Tag Archives: Shabbos

Top Five Reasons to Keep Shabbos

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In case you're wondering, I use tea lights for the kids.

Yep, those are my candlesticks

Every Friday slightly before sundown, I light five candles.  One for me, one for my husband and one for each of my children.  I cover my eyes and say a blessing, and with that action, usher in 25 hours of rejuvenation, connection and rest.  It’s like a spiritual spa every week.  And boy, do I need it.  I mean, life is so hectic.  It is non-stop action over here, and I know I’m not the only person who experiences this.  Right?  Right.

So I’m super glad when I get to say TGIS (Thank G-d it’s Shabbos) and have a little oasis in time where I don’t feel compelled to check my email, see why my phone is making noises at me, or pack in the kids into the car to run errands.  The kids enjoy having challah and grape juice, and a special Shabbos cereal (we’ve been rocking the fruity Cheerios lately).  I get to see my husband when he actually has some energy, not just after a long, hard day at work.  It is great.

There are so many wonderful facets of Shabbos that it may be hard to pinpoint the highlights, but that’s just what I’ve done over at Partners in Torah, where I give my top five reasons to Keep Shabbos.  Is it the food?  The downtime?  The quality time with family?  The guests?  I’d really appreciate it if  you would head over there and show some support by liking the post and also leaving some comments about your favorite part of Shabbos.  Even if you don’t keep Shabbos, you could give a theoretical reason, that’s totally fine by me.  See you over there!

Having Guests – A Pleasure or a Pain?

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Having guests is a big mitzvah.  We learn in the Talmud that it’s one of the few mitzvos that we can enjoy the fruits of in this world, yet the principle is still intact in the World to Come.  So it’s kind of a big deal.  It can be inspiring, enjoyable, entertaining.  But what happens when the guest makes us uncomfortable, insinuates disapproval or outright insults us?   What do we do in a situation where one spouse wants to have a guest, but that guest makes us uber uncomfortable, effectively making Shabbos, usually a delight, into a day of tension and stress?  When it puts a strain on our marriage?

I ask because a reader contacted me with the following dilemma, and she would love to hear your advice on this tricky situation.

Continue reading →

Menu Planning for Pesach!

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Grandma and Bubby feeding the baby (a/k/a grand mommies in totally bliss), last Pesach

This is the first year we’re staying home for the entire Pesach.  A couple years ago, we went to my in-laws for the first days and came back chol hamoed, hosting my in-laws for the second half of Yom Tov (they are easy guests AND helped cook, so it was actually pretty fantastic).  I don’t recommend traveling and making Pesach if you can help it, but if someone has to work chol hamoed, there’s not always a choice.

Anyways, we’re staying home this year.  Since I had had some meager experience with “making” Pesach that one time, I’ve been pretty calm.  I started cleaning and planning a couple of weeks ago, doing a little here and there, and, overall, have not been stressed out.  Then, last night, I sat down to do a menu plan and my head exploded.

Usually, I enjoy menu planning because I’m extremely type-A it helps me function efficiently.  When I don’t menu plan, I end up running to the store multiple times a week, which I prefer not to do.  Not making a plan for Pesach would mean a lot of shopping guesswork, probably a lot of unused items and wasted produce.  I don’t have the time or energy for that, so I strongly prefer to plan, then make a shopping list, and go from there.  It’s just how I roll best.

One of the big hurdles I didn’t consider is the awkward limbo phase when the house isn’t quite kosher for Pesach. I found this wholly overwhelmed.  When would my kitchen be turned over?  I wasn’t sure.  What food could I make when?  And where?  How and what was I going to feed my family?

So, after royally freaking out, and posting said freak-out to Facebook and Twitter, I did the most sensible thing I could.  I walked away from the menu planning, called my mother and moved on to a completely different task.  Namely, putting away kitchen items I knew I wouldn’t be using from here on out (bye-bye coriander!  See ya, toaster!).  After making substantial progress, I felt much more calm and clear-headed.

Then, although it was late, I sat down to tackle the menu planning.  The theme of this menu plan is KEEP IT SIMPLE!   I scoured Facebook (one of my neighbors made a great page – a Passover Support Group.  Fantastic idea!) and blogs for menu ideas, and emailed recipes to myself so I could print them off and put them in my Pesach notebook.  Also, my mother-in-law is coming Thursday (Yay!), and she will definitely help with the cooking, so that’s a big relief.

