Week 42 of Dinner Plans and it's beginning to feel a lot like fall!
The leaves are starting to change colors and the vineyards are beginning their auburn and golden leave shifts. We've got apple picking and pumpkin patch visiting on the calendar, which is a first since we didn't get to do it last year. I've got my eye on a few apple varieties for pies, coffee cakes, and more. After a very busy work week, it felt good to stay home and read a few books. I'm over at Goodreads if you want to see what I'm currently reading!
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Fall Meal Prep Tips
I'm relishing the autumn squash and last of the summer veggies at the farmers market lately. Lately, I've been planning our menus around what I find at the market and focusing on using a particular fruit or vegetable in more that one use. The Black Futsu squash, for example, was split into two halves. One half was roasted for salad, the second half for soup. I'll pick up another one to make a quick bread and a ravioli filling. I like this approach especially as we seek to stretch our food budget just a bit more.
Dinner Plans for Week 42
I learned about a local food co-op in Napa this week and I'm exploring it as an option for food shopping. I have had a couple of conversations with friends about food spending and grocery bills (spoiler: prices seem to be going up, up, up in a lot of places). When asked how we're managing, I've been candid in sharing that we're shopping as much directly from the farmers as possible. That might look like continuing with our meat CSA or buying in bulk from Diestel Family Rach when the sales are live, or making it a point to shop the farmers market on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
This week, sales on pantry staples like rice, dried beans, and dried pasta went live at our local grocer so I stocked up on a few items thoughtfully because we're still in pantry clean out mode, and I don't want to add too much to our inventory before feeling certain we've used up everything we have on hand.
Here’s what caught my attention in our garden, fridge, freezer, and pantry this week:
- Loads of Figs! (yes, still)
- Avocados
- Carrots
- 2 garden summer squash
- Frozen diced beets
- Freezer corn kernels
- Freezer front lamb shanks, ground lamb
- Freezer chicken breasts
Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:
Sunday: Braised Lamb Shanks with Either Polenta or Mashed Potatoes
Monday: Risotto with Summer Squash, Corn, and Peas
Tuesday: Vegetable Enchiladas Verdes with Squash, Peppers, and Black Beans (recipe idea from Eating Well here)
Wednesday: Sheet Pan Bratwurst with the Last of Our Summer Squash and Peppers
Thursday: Roast Beet Salad with Roast Chicken
Friday: One-Pan Chicken with Mushrooms in a Garlic Herb Sauce (recipe idea from NYT Cooking here)
Saturday: Pizza with Four Mushrooms (Oyster, Lion's Mane, Trumpet, and Portobellos), garlic confit mixed with ricotta, grated fontina and mozzarella, and fresh thyme
From favorite recipes to new meal ideas using a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut while reducing 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. 😉
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