Dinner Plans: Week 35

It’s Week 35 of Dinner Plans and we're focusing on all the back-to-school and back-to-work things!

We spent a wonderful week in Northern California last week for one last hurrah before the school year kicks into high gear for our family. It was great to have a chance to unplug together and spend time in a different place. Now we're back to our regularly scheduled programming this week. The kids start back to school and my husband, Jerry, and I are back at work tackling all the things.

I was so glad to be able to make our CSA pickup which was timely since we had little to no produce when we returned home over the weekend. Peppers and sweet corn have finally made their way to our boxes and I'm so excited!

Seasonal Cooking Tip: Meal Planning for Busy Weeks

This week, we've got a number of events to usher in the back-to-school season. With longer days and full schedules, I'm working to prep dinner efficiently.

Here's 3 ways we're getting ready for a busy week ahead:

1. Check Produce Box Inventory and Make a Quick List: I love checking what's in the CSA box as soon as we get it. A quick cursory scan of items will help me determine if there are items we need to pick up to supplement. This is usually bananas, apples, and other veggies depending on the dinner menu.
2. Shop the Freezer: I'll check for items already prepped. Since we're back from our trip, I took note of frozen meats and fish we have to batch prep some grilled chicken for easy lunch salads and taking note of fish for fish and chips this Friday.
3. Batch Prep Ingredients: I'm cooking up some pearled couscous for easy salads, marinating and grilling meats to have for tacos and rice bowls, and making a batch of granola and overnight oats for those fast school-drop off mornings.

See Part I and Part II of my Pantry Essentials Series for more tips and recommendations for keeping a well stocked pantry no matter what size pantry you have.

DINNER PLANS FOR THE WEEK

We've got Back-to-School on the schedule this week. As one of the last school districts in our area heading back to school, we're looking forward to the year ahead. Dinners are aiming to be quick and filling this week with all the summer goodies.

Here is our game plan for dinner this week:

Sunday: Grilled Marinated Chicken with Pearled Couscous Tabouleh

Monday: Summer Galette with Zucchini & Greens

Tuesday: Carne Asada Tacos with Grilled Corn Esquites

Wednesday: Zucchini with White Beans and Pesto

Thursday: Crispy Marinated Tofu with Garlicky Green Beans

Friday: Homemade Fish and Chips

Saturday: Zucchini & Burrata 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. 😉

Cheers to a nourishing week. ❤️