Here is what I came up with:

the Pre-Pesach days

Monday, April 2nd - kind of almost totally cleaned for Pesach.  Except not.

  • lunch – Pesachdik noodles with cheese for the kids, roasted veggie salad for me.
  • dinner – eat out

Tuesday, April 3rd - turn the kitchen over today, major limbo!

  • lunch – more Pesachdik noodles for the boys, salad for me
  • dinner – Bagels and cream cheese picnic on the patio.  Serious vigilance will be exercised.

Wednesday, April 4th

  • lunch – eggs with hash browns as a side (with ketchup, yum!)
  • dinner – fish, matzah meal couscous and sautéed zucchini

Thursday, April 5th

  • lunch – tuna patties and sweet potato fries
  • dinner – scrambled eggs with some veggies, salad and egg matzah

First Days of Yom Tov

Chol HaMoed

Monday, April 9th

  • lunch – eggs, salad (Romaine with cut-up veggies)
  • dinner – leftovers from Yom Tov

Tuesday, April 10th

  • lunch – hot dogs and spaghetti squash
  • dinner – Meatballs and Smashed Potatoes

Wednesday, April 11th

  • lunch – Matzah Pizza
  • dinner – Salmon with Israeli salad and matzah brei

Thursday, April 12th

  • lunch – eggs, salad and fried potatoes

Second Days of Yom Tov

And there you have it!  The menu plan for the first Pesach I’ve ever really made.  What’s the simplest thing on your menu?  

The unexpected perks of not having reading material

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For the second week in a row, I have found myself without any new reading material for Shabbos.  Since those wintry Friday nights are so long, it’s a great pleasure of mine to curl up with a blanket and a book (and maybe some cookies).  Lately, though, I’ve been stymied by my own lack of planning.  The books I currently own are not enticing to me at the moment, and so I’ve felt a bit of anxiety, dread and impending boredom as I think about all the time I could be spending reading that I will be, well, not reading.

A curious thing has happened during these bookless weeks.  Two curious things, really.  The first one is that without the pressure of my overwhelming desire to read something stimulating or entertaining, I actually got down on the floor and played with my kids.  That kind of active involvement has long been a struggle for me, and having a book to read has only perpetuated the challenge.

So yesterday, since I wasn’t engrossed in a book, I made a spectacular lego house with Little Man AND helped the baby stack some blocks (fine motor skills, here we come!).  I arranged a playdate for Little Man with a neighbor boy.  We looked at and discussed pictures from a big book of Monet’s artwork.  I held the baby while he drank his bottle.  We all got dressed before 9:30 a.m. (this is a major achievement for me on Shabbos).  I also spent a good amount of time with at least one child on my lap.  It was really, really satisfying.

The other pleasant surprise I experienced was finding out that I have great reading material in my house after all.  Remember the parsha?  Yeah, the one that happens every week?  A long, long time ago (like, six years or so), a rebbetzin suggested that I read the parsha every week.  That it would be good for me to stay connected with the what was going on in the Torah, especially after I had kids and wasn’t going to shul much (like right now).  I took that to heart, I really did.

Six years later, I barely open the Chumash.  In fact, when I have other reading material (even frum magazines or what have you), I barely even think about the Chumash.

However, since I do have a compulsion to read something while eating, I ended up reading the parsha AND reading some of Rashi’s commentary, too (love that Sapirstein edition!).  It was also really, really satisfying.

Am I going to be able to keep these two wonderful things going once I do remember to get some reading material?  I sure hope so.  I think it’s a great example of how a situation which could have really put me into a bad mood ended up with a fabulous outcome.

Have you experienced a situation that seemed dreadful and turned out to be good? 

Our Thanksgiving Shabbos Tradition

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We didn’t live near any relatives when I was growing up, and since my mother doesn’t particularly enjoy cooking (I think her motto is something like “cook to survive”), Thanksgiving wasn’t ever a big to-do for us.  However, when my family moved to St. Louis twelve years ago, we found ourselves close to family, and that family could COOK!  Boy, could they cook.  We started spending Thanksgiving together, and I enjoyed the food, the camaraderie with cousins I had never really known, and the overall atmosphere.  It was a new holiday experience.

