I need a Real Meal Plan this week because a) we are having houseguests! and b) Carla begins two new after school activities this week, so I need to do some advance planning or we will end up eating nothing.
This is a question I’ve asked before, but I am asking it again because food preferences change over time: Do you have A Specific Meal you make for guests? Like, something that everyone likes and you feel confident cooking it?
Someone – including but not limited to my mother-in-law – inevitably mentions ordering-in instead of fooling around with making a bunch of food. My houseguests are very flexible and would be fine with takeout, and I’m not opposed to takeout, but we also just got back from a vacation where we ate out for every single meal and I’m ready for some home cooked meals.
Here’s what I’ve got on the menu for the week.
Dinners for March 31-April 6
- Sheet Pan Veggie Shawarma with Jalapeno Cilantro Yogurt Sauce: This time I am not going to forget to include a zucchini in the mix. I will also include chicken tenders because my husband sometimes balks at veggie-only meals. (He is getting less balky as we age, though.)
- Teriyaki Chicken Salad: I think my kid will (possibly reluctantly) eat this too. A deconstructed version, at least.
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas or Maybe Chipotle Honey Chicken Tacos, I Don’t Know; Maybe It Will Be a Gametime Decision: I think my houseguests would prefer the fajitas, but it would be nice to have a slow cooker meal in my back pocket this week.
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli: This sounds really good to me, but my husband isn’t a big salmon fan. Maybe I can roast a chicken breast for him instead.
- Something With Asparagus???: Nicole’s recent post about her favorite spring things gave me a real hankering for asparagus. I’m having trouble finding recipes that really allow asparagus to shine but are also fairly easy to make and also also diabetic friendly. (For instance, I would love a pasta with asparagus and mushrooms, or a delicious pasta primavera, but I don’t think our houseguests would be able to enjoy those dishes.) Soup is out because my husband doesn’t consider soup to be a full meal; stir fry is out because I have a weird bias against making stir fry for houseguests, don’t ask me why, I don’t even know.
What’s on your meal plan for the week?
I have an asparagus idea for you and it’s super simple. I often will make a thing of coconut rice, I have a recipe where it’s made in the oven. Then I’ll put in a few pans of veggies – including (but not limited to, lol, I smiled at that) asparagus, broccoli, sweet potato, whatever. The meal is coconut rice with roasted veggies, if the guys want some chicken I throw a couple of breasts in the air fryer. Easy, delicious, can be served with extra bottled sauces. It’s a really easy meal.
I often make your chicken shawarma for guests, plus bake a pan of falafel. The falafel I buy so it’s just “bake it” and that’s it, then I serve with veggies and hummus and tzatziki. Mostly things that are hands-off, I find are great with guests.
This coconut rice plus veggies meal sounds delicious, Nicole! Do you have a recipe for it? Also what kind of bottled sauces do you add to it? You know I love a good sauce.
Well, we’re having soup for supper so thank goodness your husband’s not coming over – haha!
We rarely had soup growing up, but I find it the easiest way to get veggies into my kids.
As always, your meal-planning posts leave me hungry and remind me of how I really do cook like the exact same 10 meals on repeat. I need to start branching out and I know exactly where to turn for ideas! You blog is a treasure house of recipes.
I love soup, Elisabeth! Set a place for me!
Of course, in addition to the “soup isn’t a meal” thing, my kiddo refuses to eat soup in any form. Getting veggies into her is a project.
Your plan to keep things deconstructed is great–guests can customize. And you are a dear for being so caring about feeding your guests. I do have a few go-to feed the crowds type of meals. (Salmon poke or en croute for smaller crowds, sheet pan chicken with veggies and cous cous for 20+)
Asparagus shines by itself too–butter, salt, pepper.
Inpired by an Insta reel, I’m planning to make little sushi cups for dinner…
Oooh sushi cups sound very intriguing! I also applaud you for ever feeding 20+ people! That’s a lot of mouths!
Here’s how we’ve eaten asparagus this month (other than 2 soups and a stir-fry): roasted with fried eggs or steamed in scrambled eggs if you want to do a breakfast for dinner thing. Also, I am able to eat filled pastas like cheese ravioli because the fat and protein in the filling balances out the carbs in the pasta. I wouldn’t serve it to someone with diabetes without asking, but it might work for your guest. Everyone is a little different with what can/can’t be eaten.
Thanks for the tip about the filled ravioli, Steph! I can certainly ask.
I love all of your ideas! A crockpot meal for guests sounds great, and like Elisabeth mentioned, soup could be an option—though maybe not for your hubby. 🤣
I also love Nicole’s idea. Honestly, I wish all of you could cook for me—I’m so sick of making dinner.
Thanks, Kari!
If we’re having people over for a party, my rotating menu is burgers, tacos, sliders, or takeout. But for houseguests I would lean more toward pasta/lasagna, a simple meat and potatoes meal, or something taco-adjacent that’s a little more formal, like baked chimichangas. Maybe takeout for one night, or let them take you out. But definitely not takeout for days, because no one wants that. Anyway, all of your meals sound good!
