Tag: weekly-meal-plan

• Green

  

  Last week we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. The girls set up Leprechaun traps all over the house with sticky tape, shiny gems, and pools of water. We did not catch a leprechaun, alas, but we did find smatterings of shamrocks throughout the house and green milk. Better luck next year!

  Sunday, March 16, 2025

  

  Kristin Cavallari’s Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Meat (Business Insider)

  I found this recipe in Kristin Cavallari’s True Comfort cookbook years ago and have made it many times since. The end result is a chili-lime shredded chicken that is absolutely perfect for tacos or rice bowls. While I haven’t made this is a slow cooker, I can confirm it cooks beautifully in a Dutch oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours.

  Monday, March 17, 2025

  

  Melissa Kinific’s Vegetable Beef Soup (New York Times Cooking)

  A fine, ordinary, beef soup that cooked all afternoon and got us to swim lessons on time.

  The real star of dinner was this Irish Soda Bread with salted butter. Thanks to my mom for sharing this recipe, I make it every year.

  

  Another tradition at our house on St. Patrick’s Day is to make an Oreo cookie crust ice cream pie with mint-chip ice cream. It’s a basic formula using this recipe as a guide. I also like to melt down chocolate chips with a splash of cream to make a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top before freezing.

  Tuesday, March 18, 2025

  

  Sue Li’s Chicken and Rice with Scallion- Ginger Sauce (New York Times Cooking)

  Although this recipe is not visually appealing, it was very good. I subbed bone-in chicken legs for boneless chicken breasts and it did not affect the cooking time. The rice and chicken cooked together in a covered pan with a grating of ginger and chicken broth. A scallion-sesame sauce topped each plate and provided a fresh contrast to the homely dish.

  What I think really made this recipe shine, however, is this super simple recipe for stir – fried cabbage. It was the perfect accompaniment and a side dish I plan to keep in rotation. I did not have Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) on hand but found that rice wine vinegar was a perfect substitute.

  Wednesday, March 19, 2025

  

  Pasta with Sausage, Brown Butter, and Broccoli Rabe (Alison Roman)

  Delicious! I couldn’t stop eating this and may have had four helpings. Roasted sweet potatoes on the side.

  Lunch of the Week

  

  Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad (The Kitchn)

  A make-ahead weekday lunch topped with fresh cilantro, steamed kale, and crushed tortilla chips.

  Breakfast of the Week

  

  Feel Good Zucchini Muffins (Pinch of Yum)

  A blender muffin recipe that never gets old.

  March 28, 2025

  beef, Chicken, cooking, Dinner, food, marcg-2025, Muffins, pasta, quinoa, recipe, recipes, sausage, Soup, weekly-meal-plan

  ---

• Changing of the Guard

  

  Daylight Savings ushered in a Changing of the Guard this week. A renewed sense of order and light. The weather was beautiful (no heavy winter coats!) and the extra sunlight at the dinner table made everything taste just a little bit better. Along with the time change, we said goodbye to basketball and hello to swim lessons. Of course, I would be remiss not to point out that this is Minnesota, after all, and we did experience a freak snowstorm on Wednesday that canceled school; but, honestly, those first two days were magical!

  Sunday, March 9, 2025

  

  Sam Sifton’s Miso Chicken (New York Times Cooking)

  So easy! So crispy! So delicious! I know not everyone has a subscription to the New York Times Cooking, so I’ve posted the recipe below.

  Ingredients

  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup white miso
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1tablespoon rice vinegar (do not use seasoned rice vinegar)
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 8skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, approximately 2½ to 3 pounds

  Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Mix the first five ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Add the chicken thighs and mix until they are equally covered with miso butter.
  3. Spread the chicken out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

  Note: Sam tells you to turn the pieces over once or twice so they brown evenly. Ha! I missed that directive and did not turn my chicken thighs over once. We still thought this recipe was perfect.

  Served with:

  Gaby Dalkin’s Sweet potato, corn and feta, salad

  Ina Garten’s Slaw

  Love & Lemons Miso Soup (made by Nola)

  Monday, March 10, 2025

  

  Creamy Broccoli Mac and Cheese (Damn Delicious)

  Served with a green salad with vinaigrette and cubes of onion-rye bread sautéed in a hot skillet with olive oil and seasoning.

  Also on the side, leftover roasted chickpeas with an obscene amount of tajin. The girls devoured these and hardly touched the pasta. I don’t get it -?

  Tuesday, March 11, 2025

  

  Pork Tenderloin Smothered in Onion Mustard Sauce (Food & Wine)

  This recipe was my personal favorite this week and a cinch to make. It has 1,668 reviews and gets 5 stars. Serving it over this creamy polenta really took it to the next level. Plain pasta for the kids, of course.

  Also on the side, Garlicky Sauteed Swiss Chard. Honestly, I’ve never followed this recipe, but this is mostly how I like to cook swiss chard. I usually add the garlic to the pan, swirl it around for a minute and then add the chard on top. I also cover the pan for a few minutes to help steam the greens. I remove the smashed garlic right before serving. Taste as you go and add extra vinegar as needed.

  Wednesday, March 12, 2025

  

  Dinner at Noodles & Company. A reminder (especially for me) that it’s okay to pick up dinner if you have exactly 40 minutes between after-school activities.

  Thursday, March 13, 2025

  

  Rosemary and Lemon [Turkey] Minestrone (The Kitchn)

  Pasta again [insert eye swirling emoji]. But! This is a very good soup and I can always count on the entire family to enthusiastically lick their bowls. While the recipe calls for 1/2 lb. ground chicken, I prefer to sub in 1 lb. ground turkey (dark meat). I also like to add extra celery and two extra cups of broth/water. Top with extra parmesan cheese.

  One the side: Simply steamed green beans and sourdough bread with salted butter.

  Lunch of the Week

  

  Lentil Salad topped with crushed sourdough crackers and salted cashews.

  

  Blender Oatmeal Pancakes (Cookie and Kate)

  I make these at least once a week.

  March 21, 2025

  Breakfast, Chicken, Dinner, food, lunch, march-2025, pasta, Pork, recipe, recipes, Soup, weekly-meal-plan

  ---