New Computer, Busy Week, and some Time Off

I didn't vanish in real life, just on the computer. After giving up on the old one (dead as a doornail :( ), I went out and got a lovely new one :D. So that explains a week off. Then there was this week, just crazy with Sabbot, Chag, Shabbot (and guests for all 3!), and now on Monday my Mom is coming for a visit :D.

So... I'll be taking a break probably realistically for a few weeks. I hope to come back soon with a nicer blog, and some neat meal posts. I'll be sure to let you all know when I come back. Until then, eat well!

Weekly Meal Plan - May 9 - May 15

Better late than never! Busy morning today so I didn't get this up until after the fact.

Sunday

Lunch: Leftover

Supper: Barakas

Monday

Lunch: Pasta & cottage cheese, fresh veggies

Supper: Pizza & salad

Tuesday

Lunch: Meatballs, rice, green beans

Supper: Eggs

Wednesday

Lunch: Tuna burgers, mashed potatoes, carrots

Supper: Pancakes

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken snitzel, couscous, peas & carrots

Supper: Oatmeal

Friday

Lunch: Hot dogs, fries, salad

Supper: Chicken soup, roast chicken, roast potatoes, mixed veggies

Shabbot

Lunch: Tuna pie, salads, chicken snitzel, carrot kugel, roast potatoes

Supper: Salads & puddings.

Stir Fry Tofu

Last week I made stir fry tofu. This is one of my favorite meals, because besides being fast and frugal, it freezes well together. I cook this one time, and feed the family 4 times. Can't beat that!

Yes, I know this is not "authentic" stir fry. It is fast, and frugal, and all my kids eat it. Bonus, grownups like it too :)

Begin with your tofu. Cut into small cubes and place in a pan with some oil. Sautee them for a few minutes, turning so all the sides get crispy. When almost done, add soy sauce and garlic powder (I use quite a bit, but do it by taste). Mix for another minute or so so all the flavors get blended. From 1 kilo of tofu, I did 3 pans this size.

Next take your bag of mixed veggies. I use the carrots, corn, green beans mixture (this bag was 800g). Take it out in the morning and let it defrost on the counter. When it is defrosted, dump in a pan and heat gently (you can use a little oil). Splash on some soy sauce and garlic powder and voila, your veggies are done.

Finally, add your cooked rice (I used 2 cups of raw rice for this amount of tofu and veggies). I served myself (twice!) and 6 kids, and I have two big portions to put in the freezer to reheat and serve, and 2 smaller portions to reheat and serve. I can serve 6-8 kids and myself on the bigger portions, and myself plus my kids with the smaller ones. Not bad for 15 minutes worth of work standing and stirfrying.

An Unplanned Surprise

As I mentioned before, this week we weren't feeling well. Dh only wanted soup for Shabbot, and I wanted a semi meal for the rest of us. Instead of defrosting some traditional chicken soup out of the freezer, I experimented with a combination of veggie chullent and soup, and it came out really amazing! Three out of the four kids ate it too (which is about as good as it gets here, I think the only things all four eat are pasta, cottage cheese & bananas. One doesn't even like hot dogs anymore!)

Veggie Chullent Soup (made in a 4 quart crock pot)

2 cups cooked barley & beans (my MIL had given me this frozen to make veggie soup with)

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped big (because yours truly doesn't like celery, so it needs to be big enough for me to avoid eating it by accident :x)

1 potato, diced (could have put in a second one)

your favorite kneidel (matzah ball) recipe

"Saute" onions in the crock pot with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of sugar for about an hour. Stir once or twice and watch they don't burn.

Add the cooked grains & beans (I'm sure you could have put in the barely raw, but I had it already prepared so I didn't). Add chopped potato, celery & carrot and fill pot with water. Cook on high several hours. Prepare kneidel mixture and place in fridge.

