It’s the final countdown! There are less than 3 weeks left of school! And we have (yes, I said “we” because even with an almost high schooler, momma is always involved) three school projects due this week, two tests this week, two scheduled field trips, field day, awards night, an archery team party, a soccer team party, and an 8th grade dance all to squeeze in 10-ish school days. It’s madness!
Or as some lovingly refer to it “May-cember” when the hectic schedule in May starts to resemble the chaos that is December. Even crew over at The New York Times Cooking got in on it, sending an email titled “Five Maycember Dinners” just this morning!
When it comes to still having to make sure everyone is fed during this insanity of “how many things can we cram in”, lots of people have lots of ideas. Everything from 5-ingredient recipes, to using store-bought helpers, to just plain saying it’s ok to get take-out more often (and it is!).
I’ve always said that one of the biggest hurdles to getting dinner on the table every night is in the planning. Taking the time to figure out - What are we going to eat this week? What needs to go on the grocery list? Am I going to have to prep ahead? - is time (and brain power!) that you just might not have this month. Enter in this interesting idea I just came across this year…
Caroline Chambers of What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking calls it “The Menu”. Kate Strickler of Naptime Kitchen calls it “7 Meals for May”. Either way, it pretty much means pick 7 things your family likes, that you know how to make with your eyes closed, and that aren’t too involved. These are the meals you make in May. Over and over. If your family gets tired of one, have a back-up you can sub in. Or change it up with take-out one night. The fact that I don’t have to come up with 4 weeks of unique dinner ideas when life is crazy piques my interest. (And why limit this idea just to May? I know everyone has seasons of life that are just more hectic than others.)
You can go with seven specific recipes, as Caroline suggests, or go with more generalized ideas (sandwich night, pasta night, etc) like Kate does. I think if I were doing it, I might mix the two approaches. Keep the general category, but then pick two recipes/meals to choose from each week.
For example, my “menu” for the month might look something like this -
Meat + Veg on a Sheet Pan - Lemon Garlic Drumsticks and Potatoes OR Sausage Meatballs with Onions and Peppers
Pasta + Salad - One Pan Vodka Pasta OR Refrigerated Tortellini with Pesto
Asian Inspired - Easy Asian Noodles (this week’s recipe!) OR Fried Rice
BBQ + Easy Side - Baked BBQ Thighs and Box Mac ‘n Cheese OR Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches and Tots
Mexican Inspired - Sheet Pan Quesadillas OR Beef and Bean Burritos
Chicken and Rice Situation - One Pan Chicken, Broccoli and Rice OR Chicken Tikka Masala over Jasmine Rice
Just Get Take Out and call it a night!
There! Now that we have our Menu, we can just pick one from each category for the week. It makes it easy, but still gives us choices! (And we like choices!)
What do you think? Would this be a system that would work for you in busy times? Would your family eat the same things over and over?
For the recipe this week, I have one of my easy go-to’s - Asian Noodles, which is definitely in our rotation during busy times. It’s so versatile, I could make it three weeks in a row and have it be a little different each time.
Step one, choose your ground meat. Beef, Chicken, or Pork? Ground meat defrosts quickly and cooks up in no time, making it ideal for easy dinners. (Pro tip - when freezing bulk ground meat, portion it one pound at a time in quart freezer bags and press it flat to fill the bag. They stack up easy in the freezer, and it defrosts so fast this way!)
Step two, use a bag of pre shredded cole slaw to load up on veggies. Use either the regular cabbage and carrot based slaw or a broccoli slaw (broccoli slaw usually comes in a smaller package, grab two). Want even more? Add a bag of steam-able snap peas or edamame or broccoli florets.
Step three, pour in the sauce. Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, fresh ginger - all good things and all pantry staples for us! A little cornstarch to thicken it as it coats all those noodles and veggies. Want it spicy? Add a squirt of sriracha or a spoonful of chili crisp.
Step four, stir in the noodles. If you can find Lo Mein in the international section of your grocery store, use those. If not, spaghetti and/or linguine work great. Break them in half so they’re easier to slurp.
