Meal Plan: Two Types of Tacos, Orecchiette with Crunchy Chickpeas, and Easy Unstuffed Pepper Bowls

The Family Plan #16

Are you obsessing about the coronavirus? With never-ending coverage on every news channel and website, it’s hard not to. But I think I can help. In addition to writing about food, I also do a lot of health writing. I just compiled a ton of research on coronavirus to write this nifty Dos and Don’ts piece for WebMD. I’d never flat-out tell you to calm down, but if you’re sweating over your children’s health, so far it really does seem like you can chill about that—there are relatively few cases of little ones getting it at all. Honestly, I’m way more worried about my mom in a nursing home than my son at middle school.

Here’s how the experts at the CDC and the World Health Organization say to protect ourselves: Wash your hands, for about as long as it takes to sing the ABC song. Do it before you touch food, after you blow your nose, when you get home. Use hand sanitizer if you can’t get to a sink. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth (and try to keep your kids from doing it, too—I know, 🤣🤣🤣). Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow. And if you do suspect you’re infected, quarantine yourself from your family as much as possible—and have them wash hands and disinfect surfaces regularly.

Right. This is a newsletter about dinner, not infectious diseases. But since I had the knowledge, I thought I’d share it. Let’s move on to next week.

Sunday

Brown the Ground Turkey, Cook the Quinoa

Both these tasks are so basic, you don’t need recipes.

• For the turkey, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. When it shimmers add the turkey. Cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon, until the turkey’s nicely browned. Drain and divide into two containers, then refrigerate.

• For the quinoa, rinse it well, drain it, and transfer to a large saucepan. (Vegetarians, since you’re cooking more quinoa, you’ll need something that can hold at least 3 quarts.) Add twice as much water as quinoa and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of quinoa. Bring it to a boil, then decrease heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until all the water has been absorbed, 15-20 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover. Let it sit 5-10 minutes, then stir, taste, and add more salt if it needs it. Meat-eaters: Divide into two containers. Vegetarians: Divide into three containers. Everybody: Refrigerate.

Monday

Ground Turkey or Quinoa Tacos

The ground turkey recipe is super-basic, so you don’t need my help—grab one container of browned turkey and warm it in a big skillet over medium heat, as in step 2.

The quinoa version is definitely not basic, but it’s still really easy. Take a container of cooked quinoa and skip to step 3.

While your filling is cooking, get those fixings ready: Chop half the white onion and put the rest in an airtight container in the fridge—you’ll finish it up on Friday. Shred some romaine lettuce. Chop some grape tomatoes. Slice the avocado. Cut the lime into wedges. Shred all the cheddar, and refrigerate 1/2 cup for tomorrow’s soup. Pull out the pico de gallo, sour cream, and pickled jalapeno slices. Array everything salad bar-style.

Tuesday

White Cheddar and Chive Potato Soup with a green salad

Obviously, you’re not going to get all shmancy with an easy weeknight soup. But isn’t this pretty? Photo by fran hogan on Unsplash

This is one of those soups that might get past my picky eater, since it’s all one texture and consistency. If you’re living with a picky kid, too, I wish you luck! You may want to finish it off with an immersion blender to make it velvety smooth. Don’t forget to pull out the half-cup of cheddar you set aside last night.

While the soup simmers, make a quick salad with the rest of the romaine, some grape tomatoes, and the cucumber. Toss with extra-virgin olive oil, and red, white, or balsamic vinegar.

Wednesday

Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Bowls

This comes together pretty quickly, so I’d recommend prepping the vegetables for the bowls first. Use chives instead of a green onion. If you’re serving picky eaters, arrange everything—you guessed it—salad bar-style. Pull out a container of quinoa and warm it up.

Now, on to the cooked topping:

Meat eaters: Grab that other container of browned turkey and go straight to step 2. Vegetarians: Either crumble up the tempeh or rinse and drain the black beans, and cook as in step 2. (Hold out the red pepper flakes and pass at the table if your kids don’t like hot stuff.)

Thursday

Orecchiette with Greens, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas

Photo by dimitri.photography on Unsplash

This recipe sounds fancier than it is—you’ll be eating in well under an hour. For my picky guy, I’ll hold out some pasta and just toss it with olive oil. Maybe yours will like those crunchy chickpeas? Same as with Wednesday’s dinner, if your kids don’t like hot stuff, pass the red pepper flakes at the table.

Friday

Little Quinoa Patties on an Arugula Salad

Pull out the last of the quinoa and the other half of that white onion for tonight’s dinner. This recipe is lovely as-is, but if you’ve got the time, it’s even better if you sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil until they’re softened. Note that some reviewers found the quinoa mixture a little crumbly—you may need to add another beaten egg to help it hold together.

Make a quick lemon-yogurt sauce to go along with the patties: Combine the Greek yogurt and the juice of a lemon in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper and taste. Does it need a little something? Add some finely chopped chives, or grate in a small clove of garlic.

Serve with the baby arugula, the rest of the grape tomatoes, and the marinated artichoke hearts.

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Watch for a quick email from me on Monday—I’m going to try again with a discussion thread!

Enjoy the weekend (and wash your hands),

Debbie