Monthly Archives: September 2024

An article I contributed to.

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Apartment Guide blog by Freda Nkrumah asked me to contribute to ways to make meal planning easier and faster, so here’s the article.

13 Easy Weeknight Menu Ideas to Try at Home: Save Time and Eat Well

After a long day, the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. Fortunately, focusing on weeknight menu ideas can save you time and stress, making it easy to enjoy healthy, delicious dinners even on your busiest nights. 

With a little planning and some smart strategies, you can whip up meals in minutes in your apartment in New York, a rental in Philadelphia, or home in Seattle. Here are 13 practical weeknight menu ideas and tips to make meal prep easier—without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.

1. Batch cooking for the win

Lily Nichols, RDN, recommends preparing large batches of essential meal components, particularly proteins and vegetables. “Roast a chicken or make slow-cooker pulled pork, then pair them with roasted vegetables or a simple coleslaw,” she suggests. Prepping these key ingredients allows you to quickly assemble meals throughout the week, saving time and ensuring you’re eating balanced, nutritious meals. This is one of the best weeknight menu ideas for anyone looking to streamline dinner time.

2. Plan a well-rounded grocery list

Meal prep starts with good planning, according to Wendi Irlbeck, MS, RDN, LD, CISSN. “Take stock of your fridge, pantry, and make a list of what you need,” she says. “Your list should include a variety of food groups—fruits, veggies, proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. Prepping veggies, meats, and carbs in bulk means you’ll have meals for the whole week. Whether it’s a Greek yogurt parfait for breakfast or roasted veggies with grilled chicken for dinner”, these weeknight menu ideas will make your meals hassle-free.

3. Keep it simple and start small

For beginners, starting with easy-to-make meals is key. JM Nutrition advises beginners to start with easy recipes that only require a few ingredients. “Implement easy, simple recipes that don’t take a long time to prep and cook. Once you master a few quick meals, start adding other ingredients.” By making more than you need, you’ll also have leftovers for lunches or quick dinners, saving you even more time.

4. Make meal planning a fun habit

Lifestyle blogger Julie Lopez of La Mami Life inLos Angeles, CA suggests dedicating one day, like Sunday, to meal prep. “Set aside one to three  hours to cook proteins and grains, making it easier to enjoy fresh meals throughout the week.” With some planning, you can whip up delicious meals in no time while reducing food waste by using recipes with similar ingredients.

5. Use tools to simplify your process

ChefPassport’s Matteo Ressa suggests leveraging technology to simplify your meal prep with apps like ChefPassport Family, which provide ultra-personalized, easy, and healthy recipes. By setting aside time on weekends to chop vegetables and cook proteins, you can streamline weeknight meals. Batch cooking and freezing individual portions also ensures you have ready-made meals for those extra busy nights.

6. Let someone else plan your meals

Jessica Braider, recipe blogger at The Scramble in Silver Spring, MD says, “Have someone else do the meal planning for you. Services like hers deliver fresh weeknight menu ideas to your inbox each week, saving you the hassle of deciding what to cook. Each meal is seasonal, healthy, and family-tested, and can usually be made in 30 minutes or less.”

7. Boost flavor with homemade beans

For vegetarians, Letizia Mattiacci from Madonna Del Piatto suggests cooking beans from scratch in an aromatic broth. “Use cooked beans and their broth for soups, curries, or pasta sauces.” This method is a flavor-packed way to get more out of a simple ingredient while saving time on weeknight menu ideas.

8. Stick to a repeating weekly menu

When time is tight, keeping your meals consistent can simplify weeknight cooking. Jess Creatives  keeps meal prep simple by sticking to the same meals throughout the week. “We’ll prep a few pounds of chicken, then shred or chop it up to use in different ways—like tacos, wraps, or rice bowls.” This is one of the easiest weeknight menu ideas that minimizes meal variations, saving time and mental energy.

9. Whip up a quick garlic fried rice

Maricel’s Kitchen from East Brunswick, NJ offers a quick recipe for a flavorful weeknight meal. “For an ultra-fast weeknight dinner, Filipino Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag) is a perfect choice,” says Maricel’s Kitchen. “Using leftover rice, garlic, and a bit of oil, this dish comes together in under 10 minutes. “Heat garlic and leftover cold rice in a pan, then add leftover meat for a complete meal in under 10 minutes. Serve it with a fried egg or leftover meat, like grilled chicken, for a quick, flavorful weeknight menu idea.”

