Sunday Prep Club #9
A plan for feeding your family this week
It’s Sunday again, so let this be a helpful too for you to plan for the week ahead. I hope the sun came out for you this weekend - it did on my end. That always helps add a ‘pep’ in my meal planning step. That usually means, simpler, lighter meals, and firing up the grill when possible.
So that’s the plan for this week - get the grill going, use leftovers throughout the week, and wrap it all up by ordering pizza on Friday. Because on spring and summer Fridays, I’m going to sit outside with a glass of wine.
Happy long weekend to my Canadian followers. Save this email to read tomorrow when it feels more like Sunday. And for the US readers, let’s keep it simple heading into our long weekend next week.
This Week’s Dinner Plan
Monday: BBQ chicken thighs with coleslaw
Tuesday: Loaded taco sweet potatoes
Wednesday: Salad with chicken and sweet potatoes
Thursday: Orzo and meatball skillet
Friday: Pizza night
How It Comes Together
BBQ chicken thighs with coleslaw
Slather chicken thighs with BBQ sauce and grill (or roast). Serve them with coleslaw (the pre-chopped kind from the bag, bonus if it comes with a dressing).
Loaded taco sweet potatoes
A twist on the typical taco night. Make all the taco fixings like ground turkey (or beef) with taco seasoning, black beans with taco seasoning, chopped avocado, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped green onion, hot sauce and sour cream (or I usually use Greek yogurt because I always have it on hand). Serve it all on top of roasted sweet potatoes - everyone makes their own.
Salad with chicken and sweet potatoes
Make a double batch of chicken on Monday and roast extra sweet potatoes on Tuesday so this dinner comes together quickly. Toss sweet potatoes and chicken with any salad greens (I used shredded kale), dressing and top with anything else you like or have on hand - some cheese and avocado balances it out well.
Orzo and meatball skillet
Pour 1 cup of orzo and 3 cups of broth into a skillet and bring it to boil, stirring so the orzo doesn’t get stuck to the bottom. Lower to a simmer, add salt and frozen meatballs on top and cover with a lid to simmer. Check on it and stir a few times while cooking. When the pasta is cooked, stir in some spinach to wilt. To make it a little extra fancy, crumbled goat or feta cheese and chopped sundried tomatoes are great add-ins, but can be left on the side if your kids don’t like them (that’s what I did).
Pizza night
We’ll be ordering pizza to start the weekend. I may make a salad to go with it to clear out anything leftovers in the fridge, but we’ll see how nice the weather is - no promises
Notes:
If you don’t buy the coleslaw dressing, here’s my go to: mayonnaise, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, grainy Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
And if you’re new here, here’s my go to simple vinaigrette if you want to make it for Wednesday’s salad (make a big batch - it keeps in the fridge): olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon, honey and salt and pepper
For Wednesday’s salad, I’m going to use kale because I think it kale mixed with the dressing is just as good the next day - same with coleslaw - so both of these recipes are great to double up for lunch the next day. If you use kale, try ‘massaging’ it with a bit of olive oil and salt before you add the dressing. Yes, you read that right - massage it with your hands to tenderize it - the texture is so much better that way. And maybe give yourself a little massage after a long day too - if you make dinner for everyone, you deserve it.
Grocery List
Produce
coleslaw mix
sweet potatoes
avocados
lettuce
salad greens
baby spinach
Protein
chicken thighs
ground turkey (or beef)
Dairy
shredded cheese
sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
goat or feta cheese (if using)
Pantry / Freezer
BBQ sauce
coleslaw dressing (if it doesn’t come with your coleslaw mix - or see notes for a homemade recipe)
taco seasoning
black beans
orzo (or any small pasta - I actually used acini di pepe I had in my pantry)
frozen meatballs
chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
sun dried tomatoes (if using)
Pantry Staples (you’re out of):
hot sauce
Optional Sunday Prep (20–30 minutes)
If you have a little time today, these are the steps that make the biggest difference:
Marinate the chicken thighs in BBQ sauce so they’re ready for tomorrow. It’s not necessary, but it will enhance the flavor
Roast sweet potatoes. This is the most time consuming part of Tuesday’s meal, so you can roast them on Sunday and reheat them Tuesday to cut down on weeknight cooking the time. Make sure to roast enough for Wednesday’s salad too. If you don’t roast them in advance, you can also “bake” potatoes in the microwave. It can take up to 10-15 mins, so microwave them on high for 5 mins at a time until tender throughout.
Even doing one of these helps.
Cooking for Kids
I have one sweet potato lover, and one that’s not so crazy. So Tuesday’s recipe will be a hit with one, and I may have to pull out a tortilla from the freezer for the other one to make a taco. I don’t mind those types of substitutions because they’re easy - 90% of the same ingredients - just a different execution. And I always have tortillas in the freezer for ‘emergency taco’ situations
I make salad a lot, so my kids have finally gotten into it. If your aren’t there yet - a deconstructed salad is a great take on the same ingredients. Just serve the ingredients from the salad they like separately, rather than mixed all together. And when you want to turn them into salad converts - get a salad spinner, and have them wash and spin the lettuce night after night. They may surprise you and reach in to snack on the lettuce!
Tuesday Teaser: Family Cooking Night
On Tuesday, we’re making Loaded taco sweet potatoes on Instagram and TikTok @jl_osmar
Everyone will help make the fixings, and then everyone assembles their own. It’s messy, but we have fun doing it together. I’ll share:
How the kids help
The chaos to get to the table
What actually got eaten
Cook along if you want.
Just watch if you don’t.
Either way, dinner still gets made.