My GF, Locavore-ish Weekly Meal Plan & 'What's Cookin' Sunday?'

So the overwhelming drone of the giant summer cicadas is starting to slow to an occasional buzz and the weather is finally starting to feel like fall. Which means I finally feel like spending some time in the kitchen again!

Luckily it's that perfect time of year when the farmers market is still packed with produce and its not too hot to shop. We just got back from elbowing our way around the capitol to get a couple of bags of food for the week and I'm ready to share this week's meal plan! 

Well ok, we didn't really elbow anyone and thankfully we always try to make it there early enough that it's not too packed. *Hint - try to hit up the farmers market first thing in the morning. We sleep in on Sundays instead of Saturdays because we want to get to the market before it gets crazy busy (after about 10am), and then it's not much fun anymore.


All of this week's recipes are based around some great farmers market finds. Adorable market baby eggplant and mini peppers are the inspiration for tomorrow, a bag of $2 spinach will make Greek rice and spinach awesome, even hubby's stew for tonight is based around fingerling potatoes and carrots.  As per usual the rest of our meals are all based around getting in as many basic veggies from the farmers market as possible.

A Super Basic Recipe for Swiss Chard Stem Soup (#1 on the list)

If you'd like to learn how to meal plan, or how to plan around local foods, you can check out my post on How and Why I Meal Plan (GF and Locavore-ish).


Now let the meal planning BEGIN!

Week of: September 7
In the Freezer: Hot Cross Pull-Apart Buns, frzn mixed veggies, spinach & peas,  Flaxmeal Sandwich Bread, black & kidney beans, Beet Chocolate Muffins, blueberries, chicken thighs, Homemade Limoncello, Polish Blueberry Buns (from my upcoming book)
In the Fridge: kale, mixed greens, fingerling potatoes, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, Grandma’s Pickles, baby eggplant, baby peppers, broccoli, eggs, apples, grapes, cabbage, salsa, Cucumber Sunomono Salad (recipe to come)
In the Cupboard: lentils, beans, chickpeas, GF flours, rice vermicelli, rice noodles, canned fruit, Organic local corn meal
Breakfasts: Hot Cross Pull-Apart Buns, Farmers Market Omelette, Steamed Greens and Poached Eggs
Day:	Dinners
Saturday	Dear hubby wants to make a veggie stew (lucky me, he makes great stew, without a recipe!)
Sunday	Stuffed baby eggplant and mini peppers with cucumber salad
Monday	Greek rice and spinach (then out for bachata class!)
Tuesday	Shroom-less Vegetarian Pot Pie
Wednesday	Easy Versatile GF, SF, Stir Fry OR bean-noodle casserole (then off to my writing group)
Thursday	Leftover Swiss Chard stems will become Swiss Chard Stem Soup
Friday	Hubby wants to experiment in the kitchen, I’m super curious to see what he comes up with (he picked up an Italian cookbook at the library)
Snacks & Lunches: Leftover Shroom-less Vegetarian Pot Pie, Grandma’s Pickles,  homemade yogurt with fruit,
What’s Cookin’ Sunday: Double Batch of GF Pie Crust for Veggie Pot Pie AND Apple Dumplings for National Apple Dumpling Day (recipe to come) Stuffed mini eggplant and peppers, stock made in My New Crockpot! (I'm so excited about this)

Steamed Greens and Poached Eggs

(Yes, yes I realize the egg photo is all kinds of wrong. It was an early one and I'm embarrassed to even re-post it, but there's a good tutorial for poaching eggs there in case you don't know how)


What are you cooking this week?


This post was shared on the following great link parties: Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Menu Plan Mondays,Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Hearth and Soul Hop, Fat Tuesday,  Gluten Free Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Fight Back Fridays, Gluten Free Fridays, Whole Food Fridays,