Stop! Before You Stock Your Summer Pantry

This post is relevant if you spend your whole or even part of the summer cooking in a different kitchen. But it’s also relevant if you just want to simplify meal prep.

You’ll adapt this concept to suit your own family’s needs, depending on who you need to feed.

Whether your family dynamic is different in the summer (big kids at sleepaway?) or whether you simply want to spend less time menu planning, shopping, and cooking, it’ll work.

The basic idea is to make a three week rotation. I promise, no one will notice that you are repeating the same menu every third week. If your family will go for it, you can even make a two week rotation. Stock only the ingredients for those recipes. Try to keep it simple (choose family favorites that don’t need a lot of ingredients!). It’s ok to sub! For example, you don’t need honey, maple syrup, agave, and silan. Just honey will do the trick for most recipes that call for any of those ingredients.

Here’s my personal example from last summer. All my older children are either in yeshiva or away at sleepaway camp. I only have to prepare a one portion dinner for my husband. My kids that are home are eight and under and they don’t want formal dinners in the summer—just easy things they can choose when they come home from camp. The side dish is always just fresh cut veg and dip, fresh fruit, or basic kid-friendly Caesar.

For my husband’s dinners, I picked three each of salmon and other fish, chicken cutlets, and dark chicken. Once this is set, I don’t need to ever think “what am I making for dinner?” and I don’t need to stock a pantry—just fresh proteins and produce. I only need to keep the items I need for these specific recipes on hand.

This is how I would adapt this menu for a whole family if my big kids were home! It would be a little more complicated if I needed to please a bigger range of ages.

Shabbos prep uses pretty much the same ingredients weekly (perhaps just the main rotates between a few types), so even if Shabbos will have its set of ingredients separate from the weekdays, I’ll know just what to stock to be set for summer.

Where can you find the recipes I listed in my menu plans above?

Chicken Recipes:

• “Honey Mustard” – Adapted from Maple Glazed Chicken in Dinner Done
• “Guacamole” – Grilled Chicken Wraps with Sauteed Onions & Peppers and Guacamole
• Grilled Chicken Schnitzel

Salmon Recipes:

• Salmon Wraps – Baked Salmon, Avocado, Caramelized Onions, Store-Bought Garlic Basil Dressing
• ET Salmon – Everything Salmon from Dinner Done
• Greek or Mango Salmon – Both are also in Dinner Done

Dark Chicken Recipes:

• “Marinated” – Marinated in BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard, or whatever is available (i.e. or available pre-marinated from the supermarket/butcher!)
• “9×13” – Any 9×13 BCP Chicken recipe. My usual go-to is the Mushroom Barley but they’re all so easy and good.
• “Shawarma” means I’m seasoning with shawarma spice and serving with pita, chummus/techina, and perhaps Israeli salad/red cabbage salad

Other Fish & Dairy Recipes:

• Roasted Veg – refers to this Roasted Veggie Turbot, but it can be made with any fish. Skip the sweet potatoes if you rather serve it with something else. 
• Hoisin – Refers to this Crispy Garlic Fish – it can be made with any fish – it’s simply hoisin sauce and fresh garlic

Additional Recipes on the “Whole Family” Plan:

• Baked Mike’s (Make this once only and not more! Make a big batch and freeze. Thaw and bake as needed)
• Sweet Buff Schnitzel Sandwiches
• Calsones
• Sushi Rice + Veg

Any questions? Ask below!

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