Weekly Menu - Week 16

Some of you might wonder when I publish a Weekly Menu whether this is really what we have for dinner during the week in our family. Most of the time, it was not. The reason being that for me to keep publishing new recipes on this blog, I had to be ahead of the suggested Weekly Menu. Logique, non? Despite the needs for new recipes, I do try to keep a healthy balance for our family. So no, no matter how much my husband and children would have loved it, I never baked desserts everyday!
Unlike the other 15 Weekly Menus now available, this Menu is really what we ate this past week. You see, I started working again a few weeks ago... and I therefore realized something: I needed to be EVEN better with meal planning. Why? Because by the time I get home and only wished I could-relax/put my feet-up-with-a-cup-of tea-and-the-newspaper, reality hits me in the form of two lovely-but-hungry-and-tired creatures children: I have therefore 30 mns to prepare dinner if I want to avoid major meltdowns and still put my kids to bed early enough. 30mn Chrono! That's not much when you cook from scratch! So why did I do? I invested a few dollars into an iPhone app (I know I did not really need it but it does make my life easier and at this point, this is what matters!!) and started planning my meals a week in advance (inspiration generally comes on my way to/back from work). What works best for us is to have the next day dinner prepared the night before (Friday excepted) so that I have only minimum cooking to do to feed my children and I allow myself an Emergency dinner once a week. I stopped making my own yogurts for now but still make my own bread (starting the dough in the morning so that it's ready to bak in the evening). That way, we do manage to sit for 15 minutes on the sofa to enjoy some quality time while the main dish is slowly reheating on the stove. And while my children are eating their dinner, I start cooking the next meal : I am with them in the kitchen, we talk about life, we enjoy our time... So much better for all of us. And my husband in this story? Well, nothing has really changed for him... and that's not really fair, n'est-ce-pas? So yes, once a week, he'll be the one coming home early... and have a face-à-face with reality! Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 16

	Monday	Lentils with Italian Chicken SausagesPlain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Vegetable Soup with wholewheat Couscous Swiss cheese with homemade baguettes Fresh Fruits
	Wednesday	Chinese Dumplings with Green Salad Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Curried Split Peas Soup with homemade baguettes Plain Yogurt with jam Pumpkin Spices Teacakes
	Friday	Quiche Lorraine with Green Salad Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan

Sunday Evening:

• If you make your own yogurt, prepare a batch for the week (I don't anymore)
• Prepare the Lentils for Monday evening. I cooked the sausages directly with the lentils.

Monday Evening: 

• You only have to reheat the lentils. I made more than I needed so that my children could take some to school for lunch on Tuesday. 
• Make the Soupe de légumes for Tuesday evening.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to cook the Couscous (5min!) and reheat the soupe. Since they had lentils and sausage for lunch, Tuesday dinner did not need to have animal proteins.

Wednesday Evening:

• For Wednesday dinner, I used frozen dumplings. 
• I made the teacakes after dinner so that they were ready for Thursday. They don't take much to make so you could really make them in less than 30mns.
• I also made the Split peas soupe.

Thursday Evening:

• I did not have anything to make beyond the baguettes.

Friday Evening:

• Relax, it's Friday!
• I made the Quiche Lorraine from scratch. It was more than 30minutes but because it's Friday it did not matter too much. We skipped the aperitif tonight because my husband could not come home early enough and we have friends coming over tomorrow evening.

