Shopping List: Quick Picadillo, Sheet Pan Fried Rice, and a Very Inauthentic St. Patrick’s Day

The Family Plan #69

These days I’m not exactly at my lightest weight—when the pandemic started I was back at Weight Watchers and doing pretty well. (I lost 100 pounds with them in the mid-90s and kept off 90 until about five years ago. I’m still 60 pounds down from my highest.) By this time last year, I’d lost 10 pounds and had less than 20 to go, to get to what I think of as my “normal” weight. In the early days of lockdown, I continued to lose. But after six months of spending 24/7 at home with my husband and son, I hit a wall. Slowly, the weight crept back on. Since January, I’ve been struggling just to maintain that year-old, 10-pound loss.

As far as BMI is concerned, I wobble between qualifying for the vaccine (barely over 30 BMI, which is the cutoff for being considered obese—that feels lovely) and just missing the mark. So for the first time in my life, it’s actually in my best interest to gain a few pounds. That’s messed up. I already have an unhealthy relationship with food, and this ain’t helping—even though I know that BMI isn’t really a reliable measure (at my absolute lowest, when I had so little body fat I wasn’t having my period, my BMI qualified me as “overweight.”) Meanwhile, though, I made an appointment today. If they’re going to label me as obese, I’m damn well going to get jabbed. Earliest available: May 14th, two months away. Sigh. I’ll keep trying.

How are vaccinations going where you are?

Here’s the menu for next week:

MONDAY:

photo courtesy The Washington Post

Beef or Lentil Picadillo from The Washington Post, with rice. Picadillo is an easy, one-skillet Latin American dish usually made with ground beef—but it’s so flexible, you can use almost any meat. (Toss in some frozen peas to boost the vegetable content, if you like.) Or go vegan and cook the lentil option. Either way, make a double-batch for Wednesday, and a double-batch of rice for Thursday. NOTE: If these recipes are behind a paywall for you, email me and I’ll send either one to you.

TUESDAY: Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls from Budget Bytes. Here’s a meal you can serve salad bar-style for picky eaters: mashed potatoes topped with seasoned black beans, corn, cheese, BBQ sauce, scallions, and maybe even jalapeno. Make a big ol’ batch of mashed potatoes in the slow cooker or Instant Pot (or y’know, on the stove) and refrigerate the extra for tomorrow.  

WEDNESDAY: It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so let’s do a completely inauthentic Irish-ish dish: Picadillo Shepherd’s Pie. All you’ve got to do is put your leftover picadillo in a baking dish, top with the mashed potatoes, and bake. No recipe required!

THURSDAY:

photo courtesy Food Network

Sheet Pan Fried Rice with Shrimp or Tofu from Food Network. Combine Monday’s leftover rice with some seasoning, vegetables (frozen is fine!), and a protein, roast, toss, and serve.

FRIDAY: Pesto Ravioli with Spinach & Tomatoes from Eating Well. It’s only five ingredients, and one of them is olive oil.

Here’s the shopping list:

Ingredients marked with an asterisk * are for the vegetarian option.

Produce

• 2 small or 1 large  yellow onions (M, W)

• 10 cloves garlic (M, T, W, Th)

• Small knob ginger (Th)

• 5 lb. potatoes, either russet or Yukon gold (T, W)

• 1 bell pepper, any color, optional (M, W)

• 1 small green bell pepper* (M, W)

• 1 bunch cilantro (M, W)

• 1 bunch culantro*, optional (M, W)

• 2 small* + 2 large carrots (M, W, Th)

• 8 oz. button mushrooms* (M, W)

• 1 bunch green onions (T, Th)

• 1 jalapeno, optional (T)

• 1 pint grape tomatoes (F)

• 1 (5-oz.) package baby spinach (F)

• 1 (16-oz.) packages firm or extra-firm tofu* (Th)

• Fresh OR jarred pesto (F)

Pantry

• Olive oil (M, W, F)

• Vegetable oil (Th)

• Ground cumin (M, W)

• Paprika, any kind (M, W)

• Dried oregano (M, W)

• Garlic powder* (M, W)

• Bay leaves (T, W)

• Chili powder (T)

• Sesame seeds, optional (Th)

• 1 (28 oz.) or 2 (15-oz.) cans crushed or diced tomatoes, preferably no salt added (M, W)

• 1/4 cup tomato paste (M, W)

• 1/2 cup dark or golden raisins, optional (M, W)

• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, optional (M, W)

• 2 1/2 cups white rice (M, Th)

• 1/2 cup* + 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (M, W)

• Rice wine vinegar (Th)

• Sesame oil (Th)

• Sriracha, optional (Th)

• Dark brown sugar* (M, W)

• 2 (15-oz.) cans brown lentils* (M, W)

• 1 (15-oz.) can black beans (T)

• Prepared BBQ sauce (T)

• Jarred OR fresh pesto (F)

Meat Counter

• 2 lb. lean ground beef OR turkey (M, W)

Dairy

• 6 Tbsp butter (T, W)

• 1 cup buttermilk OR 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup sour cream (T, W)

• 4 oz. cheddar (T)

• 3 eggs (Th)

Freezer Case

• 1 package peas (M, T, Th)

• 1 package corn kernels (T)

• 1 package mixed vegetables* (Th)

• 3/4 lb. medium shrimp (Th)

• 2 (8-oz.) packages frozen OR refrigerated cheese ravioli (F)

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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