Dinner Plans: Week 1

Happy New Year! It's the First Week of 2026 and we're relishing winter comfort meals!

I took a much needed break over the holiday and relished time with family and friends. I hope you also had a chance to rest and reflect as we turn our attention to fresh planners and boundless ambition for the year ahead. Also savoring these last days of "winter break" before we resume school and work routines tomorrow.

Dinner Plans for Week 1

It may be a New Year, but we're carrying on in our practices of low-waste cooking that's reflective of the season's ingredients. Winter here in Napa also reflects a slowness in harvests though much of what is in season right continues to be dark leafy greens, cabbage, root veggies like beets, and loads of citrus. It's a time of year where I'm also leaning into what I've frozen from summer to craft meals that are comforting, cozy, delicious.

Sunday definitely calls for a cozy lasagna using the gorgeous chard I picked up at the local farmstand and the ground beef from our recent meat club delivery. A can of crushed tomatoes will help in crafting a simple sauce as I've got absolutely no freezer tomatoes now. My hope, and plan, is tending our garden to be Tomato Central come Summer. In the meantime, soup's on for at least 3 nights this week, which feels appropriate considering the amount of cloudy, rainy days we've had here. Gnocchi makes a return to the menu as I've not made it in a while and we've got a handful of pesto cubes left. Though, the carrot tops from this week's produce pickup will be put to good use here. Waste not, want not!

Here’s what caught my attention in our garden, fridge, freezer, and pantry this week:

• DIY Salad Mix
• Ground Beef
• 1 bunch chard
• Napoli Carrots + Carrot Tops
• Russett Potatoes
• Pac Choi
• Mixed Mushrooms in Freezer
• Koji Marinade
• No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
• One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Seasonal Lasagna with Spinach and Ground Beef

Monday: Maple Harissa Roast Carrot Soup with Crispy Mushrooms

Tuesday: Abuela's Albondigas Soup (recipe coming this month!)

Wednesday: Carrot Top Pesto Gnocchi with Koji Marinated Boneless Pork Chops

Thursday: Ramen with Pac Choi, Mushrooms, and Crispy Tofu

Friday: Smash Burgers with Grilled Onions and Melty Toma Cheese

Saturday: Pizza Picnic with Fontina, Caramelized Onion, Fennel, and Spicy Italian Sausage

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. 😉