I’m just LONGING for summer produce. Aren’t you?
Maybe I’ve spent more time and energy this year paying attention to the seasons and making sure that we don’t eat too many way out of whack fruits and vegetables — in fact, I know I have. As the kids get older and less selective about their eating habits, I feel less and less obliged to do lots of crazy out-of-season shopping that’s intended solely to appease their preferences. Also, as I become ever more aware of the state of our food system and become more committed each day to the ways in which I can vote with my dollars and shop my values, I’m less and less inclined to spend my hard-earned money on pale imitations of really good foods — you know, like Evil Tomatoes.
Consequently, I’m feeling the lack of variety and the lack of AMAZING vegetables even more acutely this spring than I ever have before. I keep dreaming of my summer Farmer’s Market (no offense, friends at the Winter Market!), and longing for the feel of those heavy reusable sacks, laden with fresh greens and sun-warmed tomatoes and zucchini and herbs and…
And. Sigh. Swoon.
So it’s with a sense of plodding that I get through this particular meal plan. But it’s a meal plan, nonetheless, and it’ll get us through the next 30-odd days…until June, and sun, and summer, and my beloved farmers, bring my longed-for produce back again.
WEEK ONE:
Wednesday, 5/1: Grilled chicken thighs with spinach pesto, roasted potatoes, salad
Thursday, 5/2: Breakfast for dinner
Friday, 5/3: Fend night
Saturday, 5/4: It’s Listen to Your Mother time! My in-laws are taking me out to dinner after the show. Because they’re great that way.
Sunday, 5/5: Sunday Roast Chicken dinner (yeah, I know it’s Cinco de Mayo, but my kids will be way happier with chicken; and I’ll be happy to de-stress with our go-to meal)
Monday, 5/6: Slow cooker — Asian pork lettuce wraps and cheater scallion pancakes
Make it GF: You can use any gluten-free tortilla you like, or forego the scallion pancakes and make spring rolls with rice paper wrappers.
Tuesday, 5/7: I have a potluck to attend tonight. I’m truthfully not sure what I’m bringing, but I’ll probably make double of whatever it is to leave some for the guys!
WEEK TWO:
Wednesday, 5/8: Weekend warm-up: Mediterranean chicken and quinoa salad
Thursday, 5/9: Spaghetti marinara and salad
Make it GF: Use a wheat-free pasta like Jovial or Tinkyada brands
Friday, 5/10: Fend night
Saturday, 5/11: Ham and cheese stuffed shells, green salad
Make it GF: Substitute baked potatoes for the pasta shells
Sunday, 5/12: Mother’s Day; not sure what we’re doing, entirely, but if we’re around for dinner I’ll throw some steaks on the grill and make some veggie kebabs
Monday, 5/13: “Frog Slime” Meatballs and roasted vegetables
Tuesday, 5/14: Roasted tomato and pepper soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
Make it GF: Omit the sandwiches and serve cheese fricos instead
WEEK THREE:
Wednesday, 5/15: Weekend Warmup: Quick skillet steak pizzaiola with roasted potatoes
Thursday, 5/16: Pasta with beets and goat cheese
Make it GF: use a wheat-free pasta like Jovial or Tinkyada brands
Friday, 5/17: Fend night
Saturday, 5/18: Eggplant burgers and sweet potato fries
Make it GF: Serve the burgers off the buns, and use gluten-free oats to bind them rather than breadcrumbs
Sunday, 5/19: Basic meatballs and grilled vegetables
Monday, 5/20: Turkey tacos
Tuesday, 5/21: DIY Asian noodle bowls, fruit
WEEK FOUR:
Wednesday, 5/22: Weekend warmup: Meatball subs, veggie platter
Make it GF: If you don’t want to use GF buns (don’t blame you!), try making meatball sub lettuce wraps.
Thursday, 5/23: DIY Salad night
Friday, 5/24: Fend night
Saturday, 5/25-Monday, 5/27: Memorial Day weekend; we’re firming up plans with family, so I’m not working on dinner plans just yet
Tuesday, 5/28: Chicken with goat cheese and marinara, sauteed greens
WEEK FIVE:
Wednesday, 5/29: Loaded patty melts
Thursday, 5/30: Antipasto pasta salad
Make it GF: Use a wheat-free pasta like Jovial or Tinkyada brands, and make sure that any cured meats or sausages you choose for the mix-ins are gluten-free
Friday, 5/31: Fend night
Wow I am impressed you can plan that far ahead! I do it weekly 😉 I just printed that eggplant burger recipe, it sounds DELISH! And I agree, I am beyond ready for the awesome fresh summer produce and the return of the farmer’s markets!!
It’s a fantastic eggplant burger — though I will say, the cafe that came up with the recipe serves it with roasted peppers and greens and a little dijon mustard, and I HIGHLY recommend doing exactly the same thing to get maximum pleasure out of the burger. Isn’t it just an awful time of year, so close to the summer markets and yet so far away…? Can’t come soon enough!
And here I thought I was a rockstar planning 1 week at a time. I bet this makes a lot more sense and provides relief to go so far ahead. I can’t wait for my garden to start producing and all the fresh produce of summer! Stomach is growling!
I started meal planning with one week, then quickly moved to two weeks…and from there it was a short leap to a month. Honestly, it’s much easier to do it out a month in advance because it only takes about 20 minutes to do it and then it’s SET. Somehow, 20 minutes at one time was easier to find than 10 minutes each week or every 2 weeks, you know? Plus this way I know what I’ll realistically use later in the month, so if I see a good sale I can evaluate “is that a great sale for me? Or is that a great sale that will end up with my freezer stuffed full of things I bought at a discount and forgot to use?”
I so wish I could plan a couple of days in advance, ADD just won’t let me sit down, do it and stick to it.
Well, the good news is that there are ways to get help with it — like just basically copying mine 🙂 or getting a paid subscription service to do it for you. Another thing you could do is just grab the links to two recipes that sound great each day and throw them into a folder on your computer…as soon as you’ve got 10 of them, weed out a couple and you have a week ready to go!
This is awesome planning! And I am soooo with you on the summer produce. We just signed up for a local farm share/CSA and we can’t wait!
Oh, enjoy your CSA! So much fun. 🙂
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I am amazed that you can plan that far out! I do a weekly plan on Sunday but I will definitely be borrowing from yours this month – this is great! I also can’t wait to sign up for my local CSA this summer
I found out a long time ago that if I tried to find the time every week to plan, I’d forget. But if I just took 20 minutes once a month, I could bang out 30 days and not have to think about it again for a long time! It’s really a matter of survival. 🙂 My favorite thing isn’t even a CSA — it’s a CSF! We do Community Supported Fishery each summer and it ROCKS. I love all the fresh seafood here in RI!
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