Happy first day of March dear ones! I hope your new week is off to a fresh and joyful start. I reached out on Instagram this past weekend after spending a little time in the morning making our meal plan for the week, asking if you guys would like to see what some of our day to day plans look like for some supper inspiration. There was an overwhelming “YES, please!”…so here we are.
I have shared about how I meal plan before on my journal, but sometimes seeing what those details look like in action are really refreshing when you are in need of some new ideas to try out or if in a meal rut. I get in those from time to time, especially when in the latter part of a season and I end up cooking the same ol’ thing week after week. Here is this week’s meal plan for you, complete with a market list you can screen shot and take along as you get groceries. I hope it gives you new ideas and helps you have fun in the kitchen!
Market List: This list of items is everything you’ll need to pick up at the market to make this week’s meal plan. Most likely you already have a great deal of this stocked in your pantry, but if not, here it is detailed for you with approximate amounts. Make sure to look over this list before shopping and note that many of these ingredients will keep for future recipes. Note: This meal plan feeds a family of four…two adults and two littles. Alfie is still nursing.
Meat Counter:
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (or a whole chicken if you’re cool with crockpots)
- 3-4 pork chops (one per person)
- 1 lb. boneless ground turkey cut into cubes
- 1 lb ground beef
Produce Stand:
- 6 ears of sweet corn
- 2-3 large sweet potatoes
- big bundle of brussel sprouts
- fresh ginger
- 2 limes
- 1 lemon
- 1 head of cabbage
- fresh garlic
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms
- 1 white onion
- fresh parsley
- bundle of whole carrots
- 2 shallots
- fresh cilantro
- 1 red onion
- 1 purple cauliflower (or white if you cannot find purple)
- scallions
Pantry Goods:
- toasted sesame oil
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
- grapeseed oil
- raw honey
- sesame seeds
- turmeric
- paprika
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 8 oz dry rotini noodles
- orange marmalade
- cayenne pepper
- gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- fish sauce
- soy sauce
Refrigerated Items:
- corn tortillas
- whole wheat buns for burgers
- white miso paste
- parmesan cheese
- sour cream
- plain yogurt
- prepared kimchi
Frozen Section:
- brown rice (I buy the frozen 3 minute brown rice from Trader Joe’s)
- Veggie Burgers
Seven Day Meal Plan
Monday: Korean Chicken Tacos + with Korean Brussel Sprout Slaw + Korean BBQ Sauce from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow
- Korean Chicken Tacos – Recipe photographed above (I used a whole chicken and slow roasted it in the slow cooker in lieu of grilling, it turned out fabulous)
- Brussel Sprout Korean Slaw – 2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice + 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce + 1 cup shredded brussel sprouts + 1 cup shredded cabbage + 3 tablespoons sliced red onion + 2 scallions thinly slices + 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro + 2 teaspoons sesame seeds = combined in a big bowl, sit 6 hours before serving
- Korean BBQ Sauce – 1/2 cup orange marmalade + 1/4 cup gochujang + 1 teaspoon soy sauce + 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1 teaspoon fish sauce + 1 garlic clove = blended
Tuesday: Tandori Turkey Kabobs from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow with Steamed Brown Rice & Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Turmeric
- Tandori Turkey Kabobs – Recipe photographed above (I served with additional yogurt on the side with a little more cilantro)
- Steamed Brown Rice – I buy the frozen 3 minute rice from Trader Joe’s. It comes three to a pack and it really easy to make in a pinch.
- Roasted Purple Cauliflower with Turmeric – Clean, dry and chop cauliflower into small bite size pieces and coat with olive oil, a sprinkling of turmeric and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for thirty minutes or until tender and golden. Serve with fresh lemon juice alongside turkey kabobs over brown rice.
Wednesday: Left Over Night – I usually dedicate one night a week to leftovers and it usually falls on Wednesday in the middle of the week.
Thursday: Trader Joe’s Veggie Burgers with Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad tossed in Carrot Ginger Dressing from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow
- Trader Joe’s Veggie Burgers – We don’t eat a lot of frozen foods but every now and again it is really helpful to have something almost completely prepared to have for supper. Andrew and I like to have dinner dates once a week or so and so this is a great time to get the kids fed without having to make a complete meal from scratch. They love these veggie burgers.
- Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad – Halve or quarter brussel sprouts and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for thirty or forty minutes until tender and golden. Toss with carrot ginger dressing before serving on the side of the veggie burgers.
- Carrot Ginger Dressing – 2 carrots peeled and chopped + 2 shallots peeled and chopped + 1/4 cup roughly chopped ginger + 2 tablespoons white miso paste + 1/4 cup white vinegar + 2 tablespoons raw honey + 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil + 1/2 cup grapeseed oil + 1/4 cup water + 1/2 teaspoon of salt + 1/2 teaspoon pepper = blended
Friday: Eat Out or Order In
Saturday: Grilled Pork Chops with Parmesan Grilled Sweet Corn & Cumin Sweet Potatoes
- Grilled Pork Chops – We like to season ours with Old Bay or a dusting of Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.
