MARCH MEAL PLAN + A REALLY GOOD DINNER RECIPE

We still have a lot of work left to do on both houses, most of my existing kitchen is currently packed up and the kitchen situation we’ll be moving into is a little quirky, so this meal plan might be overly ambitious but I’m trying to think positive here people, ha! And if all else fails, at least it’s a good time of year to add grilled foods back into the rotation (yay, spring!)! Plus the kids have been making more meal and snack requests which is always so helpful and I’ll be adding a freezer + pantry clean out night once a week (stretching those food budget dollas!) so we really have nothing to lose and a lot of yumminess to gain. Here’s what’s on the menu for March!

(Pics are from a Trader Joe’s outing a few weeks ago where Poppy and I snacked our way through shopping and then the drive home too…😳)

WEEK 1

M | Avocado toast with a fried egg and sprouts (+ smoked salmon if you have it!), and fruit on the side

TU | Burrito bowls

W | RAID THE PANTRY/FREEZER

TH | Grilled chicken cobb salad (+ cheese quesadillas)

F | This NY times lasagna recipe has 3,700 reviews and still has 5 stars (or we’ll grab a frozen one!)

SA | one pot chicken + veggie curry over rice (can’t find anything similar online and the cookbook is pretty old, so will share the recipe below so you can try it!!! It’s soooo good and easy to pick out any of the ingredients depending on pallets :)

SU | DAD’S CHOICE

WEEK 2

M | Grilled chicken margherita or chicken pesto sandwiches

TU | avocado, cilantro, salmon and rice bowls

W | RAID THE PANTRY/FREEZER

TH | Harvest bowl salad (make extra chicken + roasted sweet potatoes for any non-salad eaters)

F | Mod inspired flatbread pizza + salad night! (take a peek at the menu)

SA | Greek orzo pasta salad

SU | DAD’S CHOICE

WEEK 3

M | Thai turkey lettuce wraps (Tilly’s request!)

TU | St. Patrick’s Day! We’re not big on corned beef, but we love a good baked potato bar!

W | RAID THE PANTRY/FREEZER

TH | Happy First Day of Spring! The perfect day for a burger! Think we’ll try these black bean burgers, but will probably make some beef patties for my meat eaters too :)

F | Spring spaghetti carbonara, chicken bruschetta linguine or try this copycat spaghetti Fresca recipe from the first Italian restaurant I ever fell in love with (at age 10), Bucca di Beppo

SA | Slow cooker Thai chicken soup or Sesame noodle bowls or Thai red curry bowls

SU | DAD’S CHOICE

WEEK 4

M | Loaded street fries for a fun monday night meal — try these mediterranean street fries or these dirty fries or these Mexican street fries

TU | Breakfast burritos for dinner! Our favorite Sodo BB is simply scrambled eggs, ground sausage, pico + cheese in a fresh tortilla

W | RAID THE PANTRY/FREEZER

TH | Ham and swiss sliders with a side salad

F | One pan spinach and chicken gnocchi or cheesy baked gnocchi

SA | Charcuterie platter night! Here’s a good list of options, just sub the seasonal fall fruits and veggies for something more spring-ish.

SU | DAD’S CHOICE

BREAKKIE | 

Breakfast bowls (either yogurt or oatmeal with lots of toppings!), green smoothies (current favorite combo, 1 banana, spinach, kale, lemon juice + water/juice/coconut water), dutch babies for a treat, chocolate bread + eggs, and grapefruit + toast

LUNCH |

For the main dish we’re jazzing 😜 thing up with kabobs (found this image for inspiration) and cookie cutter sandwiches. For fruit we’re swapping out our usual apples for kiwis, mango, strawberries, and balled melons. Sticking with baby carrots, cucumbers and edamame for veggies. And finally, Stonyfield yogurt tubes, tillamook cheese slices, popcorners (popcorn chips), pretzels and potato chips for snacks (per my kids’ requests).

SNACK | 

Grapefruit (with a little sugar on top), guac + chips, homemade strawberry milk (recipe coming next week), popcorn, pretzels, peanut butter + chocolate chips, granola bars and fruit!

Very Yummy, Chicken + Veggie Curry

You’ll Need:

• 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
• 1 – 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2inch pieces
• 2 zucchini’s, halved and cut into 1/2inch pieces
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• jasmine rice, steamed for serving

Here’s How:

1. Make the sauce — in a bowl, combine curry paste, coconut milk, chicken broth and sugar
2. Cook the chicken + zucchini — in a large frypan over medium heat, warm oil, add chicken and sauté until golden. Add the zucchini and garlic and sauté until tender. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add sauce to the pan, bring to a gentle boil and cook until thickened. Add chicken and veggies and simmer until everything is cooked through. Add spinach and lime juice and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
4. Serve over rice!

Recipe from a v. old Williams-Sonoma cookbook!

Here’s to meal planning, but mostly here’s to simply doing our best! And enjoying a few snacks (+ maybe a glass of wine) in the process. Hope all the above ideas help.

xo, Rae