What to cook for dinner this week:
- Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Rice and Beans, and Sautéed Vegetables
- Steak Tacos with Pico de Gallo
- Vegetarian Chili with ALL the fixings and Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
- Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables
- Cornbread Salad with Sausage and Tomatoes
If you’re not familiar with this blog, here’s the basic idea:
Using some of the same ingredients in multiple dishes throughout the week is the key to getting delicious, wholesome, good for you, home cooked meals on the table several nights of the week. The recipes in each 5-day meal plan include some prep-work for another meal later in the week.
Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts. A little = a lot.
*This meal plan is based on a family of 4, with a couple of meals making more than 4 servings so that you have some leftovers for lunches, etc.
(A shopping list for this week’s meal plan is at the bottom of this page)
Day #1: Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Rice and Beans, and Sautéed Vegetables
Meal prep for tonight and for the rest of the week:
NOTE: It's a good idea to soak the beans overnight before cooking. Here's how.
1. Get a batch of Slow Cooker Black Beans going in the morning - they'll take 4 hours on high and 6 hours on low. The beans will be mixed with rice and served as a side dish tonight AND used in Vegetarian Chili on Day #3. (You can substitute canned beans if you prefer. You'll want a total of 4 cans, any combination of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans.)
2. Make a DOUBLE BATCH of Chimichurri Sauce. This sauce will take about 10 minutes to make. Spoon it over Flank Steak tonight and reserve the leftover sauce in the refrigerator to top Vegetarian Chili on Day #3.
3. Mix up a batch of Grilled Flank Steak Dry Rub, and use it to season tonight's steak.
4. Make rice and beans: Cook 1 & 1/2 cups of dry long-grain rice according to the package instructions. Add the rice and about 2 cups of beans to a saucepan set over low heat. Ladle in about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid from the beans. Cook just long enough to heat through, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reserve leftovers to serve with Steak Tacos on Day #2.
5. Make Perfect Sautéed Vegetables. Follow the recipe for Perfect Sauteed Vegetables to cook a total of 6 red bell peppers (or any color bell peppers), 2 large yellow onions, and 2 pounds of asparagus.
Serve half of the vegetables tonight. Combine the remaining bell peppers and onions in a container and reserve in the refrigerator for Steak Tacos on Day #2. Reserve the remaining asparagus for Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables on Day #4.
6. Follow the recipe below to grill 4 - 6 pounds of steak. How much you grill really depends on how much you think your family will eat. An average serving is 1/2 to 3/4 pound per person. Make enough for dinner tonight with 2 pounds left over for tacos on Day #2.
To Get a Jump on the Rest of the Week:
1. Prepare a DOUBLE BATCH of Pico de Gallo. Reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator for Steak Tacos on Day #2 and Vegetarian Chili on Day #3.
2. Follow the first step in the recipe for Vegetarian Chili to roast, peel, and chop the poblano peppers. Store in a covered container and reserve in the refrigerator. This meal prep task can be done the night you make the chili, but doing it now will save you about 10 minutes.
3. Follow the instructions in the Vegetarian Chili recipe to cook tortilla strips. You might want to fry up a few extra because it's impossible not to snack on these while you make them. 😊
Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Simple grilled flank steak seasoned with a dry rub of cumin, chili powder, garlic and oregano and topped with the bright, fresh flavor of Argentinian Chimichurri sauce makes for a simple flavor-packed meal.
Cocktail Pairing: Perfect Cuban Mojitos
The perfect Cuban Mojito is sweet, sour, crisp and refreshing. This version, which does not require simple syrup, takes only a couple of minutes to make.
Go all out with Homemade Flour Tortillas
If you want to turn tonight's meal into a feast, make a batch of Homemade Tortillas. Homemade tortillas are infinitly better than the storebought variety and surprisingly easy to make. Once you make a batch, you may never go back to to packaged again.
Day #2: Flank Steak Tacos
Thanks to the prep work you did on Day #1, tonight's steak tacos will be on the table in about 15 minutes.
1. Reheat the steak, red peppers, onions, and rice & beans you cooked on Day#1
2. Follow the instructions in the recipe for tonight's tacos to warm the tortillas.
2. Pull the Pico de Gallo from the refrigerator, and dinner is served.
*If you didn't make Pico de Gallo earlier in the week, make a DOUBLE BATCH, before making the tacos. Reserve leftover pico for Vegetarian Chili on Day #3.
Grilled Flank Steak Tacos with Pico de Gallo
Strips of seasoned, grilled flank steak and sautéed red peppers & onions are layered inside warm corn tortillas and topped with the bright, fresh flavor of Pico de Gallo.
Cocktail Pairing: Freshly Squeezed Orange Margarita
While every good margarita should include a splash of orange liquor, this orange margarita includes the addition of freshly squeezed orange juice, brightening the flavors and creating a fresh tropical cocktail, even when the weather outside is frightful.
Dessert Pairing: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Lemon Bars
These are my idea of the PERFECT Lemon Bar. The shortbread crust is so buttery it literally melts in your mouth and the filling is silky smooth and bursting with tart lemon flavor.
Day #3: Vegetarian Chili and Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
1. If you didn't roast the poblano peppers on Day #1, do that first because they'll need time to cool. (Follow the first step in the recipe instructions.)
2. Get the cornbread batter mixed up so that you can let it bake while you prepare the chili. (Or, enlist a helper so one of you can make the chili and the other can make the cornbread.)
The cornbread recipe will make 8 servings. Serve 4 tonight, and reserve the other 4 for Cornbread Salad on Day #5. If you need more than 4 servings of cornbread for dinner tonight, just double the recipe.
