Shopping List: Sheet Pan Supper, Easy Grain Bowls, and Pizza

The Family Plan #70

Warning, rant ahead…

Here in New York City, high schools are reopening next week. But because the Department of Education forced parents to decide in November whether we were comfortable with our children attending school in-person for the rest of the school year, my kid won’t be going.

If we’d known four months ago how damaging prolonged isolation would be for my son, we never would’ve opted for fully remote learning. Back then, we were more concerned with the fact that he’d be commuting 90 minutes for just two hours of “advisory” in person, once a week. It didn’t seem worth it. Now I’d willingly drive him, sit in the car for two hours, and drive him home, just so he could interact with a handful of peers. He’s literally seen two friends in person over the last year, one time each.

Our DOE has done a terrible job. While our school’s administration and teachers are doing everything they can—if it were up to them, he’d be allowed to opt-in now—the higher-ups have created a situation that’s traumatizing thousands of teens. It’s especially galling since it seems that three feet of social distancing (with masks) is just as effective as six feet in schools. Back in November, at the same time as NYC parents were committing to an entire school year at home, public health experts at Harvard pushed for this. My son’s school could accommodate far more students if they didn’t have to spread out so much. Three feet probably would’ve meant he’d go for more than two hours a week, and we would’ve signed him up for blended learning. He’d be starting next week.

I’m so angry.

What’s the situation like in your kids’ schools?

Here’s the menu for next week:

SUNDAY: Make a big pot of farro, barley, or wheat berries—any of them will work. This’ll give you what you need for two meals this week, on Tuesday and Thursday.

MONDAY:

photo courtesy The Kitchn

Chicken or Tofu and Roasted Vegetable Sheet Pan Meal from The Kitchn and Create Mindfully. A sheet-pan meal of maple-mustard chicken or tofu with vegs—in which the elements don’t touch each other—is perfect for pleasing picky eaters. Double the chicken, tofu & broccoli, but not the potatoes, and you’ll have fodder for two more meals. Note that the main recipe doesn’t call for tossing the vegetables with olive oil and salt before roasting, but I definitely would.

TUESDAY: Smoky Farro and Chickpea Soup from MyRecipes with crusty bread. Using your pre-cooked farro gets this on the table in less than half an hour—and it makes a big enough batch that you should get some lunches out of it, too.

WEDNESDAY:

photo courtesy Kitchen Treaty

Barbecue Chicken OR Tofu Pizza from Kitchen Treaty. Monday’s maple-mustard protein will go nicely with BBQ sauce. When I make BBQ chicken pizza, I always add some cheddar cheese to the mix—I’ve included it in the shopping list, but it’s totally optional. And note that the recipe calls for some chopped cilantro so I’ve included it in the list, but if you’d rather not buy that and the parsley you need for Tuesday’s soup, it’s fine to skip the cilantro and use parsley here instead.

THURSDAY: Roasted Broccoli and Farro Bowls from Gimme Some Oven. You know what I love about bowl dinners, right? You can serve them salad bar-style, so picky eaters can choose what they want to eat. Using the rest of the farro and Monday’s roasted broccoli means this’ll be on the table in a flash.

FRIDAY: Pantry Pasta Puttanesca from Epicurious. The name says it all, right? Keep the pantry staples for this recipe on-hand and you’ll always have a quick dinner option. Vegetarians, leave out the anchovies and tuna. If you want to boost the protein, add a can of rinsed and drained white beans. Serve with what’s left of the crusty bread.

Here’s the shopping list:

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

Produce

• 1 lb. small red potatoes (M)

• 2 large onions (T)

• 1 medium red onion (W, Th)

• 4 cloves garlic (T, Th)

• 2 medium heads broccoli (M, Th)

• 1-2 ribs celery (T)

• 1 bunch parsley (T)

• 1 bunch rosemary OR dried rosemary (T)

• 1 bunch cilantro, optional (W)

• 1 bunch Swiss chard OR kale OR spinach OR frozen (T)

• 1 (5-oz.) package baby arugula OR baby kale OR tender greens of your choice (Th)

• 1 bunch scallions (T)

• 1 avocado, optional (Th)

• 2 lemons (Th)

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

Pantry

• 2 cups farro OR barley OR wheat berries (T, Th)

• Maple syrup (M, W, Th)

• Dijon mustard (M, W)

• Olive oil, preferably extra-virgin (M, T, Th, F)

• Dried rosemary OR fresh (T)

• Smoked paprika (T, Th)

• Bay leaves (T)

• Cayenne pepper, optional (Th)

• Dried oregano (F)

• Crushed red pepper flakes (F)

• 24 oz. vegetable OR chicken broth (T)

• 2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas OR kidney beans OR white beans (T, Th)

• 1 (15-oz.) can white beans, optional* (F)

• 1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably unsalted (T)

• 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes (F)

• Tomato paste (F)

• Barbecue sauce (W)

• Corn starch, optional* (W)

• 1/2 cup sliced OR slivered almonds (Th)

• 1/2 cup tahini (Th)

• 1 lb. linguine OR other long pasta (F)

• 1/4 cup capers, preferably in brine (F)

• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (F)

• 1 tin anchovy fillets OR anchovy paste (F)

• 1 (6-oz.) can tuna, preferably oil-packed (F)

Meat counter

• 3 lb. skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (ask them to bone the chicken for you at the store) (M, W)

Dairy

• 1.5 oz. Parmesan cheese (T)

• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella (W)

• 4 oz. shredded cheddar, optional (W)

Bakery

• 1 large loaf crusty bread (T, F)

• 1 lb. pizza dough (W)

Freezer case

• 1 package chopped kale OR spinach 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