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Healthy Shabbat Meals – (Win a Copy of Food for the Soul)

by · May 19th, 2008
Cookbooks, Cooking, Family & Kids, Fresh Frum the Kitchen, Health, Jewish Culture, Kosher, Shabbat Meals, Women

Thanks to our guest poster, Chana Rubin, RD for this article on planning and serving healthy Shabbat meals. Chana is a registered dietitian who lives in Israel with her family. She’s the author of the new book Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating (Gefen Publishing House Ltd, Jerusalem, 2007). Check out Chana’s first and second posts. And find out how to win a copy of Chana’s book below.

Three Tips for Healthier Shabbat Meals

1. Lighten up You can plan a delicious Shabbat meal around traditional foods that have been adapted to reduce fat and sugar. For example, if your family traditionally enjoys eating chicken on Shabbat, try removing the skin before cooking. (Your butcher may be willing to do this for you.) You can retain some of its moisture by cooking it in a tasty sauce or rolling it first in beaten egg and then in seasoned crumbs before baking. Chicken or meat soups may be prepared in advance and refrigerated so that the hardened fat can be easily removed. Better yet, choose a soup based on vegetables or legumes.


Consider healthier alternatives to problematic favorites such as chopped liver and kishkeh. Many tasty options using vegetables, beans, grains and nuts can be found in kosher and vegetarian cookbooks. Try roasting white or sweet potatoes in olive oil – delicious and much easier, quicker and healthier than sweet kugel. Even cholent or hamin (as it is called by Jews of Sephardic descent) can be prepared with lean meat that has been trimmed of excess fat or skinless chicken. Vegetarian versions based on beans and grains are a delicious and healthy alternative as well.

Plan ahead - “Six days shall you work and on the seventh day you shall desist; you shall desist from plowing and harvesting.” (Shemot 34:21) The Hebrew word for plowing is charish. According to the Koznitzer, the first letter of charish – chet – stands for chamishi – Yom Chamishi, “Thursday.” The second letter – resh – stands for Yom Revi’i, “Wednesday,” and the shin for Yom Shishi, “Friday.” He explains that this tells us that Wednesday, Thursday and Friday should be used as days to prepare for Shabbat.

Planning ahead for Shabbat meals can reduce or eliminate the rushing and stress that many of us feel as candle lighting approaches. During the short days of winter this can be especially challenging, but a little organization and simplification can go a long way in assuring a calm and restful Shabbat.

Start by writing a menu for Shabbat meals, and then make a shopping list. Think of anything that can be done ahead of time – even measuring the dry ingredients for a cake or doing laundry on Thursday rather than Friday can make a big difference. If you bake your own challah, prepare the dough on Thursday evening, place it in an oiled plastic bag and refrigerate it for a slow overnight rise, to be shaped and baked on Friday.

Win a copy of Food for the Soul! Tell us your favorite healthy Shabbat dish or summer-time food, and be entered in the raffle to win Chana’s book.

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23 Responses to “Healthy Shabbat Meals – (Win a Copy of Food for the Soul)”

  1. Karen Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 11:49 am

    One day my kids might actually eat the brown rice pilaf I make some Friday nights (loosely based on a Moosewood recipe for a Greek stuffed pepper). It has veggies and sunflower seeds and steamed rice, and is quite yummy for those of us over the age of 8.

  2. Sheri Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 1:08 pm

    Chopped eggplant is my favorite healthy Shabbos treat!

  3. Larry Lennhoff Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    Gazpacho is my favorite – a cold spicy soup. No need to keep an oven or blech running in the summer.

  4. Regina Ostrovski Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

    A fresh green salad with assorted fruit, minced garlic, white wine vinegar and vegetable oil- wonderful the first night and even better within a day when all the flavors have combined. Very good for all Shabbat meals.

  5. Marilyn J Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Chicken in Foil
    Our traditional heritage gets us to eat some form of Chicken every Shabbat. This is an easy, light dish. In foil, take chicken breasts, chunky salsa, kidney (or your bean of preference) beans, and canned corn. Seal it up and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.
    We try to omit the chicken soup during the summer. We still make a nice kiddish with wine and homemade challah (this is easy and light too, the bread machine helps).

  6. phyllis Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 10:14 pm

    we like a salad nicoise for a nice light shabbat (and other time) meal….mmm….

  7. Evan Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    My favorite healthy Shabbat dish is cumin-spiced quinoa with chick peas, asparagus, and broccoli. Quick, easy, and perfect for spring since it’s asparagus season!

