Weekly Menu - Week 4

"Procrastinating" is a word that does not exist in French. Not that French people don't procrastinate... but French have to use more words to express the same idea Americans do with one word only. And évidemment, because French people are obnoxious, love to play with words, there are different words to use depending on the context. You could say "tergiverser" ou "différer"... but most of the time, you would say "remettre à plus tard".  However, "remettre à plus tard" is not something you are supposed to do trop souvent.  French people love proverbs and one that comes to mind tells you indeed NOT TO procrastinate: "ne pas remettre au lendemain ce que l'on peut faire le jour même" (don't postpone until tomorrow what you can do today).
As I am writing the game plan for this weekly menu, I would like to stress out the importance of not procrastinating... I was actually talking about it with a friend of mine last night because, I have been procrastinating a few tasks in the past few weeks, thinking that I would always have the time to do it demain ou après-demain. And then reality hit me! Procrastinating does not work well with having a family with young children! Sure, everything gets done eventually but à quels coûts ? Sleepless nights, uncontrollable tantrums, piles of dirty laundry, repeated unhealthy dinners?
Being flexible is what you need, especially with a family. And to be able to have flexibility in your schedule, you need to have all the other things (the ones you have been procastinating) done. Because you never know...
You never plan not to hear your alarm clock, so having prepared the lunchboxes the night before helps out getting everybody out on time. You never plan an unannounced visit from a good friend, so it helps to have a take-out nearby prepared extra stuffed tomatoes so that you have more to share.  You never plan for your children to be sick, so it helps to have leftovers from the night before ready when it's time to feed them a healthy lunch after a two-hour stance at the pediatrician. Of course, when everything goes outright unplanned, then it helps, just to have pasta and tomato sauce ready for an emergency dinner. It happens. Don't feel guilty about it. La vie est trop courte! Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 4

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa Coconut Icecream with Fresh Raspberries
	Tuesday	Cauliflower, Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes Gratin with Green Salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Wednesday	Seafood salad with Avocado, tomato and Grapefruit Hazelnut Banana Muffins
	Thursday	Veal, Cilantro and Ricotta Meatballs with sauteed vegetables Homemade Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Friday	Buckwheat Crêpes with Green salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• You want to make (or at least start) the Coconut Ice cream and make the Stuffed Tomatoes.
• Start with the Coconut Ice cream. While the mixture cools down in the fridge, you can make the stuffed tomatoes. Make sure you make more than just one tomato per person because they make great left-over for a lunch.
• If you have enough time to finish the ice cream, do it on Sunday. Otherwise, leave the mixture to cool overnight in the fridge; it will take even less time to make the ice cream on Monday evening. You could leave the Coulis for Monday evening.

Monday Evening:

• If you have not finished the ice cream, you want to put it in your ice cream maker as early as possible so that it's not too soft when you serve it.
• If you have not made the raspberries coulis, make it on Monday evening.
• You have to cook the Quinoa (less than 15min) and re-heat the Stuffed tomatoes.
• After dinner, make your batch of homemade yogurts. If you have a big family, you might to make another batch during the week. Otherwise, plan to make only one batch for the whole week.
• The stuffed tomatoes make a great leftover for lunch if you can reheat them.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to make the Vegetables Gratin. Start by steaming/boiling the vegetables.
• While they are steaming/boiling make the Sauce Béchamel (white sauce) so that you can lay it over the cooked vegetables while it's still hot. It will take less time to brown (broil) in the oven.
• If you are zealous (and to save some energy) you could make the Hazelnut Banana muffins that evening. You could cook them in the oven right after you have cooked the Vegetables Gratin.
• The Vegetables Gratin makes a great leftover for lunch the next day if you can reheat it.

Wednesday Evening:

• If you have not made the Hazelnut and Banana muffins on Tuesday evening, you have to make them tonight. Start with the muffins.
• While the muffins are in the oven, you can prepare the salad.

Thursday Evening:

• You have to make the meatballs. Make sure you have everything ready to make them: it goes faster. If you are feeling zealous, you could ask your children for help; they'll love it and they will enjoy eating them afterwards.
• While the meatballs are in the oven to cook (or in a pan), saute some vegetables in olive oil (zucchinis, carrots, French beans, broccoli) w/o garlic. You could also make a carrot puree if you had more time.
• At the end of the evening, prepare the batter for the buckwheat crepes (galettes). It takes less than 5 minutes to make... and it will save you time on Friday.

Friday Evening:

• If you have not made the batter for the buckwheat crêpes (galettes), make it as early as possible so that it rests for a while. 
• It's Friday, relax! Look into your fridge and see what you could use to fill the galettes. Your easy option is egg, cheese and ham. If you have mushrooms, leeks, onions, you could prepare alternative filling. Make sure you prepare the filling (including the eggs) BEFORE you start making the galettes. It would make the whole process faster. You could also start making the galettes (plain without filling) before serving everybody. You can keep them under foil in the oven or over a simmering pot of water (under foil). That way, you only have to fill them. It's the easiest option, especially if you are serving them à la carte.