Dinner Plans: Week 51

It’s Week 51 of Dinner Plans and we are excited for Christmas in SoCal!

We're spending Christmas in SoCal this year and everyone is looking forward to some family time in the weeks to come. The kids' various art, music, sports activities are starting their winter break and we're easing into our own version of winter break on the homeschooling front. The kids are happy to have a break from lessons and I'm happy to have a break from planning them. The former classroom teacher in me remembers these feelings well.

The kids will have a couple days to spend with my parents and Jerry and I will have two nights to ourselves for some R&R. Trying to plan out places to dine out and enjoy. We've also booked some office space for our End of Year reflections and strategic planning for 2025. Will share how we do that on IG in Stories, but it's been a great way to look back on the year's progress and set aspirations for the coming year.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Freezing Produce for Later

Knowing that we have travel coming up and a CSA box to pick up this week prompted me to think about how we preserve foods for later when travel is involved. Here's my fool proof method:

1. If possible, ask the farm ahead of time what they might have in the week's box delivery: I've got an email out to the farmer to ask about any possible swaps for items I know I won't be able to cook through before our travel date. We should be okay so long as I properly store everything. I may also gift produce to the neighbors if I'm really concerned it won't last for the duration we're away.
2. Wash and Prep Produce: For greens like kale and spinach, wash and trim leaves from stems. You can give the leaves a rough chop before adding them to a freezer safe bag and storing in the freezer. This makes it easy for quick sauté greens, add them to soups, or blend into smoothies. For my root veggies, I'll peel and trim them. Next, I'll dice them into chunks then add them to a freezer safe bag or container. This is usually done with beets and butternut squash.
3. Label Container with Item Name and Date Before Freezing: Don't forget to label and date the containers or freezer bags before freezing. This helps to keep track of what you have and when you froze it. Most produce items can be frozen anywhere from 6 to 12 months. Since we're traveling, I've got a note to make sure I start consuming the produce we've frozen when we're back in the New Year.

PS: don’t forget to check out Part I and Part II of my Pantry Essentials Series for more tips and recommendations for keeping a well stocked pantry ahead of the holiday season.

Dinner Plans for the Week

This week's Riverdog Farm CSA is filled with braising greens and the most beautiful purple daikon radish. Baby bok choy will be sautéed then added to a steaming bowl of homemade ramen. I've got two early winter salad ideas for the delicata squash and carrots.

Since we're leaving for SoCal this coming weekend, I'm planning a special holiday dinner for us at home. We've got beautiful beef shanks for Osso Bucco and I'll mash the potatoes in this week's CSA to serve alongside.

Here’s what we picked up for our CSA shares this week:

Riverdog Farm:

• Braising Greens
• Dandelion Greens
• Delicata Squash
• Mei Qing Choi
• Yellow Fin Potatoes
• Carrots

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Penne with Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomatoes with Grilled Chicken

Monday: Purple Daikon Radish & Carrot Salad with Crispy Tofu or Miso Glazed Cod

Tuesday: Tamales! Shredded Pork with Salsa Verde and Blue Corn Masa

Wednesday: Delicata Squash Salad with Roast Turkey Tenders

Thursday: Ramen with Shitake Broth, Silken Tofu, and Braised Sesame Mei Qing Choi

Friday: Osso Bucco with Smashed Garlic & Rosemary Finn Potatoes

Saturday: Pizza Take Out from Rutherford Family Pizza!

From favorite recipes to new things with a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut and reduce food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