Weekly Menu Planning - March 2024

Let’s use this thread to share concise weekly dinner menus for each week in March. It’s helpful if you can include your location and how many people you are feeding. Links to recipes are always appreciated, and sources help. We all know plans can change, so it’s fine (practically expected) when your week gets rearranged from your posted plan. You may choose to report actuals for the prior week to share ideas with others.

The steadily increasing minutes of daylight all month are worth celebrating, as are the March holidays. How will you celebrate Pi Day (3.14) with something round? On 3/17, will you cook something “Irish” for St. Patrick’s Day? Interesting info about the shift of First Day of Spring, now March 19 (not 21) for the rest of our lives, can be found at the Farmers Almanac site. Will you celebrate Purim March 24 by making hamantaschen? And Easter is March 31 this year – time to retrieve the lamb or bunny cake mold from the back of the cabinet.

The February discussion is still available for reporting the last week and follow-ups.

Reminder – Keep your comments menu / food related. And in the interest of faster viewing times, please use the knife&fork under a comment to indicate you liked it or want to echo what was said by another, rather than posting a separate comment.

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Planning the first week of March as “Salad Week”, inspired by @MunchkinRedux who has Caesar Salad with various proteins and breads on her list. In addition to Caesars, I think I’ll do a composed Seafood Louie salad w cold shrimp, warm salmon, asparagus, artichokes, h.b. egg, tomatoes and cucumber (copycat of a Kincaid’s restaurant salad). And also Coronation Chicken salad.

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I am now winding down a long, busy week. I had two after work doctors appointments and an after work appointment with my financial advisor this week so three days ran a little later than usual. I am not 20 anymore… I don’t have to be anywhere after work today so I am hoping to go to bed a little earlier tonight. I will be off all next week since it is my birthday week! (The actual day is next Saturday the 9th.) As usual, I have a multi page list of things to do - movies, museum visits, reading, shopping… I also hope to get some rest time in so let’s see how that goes! :slight_smile: My menu plans from last Sunday to next Thursday are as follows:

Sunday: The first day of leftover Indian week! I had an Indian cook off a friend last Saturday so there were leftovers. I had enough Indian food left for a different meal each week and having leftovers was nice! :slight_smile: I had the fish curry tonight with rice on the side.

Monday: Kerala style vegetable stew with rice on the side.

Tuesday: Chicken tikka served over spring mix. I added some tomato wedges to flesh out the meal a little.

Wednesday: The last of the dishes. :frowning: Spinach paneer with tomato wedges and rice on the side.

Thursday: I had a handful of kidney beans from a can I opened last week. I made salads with it and had a handful of beans left and was thinking I might like pasta fagioli however the recipes I have consist of just the beans and pasta. I was hoping to find a riff on the recipe hopefully with some spices so I found this one through a google search. I was pleasantly surprised how flavourful it was. I added a little more pepper than called for in the recipe since I had half a red pepper and half a yellow pepper to finish up so in the pasta sauce they went. I will definitely make it again.

Today: Take out lunch from a nearby kebab place. We have two kebab restaurants within a short walk from my apartment - both seem to be well frequented. I randomly picked one for my take out lunch today. I ordered a doner box which included doner meat with my choice of fries. (They have three or four types of fries to pick from.) I ordered a doner box with meat however I thought I would be getting a wrap with the fries on the side but the meat was actually served over the fries - sort of like poutine but with cheese sauce instead of gravy. The beef was very tender and the cheese was delicious. I have no idea what kind of cheese they used since it was flourecent orange but it was actually quite tasty. Lesson learned: always keep an open mind! :slight_smile: Tonight I might stray from the usual salad and have an open faced sandwich to finish up some rice cakes I have left.

Saturday: Linguine with scallops and leeks.

Sunday: Shopping day in Chinatown. I will have salmon teriyaki for dinner using one of the salmon fillets I have in the freezer and I will have it with whatever veggies strike my fancy during my shopping trip.

Monday: Risotto with leeks and sundried tomatoes.

Tuesday: Pork chow mein.

Wednesday: Out with my dinner club. We will be having fondue!

Thursday: All day shopping trip to the west end to hit up the big box stores and Costco. The Indian grocer that my friend and I went to last Saturday is located here so I will have to add an Indian dish or three to add to next weeks menu so I can pick up ingredients.

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Hi, all! Cooking for 2 in Chattanooga, where we’re both recovering from various maladies but feeling better, fingers crossed…I’m not even going to plan meals around the weather because like much of the country we keep yo-yoing between summer and winter!