About an hour before Shabbot (or serving on a regular day), for kneidal and add to the boiling soup. Wait for it to reboil again and then switch to low.

This came out really, really good and I will be doing it again sometime. Friday night we all had it as soup, and Shabbot lunch there was soup on the top and the bits on the bottom were yummy and chullently. There was about half a ladle leftover from the whole pot.

Weekly Menu Plan - May 2 - 8

OK, I got my plan together. Let's see how it goes this week.

Sunday

Lunch: Pasta & cottage cheese, cut veggies

Supper: Shabbot leftovers

Monday

Lunch: Baked beans & rice, salad

Supper: Eggs

Tuesday

Lunch: Homemade falafal & chips

Supper: Pancakes

Wednesday

Lunch: Chicken snitzel & pititim

Supper: Oatmeal

Thursday

Lunch: Sloppy joe pasta

Supper: Leftovers

Friday

Lunch: Mac & cheese

Supper: Chicken soup, roast chicken, roast potatos, carrots

Shabbot

Lunch: Veggie chullent, leftover chicken, salads

Supper: Pudding & sandwiches.

The Best Laid Plans...

Yes, sometimes they go awry. You just need to pick yourself up and get on with the next day or week. Last week I was sick in the beginning, and dh was sick at the end. The meal plan kind of went out the window, and crisis mode returned. There were 2 successes of the week, the tofu (which is an old standby, and I did get to take pictures so I will try to post about it this week), and a new hearty soup. I didn't get pictures of the soup, but it's a true example of sometimes the best meals are spontaneous and not planned.

I will try to do this week's meal plan later today. At this point, I don't even know what I am serving for lunch in 3 hours :x

Weekly Meal Plan - April 25 - May 1

Sunday

Lunch: Chicken, roast potatoes, green beans

Supper: Homemade pizza

Monday

Lunch: Baked pasta & red sauce, salad

Supper: Oatmeal

Tuesday

Lunch: Meatballs, rice, carrots

Supper: Mac & cheese

Wednesday

Lunch: Tuna burgers, mashed potatoes, raw veggies

Supper: Pancakes

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken snitzel, couscous, mixed veggie

Supper: Fish sticks, rice, salad

Friday

Lunch: Tofu stir fry

Supper: Chicken soup, roast chicken, roast potato, carrot kugel

Shabbot

Lunch: Leftover chicken, veggie chullent, salads

Supper: Sandwiches, salads, pudding

Weekly Meal Plan - April 18 - 24

Sunday

Lunch: Chicken stirfry over rice

Supper: Oatmeal

Monday

Lunch: Everything couscous

Supper: Pancakes

Tuesday

Lunch: Out :)

Supper: Mac & cheese

Wednesday

Lunch: Homemade pizza with fresh veggies

Supper: Potato borekas

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken snitzel, mashed potatoes, green beans

Supper: Tuna, pasta and veggies

Friday

Lunch: Eggs 'n' tatoes

Supper: Chicken soup, breaded chicken, rice, "Chinese" mixed veggies

Shabbot

Lunch: Leftover chicken, veggie soup, cabbage salad, potato salad

Lentil Patties, Step by Step

One of my favorite things to do with lentils is lentil patties. They are cheap, easy, and the kids even eat them! What more could you ask for. They aren't my fastest meal (there are a few steps and it takes time between each step), but they freeze very well. Make a big batch, and then in the future you can just pull out 1 or 2 for a quick meal.

Take one cup of lentils, rinse them well and change the water a couple of times. Put them in a pot with fresh water, boil, and then simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes. You want them cooked, but not lentil soup. Finding the right water / flame combination to get them soft enough without burning the bottom or winding up with lentil soup takes a bit of practice. I use about 2x the water as dried lentils, and sometimes have to add a bit more. Don't forget they expand a lot! Use a big pot.

Dry, one cup


Yum... cooking away


Cooling


When they are done it will be a thick mixture that looks like it might have been pureed. Dump it out of the pot and into a container, and let cool.

