… whatever’s in the fridge is yours” also known as “YOYO - You’re On Your Own” ? Do you intensely use slow-cooker or instant-pot recipes?

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 August 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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Greetings, People.

Fair weather remains on the horizon and I’m not yet ready to capitulate on summer. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Our vegetable harvest still is going strong, however yesterday I retrieved the first windfall apple from our yard, and our cheerful sunflowers are dying back.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW.

FRI: Korean-inspired beef and broccolini stir-fry. Steamed rice.

SAT: Panko-crusted fish sandwich.

SUN: Chicken and green bean stir-fry.

MON: Kofte. Homemade pita. Mediterranean chopped salad.

TUE: Seafood chowder. Homemade focaccia.

WED: Chicken diavolo. Pasta salad with basil pesto and grapette tomatoes.

THUR: Thai beef salad.

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It all looks so good! That seafood chowder is calling my name :slight_smile:

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Is it you who makes the “better than takeout” noodles? I made this for company lunch (with lots of tweaks, natch), and it was enjoyed by all the adults!

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The Mediterranean chopped salad is going on the list for this week. It should make a small dent in the CSA overload. Might add some chick peas for protein.

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I make it, and got it from another member here. Good things go around. :slight_smile:

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(post deleted by author)

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we’re very low energy (I seem to have gotten DH’s Covid, no surprise, but ugh): I ordered groceries to come today, and now I’m dreading the effort of putting them away, haha. So I’ll be moving things around to match my energy level…
Saturday, September 3: That Chicken Normande is definitely not getting made today (Friday), so I’m hoping I can get it together tomorrow…
Sunday: Pasta with mushrooms from a back issue of Bon Appétit. If I have the energy, I’ll make a lemon tart.
Monday: We don’t get the day off, but we can still grill some “blackened” cod (yes, we’re caught in the 90s) and have it with a salad and some potatoes.
Tuesday: Scrounge or catch up on what didn’t get cooked over the weekend.
Wednesday: Polenta, sausages, and vegetables
Thursday: Scrounge
Friday: Pasta with broccoli, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes from a 1995 issue of Bon Appétit.

Let’s see how much of this I get done! Stay healthy, and happy cooking!

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Oh!!! I hope you and DH both recover soon, and I hope you can give yourself a break from cooking…not having the energy to put groceries away is an excellent indication of not having the energy to cook!

When I’m in that situation of low energy, I try to use it for “conservation”: put perishable stuff in the freezer, save my own energy for the cooking the easiest to cook perishable items, and let what will keep. Take prepared food that’s easy to defrost and reheat out of the freezer. And order take out for delivery!

All of which I just did: we 3 here all have sinus headaches, post nasal drip, sore throats, low energy. We just did our second home tests for covid and all are negative. We’ll test again in a couple of days. Really high ragweed levels here and we are all allergic, so it’s hard to know.

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Hi, everyone, cooking for two adults and a tween in the Boston burbs. We have been back from vacation for a week, and mostly recovered from jet lag (another skill we lost to Covid). I did cook last week, but nothing particularly memorable, with one exception: I recreated a salad I had on vacation! Watermelon, sliced radishes, halved cherry tomatoes, and a lime/smoked paprika vinaigrette. The original had some chopped mint and crumbled feta, but I had neither so added some pepitas. It was really good.

School started this last week as well - the 6:40am wakeups are not fun. We’re all catching up on sleep over the holiday weekend!

Sun: baby back ribs, triple corn spoon bread, baked beans (if the guys want them), steamed green beans
https://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/1775785032/triple-corn-spoon-bread/ (originally from Cooking Light)

Mon: black bean burgers, fries, salad

Tues: chicken souvlaki with pita and tomatoes (+/- cucumber) - modified from https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-souvlaki-0

Weds: kalua-style pork (Laurel Randolph - an IP recipe), rice, grilled pineapple and sautéed peppers

Thurs: leftovers

Fri: possibly burgers from the freezer as we’ll need to use up the rest of the buns

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That salad sounds fantastic!

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Ugh, it has been a week. Mostly stuck to the schedule, though. Thanks to this community for keeping me organized when I just want to curl up and hide sometimes.

For two adults in San Diego:

This week’s breakfasts: Muffins, starting with this base: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/master-muffin-recipe/. My husband requested blueberry, so I used white sugar, no cinnamon and added lemon zest and blueberries. Very good!

S (tonight): takeout - Burritos. Two weeks ago, we ordered a bunch of burritos to stock in the freezer for backup when we didn’t feel like picking up stuff or interacting with people. We have eaten these emergency burritos for the past three Saturdays. :joy: Chile verde with beans and cheese this time.