Of course, once I started keeping kosher, I wasn’t able to partake of the yummy food anymore, and then I went and studied in Israel, and then I got married and moved away from family.  My husband didn’t exactly grow up with any Thanksgiving traditions (ah, cultural differences), and since I make the food quantity equivalent of Thanksgiving every week, I was okay with forgoing the tradition.

Until my parents came to visit us over Thanksgiving weekend three years ago, that is.

My parents are great, and they come visit as much as they are able to, which we love.  Oftentimes, this means they are sacrificing their holiday time to come be with us (I think the grandkids are really the main draw).  So, three years ago, they decided to come over their Thanksgiving vacation.

I realized that my parents, while they aren’t foodies by any stretch of the imagination, would still be missing out on the yumminess of all that good food.  I found out that my mom had been telling her co-workers that even though she wasn’t going to be having a Thanksgiving meal, the trip was well worth it (grandkids are yummier than turkey with stuffing, after all).  And I greatly appreciated their sacrifice, as well as the massive consideration they give to us whenever they come visit.  Our lifestyle is just a touch different than theirs, after all.

So, while I was not about to make Thanksgiving only to make Shabbos a day later (or to serve leftovers on Shabbos, which just doesn’t do it for me), I wanted to do something for my parents, to show our appreciation.  I decided to make a Thanksgiving-themed Shabbos.  We had done Chinese Shabbos, Mexican Shabbos, what have you, so why not a Thanksgiving Shabbos?

nothing to see here....

I pored over my November issues of Bon Appetit and put together a spectacular menu.  Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie – the works.  I was really excited about this.

My favorite part of this plan is that I didn’t tell my parents what I was planning.  Not until Thursday night, when I needed to start making the turkey (an 11-pound turkey is not something I could be discrete about).  My mom and I had a blast preparing the turkey together, as well as making the rest of the dishes.

It was a very memorable meal, and my parents were so grateful.  My mother was able to return to the office bragging about the fantastic Thanksgiving meal she enjoyed!

And so our tradition of Thanksgiving Shabbos began.  This year will be the third that my parents will be joining us, and while I no longer have the time or energy to make a super-gourmet meal (sorry, Bon Appetit), I still stick to the theme.  Also, my parents are both on diets, so I exercised a good amount of self-control and scaled back the amount of food.  Here is my menu for this year:

Friday night:

Pumpkin Challah (I have already tried this one, and it is super yummy!)

Green bean salad (with craisins, fried onions and creamy dressing, à la the casserole)

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes (from Kosher by Design Lightens Up)

Glazed Turkey Roast with Cranberry Chutney (also KBDLU)

Frozen Pumpkin Pie (again, KBDLU)

Shabbos day:

Everything I served Friday night minus the roast.  I’m skipping a cholent and making this:

Sweet Potato and Turkey Deli Roll (KBDLU)

~ ~ ~

I’m really looking forward to spending another Thanksgiving Shabbos with family, and happy to continue this new tradition for my kids.

Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions? 

Menu Plan for November 2-12

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I’ve been doing some thinking about my menu planning.  While I do love the monthly planning concept, I found that I usually didn’t make at least one meal from the plan per week.  That resulted in a lot of leftover ingredients.  Also, I didn’t feel like I was utilizing the ingredients I have on hand (or in pantry), or using coupons, since I was planning so far in advance, and with such specific recipes.  Since I’m menu planning to save money, this was kind of a fail.

So this month I’m going to do it a little bit differently.  How, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.

Plan in smaller increments

I’m going to try to plan one week at a time.  This way I can assess what’s in my pantry, freezer, etc., and utilize what I have already.  Also, I’ll look for coupons and try to plan my meals around what I can get for less.

Include at least one freezer meal per week

Not only does this make dinnertime prep easier, but if I have unexpected leftovers, I’m not out any fresh ingredients.  That soup/chili/whatever can probably stay in the freezer another week.

Double up

This is kind of in line with the whole freezing thing.  It makes it easier in the future.  It’s not hard to double a kugel or a soup, so why not do it?  Exactly.  Also, I’m going to make a BIG NOTE on the recipes I plan on doubling, since last time I kept forgetting which ones I meant to double, and that got pretty frustrating.

Be more flexible

Instead of planning around the yummy, delicious recipes that I have been, I’m going to try to leave a little more wiggle room for whatever may arise that week.  The downside of being more vague is that I’m worried that I won’t pick up all the items I need at the store, but I’ll try to find a solution to that.  Probably I’ll just have to put more thought into the shopping list.

