Sunday Meal Prep | Week of October 13
Sunday Meal Prep | Week of October 13
Pumpkin curry, cozy sweaters, & vintage tableware.
Happy Sunday, everyone.
We’re really getting into the October spirit this week with Pumpkin Chicken Curry. Truth be told, I never really ate curry before I married a Brit, and now it’s one of my favorite things to cook: shockingly easy, immensely flavorful, and better the next day. The California girl in me just can’t help but serve it with steamed rainbow chard—its sounds boring, but it’s the perfect complement.
It’s been over a year now since I started this Substack, and writing these menus has really help me organize my weekly meals. As a working mom with young kids, I have to function at such a high level in order to do all the things without burning out. I need every bit of energy and productivity that I can muster if I want to show up fully at work, with my family, and for myself.
Why meal prep? When life gets crazy, cooking is an easy thing to deprioritize. I get that. But I also firmly believe that one of the best things you can do for your health (and your family’s) is eat more home-cooked meals. I hope this weekly series makes it easier to put a healthy (and delicious) dinner on the table so you and your family can reap all this benefits of eating high quality, home-made foods.
The dishes on these menus are not chosen at random. They are meant to be flavorful, nutrient-dense, versatile, and easily. If you’re new here, this is the criteria I use when crafting the menu each week:
Blood sugar balancing
Every recipe has adequate protein, vegetables, and moderate levels of carbohydrates to help you maintain optimal blood sugar levels.Variety
These meals are crafted to offer variety while streamlining your shopping and the amount of time you cook. I encourage you all to try and eat 30 different plants per week, which is absolutely doable when following this meal plan, and will help you get a more diverse range of nutrients from your diet.Efficient and enjoyable
This exercise takes the stress out of “what should we have for dinner tonight?”. It can take a little more time and effort in the beginning, but it will save you time and mental energy once you get into the swing of it.Empowering
I hope that these weekly emails help you increase your nutrition knowledge and empower you to incorporate more healthy, home-cooked meals into your daily routines. We like to repeat recipes so there is some familiarity while also introducing new dishes to increase your culinary repertoire.
This is an ever evolving space and we’re building it together. If you have any thoughts, feedback, ideas, things you want to see more of, please let me know in the comments! Thank you, thank you for being here.
A few meal prep-adjacent things I’m excited about:
Sweater weather
There are few things more satisfying than a cozy sweater on a chilly morning. I’m on a collared sweater kick and here are a few I’m loving right now: this ribbed 100% cashmere knit in fawn, this black polo that my husband thought was his lol, and this fun stripped polo (currently 25% off so I got the matching cashmere micro shorts too — maybe a little inappropriate for a 39-year old mom, but I don’t care). Also, not a polo, but this oversized white knit is on my wishlist.
Vintage tableware
I went deep on vintage tableware on Etsy last week and there are just so many treasures. Can someone please buy these things? I’m out of cabinet space, but they need a home: Brass Shell Napkin Rings, English Ironstone Tableware, Brass and Green Marble Laguiole Cheese Set, Brown and White Floral Napkins, Cute Vintage Italian Pepper Mill.
New Beauty Heros
I got some new products from The Outset (yes, Scarlett Johansson’s brand) that I’m super into right now: Barrier Cream (currently using for chapped lips and cuticles) & Mineral Sunscreen (love that it’s fragrance free).
I’ve also been very delinquent on book club, but we’re setting a date for early November, so start reading! This month’s book is Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz. This is a perk for paid subscribers, if you’d like to upgrade your membership here’s how:
Alright friends, let’s cook!!
We’ve got major transitional weather here on the west side of Los Angeles, so this week’s menu has equal measures of cozy of fresh. In addition to our pumpkin curry, we have a simple Greek pasta salad, my 5-year old’s favorite chicken tenders (which I love too—pictured below), a crispy peanut tofu bowl (swap for chicken if tofu isn’t your thing), and turkey lettuce warps.