by alichava | Sep 21, 2016 | Kosher, Menu Plan, Passover, Sukkot
Menu-planning has been sort of all over the place. We plan menus every week, but when it comes to holiday planning, we have never been really organized. Mostly we had planned our menus and created Google Docs for each year with links to recipes as needed or references to where to find the recipe in the cookbooks. I will tell you this has been totally messy and hard to find previous menus. Even typing menu into google doesn’t always bring up all of the documents.
In an effort to decrease clutter and focus some of our digital mess into a more organized fashion we have begun using Microsoft’s OneNote to website recipes clippings (I still do a bunch of it on Pinterest) and paper recipes. It’s our digital cookbook. We had scanned tons of stuff a while ago that’s just sitting on a Google drive and hard to search, so moving forward we have started adding them into the Microsoft’s OneNote
This year, we tried using OneNote during Passover for our meal planning and organizing. It was surprisingly awesome! We had just installed Microsoft Office 365 on our computers and phones. We didn’t get to everything in our plan and had to readjust because our oven died when I was cleaning it for the holiday, but it did help with the process. This probably could be done with Evernote too, but I haven’t ever use Evernote.
We created the plan and then we linked to the recipes that were in the notebook. We also created a shopping list on the side with check off boxes. Because I could access the shopping list, menu, and recipes all at the same time, it made shopping easy. I could go back to look at recipes if I wanted clarification or know if there was a specific type of ingredient that needed to be purchased and make the adjustments as I was shopping.
One of best parts of having recipes available through the web, computer, or mobile device is the access to them from anywhere. For the recipes we use all the time, we can add them to the notebook. An advantage of having them with us is we can plan a menu on the go and can quickly reference the recipe and add ingredients to our shopping list even when we are not home.
by alichava | Sep 20, 2016 | Baby Led Weaning, Menu Plan
There are a lot of books, blogs, etc about doing Baby-led weaning (BLW), so this is not a definitive guide. This is basically a resource on how to get started and some of the tools you might need.
What is Baby-led weaning?
This is my explanation: It’s basically allowing your child to feed themselves by introducing foods after 6 months of age. There are a number of foods you can begin with, but begin with foods you can cook and make so soft that they can easily swallow the food. Here are a few examples: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. You don’t wait to introduce new food and you basically allow the child to decide what and when they want to eat. Don’t worry about how much they are eating. By 7-8 months they should get the hang of it.
A benefit we saw is that our child was able to use utensils and a cup earlier. He had a lot of interest in different foods and while he is older now and a little bit more opinionated, he is still a pretty good eater and will try lots of stuff.
Don’t worry about a lack of teeth, they can figure out it out.
With baby-led weaning the child might gag, be sure you know the difference between gagging and choking.
And just one thing, it’s messy!
What do I need?
You don’t need to do anything special for baby led weaning. Just cook what you might already be cooking, but here are some of the things that were suggested that might be useful to you.
A mat for under the high-chair can be helpful to help contain the mess. You could easily use an old vinyl table cloth as well.
I love these Ikea Bibs. I have a bunch and have bought them for Passover and during the regular year. It’s clear which ones are for Meat meals and Dairy Meals. And they go right into the dishwasher.
The Mandoline was suggested as an easy way to cut the vegetables. I am so worried about cutting a finger off, but it really does speed up the process.
A friend of ours suggested these gloves to help protect your fingers.
This is the book about Baby-led weaning, but try your library, you might find a copy there. The recipes also has some great ideas.
Resources
Baby Led Weaning – Starting solids with foods straight from the dinner table!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2855840155/
https://www.facebook.com/babyled/
https://www.facebook.com/BabyLedWeaningRecipes/
by alichava | Apr 14, 2016 | Menu Plan, Passover
I’ve put together a list of resources from blogs, facebook groups, etc. I am happy to add other interesting articles or recipes that are your go tos.
