I stare at my open refrigerator door twice a day to crack my head on what to cook for lunch and dinner. “Why don’t you have a fixed menu. Cook the same thing every Mon, Tue, etc?” suggested hubby.
Yeee. Boring. I like to try new things. But then I find that I end up cooking the same old things. Haha. So today, instead of cracking my head daily, I shall post up the menu for my entire week! Heheh!
Day 1
Lunch – Fish Porridge
Dinner – Steamed Taufoo, Stir Fried Siew Pak Choy, Braised Potato with Minced Meat
Day 2
Lunch – Fish Ball Tong Hor Soup with Braised Wantan Mee Noodle
Dinner – Sweet & Sour Fillet Fish, Stir Fried Choy Sum, Hot Dog Omellete, Old Cucumber Soup
Day 3
Lunch – Meat Ball Porridge
Dinner – Chicken Kurma, Grey Oyster Mushroom fried in Cucur Udang Flour, Stir Fried Baby French Beans
Day 4
Lunch – Pineapple Fried Rice
Dinner – Kunyit Fried Fish, Homemade Steamed Siew Mai, Stir Fried White Cabbage, Tomato Soup
Day 5
Lunch – Steamed Brocolli & Carrot, Readymade Deep Fried Fish Fingers
Dinner – Pan Fried Egg Taufoo, Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables, Braised Chicken with Ginger
Day 6
Lunch – Eat out (Yahoo!)
Dinner – Steamed Chicken Rice, Eggs Sunny Side Up, Stir Fried Long Beans with dried prawns
Day 7
Lunch – Egg Sandwiches
Dinner– Sweet & Sour Fish, Joo Hu Char (Stir Fried Carrot with Sengkuang, Steamed Egg with minced meat
Now, I just have to reproduce this and paste it on my refrigerator door. Hahaha.
Seriously, planning a menu is no easy affair. You have to think of the likes and dislikes of every person in the house and try to include a dish that everyone likes. If someone is sick, you must make sure your menu has simple foods for that person too. For example, my girl is sick so instead of making fried wantons for the kids, I’ll make steamed siew mai instead using the same ingredients.
You have to think of how to make use of the leftovers too. For example, if I make soup, I will make a lot and use the leftovers as stock for my porridge or soup the next day. I must also make sure that I have the items or ingredients at home so that I don’t have to rush out to buy them last minute as I shop just once a week. I have to think of the kids too. For example, they will gobble up the cauliflower if I make cauliflower fritters and leave it untouched if I stir fry it as a vegetable. So really must crack head.
After meals, our “dessert” usually consist of fruits, either apple, oranges, papayas, watermelon or mangoes etc.Â
I am happy that so far, with the maid, my dream of providing healthy wholesome, nutritious, clean food for the family is coming true. The maid does not cook. She just helps me prepare and wash up but that is a tremendous help.
Previously, I could not cook like this due to lack of time and also due to my condition which makes cooking in front of the open fire with no other adult present a bit more challenging. So, lunch and dinner usually consist of porridge, sandwiches, or my one pot foods, ie steamed rice with everything thrown inside the rice cooker pot or microwaved baked beans, and reheated store bought ready made foods or tapau rice and dishes from nearby shops.
This is a very pleasant change. I am happy. Now, you know why I’ve put on 5 pounds? ;)Â
So which day can I come over for dinner? Day 2 can? 😛
Not until you belanja me the chee cheong fun you promised first. Heheh.
Wow! I’m so impressed! A whole week’s thinking gone into this!! I think it’s a great idea…can steal some menu from you if I ever need to dish out stuff? 😀
I used to do this before the kids came along. After that all kelam kabut liao. Can’t do it when you have to cook baby food, prepare toddler meals etc but now that they are eating the same food as us its much easier.
i wish i have home cooked meal everyday too! too bad i eat out nearly all my meals.. 🙁
I used to eat out all the time too.
Suddenly, I know what to buy when I go grocery shopping tomorrow. LOL! Really crack head what to buy and cook some times. But you are awesome! Can do “Homemade Steamed Siew Mai”.
Yah, really crack head what to buy and what to cook each time. Eh, my siew mai sound nice but bluff one, minus a lot of incredients. I just minced pork and prawns, then wrap them up in readymade skins and steam loh. Hahaha.
Woww..impressive menu. Ehh..why your lunch so simple compared to dinner? I want to cook at home too but the preparation of the ingredients and the washing part killing me. Somemore need to keep an eye on my two little terrors. Good that you have a maid to help you.
Why my lunch so simple ah? Lazy loh. Hehe. Cooking two meals a day is no joke so keep it simple for one makes it much more fun and less a chore. Besides, the kids enjoy the noodles etc for lunch so why sweat it. 😉
Wow! that’s a pretty ‘balance’ list you’ve got there! I think your hubby and I can be good friends, cos’ that’s exactly what I do and how I feel!