10. Set a weekly prep day

Consistency is key when it comes to successful meal prepping. Miguel from The Simple Paradise recommends setting a specific grocery and prepping day each week. “Consistency is key. Once you have your plan and tools, like an air fryer or meal prep containers, you’ll stay on track and avoid eating out.” Choosing 2-3 easy go-to meals can also simplify your weekly prep routine.

11. Mix and match for variety

With a few simple components, you can create nearly endless combinations for meals throughout the week. Ryan Jordan (@Gmarketchef) in Chicago, IL loves mixing and matching proteins, veggies, starches, and sauces to create endless weeknight menu ideas. “For example, use roasted chicken with quinoa and veggies one night, then turn them into tacos the next. This keeps your meals interesting and saves time.”

12. Plan your meals in advance

Christina Neumann, a seasoned meal planner in Tahoe, CA, emphasizes the importance of menu planning. “I use a monthly template to plan out meals and make my grocery list accordingly. Basics like frozen pinto beans, tomato sauce, and tortillas are always on hand.” Her tip? Keep a few meals that don’t need a recipe, like roasted chicken or tacos, in your rotation for easy weeknight menu ideas.

13. Focus on basic recipes

When planning meals, Angela Houlie from My Fruitful Body Nutrition advises focusing on simple, basic building blocks like salmon, chicken, and stir-fries for weeknight dinners. “Prep ahead when possible, like crockpot meals, and reduce stress by mapping out a weekly menu.” Sticking to core recipes can help you enjoy healthy, stress-free weeknight menu ideas without overcomplicating things.

Quick and easy meal prep ideas: Wrapping up

With these 13 weeknight menu ideas, you can save time, reduce stress, and still enjoy delicious, homemade meals during busy weeknights. Whether you batch cook proteins, embrace meal planning services, or stick to simple, rotating menus, you’ll find a strategy that fits your lifestyle and makes dinner a breeze so you can live more mindfully.

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, swimming, Walking by

I feel mostly back to normal after our 2 days at Stanford. I was quite tired yesterday but today felt good enough to go to the gym. I did weights and some treadmill.

I also got some sourdough going and I’m trying a new baking method using a Pullman Pan. Everything in preparation is the same, fold and turn, bulk rise, but then you place the dough in the pan and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The pan has a lid that you put on to bake and it gives you a square loaf that is great for toast or sandwiches. I’ll post some pictures and give an evaluation. If the sourdough doesn’t work out I’ll just try a regular yeast bread.

I made up an apple tart using apples from our small tree. The big apple tree had lots of apples but the bugs got into them so most of them went to the deer. I have to go check the Rhode Island Greenings because I think there were a couple of them. Those trees are still fairly young so it’ll be a few years before we see any crops.

We have a few hot days coming up and hopefully, we can close all the windows and it won’t get too hot. I think I saw 99 and 97 so fairly warm:( Well, it is that time of year when it can be cool or hot.

We had a good walk this morning and I plan to keep walking my regular days even when B starts his chemo. I figure the first week he won’t feel like it but by week 2 he should be able to.

I plan on swimming tomorrow and then maybe going over to Winco for a few things. I don’t need a lot but would like to get some Bubbly water and that’s the cheapest place to get it. Depending on how Wednesday shapes up, I could go to the library and the gym while B is in chemo. We need to find out from the nurse how long she/he thinks it’ll be. the doctor seemed to indicate that it’s a fast infusion but the pre-drugs can take some time. That’s like Benadryl and saline.

I scheduled my flu and covid shots for this week too so I’ll be glad to get them done.

I’ve cooked some baked potatoes for dinner and I will make a spinach salad to go with that. I’ll have to check what kind of protein I have because I know I used the tofu up. I need to make up my menus for the month tomorrow so I can plan out what to use up or what I may need to buy.

Stanford Medical Center

Posted in California, cancer, Death, husband by

We got home quite late last night after the worst drive I’ve ever had. We left around 1pm after B had labs done.

