Dinner Plans: Week 5

It's Week 5 of Dinner Plans and we're actively changing our shopping habits!

I'm in a state of reassessment as I comb through our list of places where we grocery shop and whittle down vendors even more. As I shared with my husband over the weekend, “I'm so over supporting a system that favors the uber wealthy." Habits can be hard to break and while the convenience of placing a grocery order for curbside pickup was helpful (I think back to early COVID days and that was undoubtedly helpful.), I'm holding the stance that our independent grocers and small, local farms are where we need to focus our support now. I realize more and more there's agency in choosing where our dollars go and, for me, the food we put on our table daily is one area where I'm doubling down on this level of discernment.

The most recent addition: Good Pantry. A zero-waste grocer in town, Good Pantry focuses on offering refillable, ethically sourced household staples and grab-and-go food items. They recently began offering pre-order for produce and proteins for pick-up and I jumped at it for the ease of ordering ahead and picking up at a time that worked for me on Friday. This felt like a ridiculously simple swap: I still had the convenience of ordering ahead and I'm shopping from a store that's meaningfully partnering with local farms in the process. It's options like these that make me so grateful for the ways we can enjoy seasonal produce without having to resort to shopping at big corporations. It's a small, yet meaningful, way I'm cultivating resistance and resilience at home. 

Dinner Plans for Week 5

I have one more big work trip for the quarter, so meal prep has meant preparing ingredients for my family to keep on cooking on with ease. The recent produce order from Good Pantry is giving us loads of winter greens for salads, leeks and potatoes for soup, and I'm making a batch of Honey Nut Granola for easy yogurt bowls.

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

• 1 pound frozen salmon
• ½ head of red cabbage
• Rosalba Radicchio
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 bunches carrots
• Leeks
• Little Gems
• Potatoes
• Shallots
• Beef Stew Chunks

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: One Pot Beef Stew

Monday: Winter Greens Salad with White Beans, Farro, Shaved Fennel, Citrus, and Honey Dijon Dressing

Tuesday: Potato & Chorizo Tacos

Wednesday: Leek and Potato Soup with Cheesy Croutons

Thursday: Yuzu Kosho Marinated Chicken Thighs, Rice, and Steamed Veggies

Friday: Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Quick Slaw and Toma Cheese Skirt (final recipe test for a fun project I'm working on!)

Saturday: Pizza Picnic with Caramelized Onions, Peppers, Fontina, and 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. 😉