Shabbat Menu Planning Time

It's the end of the week, again! Can't believe it? You are not alone, neither can I! It's crazy how the days just keep slipping past! 

And winter has crept up on us, too. Some people are even saying it will snow here on Friday night. Honestly, I don't mind if it snows on a Friday night -- As long as we don't lose power! (Because if the power goes out, I think my cholent will be ruined...)

So keeping in mind the cold we're looking at, we want to make sure to have a warm, enjoyable Shabbat. Friday night we're having some friends join us. Here's the plan:

Homemade Whole Spelt and Oat Bran Challot
Vegetable Soup
Vegetarian Liver, Homemade Chumus, Cut-Veggie Platter, Pickles and Olives
Other salads if I get to them
Oven Fried Chicken
Black-Eyed Peas (there's been a bag in my pantry for a really long time now!)
Roasted Cauliflower
Potato Kugel
Apple Crisp
For lunch, I'm putting up a Black Bean Cholent and we'll have whatever is left from Friday night. 

I've got some bananas waiting to be used, so I'll make banana-coconut chocolate chip cake and popcorn for snacking!

Big Savings for Book Lovers!

Shop the Better World Books End of Year Sale and save big on used books!
--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/ ---
NO Coupon code needed! Just order 4+ books from the Bargain Bin and get 15% off your order, or 8+ books from the Bargain Bin and get 25% off your order! And of course, there's always free shipping, worldwide!

Any guesses what I'm going to be doing tonight?

 

Fraudulently Labeled Oil

Recently, some oil bottlers have introduced fraudulently labeled oils to the market.

These bottles were bottled by companies operating without proper licensing and without any kashrut supervision. They are labeled "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" with various kashrut certifications, but in actuality they are oils of vegetable origin and are not known if they are certified kosher.

The following oils were lab-tested and verified that they are of vegetable origin, NOT olive oil:

Gilad brand "Extra Virgin Olive Oil", max. acidity 0.5%, 1L bottles with a sell by date of 31.12.2018

Tabor brand "Extra Virgin Olive Oil", max. acidity 0.8%, 1L bottles with a sell by date of 21.12.2018 (producer number is 7532)

In addition, be aware that inspectors found labels for the following companies during the inspection of the bottling facility found to be fraudulently labeling oils: Shaarei Yerushalayim Olive Oil, Yerushalmi Olive Oil, Tabor Olive Oil, Gilad Olive Oil, Gilboa Olive Oil, Zeit V'Gefen Olive Oil (שמן זית שערי ירושלים, שמן זית ירושלמי, שמן זית תבור, שמן זית גלעד, שמן זית גלבוע, שמן זית זית וגפן).

Please share this post with others so people can avoid these oils! 

For more information about how to make sure the oil you are buying is authentic, please see this post from the last time there was an olive oil scandal.

Menu for the week!

Hi everyone, it's that time again. The time on a Sunday when I wonder what I should make for supper... and then I realize it's time to make a menu for the week so I don't do this every day! It's so much easier for me to feed my family when my menu is already planned out! That way I can go about my day, and when I need to cook, I just cook! Without having to rummage thru the freezer and pantry and wonder what to make. Instead, I do all that rummaging on Sunday at some point and then I plan out my menu based on what I see I have (or what I plan to buy).

So, here's the plan:

Sunday night: Black Bean and Tomato Soup, Quick Garlic Bread

Monday night: Shabbat Leftovers

Tuesday night: Split Pea Soup, ???

Wednesday night: Steamed or roasted veggies, Macaroni and Cheese

Thursday night: Scrambled eggs, ???

OH MY. I really haven't figured out my menu very well. I guess it will be ok, there are always going to be days when I don't feel inspired to cook, and I guess this is just one of them. It doesn't help that there are hardly any vegetables in the house, I think! If I pick up some vegetables tomorrow, maybe I'll be more inspired and I'll update this menu. (Watch this space for updates!) 

And now, I'm off to bake some muffins with those bananas I threw into the fridge before Shabbat so they wouldn't get moldy!

Better Butter Prices!

Good news. It seems more competition is bringing lower prices!

Currently, Israeli butter is mostly sold in its price controlled version - 100g for 3.92 NIS.