From there, it was bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to Livermore. Then it started all over again. Traffic was so congested on the freeway that I was completely shocked. Was this normal Friday traffic? Then it continued even as we got on 5 north. Then apparently an accident kept traffic at a crawl ALL the way to Sacramento. It was horrendous.

But to go back to the beginning. The Medical Center is certainly state of the art. Beautiful and so big.

We did have a nice drive down with only 3 tiny slowdowns. We got to Palo Alto Stanford Medical Centre by 12:45. Since our appt was 2 we had lots of time to relax and regroup. Dr. Lee had his Resident doctor come in first to go over things and then he came in. He’s the surgeon who does the Hipec. So he planned out, first Barclay will do 3-4 rounds of the chemo. Then sometime in the third round a PET scan to see if the tumors are smaller. Then if the chemo has worked he will do a laparoscopy on his abdomen to look at the tumors with a camera. Depending on all that it might be surgery after that. It’s all a bit iffy at this point.

We left feeling positive and confident he is the leading expert in this field in N.California.

We headed over to the hotel and checked in. It was almost 4 by then and we we’re pretty tired so we rested a bit. Oh, we had stepped at Safeway to get something to snack on. We had seen a Mexican place on our way to the hotel so we shared a dinner there around 7. We were quite tired by then and just watched a little TV before lights out.

The next morning we headed back over and parked by 10 am. His appointment was at 11. But, then the appt was late and we only got in to see Dr. Neal’s NP at almost 12noon. I was definitely feeling annoyed as I wanted to get on the road. But after running through everything AGAIN with the NP, he went out and discussed things with Dr. Neal. So Dr. Neal is the leading expert on Peritoneal Mesothelioma. He was quite honest and straightforward that there is no cure and the best they can do is lengthen his life with the chemo and the Hipec if he’s eligible. I appreciated his candor. He talked about lots of other things but the main jist is 3-4 rounds chemo. Hopefully getting the tumors smaller and stabilized. He certainly wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of guy but more to the point. I liked him for that though especially when he said, it doesn’t matter where it came from the point is to go from here to help you live longer. He sees mesothelioma patients all the time so I guess he’d know.

So then we left feeling positive for the most part. I mean there is going to be some difficult times ahead but that’s then.

So then came the worst drive of my life home and I’m not kidding. But we got home safely at least.

Today, B has to go pick up about a zillion prescriptions. One of the prescriptions has a huge copay and we said no way are we bankrupting ourselves for this, so the patient advocate is filling out something for the financial aid? or grant? I ‘m not sure what, but I know we’re not doing it.

Today is just a regroup day and plan out next week with Barclay’s first chemo on Wednesday.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cancer, cooking, Flylady, husband, simple foods by

HAPPY FALL EQUINOX

Happy Birthday to B!!!! 74 years young today!!

Happy birthday to Bilbo and Frodo too!!

My son came over yesterday and we had a birthday dinner of tofu burgers and fries. Quite yummy. Then we watched Shrek 2. That’s my favorite with Puss in Boots.

Then this morning he made a huge brunch, also delicious.

I headed to the gym for a quick workout. I plan on making some brown rice for dinner and to use tomorrow too. I think I’ll also do some salmon. Then I have some salad stuff to use up.

Tomorrow I plan on going to the Roseville gym but I might wait till Tuesday. It depends on how much I get done today.

I think the Flylady zone is the bedroom so I usually do that and the Living zone together. Both don’t really require a lot: just dusting, watering plants, mirrors, and vacuuming. Plus just a general tidy up and putting things away that need to go elsewhere.

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, swimming, travel, Uncategorized by

I think the week was fairly frugal. But as usual, there are always things.

I did do another Costco stop but that was not too much. I bought a workout set for B( zipped hoodie and sweatpants) so he has something nice to wear to Stanford. Actually, If I get back in there I’ll buy another set for him.

Then my son paid for the movie and I paid for the pizza.

This is the empty theatre.!!

Since we had pizza on Wednesday, I won’t do pizza tonight. I’ll figure out something. I made some of the homemade pasta and I might try that. It needs to dry but can be used. I’m not too sure how it will come out. The Imperia pasta machine did work great though. I guess the true test will be how it cooks and tastes.

