The first short Friday always seems to arrive before you’ve adjusted to it. There’s still chicken to put in the oven, you’d like to get a kugel in too, and suddenly the afternoon you were counting on is nearly over.
So how do women get it all done? Some start baking at the beginning of the week. Others do almost everything on Thursday night, and some keep Friday as their cooking day with a menu that fits. Here’s how their weeks look.
“I bake challah, deli roll and borekas on Sunday and freeze enough for a few weeks. We rotate what we use. Wednesday is my last laundry day, and Thursday is shopping and cleaning. On Friday I put up soup and cholent, then make chicken and roasted vegetables. I keep the menu simple because I know how much time I have.”
“I keep soup and challah in the freezer, and when I’m running low, I make another batch. I shop on Tuesday, cook on Wednesday and get the house done on Thursday. Friday I make a fresh kugel and put up the cholent. By the time candle lighting comes, I’ve usually had time to sit with a book.”
“Sunday is laundry, Tuesday I order groceries, and Wednesday is the weekly cleaning. On Thursday I make soup and kugel and prep the chicken, fish and salads. Friday I cook what I’ve prepared, set the table and do baths. The challah and dessert are bought. That’s what fits into my week.”
“The chicken is seasoned and in the fridge, the soup vegetables and potatoes are peeled, the kugel is made and the eggs are boiled. I get the cholent ready too. On Friday morning I can put the soup and cholent up and get the fish and chicken into the oven. All the little jobs that take time are already done.”
“I shop on Sunday, bake cakes on Monday and make challah on Wednesday. Thursday is fish and salads. Friday I finish seasoning the salads, cook the fish and put up the chamin. I like knowing what I’m doing each day. It keeps everything from piling up toward the end of the week.”
If Sunday is a full workday for you here in Israel, shift the shopping to an evening that works. The useful part of this routine is having a place for each job in your week.
“Thursday is my cooking day. My husband shops before work, and he picks up some prepared things, like matzah balls and noodles. The cleaning lady helps me with prep. I’ve learned to be fine with buying some of the food. It makes the whole day easier at home.”
“That’s the thing that changed Friday for me. Even when there’s still cooking to do, the table is set and the house already feels ready for Shabbos. Having that done on Thursday night makes Friday feel much calmer.”
“I work full time, so I shop on Thursday after work and cook on Friday morning. I make soup, chicken and a side. Keeping the menu small is how I manage it. That’s a Shabbos menu I can get done in the time I have.”
.svg){kind=icon}