Are you a podcast person? I can’t say that I listen to them obsessively, but I do have a handful of favorites. When it comes to food stuff—and in particular, feeding a family—“Didn’t I Just Feed You” stands out. Stacie and Meghan, the hosts, are both moms, obvs. Stacie’s a cookbook author (I featured her Vegetarian Fajitas back in Week 3), and Meghan is an editor at TheKitchn (where she also writes a meal-planning column and admins their huge Meal Planning Club on Facebook). Each week they talk about the challenges and hilarities of getting dinner on the table every. freaking. night. I was a guest in their early days, talking about the joys (ahem) of feeding the pickiest eater on the planet. If you’re shopping for a podcast that’ll give you great ideas about feeding the family while also making you laugh, give it a listen.
And now, let’s talk about next week. Need a refresher? You’ll find the menu and shopping list on the website.
Sunday
Roasted Vegetables and Slow-Cooked Chicken
A small investment of effort today will pay off in four different meals during the week.
Cook and shred the chicken and when it’s done, refrigerate it in 2-cup portions.
To roast the vegetables, follow the instructions in step 3 of Thursday’s pizza recipe. Use all the mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, and red onions and spread on two baking sheets—you’re prepping enough for the pizza as well as Tuesday’s frittata. Divide into two separate containers and refrigerate.
Monday
Pulled Chicken (or Vegan “Pork”) Sandwiches with slaw and chips
First things first, make the slaw. It only needs 5 minutes, but it gets tastier the longer it sits.
Vegetarians: Your dinner takes a little more time than the carnivores’, because you’ve got to cook up some lentils first. Cook all 3 cups that you bought with 6 cups of water as directed in step 1 of the Pulled “Pork” recipe. Once they’re tender, transfer 2/3 of the lentils to a container and refrigerate for Wednesday, then proceed with tonight’s plan.
Meat-eaters: Combine 1 cup of the barbecue sauce and one of those 2-cup containers of shredded chicken in a medium pan. (Set aside some plain chicken if you’ve got a picky eater.) Warm it over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes.
Everyone: Split and toast the buns, then pile the pulled chicken/”pork” on top and serve with slaw and potato chips.
Tuesday
Roasted Vegetable Frittata with salad and bread
The frittata instructions are super-straightforward, so I’ll leave that to you. (For my picky eater, I usually add an extra egg and another splash of milk to the egg mixture, then transfer a bit to a greased ramekin and bake it while the frittata is on the stovetop.) The frittata comes together quickly, so you’ll probably want to make the salad first: Slice half the cherry tomatoes, the cucumber, and a scallion and toss with the salad greens and olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Don’t forget to serve the bread! If you have any left, it’ll go nicely with tomorrow’s soup.
Wednesday
Mexican Chicken Lentil (or Just Lentil) Soup with all the toppings
Everyone’s making the same basic recipe, but the instructions will depend on if you’re using chicken or not:
With chicken: You can use the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop instructions, but don’t add the chicken until the very end, and just heat it through.
With just lentils: You’ve got pre-cooked lentils, so this’ll cook quickly—use the stovetop instructions and sauté a chopped carrot or two along with the onion and garlic in step 2. Add the cooked lentils, 6 cups of vegetable broth, salsa verde, corn, green chiles, cumin, salt, and pepper, along with the can of roasted tomatoes. Bring it all to a simmer for 5-10 minutes and you’re ready.
Serve with all those tasty toppings and any bread left from yesterday.
Thursday
Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza
Skip Step 2 since you’ve already roasted all those vegs. Other than that, follow the recipe as written. No pizza stone? Heat a cookie sheet in the oven for 5-10 minutes, drizzle with a little olive oil, and bake the ‘za on that. Picky eater? Leave a portion of the pizza vegetable-free.
Friday
Loaded Sweet Potato Nacho Fries
This is one of those free-for-all feeling meals. Add the rest of the shredded chicken if you roll that way, or use a full can of beans if you’re vegetarian. Got kids who’ll balk at seeing everything all mixed together like that? Serve the tomatoes, scallions, avocado, sour cream sauce, and cilantro salad-bar style and let everyone top their own.
See you on Thursday,
Debbie
Wow! I just made the vegan pulled pork sandwich and wow it is delicious. I could just eat it with a spoon from the pot just like I'd do if it was meat. Impressive. I did take the extra step of putting a cup or so through the food processor since I already had it out to shred the carrots. I think it makes a difference in the texture. We're going to top with melted cheese rather than slaw (yes, destroying the vegan-ness but oh well) and eat on ciabatta rolls. I think my kids are going to love it. It has just the right amount of sweet and depth of flavor. Thanks for highlighting a gem of a recipe.
Hi there - I am trying to make sure I'm following along correctly. If we are separating the chicken into 2-cup portions, I got four sets of 2-cup portions from (5 1/2 lbs, admittedly, not 4) of shredded thighs. Or are we just halving it (into two 2-cup portions)? Also: feedback on our end on the 5-minute slaw. Is it just me, or is it quite salty?