Breakfast: Chocolate and cherry granola parfaits with yogurt and some kind of compote made from the bag of cherries in my freezer
Saturday, March 2: Crab and pepper soup, spring pea salad, pepper Jack biscuits. Also baking lots of bread for church.
Sunday: Chicken salad wraps, green beans, and rice pudding. Will also cook a big pot of beans for the week because my supply is getting out of hand. Since my GP wants me to eat more protein and fiber, it’s probably a good idea!
Monday: Pasta with cherry tomatoes and beans from the pot
Tuesday-Thursday: Scrounge/takeout
Friday: Off to Kentucky to spend a long weekend with friends who were work colleagues over 20 years ago. I have a few ideas of what to make for the weekend, including chicken lo mein, gnocchi gratin (non-vegan version, probably with beans added), French toast casserole, and almond-blackberry cream pie (not all at the same meal!)
Have a good week, everyone! Happy cooking!

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I guess I’ll start with today:

Friday
Salmon tonight, rice since we had potatoes and spaetzle this week. Prepping some veg in advance, I’ll roast sweet potatoes tonight.

Saturday
Meatballs I’ll make today, Waldorf salad. (Take-out for me)

Sunday
Roast chicken

I’m not feeling too inspired so I will stop there.:rofl:

Later this month, I plan to do some Irish stuff St Paddy’s week, and buy some Zeppole di San Giuseppe for St Joseph’s Day on March 19th.

Happy St David’s Day to all the Davids, Davidas and the Welsh! I thought about making Welsh cakes today but I’m too lazy.

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Make sure you check out the frozen foods — it’s mind boggling how much stuff that one could only make at home at one time is now available ready!l to eat!

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Will do! Last weekend we picked up some shelf stable papadum and frozen Naan both of which can be heated up in a skillet. We divided up the leftovers equally however I forgot to take home my share of the Naan :frowning: I remembered the papadum though so I have been eating my body weight in papadum all week :slight_smile: I will definitely check out the frozen foods while I’m there.

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Whew, this semester is relentless. deep breath

For two adults in San Diego:

Breakfasts: Made this last week, without the icing: https://bromabakery.com/lemon-loaf-starbucks-copycat/. Pretty good flavor. Will probably bake scones this week.

S: (tonight) takeout - green chile burrito

Su: Potstickers (purchased) with veggies in broth - soup

M: Meatballs with spinach and red sauce with garlic bread

T: Taco salad (ground turkey meat, cheese, and vegetables) topped with Fritos

W: Leftovers before an evening event

Th: Veggie pizza with salad - vegetarian

F: Shrimp stir-fry with rice - seafood

Have a good week!

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Hi, everyone. Cooking for two adults and a teen in the Boston burbs. We’ve got a week of comfort food ahead, not for any particular reason, but it seems to be seasonally appropriate.

Sun: pilgrim meatloaf (turkey, stuffing crumbs, apple, celery - I skip the craisins and gravy), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots. Also making pulled pork for Tues since it takes too long to make after work, and I’ll be in the office that day.

Mon: guys are having rotisserie chicken, cornbread, and peas. I’m meeting a former coworker for sushi.

Tues: pulled pork, stovetop mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts. I’d really like to make a Brussels m&c dish I copied from one of the SK cookbooks (which I borrowed from the library and decided not to buy) but I fear there would be a rebellion.

Weds: bibimbap, but I listed it on our menu board as “crispy rice with pork and veggies” - will probably stir-fry some broccoli slaw for the veggies.

Thurs: on the menu board as “choose your own adventure” - everyone can pick their favorite leftovers from the week. For some reason, this is always a challenge.

Fri: homemade pizza. I’m getting irritated with restaurant gf pizza (had a fairly gross cauliflower crust last night) and so will continue experimenting.

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I like the name of the Thursday meal – and it’s a compliment to your cooking that choosing a “favorite” leftover is tough.

Re: gluten free pizzas - my friend keeps her Costco membership mainly to stock up on their cauliflower-crust frozen pizzas (I didn’t ask brand, maybe more than one…) Have you tried those?

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Quick funny story…

I had found some mushrooms on clearance at my local grocery store, and want to use them up (fairly soon). So I’m planning on using them for Tuesday dinner. I started thinking about a quiche, but then thought about pizza.

So, I just asked Sunshine if she wanted a mushroom quiche on Tuesday or a Mushroom Pizza.

Half a second later, she exclaimed “PIZZA”!! She then started to chant “Pizza – Pizza” (like the Little Caesars commercial), so I got my answer (LOUD AND CLEAR) LOL!!

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Thank you for that kind way of looking at my Thursday plan difficulties… DH is “midwestern nice” and a second-born, so he is often hesitant to speak his mind and claim what he wants - thus, leftover nights work better if we all (have to) eat the same thing. Maybe I’ll have us draw out of a hat!

