a really simple meal plan v.16
a very good week of eats!!
Hi and happy sugar hangover day to all those who celebrate! With Halloween in the rearview, the holiday season is officially upon us. We’ll be sharing Thanksgiving-themed recipe ideas next week, so today — for November’s *really simple meal plan* — we wanted to provide a week of meals that are perfect for this time of year, but also aren’t overly holiday-y.
The amount of dinner leftovers you will have varies from house to house, so double recipes if you need to — especially those that require leftovers for lunches! — and adjust your organized-by-aisle shopping list accordingly.
xx
Caro and Molly
As always, we’ve created a shopping list for you organized by section of the store. Click the PDF or link below for that list. If you need to edit yours for any reason (to sub an ingredient, double a recipe, or cut some meals from the lineup), copy and paste it into a new Google doc or phone note and edit as needed.
link to printer version
DINNER DAY #1: cheesy chipotle shrimp tacos
These are very quick and delicious. We’re going to double the shrimp and its marinade (unless you know you’ll have leftovers as written) to use for lunches. Go ahead and cook all of the shrimp, let the leftovers cool, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
LUNCH DAY #2: mango shrimp salad
Here’s an easy-to-make, easy-to-pack salad combo: leftover shrimp + chopped romaine + chopped mango (you can buy it pre-peeled and sliced!) + diced avocado + roasted red peppers + a store-bought sesame-ginger dressing. So good.
No measuring needed here — just use however much you want of each ingredient! When you’re grocery shopping, buy enough of the ingredients for 2 days worth of lunches.
DINNER DAY #2: one-pot pantry pasta
Bet you have almost every ingredient you need to make this meal! This pasta is always in my back pocket for when I’m very low on time and energy, which can happen once the holiday hustle has begun. You can use any ground meat in this — or easily make it vegetarian — so see what you already have in the fridge or freezer before you shop! Also think about what kind of chili you plan to make tomorrow (beef vs. chicken vs. turkey) so you don’t repeat the protein (unless you’d like to!)
LUNCH DAY #3: mango shrimp salad
Use the last of your shrimp leftovers for another mango shrimp salad. Or if you have leftover pasta, eat that!
DINNER DAY #3: beef and three bean or white chicken or white turkey chili
Pick a chili and make a big ole batch to last you the rest of the week. Whenever I make chili or soup, I like to freeze several portions for a night down the road when I need a home-cooked meal but simply cannot cook. Leftovers will stay good in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, so if you don’t think you’ll finish them in time, go ahead and freeze some! A few notes:
If you have a big bag of chips in the pantry for your mob wife salad (rather than a snack/single serving bag), you can top your chili with some crunched up chips!
All of those chili recipes have slow-cooker instructions in the notes section, if you want to go that route.
Since everyone will choose a different chili route, the downloadable shopping list does NOT have chili ingredients included!!! Add those before you shop.
LUNCH DAY #4: leftover chili
All you have to do is heat and eat! If you don’t have access to a microwave during the day, use a thermos to keep it warm until lunch.
DINNER DAY #4: mob wife salad
FYI, this is a great meal to prep before work in the morning. It comes together very quickly and can sit in the fridge until the evening, when you’ll mix it all together with fresh greens. You’ll see exact prep-ahead instructions in both the recipe and notes section.
LUNCH DAY #5: clean-out-the-fridge salad or leftover chili
Heat up another bowl of chili or make a clean-out-the-fridge salad (or both). You can eat any mob wife salad leftovers, or just take a bed of chopped romaine (or any greens you’ve got in the fridge) and add shredded carrots, cucumbers, chickpeas, or literally any veggies and cheese you have in the fridge. Keep it simple with a store-bought dressing.
DINNER DAY #5: sheet-pan balsamic pork tenderloin with fennel and potatoes
Wrap up your week with this perfectly fall-y sheet-pan supper.
I just wanted to say thank you! Being postpartum and with a toddler we figured we’d really scramble for meals after my mother in law left but we’ve been doing your meal plans for the past two weeks and we are all actually well fed and managing!! 🫶🏼
Also, my claim to fame is that I attended the same university as Carmela in The Sopranos. #MobWifeGrad