Food

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Reluctant Return to Dinners This Week

For several months now, I’ve been operating under the “wing it” principle for dinners. It’s been too hot to want to eat, our schedule has been irregular what with summer camps etc., and the few times I’ve had something specific I wanted to make, I just… made it.

But it’s getting to the point, now, where the drudgery of discussing how to wing it each evening feels more onerous than the drudgery of planning out a week’s worth of meals. Also, I have been doing that thing where I end up needing to go to the grocery store multiple times per week, and then I end up spending way more money than I would have if I’d just taken ten minutes to think through a plan in the first place.

I still don’t want to cook anything, though. Well. Needs must. Here are some things I will make this week:

Dinners for the Week of July 13

  • Couscous Salad with Some Sort of Protein: Chicken breast for my husband, and I will probably do a filet of salmon for myself and Carla; she will have her couscous salad deconstructed, without any feta.
  • Szechuan Stir Fry: Literally the only thing that sounds appealing me to lately are fresh veggies. Of course, there is also the pesky cyclosporiasis outbreak hitting some 31 states right now, and no one seems to know where the parasite is coming from, just that it’s probably coming from veggies, so that’s fun. I love feeling like I’m taking my life in my hands every time I crunch down on a piece of cauliflower. Anyway, I have a bunch of fresh veggies and I’m going to wash them until they squeak and then throw them into a stir fry and then douse them in spicy sauce. I have some tofu that I may try to add to the mix. I am a little afraid of tofu, because I have made it only twice and very poorly, but the only way to improve a skill is to practice it.
  • White Bean Enchilada Soup: It is 100% not soup weather, but this soup sounds good, so I’m leaning into it.

Okay, three meals is pretty much all I can muster up enthusiasm for. Hopefully they will generate enough leftovers that we can stave off the “what should we have for dinner” question for a few additional nights.

What are you eating for dinner lately?

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Dinners This Week

My taste buds are longing for spring food – Asparagus soup! Pasta primavera! Salads with fresh berries! But the weather is still insisting it is WINTER. And I do tend to appreciate a hearty bowl of something saucy and warming when outdoor temperatures remain in the freezing range. This is making meal planning challenging, is what I’m saying. As if it needs to be any harder than it already is!

By the way, we still have not eaten the chicken paprikas I planned to make two weeks ago. Thank goodness potatoes last so long!

Dinners for the Week of March 16-22

  • Thai Style Steak and Noodle Salad: A lovely friend took me to lunch for my birthday, and she got a steak and noodle salad that I have not been able to stop thinking about. Surely I can recreate it at home?!

Three planned meals a week is feeling like the right number these days. And, of course, we still have the chicken paprikas ingredients in case I want to make a cozy from-scratch meal on a whim.

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Dinners This Week

What makes meal planning even MORE fun? Meal planning when you have a brand new afterschool activity to adjust to, and a time change to adjust to, and semi-surprise houseguests!

Dinners for the Week of March 8-15

  • Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma: I often feel like I need to come up with something new! and different! for people who’ve eaten at my table before. Well, I don’t think I’ve served this to guests before. I plan to serve it with broccoli and couscous, which are my favorite accompaniments.
  • Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork with Coleslaw: And then again, sometimes I just make things we’ve all had so many times we’re well and sick of them. But I NEED a crockpot meal one night this week, and this one is easy, and we haven’t had it in awhile. Maybe I’ll grab some green beans to amp up the veggie quotient?
  • Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms: Not quite sure what to serve with this one. Maybe some asparagus?

Yes, I realize this is only three meals. But we didn’t eat the chicken paprikas last week, so that’s up for grabs again this week. And we’re going out for dinner one night. And I am hoping we have at least SOME leftovers.

What are you eating this week?