It’s official: One week until Pesach.
Gulp.
I’m feeling woefully unprepared and overwhelmed. Although I’m pretty sure I feel this way every year. Kinda like how I freak out before flying anywhere – and then somehow it all works out okay and I don’t forget to pack my toothbrush.
We’re far from done with cleaning, which means I haven’t even started cooking. But I did at least manage to sit down and write down out our meal plan for all of chag.
I like to plan the whole week, so I can avoid as much shopping as possible during chol ha’moed (I know some of you don’t shop at all).
Monday, March 25 ~ 1st Night of Passover
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, smoothies
- Lunch: Baked potatoes, cottage cheese, cut-up veggies
- Seder #1: We’re having small seders this year, and trying not to cook an insane amount of food. We’ll see if the minions revolt.
- All the seder plate stuff – charoset, etc.,
- Matzah Ball Soup
- Hard Boiled Eggs w/ salt water
- Brisket (I know some don’t eat roasted meats, but this brisket is our first night tradition)
- Green Salad
- Roasted vegetables
- Chocolate covered strawberries
- Lemon Strawberry Sorbet
Tuesday, March 26 ~ 2nd Night of Passover
- Breakfast: Matzah brie, cut-up fruit
- Lunch: Steamed salmon, quinoa, broccoli
- Seder #2
- All the seder plate stuff – charoset, etc.,
- Matzah Ball Soup
- Hard Boiled Eggs w/ salt water
- Lemon Herb Almond Crusted Chicken Cutlets (adapted for Pesach)
- Accordion potatoes
- Green salad
- Steamed broccoli
- Matzah crack
- Fruit salad
Wednesday, March 27
- Brunch/Lunch (I’m assuming we’ll all be sleeping in): scrambled eggs, matzah & cream cheese, cut-up fruit
- Dinner: matzah pizza
Thursday, March 28
- Breakfast: Fruit smoothies
- Lunch: Lunch-to-Go (we’ve got some fun plans this day since it’s our only full day of chol ha’moed) = cheese, matzah crackers, chips, cut-up veggies, etc.
- Dinner: Cheesey stuffed mini peppers, steamed broccoli & cauliflower
Friday, March 29
- Breakfast: Fruit smoothies
- Lunch: Matzah Mac & Cheese, cut-up veggies
- Dinner: “Un” stuffed cabbage (made on the stove top), mashed potatoes, some steamed veggie, Levana’s brownies
Shabbat, March 30
- Breakfast: coffee cake, hard-boiled eggs, fruit
- Lunch: cold fruit soup, poached salmon, mini crustless quiches, green salad, fruit salad, Pesach lemon merengue pie
- Dinner: salad, matzah with spreads – egg salad, avocado, cream cheese, etc.,
Sunday, March 31
- Breakfast: matzah brie, fruit
- Lunch: left-overs? (I’m not sure what our plans are this day, so it will probably depend on that)
- Dinner: French onion soup, sweet potato gnocchi, green salad with toasted nuts, homemade sorbet
Monday, April 1
- Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs, yogurt fruit
- Lunch: Cook-out (our family’s annual tradition) – hamburgers, chicken kabobs, Passover rolls, tomato-basil salad, potato salad, guacamole with cut-up veggies, watermelon & brownies
- Dinner: French onion soup & salad (I may even put my kids to bed first!)
Tuesday, April 2
- Breakfast: matzah brie, fruit compote
- Lunch: Sweet & sour salmon, matzah lasagna, steamed broccoli, whatever desserts we have left-over
- Pre-dinner snack: Any left-overs that have matzah in them!
- Dinner: ???
***
So, friends, tell me: What’s on your Passover menu? I can’t wait to read about what you’re serving!
Thanks for the ideas!!! I am also not done cleaning- and panicky!
Love that you included breakfast in your plan. I didn’t do that for mine, so it will probably be leftovers. Something to think about for next year’s plan!
http://morequicheplease.com/2013/03/pesach-2013-the-menu/
If I don’t include it, my kids eat way too much matzah and cream cheese. Tried to sneak in some healthy smoothies on the days we can use the blender!
I pinned your “unstuffed cabbage” recipe on my Pesach Pinterest board. Easy, slow-cooked, real food…good idea!
Thank you – it’s really tasty!
I wrote out my menu, which is pretty basic since our protein is only chicken and homemade cottage cheese (we’re stationed overseas right now). But I just added in the strawberry lemon sorbet you linked to. Those are two of my kids’ favorite things!
I leave my non-yom tov days a little looser, and just give some ideas for the main meals that I’ll have the food for. Sometimes we’re not hungry, or going out, or tummies need a little break and just want fruit. So we can choose from the list to fit what we want then.
Here’s mine: http://organizedjewishhome.com/2013/03/10/passover-2013-menu/
Yum! Sounds great! I’m curious about homemade cottage cheese!
You don’t do fish? I love the simplification. My Seders all have meat and poultry, a few potato sides, etc. Yikes!
I have alway served gefilte fish, but for some reason this year, I just decided that we would pare things down a bit.
Menu plan set for week? In my dreams!
First seder:
Chicken matzo ball soup
Turkey breast
Quinoa-fruit-nut pilaf
Roasted veggies
Chocolate dipped strawberries/Marcy Goldman’s matzo toffee crunch (aka matzo crack)
Some meals will be: matzo pizza, matzo cheese lasagna, scrambled eggs with fried potatoes, stuffed peppers with Moroccan spiced meat/quinoa (adapted from current issue of Rachael Ray magazine), several cold buffet nights (gefilte fish, tuna fish, egg salad , fruit salad and matzo), shepherd’s pie, grilled chicken breast and roasted potatoes, burgers, sliced veggies, potato chips and kosher for Pesach Coke (we normally don’t have soda so a huge treat:). Thank you for posting the question – it prompted me to write down my ideas so now I feel more organized!
Looks delicious. I forget about turkey breast – but that’s such a great idea!
You inspire me to get a bit more organized this year…lol. Menu plans for the week (not inclusive of Seders) include almost all “real food” this year, and it really kept my food budget down. On the menu for the week: egg quiches with fruit, cauliflower wraps with ratatouille, meat and veggie stuffed sweet potatoes, Passover sponge cake “french toast” with strawberries, smoothies, matzoh granola, orange chicken with potatoes, avocado chicken salad, gazpacho, banana pancakes (with just egg and banana), steak with grilled romaine and hot tomato vinaigrette, zucchini with basil, garlic and tomato, smashed new potatoes. Not sure what else.
Andrea – everything sounds wonderful! I’m curious about avocado chicken salad – if you have a minute (haha!) I’d love to see the recipe. Enjoy!
Mara –sure! It’s super simple!
Avocado Chicken Salad: 2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,1 avocado,1/4 chopped onion, juice of 1/2 a lime, 2 Tbsp cilantro,salt and pepper, to taste. Cook chicken breast until done, let cool, and then shred. Mix with all other ingredients.
Most all of the recipes I am using are on my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/giveapaintbrush/pesach-healthy-eating-recipes-and-ideas-for-the-we/
Sounds great!I love avocado and we buy a lot for Passover!