Su: This is the meal that got moved from last Friday. Glad you liked it, MTT! https://www.budgetbytes.com/curry-beef-with-peas/

M: Italian sausage, onions, peppers on rolls. Chips on the side. Maybe ice cream for dessert.

T: Breakfast for dinner: French toast? Pancakes? TBD. Chicken sausage on the side.

W: Leftovers of the curry beef with peas before an evening event.

Th: Potato soup with sourdough - vegetarian

F: Fish tacos - seafood

Have a good week!

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Actuals thru Sept 4, cooking for 2 in MN. Where we’re having a string of wonderful weather - mild to hot days, cool nights – and my favorite orchard says they’ll have Ginger Gold apples available next weekend – yipppeeeee! With a bit of reminder about meal options, my husband is quite good at finding/heating leftovers for himself when my meetings overlap his preferred meal times, which happened several days this week. The running joke is “I will feed him”, taken from this Star Trek conversation with Lt. Warf . Assembling a sandwich for Wednesday’s lunch was a bit of a challenge, however, since we’d finished the standard loaf Monday. He checked the bread bin in the freezer and finding only hamburger buns, Hawaiian dinner rolls and sliced French Bread sections, let me know that “we’re out of bread” when I arrived home.

Mon - lunch - Hot beef sandwiches - Schwan’s pot roasts over mashed potatoes, on toast, red grapes, coleslaw. Mon dinner - Reheat (made Sunday)- Chicken marsala w/ mushrooms & onions, over last dabs of coconut rice and some Mashed potatoes. Chicken from Dinner a Day p 262
Tues - Greek chicken on spinach with toppings, inspired by this Julia Pacheco recipe (but I didn’t have the rice on-hand) https://www.juliapacheco.com/greek-chicken-rice-bowls/
Wed - Mahi-Mahi, sweet potato half, grilled fresh pineapple cubes, fresh peach
Thurs & Sat - lunch - Curry beef with potatoes and peas red grapes, fresh pineapple. Thurs - dinner - Knorr cheddar broccoli rice with stirred in shredded rotisserie chicken and steamed (from frozen) broccoli. Garden cherry tomatoes, fresh cherries
Fri - Enjoyed on the back deck : Steak cooked on the grill, (bag) salad with Ranch/dill pickle dressing, Sweet potato half, deli potato salad, garden cherry tomatoes
Sat - repeat of Thurs, with different sides, including fresh peaches
Sun - Pork loin roast w/ Greek seasoning, lemon olive oil & red wine vinegar. “Greek” potatoes – cubed baked in chicken broth/lemon juice/garlic/oregano. Tossed salad. Red grapes, cherries

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It really was a great salad! Here’s my best guesstimate:

1 1/2 C cubed watermelon
2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
3/4 C cherry tomatoes, halved
A sprinkle of pepitas for crunch - the original had crumbled feta and some chiffonaded mint, but I had neither
Dressing: 1 T light oil, 1 T lime juice, salt, smoked paprika

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Hello to everyone from the Twin Cities of MN where the long discussed and planned reno is becoming reality. I fluctuate between managing and Totally Freaking Out! The “decrapifying process” is almost more stressful than moving- lots of stuff found in the same container I moved it out of my grad school apartment almost 20 years ago. The trash chute at the apartment has been worth the extra few weeks rent for disposal purposes. . .Cooking and packing for 2 adults and 2 girls with an emphasis on clearing out the fridge and freezer- of course the CSA had it’s most productive several weeks ever (per our farmer) so produce overload! A good thing, I guess?

Sat 4L Gyros (Costco, frozen) with traditional sides CSA. Zucchini fritters (Small victories) Mediterranean salad via SK as mentioned by someone I forget who which I have been loving! Added some chickpeas and left out the olives. Great for small bowl nibbles during the packing process

Sun 5: The chicken )freezer defrost) had a specific smell of not good so punting! Dumplings (freezer) corn on the cob CSA, strawberry milkshakes for cleaning up and packing all the art supplies. Mediterranean salad for me

Mon 6: Running way behind as I was able to get big kiddo’s skates in for sharpening with a new guy. Previous business had put a hockey grind on brand new figure skates. GRR. Fancy cheese night with assorted leftovers to supplement

Tonight! First day of school! Last cooked dinner in this kitchen. Pulled pork (Freezer) wraps, Suddenly salad (pantry), green beans CSA

Weds 7: Big kiddo skates and then I really Really really want to attend the city planning committee meeting as they want to rezone some lots in our neighborhood (on a dead end cut de sac) for an Assisted living facility. Which would be at least an extra 100 car trips per day through our residential neighborhood. We are on the corner which would get all the traffic. Mr Autumm will be in charge. Freezer ravioli vs blue box and leftovers.

