So what else happened during days 3-5?

My husband, L., is sure a happy camper this week… taking home-made food to work. I rarely cook lunch or breakfast. Our breakfasts are simple, mainly some bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit. If we have leftovers from last night’s dinner whoever wants them can have them for lunch.

On Wednesday night, after the kids went to bed and the house was quiet, L. and I prepared our lunches for the next two days, Black-Bean Burgers. It was nice to spend some time in the kitchen together, just the two of us. We rarely have a chance to do this. In fact, I can’t remember when was the last time that we cooked together.

So the same as we had to bake our bread in the evening so we will have bread for breakfast, we prepared the lunches late at night for the following day, something we don’t normally do. But hey, it saves money. And it was fun.

For lunch: Black-Bean Burgers with bread and veggies for the adults. Baby eats at day care (was deducted from budget), and kindergartener took a sandwich with cheese and a fruit – this is what he likes now (budgeted).

For dinner: Roasted Lemony Chicken Thighs, roasted carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts, rice, and a little salad.

At least once a week I cook something that will be enough for 2 dinners. This saves a lot of time. Time that I can spend with the kids. It’s great, especially on sunny days when I like to take them to the park and we can stay longer and don’t have to go back home early so I can cook dinner. My little one loves to go to the park and stay outside.

Today is the 5th day. We will have an upgraded pizza (no topping this time), and will use any leftovers from the last days on the side. There’s rice and chicken I’m sure the kids would love to eat again. I will make Top Secret Orange Marmalade Salad and leave some fruit on the side because the kids don’t eat leafy greens. Yet.

I also have a quarter of the onion quiche left. I had enough of it so I put it in the freezer for later.

I always bake a cake for the weekend. This week I bought 3 pears but they refuse to ripen! How annoying! Especially when I’m on a budget and don’t have any more money to go and buy something else. BUT I will use them to make pear clafouti. It has very basic ingredients, it’s easy to make and very quick, and you don’t even need a mixer. I will be able to use the eggs I bought and hardly used, and I have some milk left, so… This is the “cake” for tonight.

To see the complete menu I planned ahead for this week, go to this post.

Other posts in this “Hunger” series:

Hunger Action Week – This is what’s left

Hunger Action Week and thoughts of empty fridges

Hunger Action Week – 1st day & grocery shopping

Hunger challenge – Budget, groceries, and menu

Lots of planning… and cakes

 
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Pear Clafouti

Adaptation from “Desserts From Le Perigord” in the NY Times and Bon Appétit, May 1994
Makes 6-8 servings

1/4 cup sugar, plus sugar for dusting pan
1 tablespoon butter for sautéing pears, plus for greasing pan
3 medium-size pears, peeled, cored and large diced*
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon pear liqueur/brandy (I used water)
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted, unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie/cake pan, and dust with sugar.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it turns golden brown, add pears and sauté for about 3-5 minutes just to soften them. Remove from skillet and lay the pears at the bottom of pie pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and the 1/4 cup of sugar. Sift in the flour and blend well. Beat in the baking powder, salt, cardamom, lemon zest, liqueur/water, milk and melted butter. Pour over fruit.

Place the clafouti in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown on top and filling has set. Let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.

NOTE: I just took 2 big bites and oh boy this taste so good. However, next time I think I’ll use 2 tablespoons less butter, another pinch of salt, and more cardamom.

* If you have the time and patience (I didn’t with a whiny 6 years-old in the kitchen), slice the pears thinly and place them in layers in raw or circles to make a nice pattern.

Other food bloggers are taking the challenge and making amazing meals. Go and visit:

All You Can Eat, Cook & Eat, Eat All About It, Eric Rivera’s Cooking Blog, Favorite Freezer Foods, Foodista, Julie Jams, Live To Eat, Mirch Masala, Musings on the Path to Frugality, NOMalicious, Savory Sweet Life, Self Rising Flour, The Curious Domestic, The Gastro Gnome, What’s For Dinner

Related Posts:

Hunger challenge 2010 – As simple as pancakes

Hunger Action Week – 1st day & grocery shopping

Hunger challenge – Budget, groceries, and menu

Categories : A cake for the weekend, Cakes, Dessert, Family, Food events, Recipes, Spring and Summer