Once cool (it should only take about 20 minutes), add 2 eggs & half a cup of breadcrumbs. Add whatever seasonings you like in ground beef (I use soy sauce, ketchup and garlic powder). Stir it all around and make sure it's mixed well. It should be fairly thick.

Form patties and place on cookie sheet. They tend to stick, so I use baking paper. You can also use a bit of oil. Bake on 350F / 180C for about 15 minutes until they are slightly browned on top. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Enjoy!

Lentils, a Frugal Women's Best Friend

I love lentils. OK, I'll admit, I never really *loved* them, but I am getting to like them, a lot! First, they are frugal. Dried lentils are one of the cheapest proteins you can get your hands on. Second, unlike most other legumes they don't need presoaking. So even if you just remember that morning you need a cheap lunch, you are not out of luck (yes, I know you can quick soak other legumes, but I prefer the overnight soak). Third, they are very versitile. I use lentils to make Red Dragon Pie, Lentil Burgers, Lentil "Meat" sauce, and Lentil "Meat"balls, in addition to the normal chilies, stews, soups & plain old "lentils & rice."

Weekly Meal Plan - April 11 - 17

Sunday

Lunch: Fish sticks, rice, mixed veg

Supper: Chicken soup

Monday

Lunch: Tomato, pasta & cheese casserole, raw veggies

Supper: Oatmeal

Tuesday

Lunch: Meatballs, mashed potato, green beans

Supper: Eggs, toast, raw veggies

Wednesday

Lunch: Lentils, rice, carrots

Supper: Pancakes

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken patty, Israeli couscous, cabbage salad

Supper: Pasta & cheese

Friday

Lunch: Hot dogs & chips

Supper: Challah, salads, chicken soup, roast chicken, roast potatoes, steamed broccoli

Shabbot

Lunch: Challah, salads, veggie chulent, leftover chicken

Supper: Pitot, egg salad, pasta salad, cabbage salad, chummos, etc.

I'm Back... Well Sortof

I'm posting up this week's menu, but it's a quickie and more for me than anything else (I will try to remember to look for comments though :) ). It's going to be a bit of a crazy week because I am back to class (last week, so I don't want to miss), and my freezer is not stocked as it normally is, so a bit more "fast" and less "frugal" than I'd like, but hey, they can't all be great creative weeks, can they?

Not Gone, Just Busy

Busy with Pesach and the after Pesach switch, which is why I originally wasn't going to take on this blog until after Pesach in the first place :)

We'll be back with regularly scheduled meal plans soon! (first it would be good to have some food in the house LOL). Shop day: Tomorrow!

Weekly Meal Plan - March 21 - 27

As you might guess, this is going to be a big hodgepodge of what is left in the house and what I feel like scrounging up.

Sunday

Lunch: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & green beans

Supper: Eggs 'n' tatoes

Monday

Lunch: Veggie noodle soup

Supper: Cheese pancakes

Tuesday

Lunch: Chicken nuggets, french fries, carrots

Supper: Oatmeal

Wednesday

Lunch: Tuna pie & raw veggies

Supper: Pita pizza

Thursday

Lunch: Honey mustard chicken breast, rice, mixed veggies

Supper: Baked potato bar

Friday

Lunch: Hot dogs

Supper: Invited out :)

Shabbot

Lunch: Sliced meat, pita, hummos, corn salad, whatever other cold salads I feel like whipping up

Supper: Sandwiches, yogurts & pudding

Weekly Meal Plan - March 14 - 20

Still trying to rundown what's in the pantry and the fridge, so not the most creative or varied plan, but it is what it is, and here it is :)

Breakfast: Cereal & milk

Sunday

Lunch: Chicken, mashed potatoes & green beans

Supper: Cottage cheese pancakes, cut up veggies

Monday

Lunch: IL coming and bringing something :)