But there's a new butter on the market for those who are looking for a better butter deal (and maybe even a better butter?)!

Shufersal has started marketing their private label Dutch butter for 6.84 for a 200g package, which works out to 1 shekel less than the price controlled version for 200g, or a savings of 12%. So it may be worthwhile to put butter on your "Buy At Shufersal" List. (Yes, I try to keep track of which stores in my area have the best prices on which products. It really helps!)

I am really looking forward to seeing more private labels come onto the market, more breaking up of the "monopolies" and more prices coming down for the average consumer. All of us here in Israel can really use this sort of help with our budgets! Lower prices will really help us all find that breathing room we need - and I know many people need it. I hear about the need to lower grocery spending from people in all income brackets. It just seems like we ALL feel we spend too much of our incomes on food.

Do you have any thoughts on this trend?

Shabbat Menu Planning

It's Thursday night again! I can't believe how the weeks keep flying by and before you know it you're staring Shabbat in the face - and with Shabbat starting at 4pm-ish, well... even I feel like I need to start getting ready Thursday night! But I was so happy that last week I was able to cook so quickly, so I'm going to try to keep everything super simple again!

Here's the plan

Homemade Challah  (set the dough up already tonight, used Spelt Flour this time - I'm avoiding wheat for the time being...)
Vegetable Soup (or Split Pea Soup, depends on my mood tomorrow)
Spicy Roast Chicken with Rice
Vegetarian Rice and Tofu Shnitzels (shnitzels from the freezer, I made a large batch last time) for the resident vegetarian
Apple Crisp
Butternut Squash (not sure what I'm doing with it yet)
Lettuce Salad with Honey-Cinnamon Oranges
Vegetable Sticks (cucumbers, peppers, carrots, kohlrabi)
Black Bean Cholent for lunch 
Kiwi or other fruit for dessert

How are you handling these early winter Shabbatot?

Another Recall

TUSSO brand has announced a recall of the following products, due to reports of mold:

TUSSO chocolate brownies, made with whole wheat, and no sugar added (production date 04/11/15, expiration date 01/07/16)

TUSSO chocolate brownies, made with whole wheat, with chocolate-orange flavor and no sugar added (production dates 04/11/15 and 05/11/15, expiration dates 01/07/16, and 02/07/16)

TUSSO "muffins" cake, orange flavor, made with whole wheat, and no sugar added (production date 26/10/15, and 17/11/15, expiration dates 22/06/16 and 14/07/16, respectively)

The following products are being recalled as a cautionary measure:

TUSSO cinnamon "muffins" cake, made with whole wheat, and no sugar added (production date 18/11/15, expiration date 15/07/16)

TUSSO marble "muffins" cake, made with whole wheat, and no sugar added (production dates 26/10/15, 26/11/15, expiration dates 22/06/16 and 15/07/16, respectively)

Consumers are asked NOT to eat these products. Please call customer service at 03-902-0333 to arrange a refund/replacement.

Please share this post with your friends and family who may have purchased these products!

Food Recall

S.H. Salatei HaShef (ס.ה סלטי השף) has announced a recall of the following products:

Chumus, 700g, production date 8/12/15, expiration date 28/1/16

Chumus, 3kg, production date 6/12/15, expiration date 28/1/16

Chumus, 3 kg, production date 9/12/15, expiration date 29/1/16

Red Cabbage in Mayonnaise, 200g, production date 10/12/15, expiration date 10/2/16

Turkish Salad, 200g, production date 1/12/15, expiration date 1/3/16

Eggplant in Mayonnaise, 200g, production date 22/11/15, expiration date 21/1/16

Techina, 500g, production date 13/12/15, expiration date 13/2/16

Techina, 200g, production date 22/11/15, expiration date 22/1/16  

Lab tests show that these products may contain Listeria. Consumers are asked NOT to eat these salads. Anyone who has purchased them should call customer service at 054-263-8586 or 04-647-3996 to arrange for a refund or replacement.

Please share this announcement with your friends and family who may have purchased any of these products. No one wants to get sick. Thanks!

