Rainy Day, Full Fridge: My Long Weekend Meal Prep
- Savitha Enner
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
It was a rainy day before a long weekend, and somehow that combination turned into one of my most productive cooking afternoons in a while. Let me be clear — I am not a meal prepper. I cook what I feel like cooking, on the day, in the mood. But with the boys home and hungry (and fully capable of surviving on junk food if left to their own devices), I like to have a few solid, healthy options ready to reach for. So here's what went down in the kitchen today.
🍞 The Sourdough Journey Continues
This is my second week of sourdough baking and I am completely hooked. There is something deeply satisfying about working with just water, flour, a sourdough starter, and a little bit of salt — and ending up with a beautiful loaf that makes the whole house smell incredible. Today I fed my starter and I'm planning to use it over the weekend to make either ciabatta, a classic sourdough loaf, or maybe something new I've been saving from YouTube. I've been deep in research mode all week — watching videos, bookmarking recipes, and dreaming about dough.
This is not a sourdough recipe but I have made many times and successful.
There are so many video tutorials that it can be dizzying. This channel had the vibe and clarity I was looking for. I tried a few her recipes and liked them. I will share my recipe once I feel confident that it actually works consistently.
🫓 Ragi Roti (12 stacked in the fridge)
Made a big batch of ragi roti — twelve of them — sitting stacked in the fridge ready to go. These are my personal healthy staple. They reheat beautifully and pair well with just about anything I'm making this weekend. The recipe below is great for tacos that I use all the time.
The Four Dishes I Made Today
Here's a rundown of everything that went into the fridge today, plus how we plan to use each one.
1. Pizza & Pasta Sauce
This is a simple, versatile sauce that the whole family loves — for pasta, as a pizza base, or just for dunking bread. The star ingredient is a can of San Marzano tomatoes, which I blend smooth. Then I sauté some chopped garlic in olive oil, add the blended tomatoes, and throw in a generous handful of fresh herbs straight from the garden: parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil. I don't even chop them — I toss them in whole. The boys can fish them out if they want, but the flavour is all there.
A touch of salt and a pinch of sugar are optional — San Marzanos are naturally sweet and the canned kind already has a little salt. Taste as you go. That's it.
Uses:
• Pasta (kids can make their own)
• Pizza base
• Bread dipping sauce
2. Mexican-Style Black Beans
This is our house staple for quick Mexican-style meals. I start with a little olive oil in a large pan, add a bag of Trader Joe's frozen roasted bell peppers and onions (a pantry hero, honestly), plus extra garlic. Then in goes half a packet of Trader Joe's taco seasoning and two to three cans of rinsed black beans. Everything gets cooked together for about five to six minutes. I finish it with paprika and fresh cilantro.
The boys use it for tacos, quesadillas, and wraps. For me, I'll scoop some into a bowl with chopped cucumber and fresh tomatoes for a quick, filling salad. Zero fuss, loads of flavour.
Uses:
• Tacos and quesadillas
• Wraps
• Bean salad with cucumber and tomatoes
3. Rajma/ curried Kidney beans (My Version)
I'll be upfront — this is not an authentic rajma recipe. It's mine, and I love it. I had soaked dark kidney beans overnight, so I pressure-cooked them and built the curry from there.
The base is a blend of green onions (I had a ton of bunching onions from the garden), ginger garlic paste, and four fresh tomatoes — all hand-blended and cooked down in a pot. I use fresh tomatoes in rajma (I prefer canned for chole, don't ask me why, it just tastes better to me). The spice mix is fairly classic: coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, chili powder, and turmeric.
4. Masala Puri Soup (Bangalore-Style)
This one is a longtime favourite, and I've posted variations of it before. Today's version is more of a soup — I used split lentils or split peas instead of whole dry peas, which means no soaking required and a much faster cook time. Same great flavour, less prep.
The flavour base is what makes this dish: fennel seeds, cumin seeds, loads of fresh mint and cilantro, onion, garlic, and ginger — all blended together and cooked into the lentils. We top it simply with sev, fresh diced onions, and tomatoes, and eat it as a hearty soup rather than the traditional masala puri chaat.
And a Few More Things...
While I was at it, I also got tatte idli batter going, made a big batch of yogurt and soft-boiled a dozen eggs to last the whole weekend.
So the fridge has: rajma, masala puri soup, black beans, pizza-pasta sauce, ragi roti, idli batter, eggs and yogurt. Rice and pasta are easy enough to cook on the day. Bread is happening this weekend. A salad might happen if the mood strikes. I think we're covered.
Final Thoughts
This was about 3–4 hours of cooking and cleaning, but it was a genuinely enjoyable afternoon. The kind where you're in and out of the kitchen, things are simmering, the kitchen smells incredible, and you're not stressed because there's no deadline. Rainy days are made for this.
Happy cooking and enjoy your long weekend!
Namaste
Savitha
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