Shopping List: Breaking the Fast, Loads of Lentils, and Pesto Meatballs

The Family Plan #45

OMG you guys, I’m so sorry I’m late. I totally spaced on what day it was. My kid went back to school on Monday, FINALLY, and let’s just say it’s been an unusual week. Lots of bumps in the road, and I totally missed the fact that yesterday was Wednesday. Which means I should’ve written this and had it ready to go first thing this morning.

Yeah. Not so much.

Anyway, next week’s menu takes into account that Yom Kippur is Monday. For those of you who observe, you already know it’s traditional to break the fast with a dairy meal. So that’s what we’re doing, but it’s also a perfectly lovely regular ol’ Monday night dinner.

Here’s the menu:

MONDAY:

Break Fast with Make-Ahead Frittata from Simply Recipes OR Not-Too-Cheesy Apricot Noodle Kugel from me & my mom, with a green salad. You can also lay in a spread of lox, bagels, cream cheese, and tuna salad—you’ll have plenty of food for lunches too.

TUESDAY: Marinated Lentils with Lemony Broccolini and Feta from Bon Appetit with crusty bread. Double the lentils to use on Thursday. If your kids balk at spicy food, set aside some lentils to toss with just oil and vinegar.

WEDNESDAY:

Photo courtesy Vegan Richa

Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto Meatballs from Epicurious OR Vegan Meatballs from Vegan Richa. I’ve been making those turkey-pesto meatballs for over 15 years. They’re incredibly easy and quite delicious. The recipe serves 2 and you want to have enough for leftovers, so make a quadruple batch. The vegan meatballs use chickpeas and walnuts for their meatiness, and they, too, include pesto in the mix. Double that recipe if you’re using it.

THURSDAY: Greek Lentil Salad from Cookie + Kate with pita bread. Grab Tuesday’s lentils and you can start at Step 3.

FRIDAY: Pesto Meatball Pizza, no recipe required, with a big salad. Prepared pizza dough (or homemade, if you prefer), jarred sauce, fresh or shredded mozz, and those leftover meatballs: A perfectly easy Friday night.

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Here’s the shopping list:

Remember that an asterisk * indicates an ingredient for the vegetarian option. And on Monday, since things are kinda loose, I’ll put ✡️ next to the ingredients for my noodle kugel. I’m not including supplies for bagels & lox, since that’s optional.

Produce

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (M)

• 1 bunch scallions (M)

• 1 bunch parsley (M, W*, Th, F*)

• 1 bunch dill (T)

• 2 (5 oz.) packages baby spinach (M, Th)

• Fixings for a big salad (M, F)

• 1 red chili, such as Fresno or Holland (T)

• 4 cloves + 5 cloves* garlic (T, W*, Th, F*)

• 1 medium onion* (W, F)

• 1 medium red onion (Th)

• 2 bunches broccolini OR broccoli OR cauliflower OR asparagus (T)

• 1 lemon (T)

• 1 package prepared pesto (W, F)

Pantry

• Plenty of extra-virgin olive oil (M, T, Th)

• Red wine vinegar (M, T, Th)

• 12 oz. broad egg noodles ✡️ (M)

• 3/4 cup sugar ✡️ (M)

• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar ✡️ (M)

• Vanilla extract ✡️ (M)

• 16 oz. apricot or peach nectar ✡️ (M)

• 1 cup golden raisins or diced dried apricots ✡️ (M)

• 6 cups cornflakes (3 cups cornflake crumbs) ✡️ (M)

• Ground cinnamon ✡️ (M)

• Coriander seeds OR ground coriander (T)

• Fennel seeds OR ground fennel (T)

• Dried oregano (W*, Th, F*)

• Dried parsley* OR fresh (W, F)

• Red pepper flakes, optional* (W, F)

• 3 cups black beluga or French green lentils (T, Th)

• 1 jar chunky tomato sauce (W)

• 1 lb. spaghetti or other pasta (W)

• 2/3 cup walnuts* (W, F)

• 1/4 cup flaxmeal* OR 2 eggs (W, F)

• 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas* (W, F)

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast* OR grated Parmesan (W, F)

• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs* (W, F)

• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (Th)

• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives (Th)

• Tahini (Th)

Meat Counter

• 2 lb. ground turkey (W, F)

Dairy

• 2 sticks butter ✡️ (M)

• 1/2 cup OR 2 cups ✡️ milk (M)

• 1/2 cup sour cream (M)

• 14 large eggs (M, W, F)

• 12 oz. block feta (M, T, Th)

• 6 oz. cream cheese ✡️ (M)

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan OR nutritional yeast* (W, F)

• 10-12 oz. fresh OR shredded mozzarella (F)

Bakery

• 1 large loaf country or peasant bread (T, W, F)

• Pita bread (Th)

• 1 package prepared pizza dough (F)

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On Saturday, paying subscribers will get the details on how it all comes together.

Stay safe, be kind, wash your hands, and wear a mask. And if you’re Jewish, have an easy fast.

Debbie