3. If you haven't already: while the chili simmers, grate 1-2 cups of cheese and follow the instructions in the recipe notes to fry some tortilla strips.
Vegetarian Chili ~ With Pico de Gallo & Chimichurri
Vegetarian Chili packed with beans, onions, poblano peppers, red bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes that are simmered in a spicy red wine broth, then topped with chimichurri sauce, fresh Pico de Gallo, fried tortilla strips, and, if you like, some shredded cheese.
Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
This Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread is sweet, savory AND spicy, with a touch of brown sugar and honey, pickled jalapeños, and loads of cheese.
Dessert Pairing: Peach Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Tender little balls of buttery shortbread cookie dough rolled in roasted almonds, filled with a dollop of peach preserves, and adorned with a drizzle of almond glaze. These thumbprint cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender and positively addicting.
Day #4: Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables
Making homemade pasta for tonight's dinner is completely optional, of course. However, if you've never made fresh pasta, and have the inclination, the step-by-step tutorial below will walk you through the ins and outs of pasta making.
1. Remember the leftover sautéed asparagus you cooked on Day #1? Pull that out of your refrigerator and use it in tonight's meal.
2. Cook a total of 2 pounds of Italian Sausage. Use half the sausage tonight and reserve the other half for Cornbread Salad on Day #5.
Pasta with Sausage & Vegetables ~ Lemon Caper Sauce
Egg Fettuccini Pasta coated in a Lemon Caper Sauce and tossed with Italian Sausage, Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan, Pine Nuts and fresh herbs. Fresh, bright flavors define this simple, quick meal.
*Remember to cook 2 pounds of Italian Sausage and reserve half in the refrigerataor for Cornbread Salad on Day #5.
How To Make Homemade Pasta: A Picture Tutorial
Homemade past is such a treat and, once you master the basics, it’s surprisingly easy and fun to make. This step-by-step picture tutorial will walk you through all the details of how to make a perfect batch of delicious homemade pasta.
Dessert Pairing: Lemon Berry Snack Cake
Soft, fluffy squares of vanilla butter cake, flavored with lemon and berries and slathered with sweet-tart lemon icing. Sprinkles recommended. Plate and fork not required.
Day #5: Cornbread Salad with Sausage and Tomatoes
This recipe will use up the leftover Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread you reserved from dinner on Day #3 AND extra sausage you cooked on Day #4.
It is a surprisingly unique way to use up leftover cornbread that might have you making cornbread just so you can make this salad.
Cornbread Salad with Italian Sausage & Tomatoes
This cornbread salad starts with cubes of Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread dried in the oven then tossed with Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, and spinach in a quick vinaigrette. It is a surprisingly delicious and unique meal that the whole family will love, even the biggest skeptics.
Cocktail Pairing: Aperol Spritz Cocktail (Spritz Veneziano)
This classic Italian aperitif cocktail is the color of a sunset and capable of brightening any ordinary afternoon with it’s light and refreshing mix of sweet, crisp, and bitter.
Dessert Pairing: Cherry Turnovers with Cream Cheese and Almonds
Cherry turnovers with a sweet dark cherry & cream cheese filling that’s wrapped in flaky puff pastry and topped with roasted almonds and almond vanilla glaze.
Useful Equipment:
Several of this week’s recipes require a large skillet and a heavy bottom saucepan. If you don’t have these two items, here are the ones I suggest. If you’re planning to try your hand at homemade pasta, I highly suggest investing in a pasta machine. I’ve made homemade pasta without one and it’s a pain in the you-know-what.
There are probably a lot of good pasta machines out there, but the one below is what I use, and I recommend it highly. A food processor makes quick work of chimichurri sauce, amongst many other things. It’s another appliance in my kitchen that I don’t know what I’d do without.
- Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Cuisinart Large Non-Stick Skillet
- Marcato Atlas Pasta Macine
- Cuisinart Food Processor
Shopping List, Spring Meal Plan #2
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Print*Does not include ingredients for suggested baked goods.
- 4-6 lbs flank steak
- 2 & 1/2 cups fresh parsley
- 4 cups fresh cilantro
- 1 bunch green onions
- 14 cloves of garlic
- 8 bell peppers
- 4 large yellow onions2 large red onions
- 1 large shallot, peeled and diced
- 2 pounds of asparagus
- 3 poblano peppers
- 12 ripe roma tomatoes
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes (about 32 oz)
- 2 medium sized zucchini
- 2 jalepenos
- 5 heaping cups spinach
- 2 limes
- 2-3 large lemons (enough for 1/4 cup lemon juice)
- 2 pounds ground Italian Sausage, hot or sweet
- 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cups olive oil
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 4 tbsp Ground Cumin
- 5 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 3 tbsp Onion Powder
- 3 tbsp Oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 & 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (for the cornbread)
- 1 cup ground cornmeal (for the cornbread)
- Baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch (for the cornbread)
- 16 ounces (1 lb) dried beans, any variety or combination
- 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
- 3 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- For slow cooker beans, you’ll need 8 cups of liquid. This can be water, chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños (for the cornbread)
- 4 oz non pareil capers, drained
- 12 oz dried egg fettuccini noodles – OR – get the ingredients for homemade pasta
- 1 & 1/2 – 3 cups of rice
- 1 large package corn tortillas – at least 24
- Salt and pepper
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
- Optional toppings for pasta on Day #3: fresh basil or more chopped parsley, shaved parmesan, pine nuts
- 2 cups cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (to top vegetarian chili)
- 2 cups cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (for the cornbread)
- sour cream (to top vegetarian chili)
- 1 cup buttermilk (for the cornbread)
- 3 large eggs (for the cornbread)
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (for the vegetarian chili)
- 3 tbsp honey (for the cornbread)
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