The Plan:
Day 1: Sesame noodles with bok choy
Day 2: Cilantro lime rice and black bean bowls topped with radish, corn, and salsa
Day 3: Homemade pizza
Day 4: Chicken Caesar salad with local greenhouse cherry tomatoes (Using a shredded whole roasted chicken)
Day 5: Dilly chicken salad with radish (using leftovers from whole chicken), Grilled asparagus
Day 6: Loaded baked potatoes
Day 7: Grilled cedar plank salmon, Creamed spinach
This meal plan was curated using local foods that are in season now or preserved during the peak growing season in the U.S. Midwest. The plan is an exact replica of what our family is eating this week unless we are out of town. Meal plans are developed using whole foods and my meal planning system (click here!) and are meant to be healthy and easy to prepare. Most recipes will take no more than 30 minutes of active cooking time. Occasionally meals may require all day slow cooking, advanced prep, or some oven time. Recipes are provided when available. I sincerely hope this will help with your own meal planning!
Pantry Shuffle:
Out of Storage: (preserved when in season and coming out of my root cellar, freezer, canned, or dehydrated stash)
- Corn (frozen in zip top freezer bags last season)
- Whole chicken from Mastodon Valley Farm
Into Storage:
- Chicken broth (using the leftover bones from the whole roasted chicken, freeze in quart size portions in zip top silicone bags)
Notes: Spargel
These notes are a repost from last year around this time. Asparagus season is finally here and I’m sharing my story of one of my favorite foods:
When my husband and I took a trip to Germany in May almost 15 years ago, we didn’t really know what we would be eating. We figured bratwurst and pretzels would be popular, but those actually weren’t a large part of the cuisine. What we did see as soon as we left the airport were sign after sign for Spargel. At practically every restaurant, food stand, and grocery store there was a sign indicating this food was on special. So of course we had to try it! I didn’t know what to expect until the plate was set in front of me. Turns out Spargel is a white variety of asparagus that is quite delicious and only available for about 2 months of the year. The German people went crazy for it! They celebrate Spargelzeit (the asparagus harvest) and even have a yearly Spargelfest in Schwitzengen. Sadly, we didn’t make it to the festival, but we did eat Spargel at almost every meal. This tender asparagus was so delicious prepared in a multitude of ways.
Here in America, asparagus season is also upon us. Although we don’t seem to have the same cult following for our more traditional green asparagus, I still thoroughly enjoy the harvest. I’ve been meaning to grow my own, but have yet to plant the seeds I bought a few years back. It takes several years to establish a good crop and I’m still trying to find the perfect permanent place to grow these spring spears. Luckily, there is a farm nearby that will supply me with all my asparagus needs and I received a bundle with my spring CSA today as well. You can also find wild asparagus if you are into foraging. Try to resist the asparagus in your grocery store from Mexico and California (unless you live there) and make it a tradition to celebrate your own Spargelziet every year at this time. That delayed gratification is what makes seasonal eating so special!
CSA Breakdown: For those of you also using Keewaydin Farm, here is a breakdown of how I will use each piece of produce this week. See the first CSA post from last season for details of how I structure the plans.
-Salad Mix: chicken Caesar salad
-Bunched Spinach: creamed spinach
-Rhubarb: rhubarb crisp of course!
-Asparagus: tossed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled. Serve aside dilly chicken salad
-Bok Choy: Sesame noodles
-Dill: dilly chicken salad
-Cilantro: Cilantro lime rice
-Overwintered Potatoes: loaded baked potatoes
-Wild Ramps: Chopped and added to my morning eggs
-Multicolored Radish: Cut off the greens and use for the creamed spinach, radishes sliced for rice bowls and lunches
-Salad Turnips: Cut off the greens and use for the creamed spinach, slice the turnips for lunches
