This week’s menu was slightly more difficult than it typically is for the unusual reason that right now our fridge, freezer and pantry contain an embarrassment of riches, almost like we have too much food, and therefore too many choices. I go through this every month right after we do our Costco shop – there is almost too much to choose from, or at least it seems that way. Definitely a first world problem, I know.
Creating a menu when there are so many choices uses a somewhat different thought process than when supplies and choices are more limited. First of all, it requires less creativity. But still, there are questions such as: What should be used first? Will this or that be more useful later in the month?
YaYu asked if she could make dinner on Friday – she found the recipe for vegetarian red pepper alfredo sauce online and wants to try it. She doesn’t know yet if she’ll be able make the fettucine from scratch – it will depend on how late track and tennis practice finish.
Here’s what we’re having this week:
- Tuesday (this evening): Grilled Italian sausages with sautéed peppers and onion; ciabatta rolls (no bread for me)
- Wednesday: Mapo dofu; steamed rice; sliced cucumber (no rice for me)
- Thursday: Meatloaf; roasted potatoes; gravy; steamed broccoli (no potatoes for me)
- Friday: Fettucini with creamy red pepper alfredo sauce; grilled zucchini; bread (I’ll have the alfredo sauce over zucchini)
- Saturday: Leftovers (YaYu will be at her swim team banquet)
- Sunday: Chinese stir-fried tomatoes and eggs (we’ve all been craving this again); steamed rice; cucumbers (no rice for me)
- Monday: Grilled flank steak; onion rings; coleslaw (no onion rings for me)
We have everything we need on hand, so no trips to the store this week. We won’t be able to go to the Kapaa market on Wednesday, but Brett and I have decided we will try to head down to the Friday farmers’ market at the stadium. It’s a small market, but they have good prices and we should be able to get papayas and bananas there, and maybe find a few other things.
The Occasional Nomads 
Exactly how I feel just after shopping. So many options.
Those eggs look yummy…I will definitely try them.
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I like the creativity that comes when we’re getting to the end of our “food shopping month” – I have to be more clever about how what we have can be used or fixed.
The eggs were delicious – we were all surprised by how much we liked them. YaYu would like me to add some soy sauce, but I liked the recipe just as it is, so I haven’t made up my mind yet – I think the soy sauce might detract from the flavor of the tomatoes. One of the comments under the recipe suggested adding more ginger, so I might try that. Not a whole lot more, but enough to taste it a bit more.
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