Weekly Menu Planning – September 2023

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Hello to all from the summery Twin Cities of MN where the calendar and the weather are not in agreement- here’s to some late season AC while the CSA delivers fall veggies. The past week has been all over the place- so trying to right the ship with plans but life: big kiddo had a bike crash over Labor day weekend which seemed sooooo much like a sprain/strain in her wrist (I’m a PT, high deductible HSA insurance, Labor Day weekend etc) so we did conservative care and she seemed to be getting better aside from this one lump forming on her arm. Yeah, she broke both the radius and the ulna in her R arm. Having the ward off I did the appropriate treatment at the time vs bad mom feelings. Adapting plans to a immobilized Righty becoming a Lefty for now:

Sun 17: Ginger meatballs in the coconut broth (big kiddo was super stuffy so this blast from the past hit the spot0

Mon 18; Skating lessons back to back: Mandarin chicken (costco) salad CSA, assorted leftovers

Tues 19: Both kiddos skated at different rinks. CSA pick up. Leftover meatballs and broth

Weds 20: odds and ends of fancy cheese night with one home made pizza to use up CSA arugula

Tonight: Plan was ladies night (Mr Aututmm meeting up with an out of town friend) so Thai take out. Going to buy a toddler feeding suction cup plate or 3 after a long day of wrist appts for big kiddo. Got to do the plastic wrap arm shower experience as well- so proud of her adaptability

Friday 22: early AM ortho for the arm- leftovers? Little one will skate, big kiddo will be off ice for a while

Not sure what will happen but I am sure of how appreciative I am of my menu planning friends!

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I skipped the last step - the panko goes on top before the pan goes in the oven…

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Oh, poor kiddo. Been there, done that… I have not-so-fond childhood memories of showering with a double layer of plastic Pepperidge Farm bread bags over my casted wrist. And please do not beat yourself up over the “watch and wait” - you did the right thing. We’ve all done that… I think the rare occasions where the injury/illness IS a big deal stick in our minds more than the 90% of the time when it isn’t.

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we’re enjoying lovely late-summer weather. These plans could definitely get shuffled due to a pretty busy week…
Breakfast: Whole-wheat date gingerbread, a Maida Heatter recipe
Saturday, September 23: Vegetable ragout to clear out the crisper; probably bread on the side and perhaps a salad as well.
Sunday: I’m volunteering for IronMan in the afternoon but hope to prep some stuff to be ready when I get home: maple ribs, potato gratin, maybe zucchini salad, and doughnuts to bring for the other volunteers.
Monday: Miso chicken thighs and rice; hopefully we’ll have enough leftover veg to suffice
Tuesday: Event that will probably involve dinner
Wednesday: Pasta with lemon and Parm from Family
Thursday: Scrounge
Friday: DH probably out for some faculty thing; I will make my version of girl dinner which is pasta with greens, a glass of wine, and GBBO :slight_smile:
Hope you all have a good week. Happy cooking!

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Wait, is there a new season of GBBO start??!

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Yep.

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Oh I am a grown woman that broke her elbow and waited two days to go to ER becuase it “wasn’t that bad” ! . You can get cast covers on amazon: highly recommended for showering. And those meatballs sound wonderful…

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Judicious use of Trader Joe’s to help us through another busy week.

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Compelled myself to make chocolate chip scones.

S: (tonight) takeout

Su: Chicken tortilla soup - soup/salad

M: Kielbasa with TJs sweet potato gnocchi and peas

T: A very specific request from my husband: Fish (either salmon or cod), asparagus with mustard cream sauce, roasted potatoes - seafood

W: TJs pumpkin samosas, palak paneer - vegetarian

Th: Eggs scrambled with leftover kielbasa, spinach, cheese, served with leftover roasted potatoes

F: TJs orange chicken with veggies and rice

Have a good week!

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I have TJ-envy. The nearest one is over an hour from our house.

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My sincere sympathies. I may rely on them a bit too much, but I do get dinner on the table six days each week with their help.

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Hi friends, feeding two adults and a teen in the Boston burbs. Semi-busy week ahead, but cooking for the freezer too.

Tonight: after recommending it to @MunchkinRedux above, I made this sheet pan pasta/chicken, but with baby spinach. I tried a new type of pasta (brown rice and quinoa, from Aldi) and it was good. However, we weren’t really feeling the dish. Could also be a result of a late and big lunch.

Mon: brisket, mashed potatoes, roasted or glazed carrots. DS has the day off for Yom Kippur and I figure it’s time he learns how to make brisket!

Tues: pan roasted cod with tomatoes (NYT), some sort of cheesy broccoli-rice casserole. Maybe this (I have notes from last time)?

Weds: chicken parm meatballs (Rachael Ray) on sub rolls for the guys, with gf pasta for me. Some sort of vegetables.

Thurs: back-to-school night. Leftovers, aka “choose your own adventure.”

