Meal plan for Jan 7-14
We're back!
Happy New Year!
It’s been nice to get back to normal after the holidays, which were wonderful. In January I always crave a reset: more budget-conscious, more wholesome food and getting back to our normal schedule. But in the winter I also want to acknowledge and care for the part of me that needs warmth and small indulgences to make it through. That’s where this meal plan is coming from and I hope it meets your January specific needs.
I’m posting a recipe index this week that will live on ecscoggin.substack.com and be updated with the new recipes. I hope it makes it easier to find things. Happy cooking!
Quick Links
butternut squash and black bean tacos // lemon chicken soup, peasant bread, loaf pan version // shakshuka // thai beef stir fry, gado gado
Weeknight meals
Butternut squash and black bean tacos
These tacos are similar to the sweet potato ones I shared on my first newsletter, but different enough to warrant repeating a similar recipe. I think it’s fun to have both recipes in my arsenal, but here’s a link to the other tacos if you liked those ones a lot!
The creamy sauce really makes these and I usually substitute half of the amount of mayo with sour cream.
Lemon chicken soup and peasant bread
This greek-inspired soup is very lemony and is creamy without the addition of any dairy. Tempered eggs (whisked with broth to slowly bring to temperature) give the soup this creamy texture and thicken it nicely. Be careful warming the leftovers slowly because too much heat with result in a slightly scrambled-egg texture.
I think that the chicken can be easily skipped or white beans would be a good substitute for vegetarians.
This bread is an all time favorite for me. It’s really quick to make and so delicious. The texture is really perfect, delicious hot out of the oven with salted butter. If you don’t have these specific sizes of bowls, she also has shared a loaf pan recipe with the same bread recipe.
Ok here’s my first official repeat recipe! Such a delicious dinner and great for times when we’re scaling back but still wanting something warm and comforting. The peasant bread would be delicious with this or pita.
Project meal
Thai Beef Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
This was delicious and also very fun with all the different toppings. We used mango in place of the nectarines, cucumber, crushed peanuts, sliced bell peppers, cilantro and lime wedges. The options are pretty much endless and the peanut sauce ties the whole thing together.
For a vegetarian version, this riff on Indonesian Gado-Gado would be a fun dinner!
Treat of the week
Peanut butter banana smoothie
We still have a lot of Christmas candy hanging around and I haven’t been wanting to make treats but sometimes you need something yummy. We love a pb smoothie for any time of the day. Here’s our recipe:
2 very ripe bananas
up to 1/2 cup of peanut butter
about 1/4 cup of oats
1 cup of almond milk
a drop of vanilla, a squirt of honey, or a few tablespoons of chocolate syrup
handful of ice
blend it up!
Something to listen to
My husband makes a great playlist of his favorite songs of the year every year and here’s this year’s!
Have a great week!
Emily