Meal Plan: January 24-January 30

Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit or vegetables), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners each for the two of us. Lunches are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. We make the lunches and do other prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We live in Cincinnati, OH.

Adulting like a boss

January 24-January 30

I’ve come to realize that when it’s cold outside (and inside my poorly insulated kitchen), I’m often drawn to the same meals, week after week. My brain is numb and can only handle so many new ideas. I know that when things start to warm up, so will my creativity, along with my desire for things that are light and bright. Until then, we cozy up with hearty meals and hibernate a bit.

This week’s plan includes 6 dinners instead of the usual 5, because yesterday afternoon Josh requested bolognese, and I just couldn’t say no. In hindsight, I’m so glad I made some, since it helped soothe the sting of the Patriot’s loss.

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs and avocado with hot sauce
• Indian spiced steel cut oats with coconut milk

Lunch

• Massaged kale with curried chickpeas, radishes (I’ve been cooking large batches of dried chickpeas in my pressure cooker. So fast and delicious) 

Snack

• Bananas

Dinner

• Pasta con ceci-double
• Bolognese 
• Cured egg yolks with Modified loco moco rice
• Black bean avocado enchiladas –top with sour cream
• Navy bean soup with sausage and spinach
• Red curry w/ chicken

Meal Plan: January 17-January 23

Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit or vegetables), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners each for the two of us. Lunches are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. We make the lunches and do other prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We live in Cincinnati, OH.

Hiyashi Somen

January 17-January 23

Last week we made our first recipe from Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes, and we loved it so much we made it again later in the week. With that success in mind, I decided that we should try several more recipes from the book this week. Still leaning heavily towards buying this sucker after I have to return it to the library. Such a great cookbook.

Two of the recipes I actually planned together. I knew I wanted to try the rotisserie chicken ramen, which calls for a chicken carcass, but didn’t want to buy a rotisserie chicken just for that purpose. Instead, Josh tried one of the roast chicken recipes from the book last night for our dinner, cut up the leftover chicken to go on our salads for the week, and now I have a lovely chicken carcass in the fridge, just waiting to be made into soup. This is one of the best ways we can justify spending more money on higher quality meats. One chicken can go soooo far if you plan well.

Breakfast

• Steel cut oats with cinnamon apples (cut the sugar back a good bit)
• Avocado toast

Lunch

• Salad with leftover lacquered roast chicken, apples, edamame, cucumber, and carrot ginger dressing p. 248

Snack

• Chineasy cucumber salad p. 34

Dinner

• Red lentil curry with spinach
• Okonomyaki p. 80
• Rotisserie chicken ramen p. 98
• Economy noodles p. 122
• Lacquered roast chicken p. 183 with steamed bok choy

Meal Plan: January 10-January 16

Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit or vegetables), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners each for the two of us. Lunches are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. We make the lunches and do other prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We live in Cincinnati, OH.

Someone refuses to do downward dog during 30 Days of Yoga

January 10-January 16

Winter has come, and the coziness of our dinner choices are evidence of that fact. Saturday night we were out late with friends, and I was fine in a  light leather jacket. Woke up 8 hours later to a snowy, winter wonderland. Very pretty, SO COLD.

I went to the library and checked out a copy of Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes, and I want to cook all of the things. Expect to see quite a few meals from this book over the coming weeks, and probably in the future too, because I’m absolutely going to buy this book.

Breakfast

• Avocado toast 
• Scrambled eggs with leftover roasted sausages and tomatoes with balsamic- recipe to come

Lunch

• Massaged kale with curried chickpeas and sliced radishes

Snack

• Valencia oranges

Dinner

• Roasted sausages and tomatoes with balsamic (recipe to come) and focaccia 
• Pasta with capers, lemon, cilantro, and canned fish from our trip last summer to Portugal
• Oyakodon
• Hiyashi Somen- p 132 of Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes
• Red beans and rice

Meal Plan: January 3-January 9

Every week we make a meal plan for the week ahead. The plan accounts for 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches (plus fruit or vegetables), 4 snacks, and 5 dinners each for the two of us. Lunches are typically a double batch of whatever the recipe calls for. We make the lunches and do other prep work on Sunday. Nearly all items are purchased from either our local farmers market or Whole Foods. We live in Cincinnati, OH.

New favorite show!

January 3-January 9

Happy New Year! We spent most of the weekend hanging out with friends, and I made the rather sad discovery that any more than two beers in one night means that I will feel ROUGH the next day. This isn’t an issue with any other booze, but a sad discovery never the less in such a beer centric city. I’ll be the one beer girl. Please send me all the bourbon, vodka, and gin.

Breakfast

• Steel cut oatmeal with spiced pear compote– no cornstarch 
• Avocado toast

Lunch

• Greek salad with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes– minus broccoli, because Whole Foods was out

Snack

• Satsumas

Dinner

• Poached eggs over greens & toasted couscous–double. Use homemade chicken broth
• Carrot coconut soup
• Curry w/ chicken
• Dragon noodles– with snow peas
• Crab and avocado rolls