I found myself feeling proud for having cooked dinner five nights in a row last week. That would be an accomplishment if my professional career didn’t actually revolve around developing recipes. I spend so much time during the day cooking for work that come evening time, that last thing I actually want is to confront the reality of one more sinkful of dishes to wash.
Yes, I do not own a dishwasher. When I first bought my house seven years ago it was a weekend retreat. Not having a dishwasher didn’t feel like a big deal—had I only known. It also didn’t seem a big deal only having one bathroom. The girls were small back then and required little time in there. Flash forward to a pandemic and three girls sharing one bathroom, and let’s just say there are a lot of grumpy morning exchanges.
But I didn’t set out to write about dirty dishes or bathroom queues.
I’m back to meal planning, something I never really enjoyed as some of you might remember. It always felt too confining for me but the last two weeks it’s been a lifesaver. No scrambling after my last Zoom call to scrounge up something. I can tell the kids appreciate knowing what’s for dinner, too. Maybe just knowing there’s a plan during a very predictable moment in time offers some sense of security?
Pizza is always on the weekly menu, usually Thursdays (there’s this, this or this recipe to try).
Stir-fry is also a popular star week after week. We eat mostly vegetarian these days so it’s usually a mix of tofu with whatever vegetable is in the fridge or freezer. This General Tso’s Tofu below is always a hit (recipe is here).
Monday tends to be a soup. This lentil soup is always a win with the kids. In fact it’s the only soup win because they’re generally soup haters (where did I go wrong?). The recipe uses a slow cooker but it can easily be done on the stovetop, too. You can even use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. This week, Monday’s menu will be these creamy Roman-style braised white beans.
For a non-tomato based lentil soup, this quinoa, lentil & mushroom soup is my absolute favorite (big surprise, the kids hate mushrooms). Chicken soup lovers, I realize this is a big claim BUT this slow-roasted chicken soup is hands down the best chicken soup I’ve ever eaten.
Another sure win with the girls are veggie burgers, but not just any veggie burger. They’re smitten with black bean burgers I make, and every time I make them I mean to write an actual recipe to share with you. I promise next time (maybe?).
It’s super easy—a can of drained & rinsed black beans, some chopped onion and garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley if I have some on hand, egg (or a flax egg if I want to keep them vegan) and the secret ingredient: steak seasoning! Of course there’s no meat in the steak seasoning. The steak seasoning just gives it this wow flavor that makes them the best veggie burgers ever.
The kids mostly take care of themselves for breakfast and lunch. Funny how when they’re tiny and you’re cooking three meals a day, dreaming of a day when you won’t then one day, boom there you are—they don’t even want you to make them toast anymore.
It’s an interesting moment of change when your body is preparing for menopause just as your children are growing up, with one almost out the door. Suddenly you find yourself at the crossroads of change, not quite knowing your role in your own life anymore. A couple of weeks ago I found myself making crêpes for breakfast and they were so excited. I thought I’d gone overboard with too many but within half an hour the plate was empty. It was so good to feel needed.
-jennie