And now…

The Menu Plan for the rest of this week

  • Wednesday, the 2nd~ Black Bean Chili  (from the freezer – oh yeah), cornbread, salad
  • Thursday, the 3rd~ Date night!!
  • Friday, the 4th~ Tuna Croquettes (from Kosher by Design Short on Time); Salad; Chicken Soup (from freezer); Curry Chicken (Kosher by Design Lightens Up); Broccoli Kugel (from freezer); Apple-Blueberry Cake (KBDLU).
  • Shabbos, the 5th~ all of that, minus the soup and the chicken, plus cholent

and for the 6th-12th

  • Sunday, the 6th~ leftovers
  • Monday, the 7th~ Cauliflower Soup, salad, potatoes
  • Tuesday, the 8th~ Meat lasagne with veggies
  • Wednesday, the 9th~ Salmon Burgers (from freezer); sweet potato fries
  • Thursday, the 10th~ Homemade Pizza
  • Friday, the 11th~ Gefilte fish; Salad; Chicken soup (from freezer); potato kugel (make double); Duck Sauce Chicken (Quick and Kosher); Fudge Brownie Torte (KBDLU)
  • Shabbos, the 12th ~ ditto what I said about last Shabbos day meal

There are always the staples for lunch, namely, the cheese and bread for sandwiches and the nosh.  Also breakfast food, which I sometimes forget to think about (oops).

I also want to make these carrot kugel muffins from Miriyummy, since I would like my boys to ingest some vegetables, and coating them in carbs seems the most promising strategy.

And there you have it.

Does a long or short plan work best for you?  Why?

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September Menu Plan

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I have a confession to make:  I didn’t menu plan at all in August.  Not once.  You can imagine me, wandering the aisles of the supermarket aimlessly, with only a list of essentials, without focus and drive.  Our dinner situation was less than ideal many times.  It was a disaster!  Thankfully, my husband is supremely understanding.

Why did this happen?  Partly, my lack of a functioning oven (thanks to my curious toddler) has seriously dampened my drive to cook.  There are only so many things I can do on the stove-top before I start wishing that I could just pop a kugel in the oven.  Plus, my toaster oven bit the dust, so there goes my milchig repertoire!  Ah, Murphy’s Law.  Those losses, combined with the upheaval of moving, resulted in the lack of menu planning.

However, some good did come out of the chaos.  I tried some new things that I wouldn’t have previously, and I introduced some new regulars into my snack routine.  I learned that I like a little wiggle room in my organization.  So, I’m going to add one “wild card” item to my shopping list each week, that way I can explore other food choices without feeling like I’m deviating from my plan.

And how happy am I to present this month’s plan?  Very.

Note that for about a week before Rosh Hashanah I am basically not making dinner, just pulling out meals from the freezer.  I want to try and simplify the cooking preparation for the holiday, and hopefully go into the new year with a low stress level.

I’ve never actually planned for this many RH meals before, as we’ve always gone out for most of them.  However, now that the kids’ bedtimes are a factor, as well as just wanting to be home and be a host for a change, I’m trying to plan these out.  So, if you have any suggestions for ways to make things smooth, I’d love to hear them!  Also, if you want to come for a meal, we’d love to have you!

A common chicken soup variation, with egg nood...

chicken soup: it's just so good

Dinners

Week One

  • Sunday, the 4th ~ Noodles with cheese, Marinated Zucchini Salad
  • Monday, the 5th ~ Ribollita con Ceci – a seriously yummy sounding soup from Ilana-Davita, leftover salad from yesterday
  • Tuesday, the 6th ~ Honey-Thyme Glazed Chicken with 3-Onion Jam (from Kosher by Design Lightens Up), Near East Rice
  • Wednesday, the 7th ~ Za’atar-Rubbed Halibut (KBDLU), steamed green beans, Israeli couscous
  • Thursday, the 8th ~ Pasta with Middle Eastern spices,  Lemony Chickpea Salad
  • Shabbos evening, the 9th ~ Gefilte Fish,  Spreads (Hummus, olives, heart of palm),  Sweet Potato Salad (KBDLU), Chicken Soup (from freezer), Noodle Kugel (store bought, unless my oven is finally fixed), Delicious Juicy Chicken, Coconut Milk Ice Cream.  I’ll probably bake something if I can.

