This week I wanted to make Rick Martinez’ Tacos Nortenos as soon as possible. Monday done.

Then, I bounced around my stand-bys but the menu didn’t seem right.

Sometimes when I’m putting together my weeknight meal plan, I take a look at what is in season in this handy little chart wheel I found: https://squaremeals.org/FandNResources/TexasFarmFresh/SeasonalityWheel.aspx

Corn is in season! So I go back to my recipes and look for corn, boom, Ajiaco from Kenji Lopez-Alt.

Okay, so now I have two days left to fill. Both of those recipes I notice have some ingredients that I might not use all of in the week and I can’t have food going bad. Off to finding more recipes that include these ingredients and only one or two more things.

And I come across Steak Chimichurri. I’ll already have cilantro and parsley, onions, vinegar, garlic, etc. I’ll just have to keep my eyes peeled for a good, cheap steak.

I’ve got one night saved for leftovers or dining out, so I’m all set this week.

• Tacos Nortenos – https://food52.com/recipes/86188-best-tacos-nortenos-recipe
• Ajiaco Colombian Stew – https://www.seriouseats.com/ajiaco-colombian-chicken-and-potato-soup-recipe
• Steak Chimichurri doesn’t have a recipe, I just do what feels right in the eyes of the lord

I’ve made the ajiaco recipe multiple times and absolutely love it. Reminds me of the first time I made Caldo Verde from Foodwishes or Charro Beans from Rick Bayless, I made them once a week until I ruined them for myself.

I’m really excited for the tacos, which is why I couldn’t wait to make them later in the week.

All done. 

Every week I put together a meal plan for Monday through Thursday, sometimes I know what I want to make on Friday and the weekend, sometimes I don’t. I like to leave the weekend open for whatever. Maybe I’ll get invited to something!

I found a great notion template a year or so ago and it’s been so useful in managing my recipes, ingredients, meal plan, shopping list, and recipe ideas. I can’t find the original template, but I’ve altered mine quite a bit, so it’s not even the same anymore. If you’d like to duplicate mine, here you go: carolemagouirk.notion.site/carolemagouirk/Kitchen-Management-d4a29300d5944c3bb6d65f30b4161a1f

Here’s this week’s meal plan:

• Kofta Kebabs – https://www.thespruceeats.com/moroccan-beef-koftas-recipe-333841
• Roasted Broccoli Steaks – https://alexandracooks.com/2020/09/03/easy-roasted-broccoli-steaks/
• Thai Basil Beef – Based on this video from Kenji: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2nZWveLIRA
• Greek Salad – https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-big-fat-greek-salad-and-its-big-fat.html
• And possibly Salisbury Steak on Friday, I don’t have a recipe yet.

This meal plan started with the Salisbury steak. Since I knew I’d need ground beef, the rest of the menu developed out of uses for it. I don’t need a pound of meat for two steaks, and that’s typically how it’s sold, so I figured I’d work with the larger portion to make several dinners.

I have some frozen Thai basil in the freezer I want to use, so that was easy.

Then, I looked at listicles for ground beef recipes and found this one, which is pretty useful:
https://themodernproper.com/30-best-ground-beef-recipes

There I found kofta kebabs, but I looked around at different recipes and found the Spruce Eats one listed above.

So I had three beefy menu items, I needed some veggies. In notion, I have a gallery called “Old Stand-bys” were I keep recipes that I use at least a couple times a month. I grabbed a couple go-to vegetarian dishes and boom, my meal plan was complete.

You can see a range of influences in this menu. That’s fun. To see where I’ve picked things up.

I’m really excited for the kebabs, I’ve never made them before. And also the Salisbury steak because it might be my favorite childhood dinner and I haven’t made it in years. I look forward to dressing her up with my new skills.

All done. 👋