Weeknight Rescue // March 2020 // Week 13

Weekends don’t quite feel the same these days, since I’ve entirely lost track of time in this “shelter at home” universe. Anyone else? That said, I find some sort of game plan for meals makes me feel a bit more in control of my world. Here’s what’s up for the week ahead.

Side note: I’m doing a cooking class for teens, college kids, and new cooks over on Instagram Saturday at 2:30 PST. Join me!

LAZY GIRL’S ENCHILADA PIE

I made this last weekend and had to substitute and swap a number of ingredients, based on my limited supplies. Still, it worked! I’d say essentials are enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, and cheese. Other than that, feel free to use other vegetables, add cooked chicken or shrimp, and double the recipe, so you have leftovers for a few lunches. You might also like this spin on the same idea using sweet potatoes.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND MAPLE MUSTARD SAUCE

This is simple comfort cooking and doesn’t call for anything fancy. If you don’t have apples, use pears, leave them out, or just serve a bowl of applesauce on the side.

PROSCIUTTO ARUGULA LAVASH PIZZA

I’m finding the most conventional ingredients tend the be the hardest to find at the market these days, so I figure something more unusual, like lavash, might be available. If not, use English muffins, pita bread, or baguette as your pizza base. Any vegetable or salad on the side will make it a meal. Make a whole mess of pizza, since leftovers are excellent for breakfast or lunch reheated in the toaster oven (or eaten cold, as some of my people prefer to do).

SLOW COOKER BALSAMIC CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES & CHARD

The days seems to fly by, which makes a “set it and forget it” kind of meal particularly appealing. This is a longtime favorite. You can use virtually any type of leafy greens and serve it over pasta, any grain, or roasted cauliflower. Make it in the Instant Pot using this method instead.

FRIED RICE

Pretty much anything goes here, as long as you have rice (I prefer brown for its nourishing qualities), an onion, eggs, and oyster sauce. You can pretty much riff on the rest.

STOVETOP SRIRACHA LIME POPCORN

We’ve been doing a lot of stove top popcorn over here, for afternoon snacks and night time binge watching. I’m crazy about the combination of flavors in this recipe, but if you’re a “butter and salt” kind of popcorn lover, you’ll get no judgement from me.

BLUEBERRY PECAN BAKED OATMEAL CUPS

I made these little oatmeal cups early on in our “sheltering at home” adventure and they were so nice to have on hand, I’ll be making them again this week. Use blueberries if you have them, or sub in diced apple, pear, or other berries.