Week Two

  • Sunday, the 11th ~ leftovers from Shabbos
  • Monday, the 12th ~ Black Bean Chili, Cornbread (assuming the oven works, that is)
  • Tuesday, the 13th  ~ Curry Chicken (KBDLU), Basmati Rice
  • Wednesday, the 14th ~ Salmon Burgers (KBDLU), Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Fries (Quick & Kosher)
  • Thursday, the 15th ~ Pasta Mama Rosa, Wilted Red Peppers with Garlic
  • Shabbos evening, the 16th ~ Tuna Croquettes (from Kosher by Design Short on Time), Spreads, Purple cabbage salad, Lentil Soup (Q&K), Broccoli Kugel (Q&K), Confetti Chicken (KBDLU), Frozen Pumpkin Pie (KBDLU)

Week Three

  • Sunday, the 18th ~ leftovers from Shabbos
  • Monday, the 19th ~Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Israeli couscous
  • Tuesday, the 20th ~ Chicken Lo Mein
  • Wednesday, the 21st ~ Black Bean Chili (from freezer)
  • Thursday, the 22nd ~ Pasta Salad
  • Shabbos evening, the 23rd ~ Tuna Croquettes (from freezer), Spreads, Beet Salad (Spice & Spirit), Chicken Soup (from freezer), Broccoli Kugel (from freezer), Duck Sauce Chicken (Q&K), Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Week Four

  • Sunday, the 25th ~  leftovers from Shabbos
  • Monday, the 26th ~ Salmon Burgers (from freezer)
  • Tuesday, the 27th ~ Creamy Cauliflower Soup (from freezer)
  • Rosh Hashana Evening 1, the 28th ~ Yummy Round Challahs (yay!),  the Simonim, Sweet and Sour Salmon (S&S), Waldorf Salad (S&S), Chicken Soup with Kreplach (Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook), Honey Chicken (Q&K), Tzimmes (HJHC), Honey Cake Minis (HJHC)
  • Rosh Hashana Day 1, the 29th ~ Sweet and Sour Salmon (leftover), Spreads, Broccoli and Olive Salad (S&S), Pot Roast (S&S), Tzimmes (leftover), Oatmeal Apple Crisp (S&S), Honey Cake Minis (leftover)
  • Rosh Hashana Evening 2, the 29th ~ Baked Gefilte Fish, Waldorf Salad (leftover), Chicken Soup with Kreplach (leftover), Bruschetta Chicken (KDBLU), Lokshen Kugel (S&S), Oatmeal Apple Crisp (leftover), Ancie’s Carrot Cake (KBDLU)
  • Rosh Hashana Day 2, the 30th ~ This meal is basically just leftovers from the previous three meals.

Lunches

As always, my husband takes his cheese sandwich, fruit & chips combo to work.  On the days that he’s home, he usually eats the same thing, so that’s easy.  I tend to finish leftovers or make an egg or pasta dish.  Or, I just finish whatever my kids don’t eat from their lunch.  Whatever is the easiest, really.

The kids will typically eat pasta, cheese sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches, or scrambled eggs for lunch.  I found  some great microwavable corn on the cob, so that’s a nice side.  I’m trying to introduce more vegetables into their diet. Leftover gefilte fish is usually a hit with them, too, carrots and all.  Peas have been out of the rotation for a while, so I’ll probably reintroduce them.

Snacks

After I go on my baking spree, I’ll have lots of muffins, scones and cookies to choose from.  Other favorite snacks include raisins and almonds (who’s humming the song now?), protein bars (like CLIF or Luna), and maybe, when I’m feeling very good, fruit.  My husband is great about snacking on fruit.  I am great at snacking on carbs.  Sigh.

Happy cooking, and Shanah Tovah!

———

image via Wikipedia

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Menu Plan, week of July 17th

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Shortly after I moved, one of my friends asked me when I was going to make a menu plan again.  “After I finish unpacking,”  was my reply.  However, wandering the aisles of my new grocery store (I love you, Seven Mile!) with considerably less focus than usual was not super pleasant, or productive.

Cue heroic music, enter the menu planning. 

I’m not quite organized enough to plan for the whole month, but I will share my plan for this week (I was also going to share my plan for last week, but I used the back of it for my shopping list and it is now MIA.  Sorry).