Menu for the Week

It's time to plan out my weekly menu, so I took inventory and we're doing really fine with everything except fresh veggies.
So tomorrow I have to buy whatever vegetables I can find inexpensively!

So here's my tentative food plan:

Sunday night (we had): Red and Black Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup, Pita Pizzas, (Vegan Polenta "Pizza" for me)

Monday Night: Shabbat Leftovers

Tuesday Night (break the fast): Split Pea Soup, Baked Ziti, Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (got a whole lot of grapefruits from a neighbor), Salad

Wednesday Night: Scrambled Eggs, Baked Potatoes, Salad

Thursday Night: All the leftovers from the week

Snacks will be popcorn, apples, carrot sticks, roasted chick peas, muffins from the freezer

Lunches will be Soups and Sandwiches

What's on your menu this week?

Huggies Sample Pack

Do you have a little one in diapers?

If you want a FREE sample pack of Huggies, sign up for their Club membership and they'll send you some freebies!




If you sign up, let me know what you get!

(I don't have any kids in diapers, so I'm not signing up for this one)

Free Sample!

Try out the new Wissotsky Kids teas FOR FREE!

Just sign up for your free sample (and choose 3 flavors) and it will come in the mail!

And note - if you were part of that caffeine and kids discussion, it seems Wissotsky may have been listening in... They proudly post a "Caffeine Free" label on these teas!

Enjoy your teas, and don't forget to share this with your friends!

Cetaphil Coupon!

Get a coupon for 30% off your next Cetaphil purchase.

Just go to Cetaphil's coupon sign-up form and enter your name, cellphone #, and email address.









A few seconds later, you'll receive an SMS with a link to your coupon.

I downloaded it to my phone so I can have it ready when I'm at the store.

Enjoy your savings!

My Shabbat-Chanukah menu!

It's still one of the shortest Fridays of the year this week! I'm giving myself a "pass" and buying challah this time, because I know I have way too much to do tomorrow.

This week's menu is going to feature the produce I managed to pick up for 2-3 shekels/kg, plus some of our regular favorites! (Some of the types of produce I got for 2-3 shekels/kg are: onions, potatoes, kishuim, baby beets, kohlrabi, green peppers, and cabbage. I also found sweet potatoes and carrots for 4 shekels/kg)

Here's the plan:

Split Pea Soup (for Friday night)
Oven-fried chicken
(tofu shnitzel for our resident vegetarian)
Roasted Kishuim (light green summer squash)
Roasted Baby Beets
Sweet Potato and Carmelized Onion Kugel
Stir-Fried Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Carrots, and Green Peppers
Apple Crisp
Black Bean Cholent (for lunch)
Make-your-own-salad
Dessert - whatever I manage to pull together!

After Shabbat, I'm planning a latke-fest, if my kids will help with all the prep! I'm sure they will, because they really want latkes! (Have you made latkes? Anyone else out there delay until the seventh night like me?)

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom and a Happy Chanukah and a "Chodesh Tov"!

Poverty = Food Insecurity

The Israeli media reported that there are currently 776,000 children living below the poverty line in Israel.

All too often, that means food insecurity. 776,000 children who may not be getting adequate nutrition, who sometimes have to go to bed hungry, or start their day without breakfast.

I wish I could help every one of those children, but I can't do it alone. Right now, we do whatever we can to help local people in need thru various channels. If you can, find your local food pantry, chesed organization, or Tomchei Shabbat program and start to make regular donations of food or cash. Or seek out a national organization like Leket Israel, and donate or volunteer. Even a small donation will help one more child.

We can make this world a better place, even if it's just a few shekels or a sack of potatoes at a time!

Thinking about costumes!

 *this post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

It's time to shop for costumes!

I know, we just lit the first chanukah candle, and here I am, talking to you about Purim. Sounds crazy?

Bear with me.

You see, if you don't want to have to pay premium local prices for your kids' favorite costumes, it's time to order them RIGHT NOW - unless you were super organized and ordered them right after Halloween.

But I'll assume you're more like me, and you just might not have gotten around to it a month ago...

Well, I'm here to tell you that you STILL have time to order costumes and they'll get here in time for Purim, assuming delivery times are the way they've been from China lately.

