Hi,
For the past almost three years, I’ve been sending a meal planning newsletter [RO] that has amassed almost 26K followers. It goes out on Fridays, like clockwork, and it has a five-day meal plan, a shopping list and recipes. It’s omnivore (with many vegan options, especially during the Christmas and Easter lent, which many Romanians observe), seasonal (Mid-European seasons), big on veggies and very very small on processed food. That is not to say that you wouldn’t find canned legumes or frozen veggies, which are minimally processed and can cut cooking times significantly. But there is no such thing like sugary cereals, chips as side dishes or soup from a can - that’s just not considered proper food here. People who subscribe and follow the meal plan are mostly parents for whom this weekly mail is a break from having to decide what to cook next. I think of their days - commute, work, housework, homework, taking kids places - when I draft what and when to cook.
I postponed starting an English version of the plan because I didn’t know who I should be talking to. Which seasons to follow. What cultural sensibilities to cater to. I realised recently that it’s the other way around. I lay out what the meal plan offers and then people who find it useful can use it. It can’t be for everyone, but maybe it will be for some people. Here’s what this meal plan can offer:
five-day dinner plan (M-F) (breakfast is too culturally-coded, lunch is optional - see below), send on Saturday
all recipes are tested by me, but I will always send you to the original author’s recipe
omnivore, but not heavy on meat
seasonal for the Northern Hemisphere (my summer is your summer)
international cuisine, but with readily available veggies and spices
for four people (one can always multiply/divide quantities if the family is larger/smaller)
optionally, today’s dinner can be tomorrow’s lunch, with some tweaks
printable shopping list
just a heads-up: it will be heavy on Mediteranean cuisine (think Ottolenghi, Jamie Oliver), some Mexican, some Korean, but with occasional trips into Eastern European taste profiles (mămăligă cu brânză și smântână // polenta with feta cheese and sour cream should be in everyone’s life :) ).
For now, the meal plan will be free. When I decide to activate the paid subscriptions, the first 1,000 people who (free) subscribed will get access for life to all the paid content.
Here we go!
Meal Plan
Monday: Halfbakedharvest’s Sheet Pan Steak Tacos
Tuesday: Anna Chwistek’s Rigatoni with sautéed eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes in a ricotta tomato sauce
Wednesday: Carolina Gelen’s One-Pan Lemon Pepper Salmon with Leeks
Thursday: Grilled Zucchini Salad with Halloumi, Tahini and Mint
Friday: Mozzarella Chicken in Tomato Sauce
Shopping List
Recipes
Monday: Sheet-Pan Steak Tacos
25 minutes
1 ½ pounds/700g flank or skirt steak
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ cup/125ml orange juice
¼ cup/60ml tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ jalapeños
warmed corn or flour tortillas
avocado, feta cheese, and shredded lettuce, for serving
Mango Salsa
200g mango chunks
2 tablespoons lime juice
30g chopped cilantro
sea salt
Instructions are here.
If you double the quantities, you’ll have lunch on Tuesday too. And instead of tacos, which can be messy to travel or eat at work, you can make/get a side dish like plain rice. Then you have rice + steak + mango salsa for lunch, with a slightly different flavor profile.
Tuesday: Rigatoni with sautéed eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes in a ricotta tomato sauce
25 minutes
500 g pasta
2 eggplant finely diced
220 g sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained, oil reserved
2 shallot finely chopped
6 garlic cloves minced
500 ml puréed tomatoes
280 g ricotta
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Instructions are here.
If you double the quantities, you’ll have lunch on Wednesday.
Wednesday: One-Pan Lemon Pepper Salmon with Leeks
30 minutes
Salmon & Leeks
6 to 8 medium leeks
2 pounds/900g salmon fillet or 4 pre-portioned fillets
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Lemon Pepper Bread Crumbs
2 cups / 120g panko or other bread crumbs
2 tablespoons lemon zest, about 2 small lemons
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1/2 cup / 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 small lemon
4 garlic cloves, grated
Lemon Pepper Yogurt
2 cups/500g Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon zest, about 2 small lemons
4 tablespoons lemon juice, about 2 small lemons
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, grated
Lemon wedges, for serving
Fresh parsley, for serving, optional
Instructions are here.
If you double the salmon, you can have lunch ready on Thursday. You can eat it with a side of couscous (can be cooked instantly with hot water at work or prepared in 5 minutes in the morning) and a fresh veggie salad (cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, for example, with a simple olive oil/lemon juice vinaigrette).
Thursday: Grilled Zucchini Salad with Halloumi, Tahini and Mint
30 minutes
Dressing
1/2 cup / 120g tahini
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, grated with a microplane
2 teaspoons honey (or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chili paste), chili garlic sauce or siracha
150ml / 10 tablespoons water
Sea salt + black pepper, to taste
Salad
4 medium zucchinis, sliced
300g halloumi cheese, sliced into thin squares or rectangles
1 cup / 180g bulgur
1 cup / 165g cooked chickpeas
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Large handful fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt + black pepper
Instructions are here.
If you double the salmon, you can have lunch ready on Friday.
Friday: Mozzarella Chicken in Tomato Sauce
15 minutes
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts , halved to make 4 fillets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups / 375g your favourite Marinara tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (adjust to your tastes)
1/2 cup / 110g shredded mozzarella
Instructions are here.
You can serve it with an exciting pasta, like gnocchi. You’ll need 1 pound/450g of fresh gnocchi. Just heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and fry the gnocchi until golden (they don’t need to be boiled in advance).