Thurs 8: Movers come at 8AM. I need to just jump in and cook in the apartment so leftover pulled pork with CSA veggies we dropped off in the fridge earlier today

Fir 9: My kitchen is officially shut down as the appliance people are removing my fridge, range, and dishwasher from the house. Little kiddo skates. Take out

Sat/Sun: Moving all the furniture around to be ready for destruction. More takeout

Mon 12: Destruction starts! Who knows about dinner

So then end of one kitchen era is happening but excited for the the next part. I think. I have to deal with Comcast tomorrow so GAH!

Take care everyone! and thanks for letting me release some pressure. Back when we (I) packed up our first house to move here, Mr Autumm was in Toronto for work so he doesn’t really get how much work this is. My emotional tea cup could use a re-fill!

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That’s a lot of moving parts for the week and looks like for a few months, Autumm2! I wish you all the best. Looks like Mr. Autumm will get a full reality update now.

As someone who has a personal interest in assisted living, I hope that an alternative access is possible for the proposed lots that don’t increase traffic in your area.

Wishing you as smooth an experience as possible. The house renovations should be exciting and hopefully you will enjoy the upgrades for years to come.

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Greetings, People.

Harvest slows to a trickle as Second Summer begins. We are long on the fruits of the season - tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and zucchini. I couldn’t decide between red or white pizza this week, so starting things off with both.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW.

FRI: Zucchini pizza (redux) with basil pesto sauce. Sliced garden tomato salad.

SAT: Sausage and sweet-pepper pizza with tomato sauce. Garden greens.

SUN: Thai beef salad.

MON: Grilled pork tenderloin. Roasted Greek potatoes. Mediterranean pepper salad.

TUE: Rick Bayless’s Roadside Chicken kebabs on the grill. Taco fixings. Homemade refries.

WED: Shrimp scampi linguine with garden tomatoes. Leafy green salad.

THUR: Tsukune pork-and-chicken-zucchini meatballs (redux). Asian marinated cucumbers. Steamed rice.

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That roadside chicken looks great!

Also, you reminded me that I froze the tsukune when I made them, so I have a freezer meal waiting!

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Also, you reminded me that I froze the tsukune when I made them, so I have a freezer meal waiting!

Yum! We thought the tsukune made a great leftover.

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Hi everyone!

Hope the long weekend came with some fun and some rest.

I was supposed to have a mini-break with my college roommate Mon-Wed (she thought of it too late, and seemed it would be less crazy at hotels when everyone else wasn’t trying to cram in the last days of summer).

Another good friend has a place in the same resort town, so she invited me to stay for the weekend. Her parents actually moved there full time during the pandemic and never left, so her weekend beach place has become a family home, and both her sisters with assorted spouses and children were also in and out, which was a wonderful kind of weekend for me.

Well, the weather forecast for the mini- break days went from gorgeous and maybe a day of sprinkling showers to 100% chance of rain and thunderstorms, so my college roommate canceled and I stayed on with my friend and her fam for another day and drove back with her, which worked out just fine for me weekend-wise, but I did miss seeing my roommate so we’ll have to reschedule.

Mix of actuals and plan for the short week remaining:

Fri - I made a big batch of (no umami) noodles with mushrooms, cabbage, and angel hair, leaving out anything fermented because I had an allergic reaction to something mysterious the day before. I also baked the grapefruit white chocolate cake from Snacking Cakes to take.

Sat - Grilled chicken in an italian marinade, cilantro lime rice with mixed vegetables (made by me), mixed salad to start, grapefruit cake for dessert.

Sun - Early labor day cookout because one of the sisters and her family could only drive out that day. Burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad (I helped with this), watermelon, and birthday cake.

Mon - Another sister and her husband, who stayed the whole weekend, made spaghetti and meatballs from scratch. Roasted asparagus on the side, and the dad made caprese stacks to start that were fabulous.

Tues - Sandwich to go for the drive back, and leftover noodles when I got home.

Wed - Simple indian meal of rice+quinoa, dal (tuver/split pigeon peas), and roasted cauliflower turned into gobi matar (with peas).

Thurs - (Tonight) HO group dinner at a new place in Chinatown.

Fri - Tsukune with a vegetable sourced from the Chinatown visit (snow pea leaves, mushrooms, or bok choy) and leftover rice. I have to make the tare sauce.

Sat - Possibly out. If not, COTM Fish Finger Bhorta with the indian leftovers.

Sun - TBD. I’ve got pork chops and lamb tbones and steak, and I’m craving meat. Let’s see.

Want to bake something this weekend, but don’t have a specific idea yet.

It’s almost the weekend… again! Enjoy!

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