I’m trying to decide if I’m swimming tomorrow. These weeks have just been so off with appointments; next week is the same. I guess I’ll see how it all looks if I swim on Monday and then the gym on Wed.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cancer, cooking, Gratitude by

Yesterday was lots of fun with my son going to see Deadpool 3. For some weird reason, I just love his character and it’s really quite funny, well if you don’t like heads flying I wouldn’t recommend it. The theatre was empty except for us and that made it even better. After that we went up for pizza and it’s my favorite NY pizza. I’m grateful and thankful for such a great son. He’s very thoughtful and knows me well.

I’m thankful the days are moving along till our Stanford appointment.

I’m thankful the weather is so beautiful and fall like. Both of us, are born in September so maybe that’s why I love the change of season so much.

I’m thankful( actually so grateful) that my labs came back still in the normal range. I’m definitely nervous that somethings going to happen and then I won’t be able to keep up with B’s appts. So far, my daughter has the PET scan covered, and my son will pick up his Dad after his first chemo. That chemo will potentially be ALL day so I’ll do the morning and then he can come after work.

As always I’m thankful for the small things in life that give me so much joy like reading, cooking, walking, and even daily chores.

My son found me a pasta maker at the thrift store. It’s practically new so I’m making some pasta for tomorrow. I don’t have the wood drying pasta thing but I’ll check on Amazon how much it is and how soon it would get here. You can also just make little stacks of the pasta and let it dry on a cookie sheet. He’s a very good cook so he wants to try it after I do.

So I have a question for those of you who read other people’s blogs that have advertisements. I’ve thought of monetizing my blog but every time I start to do it, I’m just kind of turned off by it. Any thoughts? I know when some blogs have ads flying all over I don’t even read the blog and just close it. Frugal Girl’s blog is monetized and the ads seem to just be in the middle of paragraphs and not too intrusive. I think she just mentioned though on her blog that the ads don’t really bring in the money. So how does she earn from the blog? Does anyone know how that works?

Midweek Musings

Posted in California, cancer by

A cloudy morning and cool. It’s a nice change!! I do see a few 90-degree days next week but that shouldn’t be too bad.

B and my daughter have taken almost all the window ACs out, and they are now stored in the barn. I’m hoping we get a break with our PGE bill while we’re in between ACs and heaters. If it’s not one thing it’s another.:(

Today is going to be a FUN day as my son is taking me to the movies. I rarely ever go to movies because of the sound and it’s too overwhelming. But, I also really want to see Deadpool so I’m going. Of course, we’re going to the first show so it shouldn’t be crowded. He took the day off to do this so that’s pretty sweet!

Tomorrow will be a home day, and on Friday I have my annual eye exam. My eyes will probably be dilated so I’ll just come home afterward. It takes a few hours for my eyes to get back to normal. I’m planning on looking at glasses too and maybe ordering some new ones. The frames I have now I’ve actually had the lenses replaced twice since the frames were so expensive. So it’s probably been 6 years since I’ve had new frames.

Other than that not much else going on.

Menu Monday

Posted in Blood test, California, cooking, swimming by

I think I’ll do a mix of from scratch meals and then some pantry/freezer meals this week.

Last night we had a broccoli casserole that used broccoli, chicken and tofu on the other side, ranch dressing and then cheese on top. I used up all the broccoli so that was good. It was ok. Not great but ok.

Soup night of some sort. Last week I made homemade mushroom soup ( to use up the Costco mushrooms) and it was quite delicious. I want to add some new soups to my rotation so I’ll be checking out recipes. But if I don’t find something, I’ll just do lentil or minestrone.

I have a meatloaf and mashed potato dinner planned. It’s enough for one dinner and then I’ll freeze the other half. B can have a veggie burger with his potatoes.

I think I’ll plan a brinner this week too. I have lots of eggs so I could do pancakes, eggs, and veggie sausage.

I have a freezer lasagna to use one night with a salad.

I feel like a curry as well, so maybe red lentil curry with rice.

Probably a pizza night but that’s still TBD.

The freezer is low on meats as I haven’t restocked anything so I need to plan a Costco trip for some beef, chicken, and maybe fish.

