Here’s my food plan for this upcoming week, including a shopping list. Admittedly, we’re committing ourselves to cleaning out the chest freezer in advance of Thanksgiving, which means our shopping list is way, way different than yours would be. I’ve tried to make allowances for that below. Another factor: we have a Costco membership, and just bought a giant package of hand-shredded rotisserie chicken to help make weeknight meals really fast.

Sunday
Turkey noodle soup (using leftover turkey and homemade frozen chicken stock, leftover pappardelle from our pantry, and sundry produce from the fridge)

Monday
Instant Pot Short Ribs over Mashed Potatoes (when they’re on sale, we stockpile short ribs in the freezer)

Tuesday
Quesadillas (because I have a meeting)

Wednesday
Chicken Shawarma Bowl (we have homemade yogurt and tahini in the fridge, so boom)

Thursday
Leftover soup (because yet again, I have a meeting, and that soup yielded a LOT)

Friday
Buffalo Chicken Salad

Saturday
Pulled Pork Tacos (leftover smoked pork from the freezer, and poblano chiles from the garden)

Sunday
Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Carrots (chicken thighs from the freezer)

Monday
Ground Turkey Meatloaf with Steamed Broccoli (turkey from the freezer)

Tuesday
Chicken burrito bowls (because I have – you guessed it – yet another evening meeting)

Wednesday  (Halloween!)
Pork Summer Rolls and Ginger Mojitos (pork tenderloin from the freezer, fresh herbs from the garden, rice wrappers from the pantry)

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Shopping List

Produce
Carrots
Celery
1 3 lb bag, Onions
Fresh thyme, mint and rosemary (we used some from our garden)
Potatoes
Broccoli
Lemon
Bean sprouts
Radishes
Mixed greens
Avocados
Parsley
Cilantro
Fresh garlic
A sizable knob of fresh ginger
Cherry tomatoes
2 large English Cucumbers (we used the remainder of our summer crop)

The Good Stuff
1 bottle Zinfandel
1 bottle dry white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre)
1 bottle rum
Margarita fixings or Negra Modelo for Saturday night

Meat
1 lb. lean Ground Turkey
2 lbs. shredded rotisserie chicken (we bought it from Costco – and you can use this in your kitchen sink soup instead of last year’s leftover Thanksgiving turkey, like we did)
6-8 Short Ribs
4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
1 pork tenderloin (these usually come two to a pack, which is how you can replicate Saturday night’s tacos and margs fun)

Grocery
Pappardelle
Corn tortillas
Precooked packet of quinoa or farro
Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Dried cranberries
Brown rice roll wrappers
Tahini (we make ours, and if you’re interested, I’m happy to show you how!)
1 can each, black beans/chickpeas
Dried cherries or cranberries
Yellow rice
Peanut butter
Sriracha
Tahari (gluten free, because we try not to kill our friend with celiac)
Chicken stock (we used some from the freezer)
Soda water/seltzer

Dairy
Feta
Eggs
Milk
Gorgonzola crumbles
Low fat Greek Yogurt (we made some over the weekend)
1 pt Half and Half
Butter