Weekly Meal Plan Week 1, 2023!

Hi everyone! It was a quiet and restful break and I feel like I’m emerging from a long winter’s nap. After a lot of time with family, restful days, and a slower pace, I’m ready for 2023. It was necessary after a hectic year. Instead of resolutions, I wrote a list of intentions for the year ahead. I saved them to a highlight on my Instagram in case you want to take a look and make your own list!

As we move into a new year, I’d love to invite you to join my online cooking school. I teach a monthly cooking class live on zoom and I share a monthly email with at least six new recipes per month, all the classes and recipes from the past two years are saved to a password-protected site. Join month-to-month and cancel at any time or at a discount for the year. In January, we’re focusing on homemade bone broth and delicious plant-based soups.

Also, I’m not doing Whole30 this January, but if you want a compilation of a few dairy-free and gluten-free recipes here’s a free download!

SUNDAY

Instant Pot black-eyed peas are delicious, full of fiber, and shouldn’t just be made on New Year’s Day.

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning, such as Tony Chacheres
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 quart chicken stock or chicken bone broth (or veggie)
• 1 15-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped spinach leaves, swiss chard, collard greens or kale
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, about 15-20 grindings
• Hot sauce, such as Crystal, Red Clay or Tabasco

1. Add the dried beans and 6 cups of water to the stainless-steel insert of your Instant Pot. Seal the lid and valve and set it to manual high for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
2. Remove the beans and drain the liquid in a colander. Wipe out the insert and add it back to the Instant Pot. Add olive oil and warm on the sauté setting. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and potato and sauté until softened. Add salt and seasonings and stir. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, and “presoaked” beans and stir. Seal the lid and pressure valve and set to beans/chili for 15 minutes.
3. Manually release the pressure, stir in the greens, and seal the lid. Let sit on the warm setting for 2-3 minutes while the greens wilt. Taste for salt and serve in bowls with a dish or two of hot sauce.

MONDAY

We have a travel day today, which means late-night pantry pasta. I have a delicious version with fried garlic slices in my cookbook (check out Debora Smail’s gorgeous photo above), or keep it simple and just boil pasta in well-salted water. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out a cup of starchy water, drain the pasta and then add it back to the pot with olive oil and butter, tons of parmesan if you have it, red pepper flakes and pasta water. Add a little cooking liquid at a time while the heat is on medium-low to break everything up; finish with tons of cracked pepper and crunchy salt. Nothing like carbs after a long day!

TUESDAY

Ground turkey tacos. The linked recipe is for beef, but turkey works too. We’ll serve ours in lettuce cups with guacamole and all the fixings. Pickled red onions would be a great addition.

WEDNESDAY

Cajun chicken. Directions are in this meal plan post. If you want to take a shortcut and use Cajun or Creole seasoning instead of making your own, go for it! I’d love this with crunchy roasted okra or steamed broccoli. Sweet potato fries would also be a pro move.

THURSDAY

My weeknight bolognese is packed with vegetables, which is just what we need. Serve with pasta, cacio e pepe spaghetti squash, roasted vegetables, or oven-baked polenta.

FRIDAY

As most of you may know, I don’t typically cook on Friday nights. It’s either date night, dinner with my family, or “leftover makeovers.” But if you’re cooking, try Hetty McKinnon’s sesame tofu with broccoli. Even my non-tofu eaters loved this recipe.