Shopping List: Spanish-Accented Roast Chicken (or Tofu), Tex-Mex Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Easy Sesame Noodles
The Family Plan #64
Hello.
Many of you are new here, thanks to this CNN story about meal planning. (OG readers, check it out!) Whether you’re a newbie or a long-timer, I’m happy to see you.
For the newcomers, here’s how this newsletter works: Every Thursday, you’ll receive an email like this. It includes the menu for next week (with options for omnivores and vegetarians), a brief explanation of how the intentional leftovers work, and a shopping list. Often there’s a bit of commentary (about things like, y’know, how much this pandemic is damaging our kids).
And if you decide to become a paid subscriber (THANK YOU!), on Saturdays you’ll get a second email, with detailed instructions on putting it all together—how to adjust recipes to generate those leftovers, how to store them, and how to turn them into something new. Paid subscribers also have access to a handy-dandy recipe index, so you’ll always be able to find that one dish your picky 6-year-old really liked. Occasionally there will be open discussions, since I’m always happy to get to know you a little better.
So that’s The Family Plan. Got questions? Leave a comment below, or just reply to this email.
Here’s the menu for next week:
MONDAY: Roast Chicken Breasts OR Tofu with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika from Epicurious, with crusty bread. Tonight is the big cook for the week, giving you leftovers for Wednesday. Meat-eaters, you’ll double the amount of roast chicken with your garbanzos and tomatoes—it can be the bone-in breasts called for in the recipe, bone-in thighs, or boneless, as long as you adjust the cooking time. Personally, I like boneless for this, since the recipe calls for only 20 minutes in the oven, which feels short for bone-in breasts. (If you opt for bone-in, give yourself 15 minutes extra time, just in case.)
Vegetarians, you’ll swap in a double-batch of this nifty, crispy roasted tofu for the chicken. Use the seasoning blend from the chicken recipe.
NOTE: If your kids balk at spicy food, leave some of the chicken or tofu simply seasoned, with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
TUESDAY:
Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Lime Crema from Budget Bytes. This is an easy, flexible meal, with lots of suggestions for substitutions in the recipe. For the crema, use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (it boosts the protein, plus you’ll be buying yogurt for other recipes). As written, the recipe gives you half a sweet potato per person—that seems lean to me, so I’m doubling the quantity in the shopping list. The ingredient quantities for the “loaded” part don’t need to change, though.
NOTE: For those kids who don’t like spicy food, just leave out the chipotle powder and serve lime crema instead.
WEDNESDAY:
Mediterranean Chicken and Couscous Bowls from Cooking Light uses Monday’s leftover chicken or tofu. As the recipe says, the vegetables you use are totally up to you—I’m including them in the shopping list, but feel free to swap. Double the amount of couscous to give you a head start on tomorrow’s soup.
THURSDAY: Minestrone Soup from Skinnytaste, with crusty bread and a salad. This recipe rocks because it includes cooking instructions for the slow cooker, stovetop, and Instant Pot. Any way you want it, that’s the way you make it. Use yesterday’s couscous and you won’t have to cook pasta tonight.
FRIDAY: Veggie Sesame Noodles from Cookie + Kate, with edamame and/or eggs. Easy + flexible: My two favorite dinnertime words. The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the vegetables—and I have absolutely no problem with you buying pre-chopped or spiralized options instead. Even a bag of slaw mix would work. To make this hearty enough to serve as a main course, add either the suggested edamame or eggs, and whisk a spoonful of peanut butter into the dressing.
Here’s the shopping list:
Items marked with an asterisk * are for the vegetarian option.
Produce
10 cloves garlic (M, T, W, Th, F)
Small knob fresh ginger (F)
1 large onion (Th)
2 pints cherry OR grape tomatoes (M, W, Th)
1 large bunch cilantro (M, T, F)
1 small bunch dill (W)
1 small bunch rosemary OR dried (Th)
1 small bunch basil OR dried (Th)
1 bunch Italian parsley (Th)
4 sweet potatoes (T)
2 red bell peppers (T, F)
1 jalapeno, optional (T)
1 large bunch green onions (T, W, F)
1 large English cucumber (W, F)
5-6 medium carrots (Th, F)
1 rib celery (Th)
1 medium zucchini (Th)
1 package baby spinach (F)
1 small head red cabbage (F)
2 limes (T, F)
2 (14-oz.) containers firm OR extra-firm tofu* (M, W)
Pantry
Extra-virgin olive oil (M, T, W, Th)
White vinegar (W)
Smoked paprika (M, W)
Ground cumin (M, T, W)
Crushed red pepper flakes (M, W, F)
Seasoning salt, your choice (T)
Chipotle powder (T)
Garlic powder (T)
Dried rosemary OR fresh (Th)
Bay leaves (Th)
Dried basil OR fresh (Th)
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds (F)
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (M)
1 (15-oz.) can black beans (T)
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini OR navy beans (Th)
3 cups Israeli couscous, preferably whole wheat (W, Th)
32 oz. reduced sodium chicken OR vegetable broth (Th)
1 (28-oz.) can petite diced OR diced OR crushed tomatoes (Th)
8 oz. soba noodles OR spaghetti (F)
Reduced sodium tamari OR soy sauce (F)
Toasted sesame oil (F)
Peanut butter, optional (F)
Meat Counter
8 bone-in chicken breast halves OR boneless OR 16 bone-in chicken thighs OR boneless (M, W)
Dairy
12 oz. plain Greek yogurt (M, T)
Buttermilk OR milk + white vinegar (W)
1 oz. feta (W)
1 parmesan cheese rind, optional (Th)
Grated parmesan cheese, optional (Th)
4-6 eggs, optional (F)
Bakery
1 large OR 2 small loaves crusty bread (M, Th)
Freezer Case
1 package shelled edamame, optional (F)
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