March meal plan #3
Rice bowls, an asparagus galette, and a trip to the Alps
Hi friends, Meredith here! The sun is finally out this morning after 20 straight days of rain and I can feel the seratonin boost already. I will spending the day outside after a quick trip to the supermarket.
In our house, I am the one who does the grocery shopping. I have a running list on my phone that is shared with my husband, but I’m usually the one who adds to it and takes care of it. I know the brands we like, which supermarket carries them, and have a pretty good knowledge of what’s in our pantry.
Last Saturday, as I was getting ready for my niece’s baptism, my husband ran down to the store for a few things we’d need over the next two days. He used the shared list, but he did not use the secret preferences that live in my brain (the audacity!) He got the wrong eggs (I buy categories 0 and 1, he bought 3), some frozen things that I would’ve bought fresh, linguine instead of spaghetti, and something that was supposed to be bacon, but was decidedly not bacon. We laughed as we unpacked the bags and I taught him about egg categories in his home country.
It was so nice to have a few extra minutes to get ready without rushing, but having that time meant letting go of my control of what goes in our kitchen. Another thing I don’t have control over: my husband’s laundry pile. This meme really made us laugh this week:
This is our honest feedback on what worked (or more likely, didn’t) from last week’s meal plan.
Little victories
Katie: My oldest daughter had a stomach bug and stayed home from school one day this week. It was not a victory cleaning up her puke at 11 p.m., but it was sweet to have her at home while I worked (husband watched her!), come out of my office to a home-cooked meal (oven roasted sea bass and potatoes), and get to eat lunch with her mid-week—a novelty for all.
Meredith: Everybody in our house (including a guest!) really enjoyed the Bacalhau à brás. I assumed we would since we love eating it when we travel to Portugal, but you never know with preschoolers. It was a big hit that will be added to our regular rotation.
Katie: Chicken noodle soup hit the spot on a cold, rainy day, and I feel so smug when I give it to my kids because I blend alllllll the veggies right into the broth and they’re none the wiser!
Meredith: I’ve seen this recipe for lemon chicken orzo so many times and finally decided to try it. We all loved it! (Katie: Adding to my meal plan ASAP)!
Humbling moments
Meredith: I decided to throw the protein muffins together right before a meeting and ended up burning them because I couldn’t step away when the timer went off. Lesson learned!
Katie: I put together beautiful sourdough dark chocolate scones (from this book!) on Tuesday night, and I was interrupted at pretty much every step by a 1-year-old who refused to go to bed and a 4-year-old who vomited her afternoon snack and dinner. And yes, of course I was parenting solo when this all went down✌️
Soooooo, there’s no meal plan for me this week—I’m heading to the French Alps on Monday for a weeklong work trip. I’m sad to leave my family, but I know they’ll be just fine without me. I’ve got golden chicken noodle soup and turkey chili from the other week stored in the freezer, and my husband can definitely fend for himself in the kitchen (see roasted sea bass above!). I know I’m both privileged and fortunate to have a village—we’ve got my in-laws close by, and they’ll surely help wherever they can while I’m away.
Monday: Salmon rice bowls (via What to Cook) because I saw salmon is on sale at Costco
Tuesday: Roast chicken (via NYT Cooking) with broccoli and sweet potatoes
Wednesday: Lemony arugula cacio e pepe (via Cravings)
Thursday: Spring asparagus galette, with store-bought dough to save time (via Smitten Kitchen)
Friday: Vegetarian lentil soup (via Cookie and Kate)
Other: Might try to make a batch of cookie dough dates (via Samah Dada)
Meredith: I finally caved and bought myself a pair of barrel leg jeans. They’ve been on my list for a while now and H&M sent me a code, so into my cart they went! I will give feedback next week. (Katie: I tried some on the other day with my husband in tow, and we had a good laugh at how ridiculous they looked on me! Can’t wait for this update.)
Katie: I love listening to podcasts while I cook, and the Armchair Anonymous series from Armchair Expert really brighten my Friday mornings—the listener stories range from scary and unbelievable to crying-in-the-kitchen funny.
Meredith: We’ve brought back our morning dance parties as a way to make getting ready for school a little more enjoyable. I love dancing in the kitchen with my family, even when the request of the day is Pedro on repeat. (Katie: This is so sweet!)
Katie: This guide to finding your style postpartum really resonated with me. I feel like I am finally starting to feel like myself again, almost two years after little Noelia joined our family. And on a related note… how long after you’ve had a baby can you still say you’re post-partum? Not asking for a friend. (Meredith: Also loved this!)