March meal plan #4

Featuring the crispy chicken thighs with lemon garlic orzo that's all over the internet

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What a week, friends. From Monday to Friday, I (Katie) was in the French Alps with my colleagues. We worked, of course, but we also got to trek in the mountains, soak up southern France's sunshine, and eat some really outstanding food. I missed my family like crazy, but I was also grateful for the chance to disconnect from the daily grind.

I'm writing this as I wait for my flight from Geneva to Madrid, and I'm buzzing with excitement to get home not only to my people, but also to my kitchen. I'm dreaming of recreating the wild blueberry tart that I ate after hiking up a mountain, and I can't wait to feed my family homemade borek, a Croatian staple of spiraled filo dough filled with spiced meat and onions, that my colleague prepared for us one night. I'm also looking forward to reading my kids their bedtime stories, coloring and playing with building blocks in the living room, and having slow, sleepy-faced breakfasts with my family this weekend. I’m ready to get back into my routine.

That's the wonderful thing about disconnecting, isn't it? A fresh outlook, a little bit of inspiration, and that lovely little nudge that it's time to go home. -Katie

This is our honest feedback on what worked (or more likely, didn’t) from last week’s meal plan.

Little victories

• Meredith: I didn’t end up making those Korean beef bowls last week, but I did make them this week and they were phenomenal. Added it to the Recipe Archive because we’ll be making it again and again.

• Katie: I did minimal cooking this week (a beet salad to accompany dinner one night!), but very much enjoyed fondue, wild blueberry tarts, omelettes with cheese and ham, and my fair share of croissaints, and pain au chocolat. My victory was this little escape from the daily routine.

• Meredith: Allergy season is upon us and my nose, throat (and belly!) really appreciated having a warm mug of broth on Friday. I also used it to boost Lola’s purees this week and she loved it!

Humbling moments

• Meredith: Fernandito requested pancakes with sprinkles on Thursday. Why? I don’t know. But we tried it. Unfortunately, sprinkles in Spain have a lower melting point than their American counterparts, so the colors disappeared in the batter. He wasn’t pleased, but he ate them anyway.

• Meredith: I ordered my whole chicken cut into quarters because I thought it would cook faster, which it did, but it was harder to carve. From now on, I’m sticking with a whole chicken tal cual.

• Meredith: Me, again. I know this will come as a huge shock, but Fernandito did not like the asparagus galette.

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A note: Before we jump into our meal plans, we hope it’s clear that these are ideas and inspiration for what our weeks will look like. They hardly ever go to plan (which we cover the following week in the Cutting Board Confessionals section), and that’s okay. We’re here to share what we’re making and what excites us in the kitchen, but we’re also here to let you know that we make the same roast chicken or tried-and-true stews we know our family loves, not every meal is gourmet, and not everything goes as planned💛.

Monday: Spanish cocido (via every Spanish abuela ever and documented on Always Olives)
Tuesday: Crispy chicken thighs with cream lemon garlic orzo (via Brocc Your Body)
Wednesday: Guinness beef stew (via NYT Cooking) and Irish soda bread (via Serious Eats)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pizza night, giving tonda-style pizza a try (via Alexandra Cooks)
Other: Yet another batch of banana oat pancakes (via Julia Turshen) because my kids love them almost as much as I do. And I’ll be taking my sourdough starter out at some point to liven it up again. To be determined if I try a new recipe from Maurizio Leo’s book The Perfect Loaf or perhaps just throw together some sourdough crackers for the pantry.

Monday: Sheet-pan bibimbap (via NYT Cooking and inspired by Sarah Janetti)
Tuesday: Grilled chicken or pork filets with roasted vegetables
Wednesday: Moroccan-inspired chicken couscous (via The Mediterranian Dish). I don’t have the spice blend mentioned in this recipe so I’m going to make my own.
Thursday: Lemony arugula cacio e pepe (via Cravings by Chrissy Teigen)
Friday: Dinner out—we’re heading to Portugal for the weekend!
Other: Blueberry muffins (via Culinary Hill) to satisfy a recent craving for Dave’s.

• Meredith: I love our family dinners, but I sometimes crave a little more spice and often crave a real, adult conversation with my husband. We can’t always make it out for dinner, so setting up a standing adult dinner might be our new thing.

• Katie: I started Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt this week (Meredith: Ooh, I loved that book!) and am really loving how every other chapter is narrated by an octopus (Yep, you read that right.) I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m totally invested in the story of a mother who can’t accept what everyone else believes to be true about her missing son.

• Meredith: We started watching Paradise after it was mentioned a few times in the mom group chat. It’s great—you should watch it—but I also love the soundtrack. (Katie: We devoured this show, too!) It reminds me of the radio station that played in my Nana’s kitchen while she made a delicious roast beef and mashed potatoes.

• Katie: I found real Greek yogurt in Spain! Thick, protein-rich Fage Greek yogurt is available at Corte Inglés. Oh, and I bought a tub of the strawberry version for my girls, and they had close to 400 grams of yogurt in one sitting. Success? I think so!