Weeknight Grilling | Meal Plan Menu
This week our meal plan service brings you a menu that pairs delicious sauces with proteins that you can grill outdoors or cook on the stovetop.
As the month of May comes to a close, we have summer on the mind while the fresh scents of spring still hang in the air. This combination makes cooking and eating outdoors simply sublime. Since the weather outside isn’t too cold and isn’t too hot, every meal this week has an option for firing up the grill!
Our menu this week has a wide range of flavors, but one common theme: sauce. We know that a uniquely fabulous sauce can elevate an ordinary meal to an extraordinary dinner. So, that is exactly what we’ve done. Whether used to flavor meat or veggies, our buffalo blue cheese, miso lime butter, honey mustard balsamic vinaigrette, and peanut sauce make every dish an exciting experience.
Get our recipes this week to adorn your dinners with flavor!
“Since joining Cook Smarts, I am most proud of preparing so many dressings and sauces myself instead of buying something bottled or processed. Buying things already made used to be my time saver, but I’m saving so much time in other ways that it’s not an issue at all. Oh, and it’s so much tastier!“
— Melissa K. (Member since Jul 2014)
All meals come with gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian options, as well as a grocery list and optional weekend prep steps.
Meal Planning Smarts
Efficiencies:
- Cooking rice once and using it in two meals this week will save you time and get dinner on the table even faster after work.
- Using blue cheese twice – in a sauce one night and tossed with a salad another night – will ensure that none of it goes to waste!
Make-Ahead:
- Every sauce on the menu can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. This means you can whip them all up over the weekend, and your weeknight dinners will come together even faster after a busy day.
- It’s easy to shape Monday’s burger patties on Sunday, which will make Monday that much easier.
Leftovers:
- To make a delicious stir-fry, chop up leftover Indonesian chicken and add it to a pan of fresh vegetables.
- Having enjoyed our delicious peanut sauce and buffalo sauce, we’re sure you don’t want to stop after just one meal. Cut up some veggies and dip them in leftover sauce for a side dish or healthy snack.
On the Menu
MONDAY | Buffalo Sauce Burger with Celery & Carrot Sticks
We listened to the requests of our community members and created a burger with a creamy, savory, spicy (or not) sauce! Our buffalo blue cheese sauce truly brings an ordinary hamburger to the next level. Whether you toss your patty on the grill or cook indoors, it’s a fun way to kick off summer!
Vegetarians will swap out the beef for portobello mushrooms while gluten-free eaters can bring out their favorite GF bun! Paleo members can enjoy a bunless burger with a mustard-based herb garlic sauce.
TUESDAY | Indonesian Ginger Chicken Thighs with Peanut Sauce, Sauteed Green Beans & Rice
There is nothing quite like peanut sauce. Its nutty flavor adds to the rich layers of honey, fresh ginger, lime juice, and fish sauce that make this Indonesian-inspired chicken savory and sweet. If you enjoy a little heat, make sure to add in our hot sauce and jalapeño suggestions!
Our gluten-free recipe is exactly the same, but substitutes Tamari wherever we use soy sauce. Our Paleo recipe calls for a cashew butter sauce, cauliflower rice, and replaces all soy sauce with coconut aminos. Meanwhile, our vegetarian dinner transforms the original recipe into an Indonesian-inspired fried rice topped with a fried egg.
WEDNESDAY | Grilled Pork Chops with Miso Butter & Rice
Miso lime butter is one of our community’s favorite condiments, so we’re bringing it back with grilled pork chops, zucchini, and corn on the cob. Our butter is quite addictive, so be prepared to smear it over everything!
Gluten-free members only have to swap Tamari for soy sauce while vegetarians substitute tofu “steaks” for pork. Those on the Paleo diet can enjoy coconut aminos lime butter on pork chops and zucchini over a bed of cauliflower rice.
THURSDAY | Balsamic Chicken & Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Blue Cheese & Almonds
The combination of flavors in this fresh salad will let you enjoy the last few weeks of spring with sight, smell, and taste. Strawberries provide the perfect pop of color, fragrance, and flavor in this light but protein-packed meal. It’s no wonder that this salad was rated one of our Top 10 Meals of 2017!
Our Paleo recipe uses avocado instead of cheese to add in some healthy fat and fiber. In place of chicken, our vegetarian recipe uses garbanzo beans and farro to provide hearty protein.
We do more than create meal plans. We create memories around the dinner table.
Subscribe to our weekly meal plan service to get the grocery list, dinner steps, and more cooking tips for these 4 simple dinners.
Plans start at just $6 / month. Cancel anytime.
