Weekly Menu Ideas: 03-02

I am a numbers person. Everything I do comes down to numbers, and you may think this is super strange, but every aspect of my life can be boiled down to a single rational number.

I measure my clothes by cost per wear, I measure my meals by cost per person, I buy my shampoo with the calculation of cost per wash. I want to state for the record that I did not choose this life, it is not like I have a spreadsheet available where I randomly track how much things cost, it is just in the back of my brain. I think that when my brain gets bored, it automatically defaults to calculations. Now you understand why I am always exhausted.

This is how my menu for the week began. Of course, you might think I did this to minimise costs. But while that is an added bonus, my menu idea was actually created purely to save time. I have previously measured that my family spends an average of 25 minutes per meal deciding what to eat. This decision time is further increased when you have to decide whether to eat at home or out.

The calculation is simple: I live in a household of 4 people:

We eat together 5 times during the week and 4 times at the weekend.

This means that, on average, we spend 275 minutes a week per person deciding what we are going to eat. That is almost 4 hours per person each week.

Of all my frustrations, I have to admit that the most annoying thing for me was when I was living in South Africa and I had finally decided what I was going to eat and then the electricity went off because of load shedding. It was only when I started to think about the opportunity cost of our minutes of electricity that I decided that for a family with absolutely no extra time at all, this is where we could be more efficient.

Like most ideas, this rule of efficiency generally fell by the wayside until I moved abroad, because I could always count on my family when I was exhausted and rather inefficient. As I am sure most people can relate, there is nothing more efficient than an Excel spreadsheet. So I would record all my meals and create a rotation of ideas. This approach really lacked the human touch, I have to admit. We are all humans, after all, so I decided to tone it down a bit and give my family a more personalised approach once a week. This means that instead of 4 people wasting 16 hours, I only use one dedicated hour a week.

This has really given our family a lot more time, I think, and we all have more time to do the things we really want to do. I hope that the ideas I share with you will help you in your struggles.

Weekly Menu - 3 February

Monday

School Lunch: Mayo Salad Roll-Up Wraps

Dinner: Udon Noodle Soup

Tips for this idea:

For the vegetable wraps, it is a great way to sneak vegetables into the meals for the kids, my kids love sauce flavours that they do not realize the amount of veg they are actually eating.

The Udon Noodle Soup is a thicker round noodle commonly found in the Netherlands within the Asian Stores. If you do not have this available ramen noodles are a great alternative, the thing I love most about these traditional recipes is that the flavor is not from spice but rather from the chilli flakes and fresh chilli. In addition, it is traditionally eaten with the protein placed on top of the soup rather than inside, so it can be easily incorporated for a family that needs to cater to vegetarians. I usually add fish to mine to get some of my omegas in.

Tuesday:

School Lunch: Cheese, Salami and Lettuce Sandwich

Dinner: Chicken/Chickpea Curry and Rice

Tips for this idea:

For both these meals, there is a vegan or vegetarian alternative. I really try to make one staple meal during the week, and a curry is always a welcomed idea. Chickpeas contain a high amount of protein, which is used all across Africa and way to supplement a vegan lifestyle. This idea stems for my husband and dad.

Wednesday:

School Lunch: Waffles

Dinner: Mushroom Soup with Toasted Cheese

Tips for this idea:

For the waffles, it is easily available from any store both in South Africa and the Netherlands. Give yourself and your kids a break and let them enjoy some sugar for lunch.

I love creamed mushroom soup, but it is not as sustaining as other soups for me, so I add a toasted cheese to the side and use the soup as dipping sauce. Wednesdays are mid week, so I usually aim to keep the most simple recipes on this day.

Thursday:

School Lunch: Cold Chicken Mayo Pasta

Dinner: Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Tips for this idea:

Cold pasta is great for kids, if your kids do not enjoy chicken then you can easily replace the chicken with an alternative vegetable like carrots or beetroot.

The same goes for Alfredo, you can use all the leftover mushrooms from the soup or keep a little extra from the night before, to add in with some white sauce. You can also fry some salami/polony pieces as an alternative to the ham in most recipes, as it still provides a great crunch to the recipe.

Friday:

School Lunch: Mini Pizza

Dinner: Pies and Fries

Tips for this idea:

Growing up in South Africa, Mamma's pies was a staple, while I understand these have gotten rather costly to buy, it is quite easy to make pies, especially if you have an instant pot. You can go crazy with the pie ideas and add any filling you enjoy.

Saturday:

Lunch: Make your own pizza

Dinner: Smash Burgers

Tips for this idea:

This Saturday is a great time for a break, we all need it. Making your own pizza is a great idea for lazy days because you can buy the dough and add your own toppings which is a great way for everyone to have what they like. I always enjoy a vegetable filled pizza while my family are meat lovers.

For the burgers, on weekends it is always easier, you can season mince of any from season and fry, or if you prefer just add it with some oil to the oven or airfryer for an easy meal that you can make yourself at home.

Sunday:

Lunch: Akhni

Tips for this idea:

I love the idea of akhni, it is a bit less time but still gives me the feel for briyani. You can make it however much you want and its a great place to use the ingredients in your house that you feel like you never using.

I hope this makes this week easier for you. If you feel like you this is something you need for the weeks ahead, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas for next week. ♥️