Weekly Menu - Week 15

Over Thanksgiving week-end, we drove to Ottawa to visit some of my husband's relatives. If it were not for the 8-hour journey, we'd go more often as we always have a great time up there!
Canadians don't celebrate Thanksgiving on the same date (it's in October) so my husband's cousins and uncle were working on Thursday and Friday. We did not mind because there are a lot of things to see in Ottawa, even with young children, and even when temperatures start to feel really cold.
Since we were "home" on Thursday afternoon, we had offered to cook dinner for the whole family. On our menu that evening (while most of you were having turkey...), we had a curried sweet potatoes soup (recipe to come soon), a boeuf bourguignon over pasta, and a tarte tatin for dessert (recipe to come as well). We cooked more than we needed so that Friday lunch/Sunday dinner were also taken care of! I felt that the least we could do was to help out with meal planning while we were adding extra chaos to an already-full life!
W's cousin is a physician and we talked about how she manages to balance her professional life with her family life (3 daughters, 2 of which are on a hectic gymnastics schedule; a one-year-old who is a real picky eater; a busy husband). One key element was meal planning. C. felt that if she did not plan meals ahead, then the whole week was going to be even more crazy! Having a meal plan was a relief in a way because she knew that all the grocery was already done accordingly (no last-minute trips to the supermarket), she knew that it was overall balanced... and that if a crisis was going to take place, she could always improvise an emergency dinner without damaging the overall balance of the diet! Since she works some week-ends and evenings, she knows that on those days, her husband (who is half-Italian) is going to cook pasta/pizza... so she knows that her meal plan has to offer more vegetarian dishes to balance out. Because she is the one making the veggies-dishes, her daughter always tell her "how much better dad's cooking is!" Unfair in a way because by making her husband's cooking/feeding life easier, she is actually making hers more difficult! Does it matter? Well, at this stage it does in a way because the girls give her a hard time... but hopes are that, in the future, when her daughters realize that the reason why they can still fit in skinny jeans is because they had a great diet all along, they'd be grateful to both their parents! That's what I hope for too when I serve Brussels sprouts to my family... (Okay, Brussel sprouts is maybe a little bit extreme, no?) Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 15

Day Suggested Menu Monday Moussaka with green salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits Tuesday Brown Rice and Beans with Green Salad Orange salad with Star Anise Wednesday Watercress Soup with Gougères Home made Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits Thursday Scallops with leeks dill and Orzo Home Made Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits Friday Ratatouille with Quinoa Pistachios Blackberries Cupcakes

Game Plan

Sunday Evening:

• If you  make your own yogurt, prepare a batch for the week.

Monday Evening: 

• You have to make the Moussaka. It requires a little bit of planning and is not an emergency dinner! 
• Make more than you think you would need because it can be frozen.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have cook the brown rice and make the fruit salad
• Start by making the rice and veggies; while it cooks, you'll have time to make the dessert.

Wednesday Evening:

• You have to make both the soup and the gougeres
• Start with the soup.
• While the soup is cooking, you have time to make the gougeres.

Thursday Evening:

• You only have to cook the scallops and leeks dish.
• Start by cleaning the leeks (if not using frozen ones). Assemble with the scallops
• While the scallops are cooking, make the orzo
• If you are feeling zealous, make the ratatouille for Friday evening and/or the cupcakes.

Friday Evening:

• Relax, it's Friday!
• Depending on what you prepared on Thursday, you'll have either to make both the ratatouille and the cupcakes or just one of them.
• If you need to make both, start by pealing all the veggies to make the ratatouille. While the ratatouille is cooking you can prepare the cupcakes
• While the cupcakes are cooking, you can make the quinoa.

Weekly Menu - Week 14

These days, I get too many "moi, je n'aime pas ça" from my daughter and "moi, va pas aimer" from my son. Of course, if one starts saying that he/she does not like what I bring to the table, the other one is very likely to jump and say the same. And obviously,  I don't like it when they say something like that. While I totally accept that their tastes might be different from mine and that tastes evolve over time, I just don't accept them making a statement BEFORE even taking one bite. It's part of our table etiquette and I really mean it (like using a napkin, not putting one's elbows on the table, etc...)
When I cook dinner (they bring their lunch to school during the week), I naturellement try to serve something they'll like. I am not in for a fight over food. However, I am also trying to introduce them to new dishes, so, of course, I am going to serve them things they have not been exposed to before or have been but in a different way. They might not like it the first time. They might not like it the second time. Even the third time.... but no matter what, they have to try it first before they affirm "je n'aime pas ça". Because, truth be told, most of the time, they'll like it.
Planning the meal for the week is a way for me to balance the easy-no-fight dishes (like socca) with the a-little-bit-more-difficult ones (like gratin de choux-fleur). It enables me to choose the evenings to serve one dish rather than another. It's easier to have them eat something they really like on a school night (when they are tired and we are on a schedule to put them to bed early) and keep the more challenging dishes for Friday evening or the week-end (that way, I tell them that they won't have it in their lunchbox the next day! And if we are having our weekly apéritif, I can always bribe them (yeah, I do that too!!). Bonne Cuisine!

