I am completing my “Prepare Once, Serve Twice” series at IMC tomorrow. So thought of posting the weekend prep that I do before cross post those recipes here. (Mostly it will be a gallery with links as most of the recipes are from here)
Weekdays are really hectic for all of us. With kids pick up, drop, their homework, work, extracurricular activities we don’t have enough time for preparing full course meal daily. When I had the same issue, I started preparing one dish and served it different way the next day. Its a huge hit in our household. It may seem like a repetition but it isn’t. This is going to be a series of prep once serve twice dishes for the next few weeks that makes weekday dinners and lunch easy. Before that, I wanted to share what I have in my pantry and fridge.
Disclaimer: I am South Indian Vegetarian. The ingredients listed below reflect our choice and preferences.
According to me, a perfect weekend is taking complete rest on Saturday, grocery on Sunday morning and preparing for the week on Sunday afternoon. So what do I do on Sunday afternoon?
- Preparing Idly/Dosa batter
- Chopping all the vegetables
- Making Rasam/Tamarind gojju paste.
But as per the saying “Man proposes, God disposes”, not all my weekends go as per my plan. Some weekends are busy with travelling or some weekends are busy with social commitments or some weekends are busy with just laundry or some weekends are occupied with unplanned events. On top of all these some weekends I just don’t feel like doing anything. All I want is to lie on the couch and relax. (???). Bottom-line I may not be ready for the week 70% of the time. So I need to rely on semi home foods and carry over some dishes with some twist on the following day. I do cook daily at the same time I do use leftovers. (Somehow cooking for a whole week didn’t work for me)
I make sure I replenish these stuffs regularly. Also if I didn’t get a chance to prepare idli batter, I manage to prepare it even during the weekdays. (It’s a total life saver)
Apart from Milk, Yogurt, vegetables and bread, I need these ingredients for sure.
- Idly batter
- Pastas
- Any pasta sauce (Tomato or Alfredo or Pesto)
- Cheese (Cheddar for sure)
- Tortillas
- Ready Made Roti
- Garbanzo beans can
- Coconut Milk can
- Frozen coconut (I use loads of coconut and coconut milk)
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Frozen peas
- Idly podi / Chutney podi
- Paneer / Tofu
- Ketchup
Please let me know what are your main ingredients in your pantry?
My pantry essentials are pastas, quinoa, amaranth for breakfast, brown rice,tortillas, cheese, dried beans and lentils of every kind, peanut butter that i use like in every desi vegetable dish…not kidding here, peanuts crushed(we love peanuts),ketchup, frozen veggies…so a lot like your list. My frozen coconut is usually untouched, though I have it.
Yeah I have dried beans too.. some peanut butter we didn’t like it. Love peanuts n we have roasted peanuts a lot including d kiddo.. goid list yaar
Great tips dear:-) though I stay at home a I too generally prefer.. Cutting vegetable and idli batter during weekend
Thanks da.. Chopping vegetables over the weekend helps a lot. :-)
Nice tips!
Thanks Aiswarya :-)
An excellent post
Thanks :-)
I wish I could do the same. But my family needs everything fresh, like super fresh. Once, I made dough for chapatis earlier and my MIL ate but was unhappy
Oh wow.. But coming to thing about it, I keep rice fresh too :-) Each and everyone’s scenarios are different naa. But kudos to you for sure. :-)
Everything he he he I am a bad cook so I got to have everything just in case I want something from one of the recipes he he he he
:-) :-)
Pretty much the same… Though i am not working feel like weekends gotta take rest :-)
It happens pa.. :-)