Cleaning
How to Clean for Pesach (Passover) in One Day (Out of the OrthoBox)
Passover Decluttering Challenge
A Halachik Guide to Cleaning and Kashering for Pesach (Beltway Vaad)
Shopping Resources
How to Shop for Passover on a Budget Part 1 from 2011 (Kosher on a Budget)
18 Foods That Don’t Require Special Kosher for Passover Certification (Kosher on a Budget)
Passover Guides
OU Passover Guide
Kashrut.com Passover Guide
CRC Passover Guide
OK Passover Guide
Beth-Din Sephardic Guide
2016 Recommended Passover Product List For Sephardic Communities (JSOR)
Seder
9 Haggadahs That Will Make Your Passover Seder Perfect (Kveller)
Cocktails for each of the 10 plagues (Tablet)
The Pardes Companion to the Haggadah (Pardes)
Passover Party Ideas (Party Idea Pros)
Doily Placecards (Intimate Weddings)
4 Question Placecards (Almost Makes Perfect)
Jewish Placecards (Crafting Jewish Style)
For Kids
10 Passover Freebies (Kosher on a Budget)
Passover for Kids-20 Great Tips for a Kid-Friendly Seder (Jewish Mom)
5 Kid Friendly Seder Ideas (Mazel Moments)
Passover Shtick
Passover for Kids
Haroset
Charoset from Around the World (Beth El, Omaha)
Nut Free Charoset Recipes (Brith Shalom)
Chowhound Haroset
Tropical Charoset (Epicurious)
4 Simple Charoset Recipes (Chabad)
Rachel Willen’s Morrocan Mortar (Sephardic Charoset)
Meal Planning
How to Survive All 8 Days of Passover (Epicurious)
Does your Passover Seder menu need a few new ideas? (Shari Rozansky)
My Family’s Meal Plan (Kosher on a Budget)
Passover Menu Plan 2013 (Kosher on a Budget)
Passover Meal Planning made Easy (Kosher on a Budget)
Passover Meal Plan 2016 (Kosher on a Budget)
Food
Pesach Potato Gnocchi (Family Friends Food)
Spinach Potato Nest Bites (May I have that recipe?)
Gourmet Passover Cooking 2016
Gluten Free Meatballs & Zucchinni Noodles (Chabad)
Zucchini Mina (Jewish Food Hero)
Mini Potato Kuggles (Kveller)
Quinoa with Thai Flavors (New York Times)
Homemade Matzos (MyRecipes)
Potato & Mushroom Pie (All Recipes)
Grilled Different Color Frogs (The Homestead Survival)
Matzah, Mushroom, & Onion Kuggle (Delish)
Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake (Kalyn’s Kitchen)
25 Delicious Ways to use Matzah (BuzzFeed)
Cauliflower Mac N Cheese (Food Network) * Skip the mustard (or buy Kosher for Passover Mustard)
15 Modern Recipes for your Passover Seder (Real Simple)
7 Easy Passover Recipes (Parenting)
Easy Passover Recipes for Tots (Popsugar)
34 Healthy & Delicious Passover Recipes (Greatist)
Top Passover Recipes (Fine Cooking)
18 (Delicious!) Things To Do With Potatoes This Passover (Overtime Cook)
Passover & Passover-Friendly Recipes (Kosher Eye)
Pesach Kani Salad (Joy of Kosher)
Cauliflower Dishes that can be made for Passover
Cauliflower Tortillas (Paleo Leap)
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Dear Crissy)
Cauliflower Pizza Bites (Damy Health) * Kosher for Passover, if you exclude some of the optional items
Breakfast
4 Ingredient Pancakes (Family Friends Food)
Grain-free Zucchini Bread (Couldn’t Be Pareve)
Eggvocado (The Traveling Spoon)
13 Breakfast Ideas (Diva Indoors)
Passover Breakfast Ideas (Kosher4Passover)
Joy of Kosher Passover Breakfast Ideas (Joy of Kosher)
Passover Chocolate Toffee Recipe (Oh Nuts)
Passover Pancakes – Nut Free (Food)
Passover Pancakes – Nut Free (Cara’s Cravings)
Desserts
14 Craveable Desserts for Passover (Epicurious)
Passover Recipes in a Pinch (Lulu & Lattes)
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (Epicurious)