WEEKLY MENU - WEEK 14

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Socca With Caramelized Onions with Green Salad Crème Renversée au Caramel a l'Orange
	Wednesday	Zucchini - Fennel Soup with Polenta Croutons Homemade Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Tuna Curry with Yellow Squash Over Rice Pommes au Four (Baked Apples)
	Friday	Gratin of Baked Fall Vegetables Homemade Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• Make the Tomates Farcies (Stuffed Tomatoes) on Sunday evening. It will save you a lot of time for Monday
• If you are making your own yogurt, make your weekly batch on Sunday evening. 

Monday Evening:

• You only have to re-heat the Tomates Farcies and cook some quinoa (15mn)
• Make Crème Renversée on Monday. The longer the crèmes rest in the fridge, the better. If you re-heat the Tomates Farcies in the oven, then you don't have to re-heat your oven for the Tomates Farcies.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to make the Socca. If you are serving it with caramelized onions, then make the Socca batter and then while it rests, cook the onions. It takes a while for them to caramelize.

Wednesday Evening:

• You have to make the Zucchini - Fennel soup and the Polenta Croutons
• Start with making the Polenta. The Croutons need to rest a little bit in the fridge before you bake them in the oven. While they are in the fridge, make the soup

Thursday Evening:

• You have to make the Tuna Curry, cook the rice and bake the apples in the oven.
• Start with the apples. One they are in the oven, make the curry
• While the curry is on the stove, you can make the rice.

Friday Evening:

• It's Friday! Enjoy! 
• You only have to make the Gratin. It requires a little bit of work to peel all the vegetables but worth it! 

Weekly Menu - Week 13

Weekly Menus are back! I don't know if you missed them (did you?) but I did! Oui, oui!
When we were in France this past Summer, cooking for an average of 12 people per day, we had menus. We had to have menus!
When I came back to Philadelphia, I did not plan meals as much... it was the end of the Summer; still too hot to cook large meals in the kitchen: I relied on nice salads and easy cooking.
Now that Fall is here, all of a sudden, I find myself out of ideas, or with ideas but without the proper ingredients, or with the ideas, the ingredients but not enough time to make the dish when I need it!. And without enough planning, I find myself without any leftovers for lunchboxes the following day! And that's, for me, is more stressful, than not having a proper dinner ready. Yes, I know, I can always make my kids sandwiches... but 5 times a week? Impossible (well, maybe for one week?) So, yes, planning is good! It might drive some people crazy but I personally find it a stress-reliever. I know I can focus on something else during the day because the menus are set, the ingredients are in the house, and I have allocated myself enough time to cook for dinner AND lunchboxes the next day! And even if I end up improvising an emergency dinner because there was something more important to do, I am OK because I know that for the remaining days, everything is taken care of. Ou presque! Keeping life simple! That's what it's all about! Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 13

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Salmon with Buckwheat Pasta, Edamame, Carrots, and Sesame Seeds Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Ratatouille with Quinoa Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis
	Wednesday	Chicken with Pineapple and Green Beans Homemade Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Brown Rice with Beans and Vegetables Homemade Plain Yogurt with Honey Nutella Biscotti
	Friday	Guacamole Quiche Lorraine with green salad  Fresh Fruits

Game Plan

Sunday Evening:

• If you  make your own yogurt, prepare a batch for the week. 
• If you are feeling zealous, you could prepare the Ratatouille for Tuesday evening. That would save you time on that day.
• You could also prepare the Panna Cotta for Tuesday.

Monday Evening: 

• You only have to make the salmon & pasta for Monday evening.
• After dinner, make the Panna Cotta for Tuesday evening if you have not made them on Sunday.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to cook the Ratatouille if you have not prepared it on Sunday.
• Start with the Ratatouille. If you can ask for help, do to cut all the veggies.
• While the ratatouille is cooking, make Quinoa.