And I KNOW that ordering from Aliexpress (carefully checking prices and seller ratings, of course) will end up saving me money if the alternative is buying locally right before Purim. So don't wait! Figure out those costumes today, place your order, and you should be all set!

Shabbat Favorites!

This week, we're having a take-out Shabbat (from the freezer, of course!), so I'm not cooking.

But I thought I would share some of our favorite Shabbat recipes!

Our favorite challah is Whole Wheat and Oat Bran challah (can be made with Whole Spelt, as well)

We always like Split Pea Soup or Vegetable Soup

Favorite Chicken Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken

Favorite Kugels: Potato Kugel and Sweet Potato Kugel

Unfortunately, I can't post "Favorite Salads" because my kids are so picky and really only eat plain cut vegetables.

But most of us really like Vegetarian Liver, served on a bed of lettuce and garnished with tomatoes, pickles and olives (for some).

Most weeks we also have Black Bean Cholent for lunch.

And for dessert, brownies and cinnamon cake are always winners!

What's on your family's favorite list?

EXPANDED Tuna Recall (Israel)

A few weeks ago, I posted here about a tuna recall, that affected a limited number of tuna cans.

Today, that recall was expanded.

In addition to the previously recalled products, the recall now also includes tuna sold with the "Prince" and "Diamond" labels (with a Chatam Sofer hashgacha) in 960g cans  production dates between Aug 18 and October 25 (2015), due to possibly elevated levels of histamine in the product.

Consumption of tuna with elevated histamine can cause symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Consumers who have purchased this product are asked NOT to eat it.

To arrange for a replacement of this product, call customer service at 08-623-2983, Sunday - Thursday, between 8 am and 4 pm.

Please be sure to share this post with your friends and family who may have purchased this product!

iHerb December deals

I've told you all before about iHerb and that I buy certain items from them regularly (click here to see some of the items I buy from iHerb). I try to coincide my order schedules with their sales and free shipping deals, so I'm pleased to let you know that iHerb has this great offer for December:
-Free Airmail shipping for orders over $40 ( ₪ 155 )
-And an additional 10% off the shopping cart total for all orders over $60! ( ₪ 232 ) 

So don't forget to check iHerb's Specials and time your shopping JUST RIGHT so you can maximize your shekels! 

And, as a bonus, if you're new to iHerb, clicking thru any of the links on this page will load a $5 discount into your cart! So you'll get free products. Enjoy!


*this post contains affiliate links, clicking on them helps keep this website up and running. Thank you!

Food Recall! (Israel)

The Ministry of Health and Dafna Spices announced a recall of the following items:

Diced Hot Red Pepper, in 80g and 120g canisters, and in 80g bags, with a sell-by date of 31/12/17.

The affected product may be contaminated with with a toxic fungus.

The products are being removed from store shelves, and customers who have purchased this product are instructed NOT to eat it.

Customers can contact Dafna Spices at 08-943-9190 to request a replacement product.

Please share this post with your friends and family who may have purchased this product!

Weekly Menu Planning

 
Time to plan my weekly supper menu, before we run into some crisis and the kids start bugging me to order pizza on a random night (they try that pretty frequently but I try not to give in...)!

So here's the plan. It might be a little boring, but I'm trying not to shop much this week:





Sunday night: Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, fresh vegetable sticks

Monday night: Shabbat leftovers

Tuesday night: Homemade dinner rolls or bagels (depends how much energy I have), cream cheese, mushroom-barley soup 

Wednesday night: Black bean and tomato soup, baked potatoes, whatever fresh vegetables need to be used up.

Thursday night: Split pea soup, random leftovers from the week

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches or pancakes...

What's your plan for keeping your family fed for the week?

Food Recall (Smoked Salmon)! (Israel)

Shamir Salads and the Ministry of health announced a recall of the following products due to a listeria contamination issue:

Frozen smoked salmon, 100g packages, production date 27.10.15 (use by date thru 27.04.16)

Refrigerated smoked salmon, 100g packages, production date 27.10.15 (use by date thru 26.11.15)

The affected products are being removed from store shelves. Consumers who have purchased these products should return the products to the store where purchased for a refund. If questions arise, customers can call Shamir Salads' Customer Service line at 03- 906-7744.