My plan for this week? We had lasagna last night so we have one night of leftovers and the fellas can figure out what they want to eat after that.
For guests, we like to make tacos, because those are so extremely customizable for individual tastes. And we have vegetarians in the house, so we already make a vegetarian “meat” in addition to actual meat, plus we have beans available.
Another thing I like to make, if all guests are meat-eaters, is chili and cornbread. I’ve made it so many times, it’s stress-free. Or for a mixed group with vegetarians, another go-to-option is my grandma’s baked macaroni and cheese.
What we make for guests depends on the # of guests. If it’s a small amount and we know them well enough to text and ask if they eat seared tuna and they say they do, we will make seared ahi tuna with grilled asparagus and an asian-flavored rice with sesame oil and tamari, etc. If we don’t know them well enough to ask about tuna and feel confident they will be honest, and it’s nice enough to grill, we will keep it easy and make burgers and/or brats (assuming no one is vegetarian). Besides that it really depends on who is coming over. I am not opposed to ordering out but I also know how you feel about being burned out on eating out!
I’m close to having the ability to chop veggies again so look forward to making the Shawarma, maybe later in April!! This week for meal plans, we made picadillo in the instant pot last night. Tonight I’m making this shrimp noodle dish (https://iowagirleats.com/asian-noodle-bowls/). It calls for WAY TOO MUCH tamari/soy sauce. I would halve that. We also add chopped red or yellow peppers to amp up the veggies.
Historically I make Mexican food for guests – tacos or enchiladas. We have not hosted many folks for dinner since we dispensed with meat in our house, though. Maybe we’d bring back meat for guests? No, no we wouldn’t. I have a good meatless sloppy Joe recipe and I’d serve it over potatoes or rice? Soup and salad? Oh, boy. I’m stressed out about my hypothetical guests.
Pasta is out because GF pasta is gross. (Sorry to my celiac friends – that chickpea stuff tastes like dust and the corn stuff tastes like corn.) Maybe a baked potato bar? Egads. I have to stop thinking about this.
My husband is diabetic and thus low carb. We often have tacos or taco salad, and he just skips the tortillas. He doesn’t trust that the low carb tortillas are really low carb.
We’re having shakshuka tonight, which is eggs, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, with spices. DELICIOUS. Tomorrow I’m going to make a lentil and salmon recipe that I saw online. My daughter doesn’t like salmon (unless it’s in sushi), so I will buy her sushi at the grocery store.
Speaking of daughters, I assume Carla survived and did not starve on your trip? We need to know what she ate and enjoyed, and what she tried and didn’t like. Thank you for the lovely postcard!
Asparagus! My favorite side dish for the next 3 moths until my family is like OMFG please stop with the asparagus.
Ooh! Thanks for reminding me about the sheet pan veggie shawarma. That might go on my “plan” for this week. Tonight I’m making gochujang tofu (with rice and broccoli) and after that it’s anyone’s guess.
My go-to company meal is Pesto Melt Chicken. I marinate chicken breasts in Italian dressing for 30 minutes, then brown them in a skillet, then bake for 15-20 minutes topped with jarred pesto sauce and fresh mozzarella. Serve with rolls and a side salad, and maybe roasted new potatoes tossed with olive oil/parmesan/red pepper flakes if I feel so inclined. The chicken is *so* easy, takes virtually no actively involved cooking apart from spreading the pesto and mozzarella, and feels fancy and delicious while also still being relatively economical. Also my kids for some reason love pesto even though it’s *GREEN* so it’s a win.
Lasagne. It’s a hit, not the most original meal but if people eat it who cares?
Asparagus frittata is diabetic-friendly and also delicious. (Am I remembering correctly that eggs are not your favorite, though?) Honestly, I might just roast a whole tray of asparagus and serve it with hollandaise. Maybe on the other oven rack I’d bake some potatoes and roast a piece of fish. At this time of year I think the asparagus can be the star of the show, so I might scale down the fish/potato portions accordingly if I’m cooking for people who also love asparagus. My vote is that if it’s seasonal and beautiful it’s fine to keep it simple, even for company.
Houseguests! Fun!
We usually order out depending how many people. We never have more than two people. And, last time we had houseguests, it was T’s good friend, very low key, so we just ordered Chinese and made Margaritas.
On our meal plan this week is this “get creative and eat the fridge and pantry. I will be away the week after and so will T, so we need to finish what we have to have an empty fridge when nobody is here.
OK, now that I know that worked, kind of, I can tell you that cooking for other people terrifies me. Absolutely terrifies me. I once was convinced I had poisoned an entire family by undercooking brats on the grill. I was up all night – honest to Pete – fretting. Which leads me to, you are not the only one who frets about feeding other people. So thank you for this post, and for sharing your excellent ideas. <3