Flourless Chocolate Cookies (Overtime Cook)
4 Passover Desserts better than the Bakery (Joy of Kosher)
Best Chocolate Cookies for Passover (NotderbyPie)
Passover Apple Cake (Shari Rozansky)
Frozen Lemon Meringue Pie (Joy of Kosher)
Salted Matza Crack (Brokeass Gourmet)
Chocolate Truffles (Keep it Sweet)
No-Bake Chocolate Matza Cake (Tori Avery)
Cheesecake Brownies (Kosher in the Kitch)
Chewy Gooey Flourless Chocolate Cookies (Recipe Girl)
Flourless Chocolate-Almond Torte (Zoe Bakes)
Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies (Lil Miss Cakes)
Crafts
Passover (Pesach) Crafts that enhance the Seder
10 Playful Passover Crafts (iVillage)
Matzah Holder (Challah Crumbs)
Elijah and Miriam Kiddush Cups (Creative Cynchroncity)
15 DIY Seder Plates (Huffington Post)
Ancient Egyptian Collars (Art History Mom)
by Ali | Jan 5, 2015 | Menu Plan
Starting for December, we started planning our menus a little bit more regularly and consistently. The idea builds upon Kosher on a Budget’s November Meal Plan. But instead of doing the exact same thing every week, we settled on the same type of thing for each night. Read more here.
Our kids were actually dealt better with the meals when they knew what was coming up and could make a decision based upon the theme of the night. There is a lot of evening meetings in January, so I think we’ll need to figure out a lot easier meals.
For January, we are going to try to stick to this routine, but add one night besides Friday Night that will be of Variety.
Sunday Lunches-
Grilled Cheese
Sunday Dinners-
Leftovers from Shabbat or Pizza
Monday-
Mexican (Quesadillas, Burritos, Enchiladas)
Tuesday (Dance Class)-
Sandwhiches for the kids & Fish for the Adults
Wednesday (Prep for Shabbat Evening)-
Fleish (Hamburgers, Sloppy Joes)
Thursday
Pasta
Shabbat Lunches
We usually do Sandwiches for the kids as they are exhausted from the walk back and forth, especially when it’s cold and just need time to vedge.
For the adults, we have been doing deli and soup.
Soup Ideas:
Mushroom Barley (Jan 3)
Lentil Soup (Jan 10)
Tomato Basil
Split Pea Soup
Mediterranean Tomato Soup
by Ali | Nov 23, 2014 | Amazon, Menu Plan
I’m always on the lookout for kid-friendly and interesting ideas for the whole family. Recently I found a Weeknight Meal Planner on Cooking Light. You drag and drop 5 Dishes and then you have a visual meal plan.
Another site I often use that is great for kosher meal planning is Supercook. I love having all of my pantry items listed and then being able to choose which items I don’t want. When I have an ingredient that has sat too long in the pantry or refrigerator, it’s one of the first places I go for inspiration.
I am starting to plan December and using the inspiration from Kosher on a Budget, I am going to stick with a couple routines for December and just vary it a little bit. At school Tuesdays and Thursdays are meat days, so I try to aim to do dairy on those evenings.
Sundays- Leftovers/Pizza
Mondays – Mexican
Quesadillas, Burriots, or Enchiladas
Tuesdays – Sandwiches
Wednesday – Meat Night
Sloppy Joes, Hamburgers, Pasta with Meat Sauce
Thursdays – Fish Night
Fish Sandwiches, French Fries or Fish Tacos with Lettuce
by Ali | Dec 17, 2012 | Menu Plan
Sunday- Out Hamburgers
Monday- Baked Beans, Saffron Rice, Spinach, in a wrap
Tuesday- French Toast & Eggs
Wednesday- Chicken Fingers & Sweet Potato Fries
Thursday- Mac & Cheese and Peas
Fri Night- Turkey Kebabs, Spinach Noodle Kugle, Squash Pie
Shabbos Lunch- Cornbread and Cabbage in Slow Cooker
