a really simple meal plan v.9

spring has sprung!!!

Happy April!! Spring is HERE, and this month’s meal plan embraces it. We’re lighting up the grill a few times this week (but see the notes and/or recipes for alternative cooking methods, if you don’t have a grill). Springy green veggies like English peas and arugula are in the mix, as is the addictive cucumber pepper avocado salad that I make all the time and share on IG practically once a week.

I absolutely LOVE that many of you cook these meal plans straight through. They’re written for just that! Let us take the daily decision of what to cook for lunch and dinner off your plate for a week!

I also love that they remind you of — and/or introduce newer WTCers to — gems from years past, which can sometimes get buried in the archives. Toward that end, do you have a fave WTC recipe that you cook more than all others? Tell us in the comments so people can add it to their meal plans later this month!

PS: As always, click the PDF below for a shopping list. If you need to edit yours for any reason (to sub an ingredient or cut some meals from the lineup), copy and paste it into a new Google doc or phone note and edit as needed.

a really simple meal plan v9 grocery list

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DINNER DAY #1 // turkey zucchini burgers

So easy, so delicious. Double the burger patties to use for lunches this week (freeze any that you don’t end up eating). Use romaine on your burger since you’ll be making a salad with it tomorrow. You’ll likely end up with extra miso mayo — save if for lunch tomorrow too! Feeding picky kids? Peel the zucchini so that no green parts are showing and they won’t even know it’s there! Not in the mood for burgers? Make turkey zucchini meatballs instead!

LUNCH DAY #2 // turkey burger salad with miso dressing 

To a bed of romaine, add a chopped-up warmed turkey burger patty, shredded Mexican cheese, and any other veggies you have on hand (leftover grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes, green peas, etc.). For a dressing, add a few splashes of rice vinegar to your leftover miso mayo to make it drizzle-able. If you don’t have anymore miso mayo, use any dressing you’ve got in the fridge, or just drizzle on really good EVOO and vinegar!

DINNER DAY #2 // cauliflower grain bowls

This is a fan-fave plant-based meal from the archives. Double the grain to use for lunches later this week. You’ll also end up with leftover sauce that we’ll use for lunch tomorrow (but no need to double that part of the recipe; it’s already written to leave you with extra sauce).

LUNCH DAY #3 // 15-minute veggie noods

You can easily modify the serving size of this recipe based on how many people you’re fixing lunch for. Use 1 pack of noodles per person and adjust/eyeball the amount of veggies you add accordingly. Swap the edamame out for green peas, since you’re already buying some to use for dinner tomorrow. Use leftover sauce from last night in lieu of making the peanut sauce — add a tablespoon of sauce at a time until it’s as saucy as you’d like.

DINNER DAY #3 // chicken flautas with roasted corn salad

Fiesta night! Go ahead and shred the rest of the rotisserie chicken to use for lunches. It’s so much easier to shred it when it’s warmed than after it’s been chilled.

LUNCH DAY #4 // turkey burger grain bowl

Leftover grains that you prepped two nights ago + a leftover turkey burger patty (OR leftover rotisserie chicken) + arugula + leftover tahini sauce watered down a little to make it more drizzly. Dumpster dive for any other veggies in the fridge. Add some nuts for some crunch, if you’ve got ‘em.

DINNER DAY #3 // one-pot lemony orzo with shrimp

A perfect spring meal!!!

LUNCH DAY #5 // chicken + corn salad

If you have leftover roasted corn salad in the fridge… top that with leftover rotisserie chicken + cheese (goat cheese, Parm, whatever you have) + a drizzle of balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar. Delicious. Alternatively, you can have leftover flautas or lemony shrimp orzo. Freeze leftovers of either or both of those, if you’ve got them, or eat them for lunches over the weekend.

DINNER DAY #5 // sesame ginger grilled steak

I’ve shared this salad again and again on IG and it’s time to work the full recipe into your meal plans. Invite friends over, maybe make a pitcher of strawberry-lemon margs (note: the ingredients for those aren’t in the grocery list), light up the grill, and enjoy!

EASY BREAKFAST IDEA // tahini-honey toast

Use up the rest of your English muffins and make good use of that tahini from the cauliflower bowls by making tahini-honey (or peanut butter-honey) toast for breakfast. Toast an English muffin (or any bread) and slather it with tahini or PB, whichever you prefer. Drizzle it with honey, and sprinkle cinnamon and/or fresh berries on top, if you’ve got them.