Its good for me that he’s like that. That means he doesn’t complain about his meals as long as I include his same favourite dish over and over again. hahaha.
ya loh, really crack head thinking of menu ya… that’s a good idea and it sounds really yummy.. and I like the “eat out (yahoo!)”
Planning, cooking and cleaning up all takes a lot of effort and sometimes men wonder why women like to eat out?
My Mil does all the cooking but this I gather from her:
She cooks breakfast because her 2 sons will be eating that. Then whatever’s left will be for our lunch.
For dinner she will cook again. Usually she cooks whatever vege she finds on sale/ in season. Fish/meat dish as what she feels like making. Usually got a soup too.
Wow, she cooks breakfast some more. Breakfast for me means bread or biscuits. 😛
I started putting up a list like this recently too coz it helps me to get my grocery shopping done during the weekends – won’t leave out any ingredient. And most important of all – I don’t have to wake up in the morning, asking myself, “What shall I cook today?” Nowadays, my girl doesn’t need to ask me the famous question anymore – What’s for dinner tonight?? She just looks it up at the menu list! LOL!!
I only put up my list AFTER I bought my groceries. Thats silly. Ok. Ok. Next time I must plan the list BEFORE I shop. Hehehe.
I like your meal planner. Such a simple and yet balanced diet.
These days there are lots of easy ready made items you can just reheat. Thats the danger isn’t it. We tend to make use of those items which are easy to make but has less nutrition. Cooking takes time and effort, so I am glad that I have the time for it.
I don’t cook daily. The maid does it. But planning menu is a headache I agree. So I do it on a daily basis and tell the maid what to cook based on what we have.
Yes, even if the maid cooks, you have to do the planning and giving out of instructions. However, I know some people, who leave the entire planning of what to cook up to the maid too.
You know MG,
I think my refrigerator here is really feel suck with me because I always feel it with many veggie and other kinds of food that I had planned in my head when I shopped groceries (“great ideas, mom”, my older kids usually told me, “but keep in action, mom!”), but when it comes to the time I used to cook….always the same menus again and again…I don’t know what happened with my head! LOL!
Now I had sticked one daily recipe book in the board at the kitchen. I had practiced twice for a whole week, not bad, huh…
Yes, Henny, I always end up making the same thing when I run out of ideas when actually there are so many varieties of foods we can try out but its simpler to just make the same ole same ole. hehe.
ya wor…y didnt i think of using leftover soup to make porridge ler? clever u!!
Its like stock mah. 🙂
i am so with u! its not easy to cook for ppl with diff taste, sick, etc…
i dont usually leave the soup for tomorrow, cause my mom said its not so good to hv overnight soup esp soups like old cucumber, or any soup that is ‘liong’.
so its only for lunch and dinner for the day. just my 2 cts…:)
Thanks for that info but I don’t think its so bad when you cook it all over again. Its only when you reheat it for drinking again. Anyhow, I’ll just keep my carrot, onion and potato soup or chicken soups then because those taste great when doubled up as stocks.
Thanks for that. U gave me some ideas…
here’s some of mine :
– Braised Chicken with Potatoes (Diced Onions, Garlic, Chicken pieces, oyster sauce, soya sauce, pepper, dark soya sauce, add potatoes after simmering chicken for 30 minutes – cook for further 10-15 minutes). My kids love this dish.
– Pork Chops – the secret? Marinate with the salt, pepper, sugar and sherry overnight. I guarantee you will get the most tender pork chops!
– meatballs….damn! my meatballs are good…heheheheh…(self praise is no praise)..but seriously, chk out my recipe site (abit chapalang…but it’s the recipes that i love most)! heheheh!
Thanks agin!
Yes, I have drooled over your meatballs before on your site but thanks for the ideas and the links. When I run out of ideas, I’ll definitely visit. Hehe.
oh..I also think it’d be good to make a 2 week menu…then at least you wont’ be eating the same thing week after week..heheheh…your kids will have at least 1 week reprieve.. 😉
Oh no. This is for this week only. I’ll think of something else next week. Otherwise yours truly will be bored to tears eating the same thing week after week. Hahaha.
I tried having a menu like that but it did not work for long. Most of the time I end up going to the market grabbing what I see/what I feel like and then leave the ideas as to how to cook them when the time comes. In fact, sometimes even as I chopped the chicken I have no idea how I want to cook them.
Hahaha. Poor chicken. Still dunno its fate on the plate while being chopped. Lol!
For a healthier diet, try brown rice. If your husband and kids can not get used to it, at least add some barley, green beans and red beans before you cook in the rice cooker. Live longer than 100 years old says the Japanese… and my wife as well.
http://daddyparentingtips.blogspot.com/2008/09/tip-82-brown-rice-with-barley-recipe-to.html
Thank you. I had a lot of brown rice during my confinement.