I got my labs done and was out the door within 10 minutes. Then, I went to the pool. It was crazy busy for some weird reason. Usually, now when I go later, it’s pretty empty so I don’t know if it was just a one-off or what.

I’m home and chilling for the rest of the day. I’m almost done with Fellowship of the Ring.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, books, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cash envelopes, cooking, decluttering, Flylady, minimalism, reading, Uncategorized, Walking by

We had a wonderful walk this morning with very cool temperatures and it was quite breezy. We were the only ones there except for the one runner who we like a lot. Very nice woman and a beautiful runner. She has a great pace.

I could feel the Dex drop of energy though so I was tired and knew I wasn’t going to go to the gym. Taking the 4 mg of dex on Friday and Saturday is good and keeps my energy pretty good but it’s still a tax on my system. So today, being Sunday, I’ll do my morning routine and then chill.

I decided to finish the kitchen zone so that’s done. And I did a quick swish and swipe in the bathroom.

I’ve been re-reading ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear because a YouTube I watched did a review of his book and I didn’t really get what his premise was initially but she explained really well so I got it from the library. Basically, so far I get, that he’s saying it’s the system of how to get to where or what you want not so much the goal. So on reflection, I thought about how the Flylady system and regular decluttering( like one in and out) is really the system I use to maintain a clean and tidy, and uncluttered home. I only started the book so I feel there might be more thoughts about all this to come.

B’s had a few good days and a few bad days with energy. He did go on the Mayo clinic site to read about the drug he’ll be taking and a lot of people had input and comments. That is the best way to really find out about some of these things are from real people taking that chemo. He was encouraged.

We had a fun night last night with my son, his girlfriend, his other friend who’s transmale( a wonderful person BTW), and my daughter. My son got out the OONI and I had made pizza dough so he manned the OONI handmade 4 pizzas which all came out great. Then he set up an outside movie screen and we all watched Alien!!! It was fun!! They left about 10. All in all a fun night.

Tomorrow I get my labs and then I plan to swim if my energy is good. I’ll just have to see how I wake up. I also need to get into Costco for eggs and coffee. I might add a few other things on, but not too much as the food budget is almost gone.

The wonder of aging.

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When we’re young we don’t think about aging or getting old. Yet, some of us are lucky to live to be 70 + years old.

“ I wish it need not happen in my time,” said Frodo.

” So do I, “said Gandalf,” and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

So we all just have to decide what to do with that time given us. When we’re young we don’t think about such things unless we are facing some mortality.

I have always been an avid exerciser and loved it. In my twenties, I ran, did ballet, and tennis, and hiked and backpacked and did Yoga. In 1976 I took one of the very first Vipassana meditation classes. Basically, it’s just watching your breath and letting your thoughts go. Pretty much like Zen Meditation. It’s always been a practice of mine. Nowadays they call it Mindful Meditation so it doesn’t sound so foreign to the average American. In my thirties, I did lots of hiking, yoga, and then swimming. Not too much running then . In my forties, much of the same and then started weight lifting at a local gym. Now in my 70’s I swim and do weights and walk almost every day. I was also a vegetarian at 18 till my mid-forties and then ate a little fish and chicken so maybe a modified vegetarian. That’s what I still do.

When I was diagnosed with Myeloma at 52, who with my background would have thought? Certainly not my young self. But there I was and here I am 20 years later. I still exercise and eat mostly a vegetarian diet. So is there a clue to being cancer-free? I doubt it. I think DNA breakdown is the most likely reason and why that is, is anyone’s guess.

I can’t do what I used to do and sometimes I feel age is creeping into my body. I’m certainly stiffer and more arthritis-y but I still can get around. My balance sometimes feels slightly off and I have to watch going up or down stairs. So there are lots of ‘old age’ things creeping in. So accepting limitations is a good thing. It’s hard to do but necessary.

So the wonder of aging, is that we get to be that older person. I wish I was a ‘cool’ old person who was sophisticated and always looked chic. But in my world, yoga pants or jeans and T-shirts are it. I look at people like Helen Mirren and go wow, how beautiful and chic she is. Well, that’s not me but I am wonderous of getting to be 72 in a few weeks time. And I will decide, each and every day what to do with the time that is given me.