  8. Yael Says:
    May 19th, 2008 at 11:49 pm

    My favorite is fruit soup. Boil summer fruits: peaches, plums, apricots, cherries a bit of red wine, sugar and water and puree. Served cold great for Friday night, better for shabbat lunch.

  9. Andrea Says:
    May 20th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    I’m always a fan of salads. I also like grilled or roasted vegetables, which are good served room temperature or cold, quinoa dishes, couscous and Israeli couscous salads, kugel and vegetarian cholent.

  10. Leah Koenig Says:
    May 20th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    Thanks for all the great comments! Luckily, we’re entering the summer months when light, refreshing Shabbat food is a delicious no-brainer.

    Keep your responses coming – we’ll announce a winner of Chana’s book on Friday.

  11. shayna Says:
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    My favorite summer food is amazing fresh fruit. Over the summer, many a shabbat meal is ended with gorgeous berries, mangoes, and strawberries. They don’t need anything extra but if I am feeling fancy I will make fruit salad and pour a bit of white rum or vodka over the salad, for an adult kick. =)

  12. Rivster Says:
    May 20th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

    My kids devour my Watermelon Slaw that is just perfect for an al fresco Shabbos meal :)

    And let me tell you…I am the original Reluctant Balebusta so this is one easy recipe and is a winner with my picky eaters!!!

  13. Hannah Lee Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 4:49 am

    One of our favorites is a simple tofu dish in which I slice a box of silken tofu, slide onto a plate, sprinkle with chopped scallions, and drizzle with sea salt and soy sauce. The leftovers are good on salad greens too.

  14. Hannah Lee Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 6:14 am

    Oops, I meant “drizzle with sea salt and toasted sesame oil.” It needs the oil.

  15. Ketzirah Carly Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Favorite summer time food? Home made herbal ice cream — without a doubt. Right now I’ve already made mint chocolate chip, rose petal, lavender-lemon balm and locust blossom. All the herbs come from my own garden. Well, my husband’s garden, but still.

    Second favorite — nice fresh watermelon. It’s the perfect desert, next to ice cream.

  16. Renee Levine-Blonder Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    I have many summer-time Shabbat favorites that are easily prepared the night before or Friday morning and served right from the fridge. They are all centered around legumes and whole grains with the addition of seasonal vegetables and either nuts or seeds. I would have to say that the one that tops the list for my kids is gazpacho made from fresh tomatoes with black beans and fresh corn cut from the cob. When they ask for more I can’t help but feel good that they are eating something that not only tastes delicious but also has protein and fiber.

  17. Mama Beckala Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    I use whole wheat flour for my challah bread – it tastes great and I don’t feel guilty serving such a sweet bread since there is some nutritional redemption!

  18. Debs Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Ack! Wait! Liver is not bad for you, it contains good fats not to mention vast amounts of vitamins.
    Here’s some good reading on this topic.

    Fat and skin from grass-fed, organically raised animals are not bad for you. When Bubbe used schmaltz and chopped liver, she knew what she was doing.

    My favorite Shabbat or summertime foods are made of anything fresh, local and delicious.

    Food Is Love

  19. Tovah Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    My healthy-Shabbos-in-a-rush meal is as follows: I like to take a big piece of parchment paper and place on it a heap of julienned carrots, parsnips and leeks (and thinly chopped green beans when we have them). I put a slab of salmon over the veggies and then whip some fresh herbs up with a small amount of butter and place the herb-butter mixture on top with a little white wine. I wrap it all up like a package and bake it for 15 minutes and voila – the most delicious, tender, herbaceous salmon and veggies – an entire filling meal in a paper packet. Yum.

  20. Magpie Ima Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    My kids’ favorite veggie side dish, hands down: roasted cauliflower. We have this every shabbat, fall through spring. It couldn’t be easier–break the cauliflower into florets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake along with whatever you’ve got in the oven (from 350-425 degrees) until browned in spots, turning once or twice. If desired, you can sprinkle with grated cheese before serving. So tasty!

  21. Andrea Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am

    I just had a memory of eating watermelon by my grandparents’ pool in the summer and can’t remember if we did this on shabbat or not. I didn’t mention challah earlier because it was too obvious to mention.

  22. Leah Koenig Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    Congratulations Marilyn J! You were randomly selected as the winner of Chana Rubin’s Food for The Soul.

    Thanks again to everyone for these inspiring healthy, summertime and Shabbat meal ideas. Keep on the lookout for more chances to win great cookbooks and other prizes!

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