Please share this post with your friends and family who may have purchased these products!

Thanksgiving-Shabbat Menu

Once again, we'll be commemorating Thanksgiving this year. This is a holiday steeped in family traditions, and part of me wishes we could be with family this year (as always), but our families all just live too far away...

Since we can't be with family, and Thursday is not a vacation day in Israel, we'll celebrate on Shabbat with some friends, and we are looking forward to it!

Here's our work-in-progress Thanksgiving Shabbat menu:

Challah with Oat Bran and Flax Seeds (using Spelt flour instead of Whole Wheat flour)

Pumpkin Soup

Turkey - I'm making some parts and a friend is bringing some parts too

Cornbread Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce (we have 2 cans ofWhole Foods cranberry sauce with NO high fructose corn syrup! YAY!)

Garlic Roast Potatoes

Apple Kugel or Apple Crisp

Random Side dishes being brought by a friend

Salads

Dessert: brownies (wheat-free) and chocolate chip squares

I'm still putting up a Black Bean Cholent for lunch, to eat with the leftovers. We plan to have plenty of leftovers, but I am also making a pan of chicken and rice, because my family doesn't want turkey for both Shabbat meals. 

I guess you could call this a Thanksgiving-Shabbat Fusion sort of thing!

Do you "do" Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about it!

Free Sample! (Israel)

I've got another freebie for you -- this time you can get a free sample of Kotex sanitary pads.

Just go to their website and click on הזמנת ערכת התנסות - it's the link located right in the middle of the page directly below the logo, or scroll down to the bottom of the page.

The form asks you to fill in your name, address, birthday, email address, and cellphone number. You can then choose between two samples - "Kotex Young" or "Kotex Designer".

Please share this freebie with your friends who may enjoy it!

Boil Water Advisory for Nahariya

The Ministry of Health has announced that the municipal water supply in Nahariya is unsafe to drink right now.

Until further notice, all those in Nahariya should boil water before using it for drinking, cooking, food preparation, preparation of medication, and tooth brushing. This advisory includes water from a home filtration system. In other words, all water that originated at the municipal water supply is unsafe at the moment.

Stay healthy!

UPDATE: On Nov. 19th, the Ministry of Health announced that the following neighborhoods can use tap water again:

Kibbutz Galuyot
Nachalat Asher
Kiryat Asor
Yoseftal

There has been no word on the rest of the town as of Nov. 22, 2015. Please check with the Ministry of Health at *5400 for clarification.

 

Food Recalls (Israel)

I have two recalls to tell you about today.

First one:

FiloTuna brand has announced a recall of it's "Prince" brand chunk light tuna in vegetable oil, sold in 960g cans and 158g cans, with production dates between Aug 18 and Aug 28 (2015), with expiration dates between Aug. 18 and Aug. 28, 2019, due to possibly elevated levels of histamine in the product.

Consumption of tuna with elevated histamine can cause symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Consumers who have purchased this product are asked NOT to eat it.

To arrange for a replacement of this product, call customer service at 08-623-2983, Sunday - Thursday, between 8 am and 4 pm.


Second one:

 



MarmoLite brand has announced a recall of sugar-free grape flavored syrup concentrate, 1 Liter bottles, with production code 15-285, and best if used by date of 12-08-2016 on the cover.

The bottles in question may have expanded, and do not taste right. They should not be used.

Please call Dansher's customer service at 03-902-0333 to arrange to return your purchase and receive a replacement.

Free Sample - Neal's Yard

Neal's Yard Remedies is offering a free sample - just sign up on their website and they'll send you a coupon! Just fill out the form on the left side of the page with your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address, and you'll be directed to a page from which you can print your coupon. I'm sure you can unsubscribe from emails and SMS messages afterwards.

They're a natural cosmetics company, but I've never tried them. I hope to soon -  I just got my coupon!

11.11 - 11.12 ShoppingIL Info!

Israelis looking for deals, this post is for you!


We all love shopping from the comfort of our couches, and usually we do so from abroad, and have to deal with the possible import taxes and all sorts of restrictions.

Well - good news, once again there will be a HUGE online shopping promo! Google and Isracard have teamed up to offer major discounts to Israelis who will shop online during November 11 and 12!