Wednesday Evening:

• For Wednesday dinner, you only have to make the entree. Start by preparing the Pineapple. 
• I use frozen Green beans, these days to make my life easier.
• If you have time make the Nutella biscotti for Thursday.

Thursday Evening:

• Today's dinner is a little time-consuming because brown rice takes long to cook.
• If you have not made the biscotti, start with them.
• While they are cooling in the fridge, start the brown rice and veggies.
• Finish the biscotti.

Friday Evening:

• Relax, it's Friday!
• Make the Quiche Lorraine first and while it's in the oven, make the Guacamole and enjoy it with a few chips before serving the Quiche Lorraine!

Weekly Menu - Week 12

This Sunday is Mothers' Day in France. Don't ask me why Mothers' Day does not fall on the same Sunday around the world... but I suspect that every country tries to make it as convenient profitable as possible for retailers. This week-end is Memorial Day week-end in the US (a long week-end for my non-US readers): it would not have been smart to double it as Mothers' Day since most retailers are running large sales for Memorial Day. It was more profitable to have Mothers' Day fall early May when nothing else was happening. At least, that's my opinion.
As in the US, la Fête des Mères has become a very commercial event in France. And like in the US, it drives me nuts. I don't care about Mothers' Day. There. I said it. It feels artificial to me. Besides, I personally think that all mothers would be better off to have their spouse and children help out a little bit on a daily basis than just once in May! And it's not because my daughter prepared a gift for me in school that it will make me like Mothers' Day better. Of course, I am very proud of the pink bracelet my daughter made from scratch in school (they made the beads and painted them). The bracelet is actually something I can wear even though she warned me that "c'est très fragile". This year, she even managed to keep the secret until the actual US Mothers' Day! Last year, she had told me "it's a secret but it's a bookmark!' Just to see her so excited about making the gift, keeping the secret and bringing it home is what makes me happy!
With her English teacher, they had made a booklet where they had to complete sentences and draw something accordingly: My mom and I read....; my mom and I watch....etc.  The page I like best? "My mom and I eat.... EVERYTHING!". That's true! Of course, there are things my children like more than others... but overall, both of them are really good eaters. And that's a daily invaluable gift! Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 12

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Moussaka with green salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Cucumber Salad with Fresh Mint, Mustard and yogurt dressing Vegetable Casserole with Cranberry Beans Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis
	Wednesday	Brussels Sprouts with Gougères Homemade Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Shrimp with Saffron Rice Apple Mango Speculos Crumble
	Friday	Spaghetti Squashotto with green Salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• Make the Moussaka on Sunday evening. If you don't want to make it with lamb, you could well use buffalo or beef instead.
• If you are making your own yogurt, make your weekly batch on Sunday evening. 

Monday Evening:

• You only have to re-heat the Moussaka.
• Make the Panna Cotta on Monday evening. They taste better if they have been cooled for a long time.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to make the cucumber salad and the vegetable casserole.
• Start with the casserole as you have to shell the cranberry beans and the other vegetables. While they cook, make the cucumber salad.
• If you have not made the Panna Cotta, you won't have enough time to make them for Tuesday evening. You could switch desserts and make them for Wednesday!

Wednesday Evening:

• You have to make the Brussels Sprouts and the Gougeres.
• Start by making the gougeres. You could pre-cook the Brussels sprouts in a pan on the stove and transfer them in the oven after the Gougeres are done. Alternatively, you could bake both the gougeres and the Brussels Sprouts at the same time: put the gougeres on the top rack and the Brussels Sprouts on the lower rack. When the Gougeres are done, place the Brussels Sprouts on the upper rack for extra browning.

Thursday Evening:

• You have to make both the Shrimp and Saffron Rice and the Crumble.
• Start by making the crumble dough. While it refrigerates, prepare the filling. 
• While the Crumble is baking in the oven, make the shrimp and Saffron rice, starting with cooking the rice.

