A week of recipes

Sara Miller inspired me by posting her family's recipes for the week. I know she has a great schedule for planning each week by theming her evenings (chicken, beef, pasta, etc.). My plan revolves around our activities. I like leftovers Sunday after church, so I cook accordingly on Saturday. I teach Tuesday and Thursdays, so not only am I tired, I rarely get home in time to prep much of anything.

But largely, my food prep revolves around what produce we have on hand from The Produce Gathering.

I don't like to let anything from my $15 basket go to waste, and I never know what I'm going to get. So on Saturday, I see what is most fragile and try to use that first. I buy a basket every other week, so the more sturdy foods can wait until week two. Eating this way has revolutionized my kitchen. Cooking is still an adventure (produce days feel like Mission Impossible, "these vegetables, should you choose to accept them..."), but I plan based on what I have, not what I see on the internet when I'm imagining I have all the time in the world for new, potentially complicated, super-healthy recipes.

Sunday: Rotini with eggplant, adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Baked Orzo with Eggplant. I cooked my pasta in advance (needed to use up the rotini), fried the eggplant in coconut oil, and added 3/4 cup ricotta (also needing to be used up) in addition to the other cheeses. Served with salad.

Monday: Sausage, carmelized fennel, smashed potato skillet, found here. I will carmelize the rest of my fennel for lunches or snacks, because I want this exotic vegetable taken care of.

Tuesday: Mac & cheese, steamed broccoli. Several choices here: I can make a crockpot recipe for the mac and cheese, use the terrible blue box, or try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It takes an hour and a half before serving, but it's not complicated. I can either reserve energy, knowing I am making it for dinner, or do it Monday night and just reheat.

Wednesday: I am probably making Sara's UnStuffed Pepper Skillet, but I also have a very good recipe for sausage stuffed peppers. Probably won't chose sausage two days in a week, but it is my go-to stuffed pepper recipe, from Kalyn's Kitchen.

Thursday: Something leftover...easy dinner.

Friday: Burgers and salad (or Hot German potato salad, depending on what's left in the frig). I have several recipes for burgers in a new cookbook, or I might keep it simple and have my husband fire up the grill, should the weather still be spring-like.

Saturday: Enchiladas, using Mexican chicken from the freezer, some roasted green onions, and maybe spinach. I top mine with salsa, so they are very easy. I also have some leftover chipoltes in adobe sauce, from last week's burritos, which are way too hot for me. I'll sneak the remaining ones into my husband's enchiladas...and mark them with toothpicks, so I don't accidentally eat them! Too hot for me. The enchiladas will make leftovers for Sunday; I might need to buy the spinach. Sometime on Saturday, I'll also make chocolate zucchini cake.

If you feel intimidated, know that this menu plan is a little ambitious for me. I want to use the eggplant and fennel, so I will push myself early in the week, but then I fall back on recipes I know. I juiced all the citrus, except the tangerines, which will go into lunch boxes. The bananas will similarly get consumed or mashed into banana bread.

Bon appetit!