May meal plan #2

Taco party black beans, foccaccia pizza, and parmesan-crusted chicken cutlets

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I (Meredith) am in a funk. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not feeling particularly well, if it’s a bit of postpartum depression, or if it’s because 8 months later, my body still doesn’t feel like mine, but I’m struggling. I could gloss over it, tell you I’m just so busy and so looking forward to summer, but I think we all consume a lot of false positivity.

Our social media feeds are full of people in happy relationships, with perfect jobs, clean homes, and angelic children. My life is like that a lot of the time—I have a wonderful husband, my dream job, a pretty clean house, and two very kind and happy kids—but it isn’t always like that, and it’s important to be vulnerable and share that, too. Sometimes my husband and I really annoy one another. Workplace politics make me want to scream. I am constantly tripping over matchbox cars and toy swords. My preschooler has big feelings, and my baby is full of snot (again), and she’s teething.

I’m a to-do list gal, so here’s what I’m going to do to dig myself out of this funk: I’m going to make an effort to move my body every day (I’ve been thinking this for weeks, but maybe now that it’s in writing, I’ll follow through?). I’m going to eat foods that help with mood—nuts, seeds, fish, greens, and fermented things. I’m going to make an effort to go to sleep earlier. And last but not least, I am going to drink at least two liters of water a day. I’ll keep you all posted! -Meredith

We ❤️cooking, as evidenced by: spring wedding soup, seeded sourdough in progress, pasta bolognese, curried chicken salad, and homemade sandwich bread!

This is our honest feedback on what worked (or more likely, didn’t) from last week’s meal plan. Remember, this month we’ve chosen our first cookbook for our monthly cookbook club. You’ll find snippets of our initial thoughts below, but we’ll do a big recap once the month is up!

Little victories

• Meredith: Is there anything better than coming home from a day of drinking and socializing to a delicious, home-cooked meal? I went to Feria on Thursday for lunch and drinks, and I was so happy to have a bowl of bolognese to tuck into when I got home.

• Katie: I turned a leftover roast chicken carcass into broth (thanks, Meredith!), and it always surprises me how magical it feels to turn leftover bones and water into a golden-hued treasure. (Meredith: I did, too. It’s the best!)

• Katie: I used that broth for this spring wedding soup, and it was a total show-stopper. I loved the surprising bite of lemon zest in the chicken meatballs. Will definitely be repeating this one.

• Meredith: The curried chicken salad from Start Here was delicious, so full of flavor, and a great way to use up leftover chicken.

• Katie: All hail the Waldorf salad from Start Here! I’ve never had this before but was intrigued by the combination of sweet, savory, salty, crunchy, and funky. I honestly was eating this by the spoonful over the sink before I even made it to the dining room table!

• Katie: One of my greatest hacks for eating well during the busy week: Prepping a bean-based stew on a Sunday. They store beautifully and often only improve over time. Sohla’s chickpea and swiss chard stew was easy to throw together, and it made for two very easy weekday lunches for me and my husband.

Humbling moments

• Katie: I loved Sohla’s brothy roast chicken (especially that oniony, garlicky, white wine sauce!), but I’ll save that recipe for the next time I’m hosting. It wasn’t hard to finely slice two onions and eight cloves of garlic, buuuuut it wasn’t ideal for a quick lunch break either.

• Katie: Sohla’s banana bread was EPIC in flavor and texture, but it was a bit too fussy for me. I love a baking project, but browning butter before pulling out the stand mixer to cream it is a lot to ask for banana bread (especially on a Tuesday night when I’ve just tucked my kids into bed.)

This week’s game plan: Slowly but surely I’m making my way through my pantry, and I’m also still very much inspired by this month’s cookbook club pick, Start Here. Also leaning into my favorite move mentioned above—a big pot of beans on a Sunday goes a long way for this busy working mom who also still wants to eat well. Also, I can prep most of the zucchini sauce for Monday’s pasta dish over the weekend so that should come together in a pinch, too.

Monday: Spaghetti with zucchini, pecorino, & mint (via Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly)
Tuesday: Taco party black beans to put on crispy tostadas (via Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly)
Wednesday: BLTs and roast potatoes
Thursday: Perfect parmesan crusted chicken cutlets (via The subSNACK) & a salad
Friday: Leftover taco party black beans in a taco salad
Other: Spring is springing in Córdoba (which is so lovely—normally we go from cold weather to summer in about a week!), so I really feel like getting another cozy bake in. I haven’t decided yet, but I’ve got my eye on lemony glazed cake doughnuts, my favorite chocolate chip cookies, or perhaps some tahini-laced brownies. Also really craving some homemade granola for breakfast yogurt bowls.

This week’s game plan: Sohla’s book is like a big, colorful kitchen textbook, so I want to try to learn a few new techniques this week. I’m going to make my way through her notes on the different styles of eggs (scrambled, boiled, and fried) that she beautifully details, and a couple of other things that caught my eye.

Monday: Grilled beef and mushroom bowls (via What to Cook) with Sohla’s method for steamed rice
Tuesday: Crusty no-knead focaccia pizza (via Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly)
Wednesday: Grilled chicken and roasted veggies
Thursday: Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli (via Once Upon a Chef)
Friday: Ordering in or breakfast for dinner
Other: I still want to make a batch of Sohla’s drop cookies—I linked a version of them last week but didn’t get to it.

• Meredith: I really loved this piece on our new American Pope. It made me think a lot about my identity as an American living in another country.

• Katie: Are we all aware that we’re supposed to be reapplying sunscreen throughout the day?! Or at least that’s the advice I’ve been given recently since I’m upping my retinol dosage, and I don’t want to mess around with sun exposure. I picked up this little guy to carry around in my purse for retouches, and since I can spray it over my makeup, it’s pretty easy to remember! (Meredith: Yes! I have this one in my bag!)

• Meredith: Mosquitos are back in a big way, and I’ve run out of my favorite anti-bug and after-bite cream from the US. Any recommendations for a kid-safe option in Europe?

• Katie: This article was so heartbreakingly beautiful. I’ve been thinking about it on and off this week—the poem she excerpts at the end has been haunting me in the best way.