Meal Plan Week 1 (Dinner)

Welcome to our first meal plan!

This week’s meal plan has sherry chicken, beef patties, brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes, and two salads. It serves around five people but can be doubled or halved as needed.

Our suggestion is to cook on Sundays and Thursdays if you can. But do whatever works for you, and cook whenever you want or are able to.

Sunday’s cooking will take care of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Thursday will take care of Friday, Shabbos, and Sunday.

Again, this is just a suggestion and because everyone has different schedules there is no “one perfect way” to do this. Keep that in mind!

The idea is to cook up a bunch of dishes and have food throughout the week. This will make your life simpler, healthier, and more organized.

The Four Meals:

Grocery List:

These are the amounts from the recipes but adjust if you are doubling or halving the recipe. If you have anything on this list you can cross it off.

Non-Perishables:

• 1 bag of brown sugar
• 1 bottle of sherry cooking wine
• 1 container of corn starch
• 1 bottle of soy sauce
• 1 bag of brown rice
• 1 container of breadcrumbs
• 1 bag of dried cranberries
• 1 bag of pecans (candied or regular)
• 1 bag of burger buns (whole wheat)

Perishables:

• 4 pounds dark chicken thighs
• 2 pounds of ground meat

Fruits & Vegetables:

• 1 onion
• A little bit of parsley
• 1 pound of fresh broccoli
• 1 bunch of garlic
• 1 long Persian cucumber
• 1 container of cherry tomatoes
• 1 purple onion
• 6 sweet potatoes

Things you most probably have at home:

• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Eggs
• Mayonnaise
• Black pepper
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil

Recipes:

These 6 popular recipes are delicious and go very well together, but if you’re feeling adventurous you can also swap out any of the following with a similar dish that fits your fancy from our comprehensive recipe index!

Sherry Sauce Dark Chicken:

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds dark chicken (skinless and boneless)
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 teaspoons dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Marinate chicken for 8 hours or overnight for best results. Otherwise, marinate for as long as you can.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for around 10 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. (This step is optional, you can just bake it covered for an hour.)

Beef Patties:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 medium grated onion (chopped is fine too)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoon diced parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon parsley

Instructions:

1. Whisk the egg in a bowl. Add the beef, mayo, onion, water, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix well.
2. Shape the meat into individual patties.
3. Add the oil to a pan and heat on a medium-high flame until the oil is hot.
4. Add the patties to the pan and fry until golden brown around 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
5. Transfer to a plate and garnish with extra parsley.

Brown Rice with Herbs:

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups boiling water
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of your preferred herb (parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.)
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the rice and add to a baking dish.
2. Pour boiling water over it along with the olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper.
3. Cover tightly with foil and bake for around 40 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
4. Fluff the rice, cover it, and let it sit for around 10 minutes.
5. Add the herbs.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and slice sweet potatoes into cubes.
3. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and arrange on a baking sheet.
4. Roast for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Mix them around and continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Check if they are soft. If they are not, lower the oven temp to 350, cover and roast for another 10 minutes or until they are soft.

Broccoli Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound broccoli (chopped into bite sized pieces)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the broccoli and run cold water over it to preserve the crunch.
3. Add the broccoli, dried cranberries, and pecans to a bowl.
4. Mix the mayo, lemon juice, salt & pepper, and pour on top of the broccoli.

Veggie Salad:

Ingredients:

• 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Dash of onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and parsley in a bowl.
2. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and spices, and pour over the veggies.

Notes:

Great Job! You finished 🙂 Everything will stay fresh in the fridge for 4 days. The beef patties and dark chicken will freeze well. The rice and sweet potatoes can be frozen but may lose a bit of their texture. The salads shouldn’t be frozen. Enjoy!