Last thing, top it off! Fried egg? Sure! Sprinkle of sesame seeds? Yes! More spicy stuff? Go for it!
Well, I can tell by all the exclamation points this week that the May crazy might have a hold on me. It’s ok, we’ve got this! It’s all downhill from here, whether you’re casually coasting or flipping end over end. Keep calm and make a menu!
MONDAY - Pork Katsu, Jasmine Rice, Cabbage Salad
Pan fried, crispy pork cutlets served over a scoop of jasmine rice. We have some of that Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce to drizzle over the top. A little vinegary cabbage salad on the side for a contrast in flavor and texture.
TUESDAY - Chicken Noodle Soup, Grilled Cheese Sammies
Just like everyone else, we need some easy nights right about now. Chicken noodle soup comes together quickly when you use shredded rotisserie chicken you stashed away in the freezer. Plus it feels homey and comforting when the to-do list is stressing you out.
WEDNESDAY - Fettucine Alfredo, Roasted Broccoli
Another fast one. While the broccoli roasts for 20 minutes, I can boil pasta and make a quick alfredo sauce. I like this one.
THURSDAY - Breakfast for Dinner
Big buttermilk biscuits (the frozen kind when we’re going low-effort) with sausage gravy. Cheese omelet and fruit to go with. (Plus the Kiddo has an after-school Archery Team pizza party today, and if he ends up not being too hungry for dinner, then we can save it for breakfast for the weekend.)
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick-Up!
SATURDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s! (the in-laws)
Trying fajitas or smash burgers on the Blackstone! What’s your vote?
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s!
BBQ Ribs, corn on the cob, cucumber salad. Heading into that summer season!
LUNCHES for this week -
I’ve been in full-on testing mode, and we have a ton of leftover food. So, I’ll eat on that so nothing goes to waste, maybe reinventing some bits into salads or sandwiches. How do we feel about ideas like green goddess chicken salad and/or harissa chicken wraps?
EXTRAS for this week
Well, I got too much at the farmer’s market this weekend…but it was all so pretty and I wanted it! Plus I love supporting the small farms! I have some radishes and asparagus I need to get creative with; thinking about trying them as a salad with a crunchy lemon-panko sprinkle. And I got another pretty little bag of arugula - it would be great as an arugula and basil pesto!
Go-To Easy Asian Noodles
Makes about 6 (generous) servings
· 1 pound Ground Meat (Beef, Pork, or Chicken)
· 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
· ½ of a White or Yellow Onion, sliced
· One (16 ounce) bag Shredded Slaw Mix
· Sauce Mixture
1/3 cup Honey
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon fresh grated Ginger
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
· 16 ounce package of Lo Mein Noodles (Or Spaghetti or Linguine)
· ¼ cup sliced Green Onions
Make the sauce mixture by whisking together all sauce ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup until well combined. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sided skillet (the largest one you have) over medium high heat. Add your ground meat with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking it up with your spoon, until only a little pink remains. Add the sliced onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently for another 5 minutes. (If you need to drain your meat, do so now.) Then add the slaw mix, cooking for another 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. (It may look like a lot, but it will cook down.)
While your meat, onions, and slaw mix get started, heat a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Then cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
After the slaw mix has cooked down, reduce the heat to medium and stir in all of the sauce mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in cooked noodles and green onions. Cover the pan, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Uncover, stir again, and serve.
NOTES – This dish is very customizable! You pick the meat! You pick the noodles! (I like the Lo Mein noodles when I can find them. If I can’t, I prefer linguine over spaghetti just because the flat shape is closer to a lo mein. And I break them in half to make them a little shorter and easier for chopsticks. But use whatever you’ve got!)
Want it spicy? Stir some chili crisp or sriracha into the sauce. Want more veg? Add a bag of “steam in the bag” sugar snap peas or edamame. Want to really jazz it up? Do a fried egg over the top! Sprinkle on some sesame seeds!
Make it yours and sit down with a big bowl of noodles!
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!
Looks yummy! I'll give it a try.