For more information, and a list of participating websites, check out the ShoppingIL page!

Tip: Save an extra 30 shekels when you sign up for "MasterPass" - extra protection for your credit card when shopping online.

And if you still feel like shopping from abroad, Aliexpress is also offering a major 11.11 sale!

I hope you find some good deals!
(Let me know what you find - leave a comment below!)

Snap In - Money Saving Tip

note: this post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support

Saving money on groceries is a REALLY popular topic. It seems like some expenses are just too "fixed" to try to reduce (It's really hard to reduce a mortgage payment one month!), but groceries are somewhat flexible for most people. While you can occasionally  find coupons for groceries in Israel (go ahead, click and see if there are any you can use!), I find they are not nearly as common as they were when I lived in America, and they are definitely not as "high value".

In order to stretch my grocery budget a little bit further, I use Snap In in addition to the few coupons I find, the sug bet rack, and searching for discounts and deals (and of course, cooking from scratch!).

As I've explained previously, Snap In is a rebate program. You buy a product, scan your receipt, and Snap In will give you a rebate. (They credit your account and then send you a payment when you accrue 100 shekels in credit.)

So far, I'm happy with Snap In. They pay directly into my bank account, and they're very user friendly. If ever there's a question about a rebate, they are quite responsive.

I find the best way to use their program is to take them up on "Free Offers" (who doesn't like free food?) and also use their rebates to help decide which brand to buy. So, if a particular product will give me a 5 shekel rebate via Snap In, but its competitor is 1 shekel less, I may decide to buy the one that comes out cheaper after rebate. This is only good if you actually can afford to wait for the rebate, obviously. Each person will have to make that decision for him/herself (I know it's not always feasible - I've been there!).

Here's a sample of the current rebate offers you can take advantage of once you join SnapIn:

Tnuva:
Reduced Lactose Milk - 15% rebate
Vanilla flavored milk (single serve) - 40% rebate (one of my kids thinks this is a really awesome treat!)
Goats' Milk - 25% rebate
Yoplait Whipped "Shtuzim" - 2 containers FREE
Karlo pudding - 10% rebate
Chocolate milk - in all sizes - 25% rebate
Yoplait Yogurt - single serve containers - Buy 9, Get the 10th FREE
Spreadable "Bulgarit" Cheese - 50% rebate
"HaShef HaLavan" products - 20% rebate
Yolo - one container FREE

 Nestea:
Carbonated Iced Tea Drinks - 50% rebate

Similac:
Advance Plus Formula - 10% rebate

More rebates are lised on SnapIn's website, and they do change from time to time.
If you haven't tried it out, give it a try! If you've signed up already but haven't yet tried uploading a receipt, go ahead and give it a try! It's really not hard and you may find yourself getting rebates!

Note: upload your receipts as soon as possible, and definitely within the 30 day limit.

Let me know if you use SnapIn, I'd love to hear what you think!

UPDATE: I recently started using Snap.In's mobile app, and it REALLY makes getting rebates as easy as snapping a picture! It takes me almost no time at all, and I've gotten a couple of hundred shekels from them since I joined! What are you waiting for? Join today!

Printable Coupon!

A note about cheese: I buy my cheese at the cheese counter, I find it cheapest that way, and you get the exact quantity you needed.

But if you don't have access to a cheese counter, or need to pick some things up in a hurry, here's a coupon for you for 20% off thinly sliced Noam cheese (200gr package)!

This coupon expires April 30, 2016. It's good at many stores, including Shufersal Deal, Shufersal Sheli, Yesh Chesed and Yesh BaShchuna, Mega, Mega-Bool, Mega Ba'Ir, You, Zol B'Shefa, Tiv Taam, Rami Levy, Yeinot Bitan, Yochnanof, Kimat Chinam, Victory, Machsanei HaShuk, and select other stores. (I did not know that all of those chains still exist. Who's seen a Zol B'Shefa or a Kimat Chinam lately?!)

Anyhow - enjoy your savings! 

Be sure to check the Coupons link to see which other coupons are still valid!

