Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Meal Plan | April 2014 (Part I)

(Very) Long time, no see. 

Where have I been?!

During Lent, I decided to take a step back from promoting myself (e.g., this blog and my business), particularly on social media. I wanted to focus on my full-time job, husband, our home, and mentoring younger women in my community.

On top of that, I recently discovered, in addition to gluten, that I am also intolerant to even more foods, quite significant ones. Want details? Check out the new About Me section.

With the overwhelming news, I returned to my blog to help me be more proactive about what I buy, cook, and eat. (The good news is that there are people out there like me, and their blogs have been a comfort and inspiration to me.)

Now that Spring is in full swing, I decided to expand my herb garden, attempt to grow some vegetables, and even worm compost!


I was a busy little shopper earlier this month. Read on to see all the yummy ingredients that I got and a meal plan to boot.


Organic CSA Basket for April 9th 
(3) fennel bulbs with stalks
(1) bunch red chard
(1) romanesco
(1) bunch scallions
(1) bunch turnips
(1) bunch curly kale
(1) bunch red kale
(1) bunch beets
(1) bunch Lacinato Kale
(1) pint strawberries
(1) bunch collard greens
(1) kohlrabi
(1) cabbage

Torrance Farmer's Market

  • Oro Blanco
  • Homemade goat cheese from Soledad Goat Farm Amazing!
  • Organic strawberries
  • Black kale plant (AKA Lacinato, Tuscan, or Dinosaur kale)
  • Shiso leaf plant Japanese green that looks like Korean perilla leaves, tastes like a floral, herby combination of basil, fennel & mint
  • Lemon thyme plant

Armstrong Garden Centers

  • Dill plant
  • Purple sage plant

Lowe's

  • French tarragon plant
  • Sweet mint plant Perfect for spa water or mojitos

Proteins

  • Mahi Mahi (frozen & thawed)
  • Organic chicken thighs (frozen & thawed) Organic makes a huge difference in juiciness & flavor
  • Ribeye Steak
  • Fresh shrimp
  • Ground turkey (frozen & thawed)
  • Pork chops

Meal Plan

Friday
Dinner
Saturday
Lunch Farmer's Market (Thanks, Esther & Jason!)
  • Shrimp & fish ceviche
  • Twist potato (a fried spiral cut potato on a skewer)
  • BBQ chicken tamale, green corn & sweet corn tamale
Dinner Brother & sister-in-law visit 
Sunday
Brunch at Early Bird Cafe
  • Chilaquiles
  • Buckwheat pancakes
Dinner ...if you could call it that
Dessert
Monday
Lunch
Dinner
For the "Pantry"
Tuesday
Breakfast
Wednesday
Breakfast Hubby's Day Off
Lunch Brother-in-Law & FiancĂ© visit
  • Veggie Ramen at Kopan Ramen Gluten-free, soy-free, vegan (omit corn)
Dinner Mark visits
Thursday
Dinner Sylvia visits
  • Lemon risotto made with Vialone Nano (Veronese rice imported from Italy) 
According to the owner at NYC's Risotteria Melotti (gluten-free Italian restaurant specializing in, you guessed it, risotto), vialone nano is creamier than aborio rice. So, it requires less additives like butter or cream to achieve a creamy taste & texture.
  • Grilled shrimp marinated with coriander, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, EVOo
Friday
Dinner Taco Night Potluck 
  • Ground beef made with Trader Joe's taco seasoning mix, El Pollo Loco chicken, Trader Joe's brown rice gluten-free tortillas, guacamole, cilantro lime rice, kale salad, black & white beans, salsa, taco shells, flour & corn tortillas. 
Saturday
Dinner Leftovers
  • Baked potato with taco ground beef


If you try any of these recipes, I'd love to know how they turn out for you. Cheers!

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