Three fortuitous incidents helped shape my food choices:

Cover of "Kosher by Design Lightens Up: F...

thanks, Honey!

One, my husband bought me a new cookbook for my birthday (awww, isn’t he great?).  He got me Susie Fishbein’s Kosher By Design Lightens Up.  I had wanted a kosher cookbook that was on the healthier side (read:  no onion soup mix in the recipes, no deep-fried Chinese food recipes which I would wistfully ignore).  So far, I really like it.

Two, until very recently (like, Motzei Shabbos), all my books were packed.  The only reading material I had access to were my friend’s old copies of Binah (thank, E!) and my two years’ worth of Bon Appetit magazine.  So, I’ve been poring over many scrumptious and sumptuous recipes as well as educating myself on various foodie facts (did you know that this is the peak season for pluots?  Me neither.  I don’t even know where to get one, or what it is exactly!).  Jesting aside, I do love that every month, Bon Appetit picks a food at its seasonal peak and provides several delicious ways to prepare said food.  Also, the recipes for each month are appropriate for the season, which is something that I do want to become more familiar with.

Three, my mother is in town (yay!), so I am actually able to potchke around in the kitchen as she enjoys her grandmotherly privileges.

And now, the menu:

Sunday, July 17th

  • Ultimate Veggie Burgers ~ Kosher by Design Lightens Up (KBDLU); Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad ~Bon Appetit, July 2009 (BA 7/09) – it was sooo yummy, and I was able to pop the leftovers in the freezer for next week!

Monday, July 18th (A Pre-Fast Meal)

  • Eggplant Gazpacho (BA 7/09); Flounder with Fresh Dill and Lemon ~ from my brain (fmb); Kasha Pilaf (KBDLU)

Tuesday, July 19th (Shiva Asar b’Tammuz, ain’t no dinner tonight)

  • Break the fast with leftovers from Monday.  I tend to go on baking frenzies on fast days, so we’ll see if there’s anything else to eat)

Wednesday, July 20th

  • Spicy Chicken Peperonata with Lime and Mint Dressing (BA 7/09), served with warm tortillas, pareve sour cream, avocados and Near East Spanish Rice

Thursday, July 21st

  • Huevos Rancheros (KBDLU).

Shabbos night, July 22nd

  • Gefilte Fish, baked with Marinara sauce (fmb); Bok Choy Slaw (KBDLU); Chicken Soup (from freezer); Wheat Germ Crusted Chicken Cutlets (KBDLU); Lokshen Kugel ~ Spice and Spirit; Blueberry Crumb Bars (BA 7/09)

Shabbos day, July 23rd

  • Everything from the night, minus the fish and soup, and add cholent and liver (store bought, that).  Yum!

~ ~ ~

And there you have it.

Now, I do make a different thing every night, and my good friend, E, mentioned that she likes to make double and serve the same thing two nights in a row.  It sounds like a good plan to me, and since my children aren’t old enough to protest, and my husband is okay with leftovers, I may adopt this plan.  What I’ve done in the past is freeze the double portion and bring it back out a different week.  I have to decide which plan I prefer, I guess.

For those of you who menu plan, how do you factor in your leftovers?

———-

image via Amazon

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Senselessness and Comfort

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After what happened this week to that poor little boy, I, and many people that I know, are feeling frustrated and saddened by the senselessness and horror.

These past couple of days I’ve felt guilty for making a small joke, or playing with my boys, or being frustrated by their normal antics.  How is it that I can smile, laugh and enjoy myself, or have the chutzpah to be annoyed with my kids, when there is a family, and indeed, a community, who are utterly devastated right now?

As I was saying brachos and Shemonah Esrei, I was thinking about the words, and wondering why Hashem let this horrible thing happen.  I know that I’m not going to get any answers, or at least any easy ones.  It’s not the kind of news story that just fades away easily.  This has shaken many people on a very fundamental level.  I can’t even really express any of the emotions without resorting to clichés.

Anyways, I wanted to post some links that I found helpful or comforting:

If anyone knows of any additional articles or words of comfort, I would appreciate if you could leave them in the comments section.

Also, please take the time to email a condolence email to the Kletsky family at this address:  Leibykeltsky [dot] letters [at] gmail.com.  They will get the notes to the Kletskys, and are hoping to have over 10,o00 letters before Shabbos.