We’re regular Costco shoppers and I think I know which ones your friend buys there, but I just can’t get on board with most of the cauliflower crusts I’ve tried at restaurants as well as the frozen TJs one. I’ve made a decent foccacia-style crust (from Baked to Perfection, written by the woman who blogs at The Loopy Whisk) and I have several other recipes to try from No Gluten, No Problem’s pizza-specific book, as well as a Food Network recipe that uses mashed potato.

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Happy March, y’all! It has been quite hectic over here the last month or so but I am hoping we can get back on schedule with meal planning. Definitely makes me feel more sane, lol.

Cooking for 2 (usually) in the 'burbs of Philly. Now working in office twice per week so adjustments will be made for that.

Sunday, March 3 (today)- Tomato soup from the freezer for me, the husband is meeting a friend at a local pub for drinks and dinner. We are, however, slow cooking the pork shoulder in the oven for bo ssam.

Monday, March 4- Aforementioned bo ssam with standard accoutrements; bibb lettuce leaves, rice, ginger scallion sauce, ssam sauce, and kimchi. It’ll be a nice treat for dinner after a Monday in the office.

Tuesday, March 5- I have been promising my husband khachapuri for quite some time so I am going to try to actually do that, lol. I think I will put the dough together on Monday night and let it slow rise in the fridge so I only have to worry about shaping, filling, and baking on the day of.

Wednesday, March 6- Rigatoni w/ meatballs and sauce (apparently March 6th is Frozen Foods day? Well, the meatballs and sauce will be from the freezer thanks to earlier batches).

Thursday, March 7- Best Friend Dinner Date Night means we will probably order out.

Friday, March 8- Creamy garlic pork chops with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Saturday, March 9- Up in the air, I tend to like to do large cooking projects on Saturday so maybe something more complicated.

Have a great week all!

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After a lot of experimenting, Cappello’s frozen crusts and pizzas were the winner for my GF fam. Almond flour I believe.

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Greetings, People.

Tomorrow, March 8, is International Women’s Day – happy Women’s Day to all who qualify! I have no special plans for that day, but March 14th is Pi Day, which is reflected below.

Cooking for two adults in the PNW.

FRI: A repeat of bangers and mash, with leftover caramelized-onion-and-cider-gravy from the freezer.

SAT: Burgers on the grill.

SUN: Salmon in some form – possibly on potato rafts (I dunno – we’re eating a lot of spuds this week already)? Veg TBD.

MON: Chicken-zucchini-meatball-albondigas (I think made this up) with lime, avocados and corn. Tortilla chips.

TUE: Pork chops. Leftover mashed potatoes. Baby garden peas. Maybe a pan gravy, depending on our mood.

WED: Chili from the freezer. Leftover tortilla chips.

THUR: Pi Day. Lamb Shepards Pie. I’ll bake a sour cherry pie for dessert.

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I reported the pizza experiments here - the thin crust version worked well, deep dish was not to our liking plus I have a significant pizza burn on the roof of my mouth :frowning:

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(post deleted by author)

For the Serious Eats & Smitten Kitchen enthusiasts here, Kenji & Deb have a new podcast together

Kenji & Deb Obsess Over Recipes on a New Podcast

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I saw — they look good!

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Actuals for March 4 week, cooking for two in MN. Posting early since we’re taking a day-trip to WI Sunday - the grand-niece born in 2020 just as COVID shutdowns hit is turning FOUR!

Mon: Caesar Salad topped with Steak (meat department black-garlic marinated sirloin medalion), naan
Tues: lunch - Shrimp, Cocktail sauce taste testing, Potato/Pesto/Spinach egg bake, fresh spinach.
Dinner - Deli cheese stuffed fresh rigatonne pasta, commercial beef meatballs, jar sauce.
Wed: Coronation Chicken Salad – Recipe below since the one at the link I’d saved in 2021 was hugely rewritten in 2023 to be more “genuine”. We like this older version instead which has no tomato or wine.
Half recipe makes 4 generous servings, omit cilantro, add 6 chopped dried apricots. We like to keep rice separate and layer it warmed between cold greens and cold chicken mixture.
Thus: After a day of volunteer work at my computer and before a 6 PM Zooom meeting – (from frozen) Vegetable fried rice, with added chicken. Salad.
Fri: Grocery Rotisserie chicken, bag salad
Sat: (today) BAKED Angel biscuit crescents - posted in What Are you Baking
Lunch - Wildfire Restaurant Chopped Salad, naan bread
This actually takes about 45 - 60 minutes (not 10 minutes) to prep and assemble all ingredients plus dressing.
Dinner - Breakfast quiche baked from frozen (store’s deli/bakery).Angel biscuit crescents, Sable red grapes
Sun: noon -Wildfire Chopped Salad. TO/FROM WI grand-niece birthday party

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