Menu for the Week

I'm trying to get a handle on the week ahead of me - it's going to be a little - no, a lot - busy.  There is so much going on - here's a sampling of it: Our youngest daughter is turning 8, we have multiple playdates arranged besides all of the usual afternoon activities, and my son's programming chugim (which he runs out of our home for local children) are beginning. Oh and we're making a kiddush this coming Shabbat to celebrate our daughter's completion of Mishnayot Seder Nashim, and a few more things!

So I'm a little overwhelmed and even feeling anxious about the week ahead, and the best way to conquer that feeling is to Make A Plan.

So here's the plan:

Food will be very simple food during the week - lunches will be sandwiches and vegetables or leftovers.

Suppers:
Sunday: Rice, lentil patties, fresh vegetables
Monday: Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Soup
Tuesday: Baked Ziti and lettuce salad
Wednesday: Oven fries, Black bean burgers on fresh rolls
Thursday: Birthday meal - not sure yet what

For the kiddush, I want to bake things earlier in the week.
Sunday - Bake 2 types of cakes
Monday - Bake brownies and cookies
Tuesday - Bake 2 types of cakes
Wednesday - Bake crackers and make chocolate-peanut butter crispy rice cereal squares
Thursday - Bake challah and cook (simply) for Shabbat
Friday - make chumus, egg salad, eggplant salad, etc for kiddush, prep veggies and fruits for veg. and fruit platters... and whatever else needs to be done for the kiddush and Shabbat!

What's going on in your house this week?

New Bus Fare Discounts Coming

Beginning December 1, 2015,  more people will be eligible for bus fare discounts.

The new discounts are (in addition to those previously in place):

FREE transportation for the following groups (with the exception of lines to Eilat):

Soldiers in "Shalat"
Participants in Pre-Army Preparation Programs ("Mechinot")
Volunteers in One-Year Service programs ("Shnat Sherut")
Blind People
Baby Strollers (even when open, at all times of the day)

50% Discount for:

Assistant to a Disabled Person
Teens 18 and under on ALL bus lines

33% Discount on ALL bus and train lines for:

People who carry a Disability Card
People who receive Income Support and other Support from National Insurance 

In addition, public transportation costs in general are coming down!

Combined bus-rail Monthly Passes will cost at least 28% (and up to 42%) less than they do currently
Commuter lines from Tel Aviv to Netanya, Rechovot, and Rishon L'Tzion will all see drastic discounts in the price of monthly passes

Other discounts are expected to phased in over time. 

Many people will save a whole lot of money!
What will YOU do with your savings (if any of these discounts apply to you)?

Recall - Coca-Cola (Israel)

Coca-Cola (Israel) announced a recall of the following items, due to an undesirable flavor in the product:



1.5 L bottle of Coca Cola with a Best if Used By date of 25.02.16

The company reports that there is no health risk associated with drinking the product, but the flavor is off. Unsold bottles are being removed from store shelves.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product are asked to call Customer Service at 1-800-587-587 to arrange to return your purchase and receive a replacement.
The hotline will be staffed Sun-Thurs from 8am - 8pm and Fri from 8am - 1pm

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Frugal Snack: Roasted Chick Peas

Spicy Roast Chick Peas.
Crunchy. Savory. So Satisfying.





 


And easy. And so frugal, too.
A real crowd-pleaser.
 
They go SO fast every time I make them!

You'll need:
Chick Peas (already cooked and drained)
olive oil
Spices
Salt

Preheat Oven to 200 C

Pour cooked chick peas into a large baking pan (I usually make at least 2 cups of chick peas. Add spices to taste - for 2 cups chick peas I use about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1-2 tsp granulated garlic, and 1/8 tsp ground turmeric. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Gently mix the whole thing together till well mixed. Adjust the spices to your liking, use whatever combination of spices you like best. My kids like it this way, so that's what I do.

Place pan in oven and roast till everybody is demanding to know what you're making (check on them every so often, I think mine were in the oven about an hour but I'm drawing a blank on the times now! And my oven is cooking slowly right now. I should get that thermostat checked).

Serve when cool enough to eat. Even my pickiest eater literally gobbles them up!

("This is the only way I'll eat chick peas, and if you make them every day I will eat them every day." - picky eater quote.)