Welcome to issue #52 of The Family Plan. We’ve made it through an entire year, through Chrismukkah and lockdowns—though I suppose we haven’t technically “made it through” lockdowns yet—and I hope you’ve had as much fun as I have. Thank you for joining me on our weekly quest to feed our families without pulling our hair out.
In honor of the anniversary, I thought I’d offer an enticement for you to upgrade to a paid subscription. For the next week, one-year subscriptions will be 20% off!
That’ll give you the next 52 Saturday editions of the newsletter—the one with the step-by-step how-tos for cooking, storing, and repurposing leftovers—as well as some other perks like a full index of all the recipes that appear in The Family Plan. If you like the work I’m putting into the free edition, I’m pretty sure you’ll appreciate the paid version, too.
Again, thank you for signing up for The Family Plan. I’m glad to have you here.
Here’s next week’s menu—it’s extra-flexible for stressful times:
SUNDAY PREP: Roast up plenty of vegetables—make sure to include some sweet potatoes for Thursday. While the oven’s going, bake 6 or 8 potatoes (depending on how large they are).
MONDAY:
Baked Potato Bar from Chowhound, with a salad. For this one, you’ll be raiding your pantry and fridge—the recipe gives you plenty of ideas. Don’t forget to reheat some of the roasted vegs. Each person gets to top their own, so this is perfect for the picky among us.
TUESDAY: Veggie Teriyaki Stir-Fry with Noodles from Cookie + Kate. I love this recipe for its flexibility. You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce or make your own. Use any kind of long noodles. Add whatever vegetables you’ve got. I’ll be holding some noodles separately for my guy—maybe he’ll want a splash of salty-sweet teriyaki, or maybe he’ll eat them plain.
WEDNESDAY: Breakfast-for-Dinner Hash from Epicurious. Bust out the leftover baked potatoes and some more roasted vegetables, and this’ll be a snap. Meat-eaters, use whatever protein you’ve got available. Vegetarians, you can use canned beans or your favorite plant-based protein. Top it with fried eggs, or don’t—it’s up to you.
THURSDAY: Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos from Gimme Some Oven. You pre-roasted the sweet potatoes, so all you need to do this evening is reheat them, make some quick refried beans, and stir together the lime crema. Again, if you’ve got picky eaters, let them assemble their own tacos.
FRIDAY:
Roasted Vegetable Galette from Serious Eats with salad. The last of those roasted vegetables goes into the filling for a rustic (aka easy) tart. Serious Eats’ recipe is more of a guide to winging it, which we like these days. It’ll work with what you’ve got. Note that they’re recommending homemade pie crust, which is great if you have time. I’ll include store-bought on the shopping list, just in case.
And now, the shopping list:
Note: This week’s list is on the loosey-goosey side, since so many of the recipes are meant to be flexible. Make sure to consult the recipes before you shop, to make sure you’re not missing anything. As always, an asterisk * indicates an ingredient for the vegetarian option.
Produce
Vegetables for roasting, such as zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, turnips, butternut squash, cauliflower, onions—aim for 2-3 each of 4-5 things (M, W, F)
Vegetables for stir-fry, such as mushrooms, bell pepper, snap peas, carrot, greens—aim for 1 each of 3-4 things (T)
6-8 russet potatoes (M, W)
1 lb. sweet potatoes (Th)
2 medium red or white onions (T, W)
1 small white onion (Th)
4-5 cloves garlic (Th)
1 bunch scallions (M, T, Th)
1 bunch cilantro (W, Th)
Salad fixings (M, F)
2 avocados (M, Th)
2 limes (Th)
1 package tofu OR tempeh, optional* (W)
Pantry
Olive oil (M, T, W, Th, F)
BBQ sauce, ranch sauce, honey mustard, etc, for baked potatoes (M)
Capers, olives, and other briny things for baked potatoes (M)
2 (15-oz.) can beans, 1 for baked potatoes & 1 for hash* (M)
2 (15-oz.) cans pinto beans (Th)
Vinegar for salad dressing (M, F)
4 oz. soba noodles, lo mein noodles, brown rice noodles, spaghetti, or other long noodles (T)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (T)
Toasted sesame oil (T)
Sesame seeds (T)
Chili powder (Th)
Cumin (Th)
Paprika (Th)
Oregano (Th)
Onion powder (Th)
Red pepper flakes (Th)
Garlic powder (Th)
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth (Th)
Meat Counter
Bacon, sausage, chicken, etc for baked potatoes AND hash (M, W)
Dairy
Cheese for baked potatoes AND hash AND tacos AND galette (M, W, Th, F)
14-16 oz. sour cream (M, Th)
1-5 eggs (W, F)
Bakery
12 small corn or flour tortillas (Th)
1 prepared pie crust (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