On The Menu: Seafood Pasta with Shrimp, Scallops, and Arugula + a Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad
Sunday Meal Prep | Week of June 1st
Happy Sunday, readers.
It’s been an action-packed weekend. I spent Friday night in San Francisco for my best friend’s 40th birthday (we danced our faces off until midnight and it was insanely fun) then raced back to LA in time to see Ricky Gervais at the Hollywood Bowl last night. A nice reminder of how fun it is to really let loose and go for it sometimes—even if my Oura ring disagrees!
So, today I’m hitting up the farmers market, hanging with the kids and my parents who were nice enough to come help with the kids this weekend. And definitely going to bed early.
On Friday, I wrote a Substack all about plants, so it only feels right to kick off this week’s menu highlighting a dish that features nearly ten of them. You’ve probably seen photos of this Sesame Ginger Chicken Salad already (I can’t stop sharing them—it’s just so pretty), but I promise it tastes even better than it looks.
Like many things in today’s world, nutrition can get a little (and annoyingly) tribal. You’ve got the protein evangelists, the plant-based purists, and everyone in between. But optimal nutrition isn’t about following some dogma—it’s about understanding what actually works for you through the lens of real, evidence-based nutrition.
You can prioritize protein and eat a lot of plants. You can love carbs and be mindful of blood sugar and energy. It’s not about subscribing to dietary dogma—it’s about staying curious and choosing what supports how you want to feel.
Every whole food, whether plant or animal, brings something unique to the table. The more variety you include, the more nutrients you naturally take in—and the more exciting (not rigid or restrictive) your meals become.
Dietary diversity is a core principle of this cooking series. Each weekly menu includes a mix of flavors, ingredients, and textures—not just to keep things interesting, but to help you naturally cover more nutritional ground. And, of course, I always try to include options that work for different dietary preferences and needs.
These dishes were also intentionally designed to include enough protein to keep you going, a variety of plants for fiber and micronutrients, some healthy fats, and the right amount of complex carbs (because we love carbs!).
If you made it here and aren’t a subscriber or want to upgrade your subscription so you can make this bomb dot com sesame chicken salad and seafood pasta, here’s how you can join us:
If you read Friday’s post (and I really hope you did), you know about the 30-plant challenge. In short: I want you to eat 30 different plants (including fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and herbs) in one week.
Share your plant list (and tag me!) for a chance to win a free 1:1 nutrition session.
Honestly, all you really have to do is cook this week’s menu. It’s packed with plants (I counted 27).
Alright, LFG 🚀 🥦 🍒 🫛
A few meal-prep adjacent things I’m currently into:
Everything at Grove.co—I can’t believe I only just discovered this website. It has so many amazing kitchen and home staples that are free from harmful chemicals and help reduce plastics. They have everything from cooking utensils to kids art supplies (I’m going to be ordering some of these for sure!).
This matching set (I haven’t been able to take it off)—A more elevated option from G.label (shorts and top sold separately).
Dorsey’s new paracord launch—I got this bracelet and an anklet, but I’m very tempted by this necklace. So fun and chic!
A cast iron grill pan—I treated myself to this and it was just the cooking tool I was missing.
Algae Cooking Club—I got a new bottle of this neutral, high heat, seed oil-free cooking oil and I love it! Use the code MIA20 for 20% off.
This week’s menu is CHEF’S KISS!!! 🤌
Please don’t sleep on the seafood pasta tonight. My version has shrimp and scallops, but you could do mussels, clams, crab, white fish or salmon. Anything works and it’s so so good. While you’re making that tonight, prep the chicken tortilla soup, so you already have dinner ready for tomorrow. The rest of the recipes for the week come together in a breeze.
If there’s one week to cook all the recipes, this might be it.
