Shopping List: Turn Roasted Vegetables into Dinner, Plus a Week of Easy Cleanup
The Family Plan #47
The other day I asked about your challenges, and so many people said the same thing: Endless amounts of dirty dishes. I absolutely understand that problem! It seems like my family of three dirties every single dish we own, every single day. My broken wrist turns out to be something of a godsend in that regard, since I can’t wash dishes right now. My husband and son have had to pick up the slack.
But they don’t need to spend all day doing dishes, either, so next week’s plan keeps the prep-work to a minimum. You won’t dirty more than one pan per meal, all week long.
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Here’s the menu for next week:
SUNDAY: Roast a lot of vegetables. This gives you the makings of both Monday’s and Thursday’s dinners. If you’re not sure how, The Kitchn has a good guide to roasting a big batch—you may need to do it in 2 rounds, on 3 or 4 baking sheets. Important: The shopping list includes specific amounts of certain vegetables, because you’ll need them raw for other days. Roast only 3/4 of the red onion, 4 ounces of the mushrooms, and 1-2 of the sweet potatoes.
MONDAY:
Photo courtesy Proud Italian Cook
Easy Vegetable Roasted Lasagna from Proud Italian Cook. Because you’ve already roasted the vegetables, tonight is mostly about assembling. The recipe calls for no-boil noodles, but in my experience you can use regular noodles and it’ll work just fine.
TUESDAY: Hummus Heaped with Tomatoes and Cucumbers from Smitten Kitchen. It really doesn’t get much easier than this. Add hard boiled eggs and/or feta and/or olives, if you like.
WEDNESDAY:
Photo courtesy Epicurious
One-Pan Chicken with Rice and Beans from Epicurious. Add some extra chicken pieces to give you leftovers for Friday. Vegetarians, you’ll bulk this up by using two more cans of beans—or if you prefer, you can top the finished dish with fried tempeh or tofu.
THURSDAY: Roasted Vegetable & Black Bean Tacos from Eating Well. Warming up more of the roasted vegetables with black beans and spices makes a quick taco filling. Note that this recipe serves 2, so you’ll need to double everything.
FRIDAY: Mini Chicken Potpies from Cooking Light. Individual potpies make picky eaters happy. (My son’s will be nothing but chicken, broth, and crust.) Wednesday’s extra chicken gets used here. Vegetarians, you’ll use white beans or chickpeas instead.
Here’s the shopping list:
Reminder: An asterisk * indicates an item for the vegetarian option.
Produce
Plenty of vegetables for roasting, like zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, carrots, butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. (M, Th)
16 oz. mushrooms (M, Th, F)
1 pint cherry tomatoes (T)
8 oz. small cucumbers (T)
1 large red onion (M, T, Th)
3 medium yellow onions (W, F)
3-4 sweet potatoes (M, Th, F)
1 bunch parsley (M, T, W)
1 bunch cilantro (T, W, Th)
1 bunch thyme OR dried thyme (F)
1 avocado (Th)
1 rib celery (F)
1 lemon (T)
2 limes (Th)
1 package prepared hummus (T)
1 package tempeh or tofu, optional (W)
Pantry
Olive oil (M, T, W, Th, F)
1 package lasagna noodles, no-boil or regular (M)
1 large jar marinara sauce (M)
Sumac, optional (T)
Za’atar, optional (T)
Ground cumin (W, Th)
Ground coriander (W, Th)
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional (W)
Chili powder (Th)
Dried thyme OR fresh (F)
Olives, optional (T)
1/2 cup white rice (W)
1 OR 3* (15-oz.) can chickpeas OR other beans (W)
1 (15-oz.) can black beans OR pinto beans (Th)
1 (15-oz.) can white beans OR chickpeas (F*)
1/2 cup dried fruit, such as currants, raisins, cherries, or cranberries, optional (W)
Salsa (Th)
All-purpose flour (F)
10 oz. chicken or vegetable broth (F)
Meat Counter
8 chicken thighs OR 16 drumsticks OR 6 breasts OR mixed parts (W, F)
Dairy
1 lb. ricotta (M)
1 lb. fresh mozzarella (M)
1 lb. shredded mozzarella (M)
1-2 oz. pecorino or parmesan (M)
1 slab feta, optional (T)
6 eggs (M, T)
1/2 cup milk (F)
Bakery
4 large pitas (T)
8 corn tortillas (Th)
Freezer Case
Lima beans (F)
1 sheet puff pastry (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