Fri: pizza delivery

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Actuals for Sept 18 week, cooking for 2 in MN where both of us falling ill with COVID disrupted all plans for last week and this. Microwave boxed meals and Oven/Sheet pan meals with minimal 10 minute prep worked well. Glad the fridge and freezer were well-stocked from Monday’s grocery run, since there’s been much sleeping since Tuesday (when that “hit by a truck” fever pain began for me), and continuing on through the weekend as my husband’s case arrived. No twin babies in WI yet, and I won’t be travelling to help with grand-niece care this week; my sister got called on earlier than planned for coverage.

Mon: Reheat Chicken w sweet potatoes, salad, fresh apple slices
Tues: (boxed frozen) Japanese beef & chicken with rice, red grapes, Spinach salad
Wed: (boxed frozen) Mac & cheese, shrimp, fresh orange
Thurs: Sausage and Vegetables sheet pan (a Julia Pacheco recipe), with red grapes on the side. last in the cheap freezer meals series
Fri: Pork tenderloin, (commercial) mashed potatoes, red grapes, spinach salad
Sat: I over-did it, resulting in another day of sleep Sunday. But it was fun…
BAKED – apple turnovers using puff pastry, Dorie Greenspan Marie Helene’s apple cake – half recipe
dinner - sheet pan meal - A Radically Simple Chicken Parmigiana p. 180 of Radically Simple by Rozanne Gold, Grapes
Sun : Egg bake made with Obrien potatoes, which we prefer NOT rolled into a burrito. Reheated pork tenderloin bites. Apple cake dessert

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Hope you feel much better soon, and thank goodness for a well stocked freezer.

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Feel better soon ( so you can meet those grandnieces when they arrive!)

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We went haywire most of last week as my sis took ill, I pushed my return back (again), and mom and I ate mostly whatever she was in the mood for.

Actuals:

Mon - Chicken curry noodle soup with flat noodles, using up leftover chicken, a bit of thai paste I found in the freezer, and spinach.

Tues - Leftover (vegetarian) curry noodle soup for mom, masala omelette sandwich for me. Sis down and out: I made her mashed potato, tempered rice (like fried rice but lighter), and bread and butter.

Wed - Leftovers for mom and me: she had bucatini with raw tomato sauce and the rest of the tempered rice, I made a toasted sandwich with the last of the masala pot roast. Sis had tea with toast and dhokla (steamed rice cakes).

Thurs - Mom requested masala cheese toast, I had a masala omelette. Sis dialed back to tea with bread and butter.

Fri - Mom had chapati quesadillas with a mixed vegetable filling and a bit of cheddar with guac on the side. I had one of those too and then scavenged in the fridge later. Sis still running on tea and bread-butter.

Sat - I made Pav Bhaji for mom and me hoping it would tempt sis to eat something different, and so it did. Also used up a bunch of leftovers from the freezer which pleased me.

Sun - Back to sandwiches: mom had a tomato sandwich and a cheese and mustard sandwich, sis and I had grilled cheese. I later made myself Maggi noodles aka OG indian ramen.

Mon - And… again. Masala grilled cheese for mom, plain for sis. I I ordered in a favorite childhood treat have been craving: scotch broth and a steak sandwich with fries. So good! The brioche style bun was fantastic. The soup is an all-time favorite.

Tues (tonight): My plan is to make Viet garlic noodles which I’ve got everything prepped for but no one was in the mood to eat. Let’s see whether it’s just me eating them :joy:

No plan for the coming week as I am hoping to be back home in nyc and will likely eat out a bunch the first week as I catch up with people.

Have a great week!

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I used commercial cornflake crumbs- which should be gluten-free- to bread eggplant last night and we liked it.

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It’s that “should be” that drives me crazy. Corn flakes should be gluten free because corn does not contain gluten. However, Kellogg’s adds malt flavoring, which is made from barley, and barley contains gluten, so… Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are a no-go for people with celiac disease. *at least this is the case for the US, I can’t speak to other countries.

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Reporting back - the mashed potatoes worked beautifully.

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Greetings, People.

Continuing our melt-down into fall. No real plans outside of slowly cleaning up the yard after another year of productive gardening … and taking a lot of naps. Yoga practice also moves to the forefront. It seems like this happens every year about this time – take a breather, watch the soggy leaves fall, have a cuppa tea, bake a cake, and relax.

Feeding two adults in the PNW:

FRI: Recipe Tin Eats Beef Chow Mein, as brought to my attention by @GretchenS.

SAT: Shrimp scampi with orzo (rolled from last week).

SUN: Beef on the charcoal grill (our local burn ban has been lifted – yay!). Grilled veg.

MON: NYT’s Easiest Chicken Soup. Will be making a little extra (sans noodles) for the freezer for nights when I’m too out-of-sorts to cook.

TUE: NYT’s Huevos Rotos - a household favorite. Will add fresh Spanish chorizo.

WED: Cioppino. I use a recipe the origin of which I can’t recall, but this one from Once Upon A Chef looks good. I add bacon and potatoes.

THUR: Zucchini pizza, probably the last one for the year.

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October is just around the corner. Here’s the topic for next month, ready for your plans. Weekly Menu Planning - October 2023

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