Supper: Tomato soup with noodles

Tuesday

Lunch: Fish sticks, rice, carrots

Supper: Oatmeal

Wednesday

Lunch: Pititim, chickpeas, root veggies

Supper: Pancakes

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken nuggets, roast potatoes, green beans

Supper: Veggie noodle soup

Friday

Lunch: Tofu patties, raw veggies

Supper: Roast chicken, baked mashed potatoes, mixed veggies

Shabbot

Lunch: Chicken, rice, Chinese cabbage salad

Supper: Sandwiches & yogurts

Weekly Meal Plan - March 7 - 13

I'm not officially launching my blog yet since I'm really busy in real life, but since I did start I'll post up this week's meal plan. It's not a fancy one or a particularly frugal one, but I'm trying to use up what's in the house.

Breakfast: Cereal & Milk

Sunday

Lunch: Tofu, rice & veggies

Supper: Tomato soup & grilled cheese

Monday

Lunch: Baked pasta with cheese & sauce

Supper: Baked potato bar

Tuesday

Lunch: Hot dogs in blankets, green beans

Supper: Corn patties, rice, raw veggies

Wednesday

Lunch: Fish sticks, rice, mixed veggies

Supper: Israeli couscous with root veggies & chickpeas

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken patties, pasta stars & salad

Supper: Oatmeal

Friday

Lunch: Tofu patties & raw veggies

Supper: Chicken cutlets, stir fried veggies & rice

Shabbot

Lunch: Meat pie, cauliflower kugel, salad

Supper: Sandwiches & yogurt (another non frugal choice they get 1x a week as a Shabbot treat)

Not So Frugal Breakfast Plan

My breakfast is pretty standard, cereal and milk. Now, you might ask what is frugal about that? I'll tell you... not much. It's not really the frugal choice, but it's the fast choice. With 4 kids to get out in the morning on my own, I don't have time. The kids can give themselves breakfast and clean it up independently. Also, by giving them cereal every morning for breakfast, I save other breakfast food for "breakfast for dinner" which they love.

Cheater's Veggie Noodle Soup

The weather was kind of cold today. I was not feeling well. The only thing I *really* wanted was some nice veggie noodle soup, but I had no energry for all the prep (and no veggies in the house). I almost went down to my local store to buy some "cup o soup" (not frugal, lol), when I came upon an idea. I'm sure it's not an original idea, it came out really well and I thought it would make a good topic for my new blog.

Ingredients:
Frozen mixed veggies (I used corn, green beans, carrots, peas)
Cooked pasta
Soup mix (I know, bad, but I use the MSG free one and honestly, otherwise it's just veggies, pasta & water)

Directions:
Cook noodles & set aside. Add frozen veggies to pot of water, boil, and simmer. Add a bit of soup mix and salt to taste. I cooked mine about 40 minutes or so. When it's serving time, put a bit of pasta in a bowl and ladle soup over.


I wouldn't say it was the best I've ever made in my life, but it was really good and the kids all ate it. It also brought back fond childhood memories of... you guessed it... cup o soup :)

About this Blog :)

My name is Rach and I am a WAHM to 4 kids, plus a day care provider to a few more. I decided to start this blog mostly to be accountable to myself, and also to hear suggestions from my (hopefully many :-) ) readers. I love reading meal planning blogs & tips, and I am trying to inspire myself to go beyond reading them and actually implimenting meal planning in my every day life.

I find for myself Frugal & Fast are often in contrast to each other. The cheapest meals often take the longest time to prepare. Not necessarily in actual prep or cooking time, but often you need to think and plan ahead. For example, it doesn't take a lot of physical time to prepare dried beans, but you need to decide you are going to have beans more than 5 minutes before serving them! In my meal planning, I try to find the balance between fast, easy to prepare food, and keeping frugal and within a budget. Not every meal will be both, most will be only one, but I will strive to fine the balance weekly & monthly.