Well. It’s the beginning of the month again, which means it’s time for menu planning! Last month I didn’t post my plan because we were out of town for eleven days, and I kept having that nagging feeling that it’s not good practice to advertise extended absences (not that I have much to burgle anyways, but, hey, you know).
That said, I still made a plan. I find that it’s not only enjoyable to plan what yummy food I want to make, but it makes shopping simpler (and, I think, more cost-effective), and it also makes the what’s-for-dinner-tonight dilemma moot. ‘Cause I know what’s for dinner. Every night. Sometimes I do deviate from the menu, but it’s still overwhelmingly helpful to have all my meals planned out for the month. Mmmm hmmmm.
And here are the dinners:
Week One
- Sunday the 1st ~ Leftover from Shabbos. Simple.
- Monday the 2nd ~ Crunchy Tofu Thai Salad – Quick and Kosher
- Tuesday the 3rd ~ Kalmein (with leftover chicken from chicken soup) – Kosher by Design Short on Time
- Wednesday the 4th ~ Salmon in Foil, couscous
- Thursday the 5th ~ Lasagne, salad
- Shabbos ~ Gefilte fish (half a loaf), salad, Chicken Soup (from freezer), Kishka-stuffed chicken – KBDSOT, Broccoli kugel – QK, Chocolate chip cookies – QK
Shabbos lunches we’ll be spending with friends we want to see before we move in two months.
Week Two
- Sunday the 7th ~ Leftovers from Shabbos
- Monday the 8th ~ Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Soup – KBDSOT, bread
- Tuesday the 9th ~ Turkey Marsala – KBDSOT, rice
- Wednesday the 10th ~ Tuna Stir-Fry
- Thursday the 11th ~ Linguini and tomato sauce florentine – QK, salad
- Shabbos ~ Gefilte fish (the other half of the loaf), Asian cabbage salad – QK, Butternut squash soup – QK, Primavera chicken – KBDSOT, Broccoli kugel (from freezer), Applesauce cake – QK
Week Three
- Sunday the 15th ~ yeah, Shabbos leftovers again
- Monday the 16th ~ Cornmeal-Crusted Flounder – KBDSOT
- Tuesday the 17th ~ Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Soup (from freezer), bread
- Wednesday the 18th ~ Greek Garlic Chicken – KBDSOT, rice
- Thursday the 19th ~ Pasta Nicoise – QK
- Shabbos ~ Black Bean and Salsa Salmon – QK, Israeli Salad, Butternut Squash Soup (from freezer), Maple-Walnut Chicken – KBDSOT, Noodle Kugel, Applesauce Cake – QK
Week Four
- Sunday the 22nd ~ and…wait for it…Shabbos Leftovers!
- Monday the 23rd ~ Hot and Sour Soup – KBDSOT, rice and veggies
- Tuesday the 24th ~ Fiesta Turkey Burgers – KBDSOT
- Wednesday the 25th ~ Salmon and Fennel, rice
- Thursday the 26th ~ Spinach and Cheddar Calzone – QK
- Shabbos ~ Tuna croquettes- KBDSOT, salad, chicken soup, noodle kugel, Honey Chicken – QK, Chocolate chip banana cake –QK
“Week” Five
- Sunday the 29th ~ Do I even need to tell you?
- Monday the 30th ~ Fish Tacos
- Tuesday the 31st ~ Hot and Sour Soup (from freezer), rice and veggies
And for everything else:
- Breakfast ~ Eggs, waffles and/or cereal
- Lunch ~ some sort of pasta or carb for my toddler, and for me, usually leftovers or pasta or a sandwich
- Snacks ~ Muffins, banana bread and lots of fruit. Some crackers, rice cakes and chips for the little man, and some mashed food for the really little one.
Rivki Silver ~ thoughts & music 
I bow down to you! And you’ve made me hungry! Do you especially recommend any of those recipes? I am more of a “pull up to fridge at 5:55 and see what I can pull together” kind of gal!
Thanks for linking to my blog.
The Crunchy Tofu Thai Salad sounds good. What does it include?
I love that you’re so organized in the food department. I wish I could get my act together and plan a menu, especially that far in advance. I’m ok with a week (generally) but, wow, I’m impressed.
Your menu sounds delicious! I’m especially interested in the black bean and salsa salmon and fiesta turkey burgers. I’m with you where I prefer to plan my month of meals out. Makes life easier.
Excellent, there are so many creative things we can do. I made a list of ideas for myself. Like veg, rice, fish and so on
Wowser you are organized!!!!
About 6 months ago when Shab prep. was turning into an expensive exhausting bad very bad day, I started to commit to having Shabbos ready by Chatzos on Fri. That forced me to get organized. I’m down to getting almost everything done by Thursday evening and only last minute prep before work on Friday. So much better going into Shabbos without the rush! Being organised makes such a difference!
Thanks everyone!
Joan ~ the three meals I’m most looking forward to are the Tofu Salad, Cornmeal Crusted Flounder, and the Spinach Calzone. Mmm
IlanaDavita ~ thanks for having linkable recipes. The salad includes mixed greens, tofu, slivered almonds, chow mein noodles, and then a delicious sesame oil/peanut butter/soy sauce/garlic/ginger/rice vinegar dressing.
Penina ~ it was really overwhelming at first, but now I’m so glad I’m doing it.
Leah ~ I want to eat them all right now! The same recipe is super easy, and I’m looking forward to the Fiesta burgers – it’s a new one for me.
SMB ~ yay!
Gmomj ~ It is a dream of mine to be done by chatzos. I’m working on getting there, liat liat…
I am so behind on my menu plan – I was just thinking tonight that I need to get myself organized (and motivated). Perhaps I’ll just copy yours?!?! I love that you mention all your sources – thank you! :)
I checked your blog today to see if I could link to your menu plan, but alas! Copy away, and you’re very welcome about the sources. :)
Very impressive menu plan!!
Just curious, does a soup really work – that’s enough for a meal?
It depends on the soup. Sometimes, with a Minestrone-type soup (with pasta and lots o’ veggies), it can be a whole meal. If there’s no mezonos in the soup, I usually serve it with bread or pasta or rice.
Oh, that makes sense!