- Parmesan Grilled Sweet Corn – Coat it in olive oil and toss it right on the grill. It’s our favorite way to eat sweet corn. Smear butter and salt over it before eating. Sometimes we’ll even sprinkle freshly chopped herbs and part cheese on it, too!
- Cumin Sweet Potatoes – Peel and chop sweet potatoes in to bite size pieces. Place them on a grill rack or in aluminum foil to grill. Toss with olive oil and your preferred spices, we like to do a palmful of cumin and salt and pepper. Grill until tender.
Sunday: One Pot Beef Stroganoff – This meal is perfect for a slow day spent at home. Recipe linked.
For more meal ideas you can find inspiration on my CHOP & STIR Pinterest page. What suppers ideas have you been loving lately? What are you excited to try this spring? I cannot wait to make a yummy lemon, pea and asparagus risotto next month!
Ashton - Holy yum! These all sound delicious. I definitely feel like I run into a rut when it comes to meal planning every week….SO thank you for posting these. Definitely trying them out!
admin - Ashton – You are most welcome dear! Glad to give you some new ideas! x Amanda
Kristen - Sounds super delicious.
Can you may tell me where you buy your meat and what Brand you are buying ?
Thanks ! xx
admin - Kristen – We buy our meat at our local neighborhood market and then also a local butcher as well…it honestly just depends on what I am making. I like purchasing in bulk from the butcher then freezing until we need it for ground meats and then for the kind we are grilling I will buy fresh and use before freezing.We stopped buying meat at Trader Joes because the quality wasn’t as good. x Amanda
Max - Sounds super delicious.
Can you may tell me where you buy your meat and what Brand you are buying ?
Thanks ! xx
Claudia - This is perfect! Thank you so much 👍 I’ll totally copy/paste that meal plan
Melissa - Yay thanks for the meal plan! I love looking at other peoples meal plans 🙂 I also love the idea of cooking more 1 or 2 nights so there can be a ‘leftover’ night!
Elizabeth - Oh, those recipes all sound delicious and healthy! I curious about what you plan for breakfasts, too. I tend to cycle between porridge, cereal, fruit & yoghurt. Would love to know what you do! Many thanks! Love your blog!
admin - Elizabeth – Thank you for the kind words 🙂 We go in spurts for breakfast…right now a lot of maple oatmeal with berries and some sort of citrus but the kids also love eggs. One of their favorite breakfasts is when I cook eggs in the skillet and then they dip their toast in them. We do a lot of challah bread with jam and they also love smoothies in the summer with banana bread or morning glory muffins! Hope this gives you some ideas dear x Amanda
Ashley - Any recommendations for lunch meals- at home or for work, etc.? That’s where we’re stuck in a rut. Pbjs just aren’t cutting it anymore! Haha
admin - Ashley – Oh the ol’ PB&J…a staple here too, trust me. I like buying the fresh pastas at Trader Joe’s for an easy lunch. If you don’t have one of those nearby any market sells them. I will boil them for a few minutes and top with any veggie we have on hand…usually peas and corn and then a little part cheese. The kids really like it. I might just have to do a post on some easy lunch ideas that expand beyond PB&J and hot dogs 🙂 x Amanda
Beth - These sound delicious! It’s always great to change things up so we don’t fall into a rut, especially during this time of changing seasons. My winter farmers market always has fabulous mushrooms and I’ve been wanting to try a mushroom risotto but with 2 under 2 running the house (haha) I’ve always been intimidated by the constant attention that risotto seems to need. Do you have a go to risotto recipe?
PS: Love the new look to the blog : )
admin - Beth -Thank you so much! Here is my go to risotto recipe…it’s easy and takes less than 30 min so I love that. You can definitely count on Ina for some easy supper inspiration. 🙂
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spring-green-risotto-recipe.html
I think a mushroom risotto sounds wonderful! We love mushrooms over here and I made one this winter with a big assortment of wild mushrooms with truffle salt on top…oh my gosh, so so yummy. Have a blessed day! x Amanda
Kristan - I cannot eat fish, as I’m allergic. Any ideas on what can replace fish sauce?
Kristin - Hey Amanda, I just finished looking over your ‘chop and stir’ board and I love the different foods you posted..have you checked out the blog http://mimithorisson.com/
If you have never looked at that blog, I really think you will love her.
admin - Kristin – Thanks you so so much! I had not seen this blog and I adore it, and her! What an inspiration! Have a beautiful day. x Amanda
Katie - Love this! Thanks for sharing! How spicy are the Korean tacos? My little ones like spicy things but ondering if I need to adjust the recipe a little.