Shopping List: Crunchy Stuff, Pancakes for Dinner, and Hail Mary Pasta

The Family Plan #72

I hesitate to put this in writing, but… I think my kid might be taking his first teeny-tiny steps out of extreme picky eating. Don’t misunderstand—he hasn’t so much as tasted a vegetable. But he’s talking about tasting things, which is so unusual it feels like a harbinger. If you’re new around here, we’ve been dealing with this since he turned two. That was 12 years ago. (This week’s menu includes an older recipe of mine, which harkens back to when he was starting to refuse food. The story makes me a little weepy.)

For instance, two weeks ago he casually mentioned to my husband that he was thinking about putting sauce on his pizza. This, after years of pies made exactly to his specifications, nothing but mozz and kalamata olives. He hasn’t done it yet, but still: Even talking about sauce is a big deal. He eats seven of those mini-pizzas a week—it’s one of his safe foods.

The other day he asked me when we’d be having falafel again (!!!). He’s been re-reading the Magnus Chase books, and apparently one character’s family owns a falafel stand so he’s curious. As much as I love my recipe for baked falafel, I know he won’t embrace that as easily as he might a perfectly crunchy fried one. Next time we order in, we’re going Middle Eastern.

And finally: We’ve been watching Stanley Tucci’s Italian travel/food show as a family (if you haven’t checked it out, ohmygod you must). When he went to Emilia-Romagna and sampled some luscious-looking prosciutto de Parma, my Italian-American husband couldn’t resist asking kiddo what he’d do in The Tooch’s shoes (yeah, he calls him The Tooch). He said he’d try it. I repeat: He said he’d try it. My husband practically cried.

I’m trying not to get too excited over here, but my Magic 8 Ball says, “Outlook good.”

Here’s the menu for next week:

MONDAY:

photo courtesy MyRecipes

Panko Fried Tofu from Food 52 OR Chicken Cutlets with Spring Vegetable Salad and Herb Vinaigrette from MyRecipes. Vegetarians, you’ll use tofu instead of chicken, and serve it with the same salad. Everybody will double the protein, and rather than having you buy chives just for this, you can use the top part of a green onion (you’ll need those for Friday anyway). Note that I’m including the specific vegetables for the salad recipe in the shopping list, but if you can’t find any of them (or would just prefer something else), feel free to swap.

TUESDAY: Lemon Blueberry and Ricotta Pancakes from Jo Cooks, with or without bacon. Breakfast-for-dinner is always a hit with the littles, and the lemon-ricotta part makes them kinda fancy. If you like, double the recipe and refrigerate the extras for breakfast and lunch during the week.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken or Tofu Tacos from Martha Stewart with Simple Mexican Coleslaw from The Kitchen Magpie. Monday’s breaded protein makes a super-easy taco filling. Warm them up, slice into strips, and stuff inside tortillas with mashed avocado and fresh pico de gallo. Since that part’s so easy, you’ll have plenty of time to make a quick slaw to go with—use a bag of coleslaw mix to save time.

THURSDAY: Hail Mary Pasta from my cookbook, Parents Need to Eat Too. Roasting tomatoes and zucchini in an extra-hot oven turns them into a kind of insta-sauce for pasta. If you don’t care for zucchini, use whatever you like, as long as you’ve got cherry or grape tomatoes to make it saucy. Since you have those fresh herbs, add some roughly chopped parsley and tarragon to the mix, too—and top with some dollops of ricotta from Tuesday.

FRIDAY:

photo courtesy Cookie + Kate

Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad from Cookie + Kate. Just like on Wednesday, a bag of coleslaw mix comes in handy here. Note that if you’ve got picky eaters who’ll eat some but not all of this, you can easily assemble a mini-version for them using their preferred ingredients.

And here’s the shopping list:

Reminder: Items with an asterisk * are for the vegetarian option.

Produce

• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (M, Th)

• 1 bunch tarragon (M, Th)

• 1 bunch green onions (M, F)

• 1 bunch cilantro (W, F)

• 1 medium shallot (M)

• 12 oz. baby new potatoes (M)

• 5 cloves garlic (W, Th)

• Small knob ginger (F)

• 1 (8-oz.) package steam-in-bag green beans (M)

• 1 (5-oz.) package baby romaine leaves (M)

• 1 (5-oz.) package baby arugula (M)

• 2 packages slaw mix (W, F)

• 8 oz. sugar snap peas (M, F)

• 1 Persian cucumber (M)

• 1 watermelon radish (M)

• 2 avocados (W)

• 4 carrots (W, F)

• 1 pint cherry OR grape tomatoes (Th)

• 1 medium zucchini (Th)

• 3 lemons (M, T)

• 5 limes (W, F)

• 1 cup blueberries OR frozen (T)

• 2 (14-oz.) packages firm OR extra-firm tofu* (M, W)

• Pico de gallo OR fresh salsa (W)

Pantry

• Canola oil (M)

• Olive oil (M, W, Th)

• Dijon mustard (M)

• 4 cups all-purpose flour (M, T, W)

• Baking soda (T)

• Baking powder (T)

• Sugar (T)

• Vanilla extract (T)

• Ground cumin (W)

• Red pepper flakes, optional (F)

• 4 cups panko (M, W)

• Maple syrup (T, F)

• Honey (W)

• 1 lb. pasta of your choice (Th)        

• 3/4 cup quinoa OR millet (F)

• 1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts (F)

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (F)

• Reduced-sodium soy sauce OR tamari (F)

• Rice vinegar (F)

• Toasted sesame oil (F)

Meat Counter

• 8 (6-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (M, W)

• Bacon, optional (T)

Dairy

• 4 large eggs (M, T, W)

• 1 cup milk (T)

• 1 (15-oz.) package ricotta (T, Th)

• Butter (T)

• 1 oz. parmesan (Th)

Bakery

• 8 corn OR flour tortillas (W)

Freezer Case

• Blueberries OR fresh (T)

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On Saturday, paying subscribers will get the details on how it all comes together.

Stay safe, be kind, wash your hands, and wear a mask.

Debbie