Have a good Shabbos, everyone, and give your kiddos and  loved ones an extra squeeze in gratitude.

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June Menu Plan

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Israeli Salad

Image by lynn.gardner via Flickr

Since we’re moving in less than a month (Aaaaahhhhhh!), my June menu plan’s focus is on using up everything that I have in my house.  In the fridge, the freezer, the cupboards (I found a ridiculous amount of corn meal.  Go figure).  I was not looking forward to this inventory of items.  At all.  I put it off for many hours today (thank you, Facebook, for the constant diversions), but in the end it wasn’t nearly as painful as I expected.  Yay!

I had to get a little creative at times with the hodgepodge of items (3 cans coconut milk, 2 jars of taco sauce, 1/2 pack of egg noodles, some wasabi powder, etc.), but the overall menu is actually fairly normal-seeming.  It was actually kind of fun to find new recipes to use some of the items that didn’t immediately bring to mind a favorite recipe.

Without further ado . . . the menu.

Dinners

“Week” One

  • Shabbos, the 3rd ~ Dinner:  Tuna croquettes (Kosher by Design, Short on Time), Israeli salad, Chicken Soup, Walnut Maple Chicken with Sweet Potato Aioli (KBD, SOT), Noodle Kugel, Zebra Cookies (KBD, SOT).  We’re going out for lunch.

Week Two

  • Sunday, the 5th ~ Leftovers from Shabbos, Toasted Barley and Mushrooms (Spice & Spirit).
  • Monday, the 6th ~ Lasagna & Coleslaw.
  • Shavuous!  the 7th through 9th ~  First Night: Savory Baked Chickpeas (S&S), Avocado Salad (S&S), Curried Pepper Steak (S&S), Cornbread, Berry Pie (recipe from a friend).  We’re going out for the rest of the meals.  Don’t hate.
  • Shabbos, the 10th & 11th ~ We’re going out both meals.  Hey, we’re moving and want to socialize while we still can.

Week Three

  • Sunday, the 12th ~ Tacos with Cornbread.
  • Monday, the 13th ~ Black Bean and Salsa Salmon (Quick & Kosher) with Pea Salad.
  • Tuesday, the 14th ~ Thai Chicken and Coconut Rice Salad (KBD, SOT).
  • Wednesday, the 15th ~ Kidney Bean Omelette with Spelt Rolls.
  • Thursday, the 16th ~ Noodles with Cheese, Salad.
  • Shabbos, the 17th & 18th ~ Dinner:  Sweet & Sour Salmon (S&S), Salad, Chicken Soup (from freezer), Honey Chicken (Q&K), Potato Kugel (S&S).  We’re out for lunch, B”H.

Week Four

  • Sunday, the 19th ~ Leftovers from Shabbos.
  • Monday, the 20th ~ Lasagne and Salad.
  • Tuesday, the 21st ~ Chicken Pot Pie (from freezer) with Cornbread.
  • Wednesday, the 22nd ~ Salmon (this was a big hit with my husband last month), Couscous.
  • Thursday, the 23rd ~ Noodles with Cheese, Salad.  Classic.
  • Shabbos, the 24th & 25th – We’ll be out for both meals.  Our last Shabbos in Cleveland.  :(

“Week” Five

  • Sunday, the 26th ~ Meatballs (from freezer) and Cornbread.
  • Monday, the 27th ~ Moving Day!!!!!!!
  • Tuesday the 28th through Thursday the 30th ~ we’ll be in Baltimore, and at some point, in our new apartment.  I’m not sure what we’ll be eating, but it will either be extremely simple (think noodles and cheese) or take-out.  We’ll see.

Lunches and Snacks:

I have a lot of flour-type ingredient in my pantry (did you see all the cornbread in that menu plan?  It’s out of control!), so I’m hoping to make many batches of muffins, breads, etc.  These should be good for my toddler to snack on, and good traveling food as the time approaches.

As always, we snack on plenty of fruit and yogurt.  I will continue to try to feed my toddler more than just carbohydrates, so I’ll try some eggs, soups and fruits.  He ate a mango today AND some grapes, so that was pretty exciting for me (it doesn’t take much).  I usually eat whatever is left over, though I’ve been thinking about paying more attention to my diet.  Well, probably after the move (my new mantra).

And that’s it for June’s menu planning.  Have a great Shabbos!

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