June meal plan #5
Falafel burgers, jambalaya, and yogurt-marinated grilled chicken with the works
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Hello, friends! Meredith and I were discussing our summer bucket lists earlier today, and I just am so excited for what’s to come in the next few weeks. As challenging as summers with children are (no school, limited childcare options, temperatures so high it’s hard to find activities that don’t involve just running errands in air-conditioned spaces), it’s still such a beautiful part of the year.
And summer with little ones feels especially sweet.
It’s a break from the daily grind and routine. It’s sleeping in as late (or—ahem—as little) as they want. It’s pistachio ice cream and homemade popsicles. It’s the chance to swim every single afternoon for as long as they want, and getting out for the quickest of quick hose-offs in the outdoor shower before heading inside for dinner with wet hair and pajamas. It’s staying up later than normal. It’s sunsets at 10 pm. It’s watermelon that’s so juicy, it drips down our wrists. It’s peaches and nectarines and cherries. It’s two weeks at the beach where they get to run along the shoreline, dipping their toes in the frigid Atlantic. It’s pitchers of gazpacho, big bowls of salmorejo.
I’m not saying there aren’t hard bits—there always are. But getting to see summer through their eyes is pure magic.
This is our honest feedback on what worked (or more likely, didn’t) from last week’s meal plan.
Little victories
Katie: My husband should cook more! He made his chorizo, corn, and tomato pasta on Monday, and it was a treat to be cooked for, plus it was downright delicious.
Meredith: I was at a conference this week and was a bit skeptical about the food offerings (catering for 4,000 people is hard), but it was very good! My favorite dish was a warm quinoa and roasted carrot salad with cranberry raisins and walnuts.
Katie: Saturday evening, I threw together a sofrito for rice the next day—onion, garlic, tomato, white wine, roasted red peppers, pork ribs, and mushrooms. I got to swim Sunday morning without a care in the world, knowing all I had to do was add rice and water to a pot with the sofrito and lunch was sorted for the four of us. And side note, my 2-year-old is in the phase where she eats everything and doesn’t have many opinions. It was hilarious to watch her gobble up the mushrooms, saying “Quiero más mushrooms!” every time she took a bite.
Meredith: Fernandito and I stumbled upon a new gelato place, and the strawberry gelato was incredible. I can’t wait to go back this week!
Humbling moments
Katie: I riffed off a tortilla (Mexican, not Spanish) recipe I had laying around and really messed it up. Didn’t use a stand mixer, subbed butter for lard, added way too much flour. We ate them, but I wouldn’t say they were good per se.
Meredith: As someone living in Spain, the food prices in America will always be humbling to me… but the prices in Las Vegas? I cannot stop thinking and talking about them. I am currently writing this newsletter while eating a $9 yogurt and drinking a $10 coffee from Starbucks. That’s nearly half of my weekly grocery bill!
Katie: My kids—who LOVED this spring wedding soup the first time I made it—were not fans this week! Annoying, but hey, there were more leftovers for my husband and me that way.
This week’s game plan: I feel like eating on the lighter side (because duh, summer) but still deliciously. Falafel burgers and fish sound refreshing, and Molly Baz’ recipe for spiced, grilled, & swaddled chicken thighs is a favorite of mine that I haven’t made in way too long.
Monday: Broiled falafel burgers (via Alexandra Cooks)
Tuesday: Unforgettable fish cakes (via Dinner A Love Story)
Wednesday: Leftover falafel burgers
Thursday: Spiced, grilled & swaddled chicken thighs with the works (via Molly Baz’ Cook This Book, but also here)
Friday: Leftover chicken, but repurposed in a grain bowl (thinking quinoa, yogurt sauce, cucumber and tomato salad, and the leftover pickled onions)
Other: I can’t stop buying peaches and nectarines, and this week I’m dreaming of a tomato-peach-mozz-basil salad for dinner one night, as well as roasting some fruit to top a yogurt bowl or some overnight oats.
This week’s game plan: We’re going to be traveling at the end of the week, but I’d like to make at least one or two good, wholesome meals at the start of it. My body is begging for homemade food after a week on the road.
Monday: Grilled steak or chicken with roasted sweet potato fries and broccoli (no recipe, I’ll just toss the veggies in olive oil and sea salt before baking for 15-20 minutes at 425°F/220°C).
Tuesday: Trader Joe's skillet pasta with sausage and brussels sprouts (via The New Family Table)
Wednesday: Traveling for 4th of July
Thursday: Traveling for 4th of July
Friday: Traveling for 4th of July—My friend’s mom always makes a delicious pot of jambalaya (similar, via All Recipes) for the day of the parade.
Other: I need to prepare some purees for Lola. I tried a few store-bought options and she wasn’t a fan of any of them. I think I’ll make one with chicken (similar ingredients and method used in Katie’s golden chicken soup recipe, but less water and I’ll puree all of it at the end).
Meredith: The mental (and physical) gymnastics of pumping while traveling this week took a lot out of me, but I am grateful to have made a whole new group of friends. Moms really look out for each other in a way that no one else does. I lent out my pump when someone else’s died, someone lent me space in their freezer, and everyone shared cleaning products and tips and tricks. There are countless essays about the lack of "a village,” but I found a great one this week. Oh, and the real MVPs: my wearable pump and this insulated milk chiller. Worth every penny.
Katie: I’m thinking about putting together some sort of summer bingo or punchcard game for my girls. I love the idea of setting out little challenges for them to tackle in the coming weeks—things like learn to tie your shoes! Help your sister with something! Swim from one end of the pool to the other with no floatie!—And if they get to everything, they can choose any book (in English) their heart desires! (Meredith: I love this idea!)
Meredith: I took Fernandito to the local library, and we checked out The Book with No Pictures. Hillary recommended it in our interview with her, and she was RIGHT. The book is wonderful. So many belly laughs.
Katie: I LOVED reading this article on the kitchen hacks experts swear by! I knew a couple of them (I love making sure I have perfectly circular cookies with a biscuit cutter!) but learned quite a few new tricks!
Ahh hope you love the skillet pasta Meredith! And The Book with No Pictures is truly the best!