Friday Evening:

• It's Friday! Enjoy! 
• You only have to make the Spaghetti Squashotto which takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Pre-cook your Spaghetti Squash in the microwave. It will save you time.

Weekly Menu - Week 11

I have not done much cooking lately... but I have eaten a lot!  Being in Paris and having grand-parents willing to take care of their grand-children (merci!!!), I have been able to see a few friends and relatives. My social schedule looks like a professional one, except better because I am on vacation! I go from one breakfast to a lunch to a dinner with a drink in-between when possible! And yet, I never manage to see all the people I'd love to. It's the frustrating part of any too-rare trip "home", malheureusement! However, it's wonderful to be able to spend time with friends and relatives and always a treat to share a meal with them. Not necessarily a traditional three-or-four-courses meal in a restaurant; after a week, it would not be sustainable! Besides, just a nice homemade salad makes me happy, especially in good company! But yes, I have a hard time saying never say no to  macarons or good cheese!
One evening, though, I offered to cook for my parents and asked them what they would love to have. Here are the few items we had: homemade hummus and socca.  I also made a gluten-free crumble for dessert on another occasion as well as a batch of Granola. My parents enjoyed all of it very much and it was fun to share new ingredients (chickpea flour, rice flour, tahini,) with them. I'll cook more for all of us when I leave Paris in a few days but true enough, I am more interested in cooking/eating all the traditional French food we don't easily (read: at all or at outrageous prices) find in Philadelphia! Stay tune, you might be in for really interesting dishes. Bonne Cuisine!

Weekly Menu - Week 11

	Day	Suggested Menu
	Monday	Shredded carrots Veal, Cilantro and Ricotta Meatballs with baked potatoes Homemade Plain Yogurt with Chestnut Spread Fresh Fruits
	Tuesday	Tabbouleh with Green salad Petites Crèmes Express au Café
	Wednesday	Mustard-breaded Turkey Breast with green beans Homemade Plain Yogurt with honey Fresh Fruits
	Thursday	Seafood salad with Avocado, Tomatoes and Grapefruit Homemade Plain Yogurt with homemade Granola
	Friday	Guacamole Swiss Cheese Soufflé with green salad Homemade Plain Yogurt with dark brown sugar Fresh Fruits

Game Plan:

Sunday Evening:

• Make the Granola on Sunday evening. It requires very limited prep time but has to bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Just make sure that you don't eat all of it before Thursday evening! It's so good. It's also a perfect foodie gift if you need one this week!
• If you are making your own yogurt, make your weekly batch on Sunday evening. 

Monday Evening:

• You have to prepare the meatballs, the potatoes and the shredded carrots tonight. Start by pealing the potatoes and put them to boil/cook.
• While they are cooking, prepare the meatballs.
• Last but not least, while the meatballs are cooking in the oven, prepare the shredded carrots. Children generally love to help shredding carrots if they are old enough to help with the food processor.

Tuesday Evening:

• You have to make the whole dinner. No need to panic.
• Start by making the Petites Crèmes Express au Café. They are ridiculously easy to make but need to chill a little bit before serving them. If you had time to make them during the day, even better.
• Cook the cousous/bulgur/cracked wheat you are going to use for the Tabbouleh as early as possible as well so that it has time to chill.
• While everything is chilling in the fridge, finish making the Tabbouleh

Wednesday Evening:

• You only have to make the Breaded-Turkey breast.
• While they are cooking in the oven, prepare the green beans.
• If you have not made the Granola on Sunday, make it on Wednesday evening. You oven will be already hot. You can have dinner while the granola is in the oven.

Thursday Evening:

• You only have to make the seafood salad. How easy is that?
• If you have not-so-great-but-still-eatable avocados, don't discard them, you'll use them for the Guacamole on Friday.

Friday Evening:

• Relax, the week is over!
• You have to make the Swiss Cheese Soufflé and the Guacamole. If you are having a drink before dinner, make the guacamole first so that you can have some while the Soufflé is in the oven.
• If you are just going to start the Guacamole as an appetizer, start with the Swiss Cheese Soufflé and while the Souffle is in the oven, make the Guacamole and serve it either as an appetizer.