Weeks 09-10 – Early-March

I would like to officially thank my husband for many of the ideas in this meal plan. It was created as we were travelling, and he was telling me about all the food he’d like me to cook when we returned home. There are lots of veggies here, but nothing exotic that you’ll have a hard time finding at this time of year.

MINI PLAN NOTES

• Everything on this plan can be made ahead of time, except the Gado gado potatoes and veggies which I recommend eating fresh at least once. (They are OK reheated… but less exciting.)
• If you choose to batch only every other week, you could do everything at once – it won’t be more than two hours, and you’ll have food for the coming two weeks. Just freeze about half of the resulting food (use labels!) for super-easy dinners next week.

FAMILY PLAN NOTES

• Depending on how your calendar looks in week 9, you may want to prep the African peanut and chickpea stew and the Red lentil soup ahead of time. It will make them tastier, too. Start them in the slow cooker on the weekend and, voilà! one fewer things to do on a weeknight.
• Black bean tacos and red slaw: I encourage you to make the slaw at least 2 hours ahead, or the night before. If you make it just before dinner, it will be good but less flavorful.
• For extra yumminess, I introduce chipotle pepper powder in the black bean recipes. If you prefer, you can simply use mild chili powder of course.
• I encourage you to add leftover vegetables to week 9’s fried rice. It’s Friday after all!
• If you’d like to up the veggies on the pizza, you could chop a head of cauliflower really finely and toss in a bit of BBQ sauce. Spread on top of the smoked tofu and follow the rest of the directions as is.