Meal Plan Menu | Week of 12/14/20
Before the holidays are in full swing, enjoy an easy week of fun and cozy dinner recipes like our Deconstructed Pork Potstickers Bowl and White Chicken Chili that are already planned for you!

MONDAY
Foil Roasted Salmon with Caesar Broccoli & Orzo Pasta
Tender and moist salmon is positively delectable and this easy foil packet baking method will help your salmon cook to perfection with a special homemade flavored butter. And who said Caesar dressing is only for Caesar salad? This broccoli side will convince you that there are many delicious and fun uses for the classic creamy dressing!
Meal Planning Smarts:
- Use one pan to roast the salmon packet and the broccoli at the same time for minimal clean-up.
- This meal takes only 45 minutes to cook, but if you want an even easier and quicker Monday night dinner, you can prepare all of these components up to 5 days ahead of time: pasta, flavored butter, Caesar dressing, and chopped broccoli and garlic.
- Both salmon and broccoli freeze well, so you can pop any extras in the freezer for another week!
Diet Variation:
- Gluten-Free: Substitute the orzo with any small gluten-free pasta.
- Paleo: Omit the pasta and enjoy roasted broccoli and zucchini tossed in paleo-friendly Caesar dressing.
- Vegetarian: Enjoy our Foil Packet Dijon Chickpeas and Zucchini recipe with Caesar broccoli and orzo pasta.

TUESDAY
Instant Pot (or not) White Chicken Chili
White Chicken Chili is a big crowd-pleaser and this new and improved recipe is a must-try this winter. Our from-scratch method makes a thick and creamy chili base that provides delicious layers of flavor that will keep the whole family warm and content during the chilly months. This white chicken chili recipe is the height of convenience because it not only comes with three different cooking methods to fit your lifestyle and cooking appliances, it can also feed a crowd, be made in one pot, and freezes wonderfully for a rainy day.
Meal Planning Smarts:
- This white chicken chili recipe has instructions for an Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stove top, so take your pick!
- Have a quicker dinner-time process when you either make the whole meal ahead of time or even just get a jump start by prepping the bell peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, and spice blend up to 5 days early. (We have videos showing you just how to do it!)
Diet Variation:
- Gluten-Free: Instead of using both flour and cornmeal to thicken up the chili, use only cornmeal.
- Paleo: Nix the flours, corn, and beans, and enjoy the hearty goodness of turnips and pepitas in a delicious paleo-friendly base.
- Vegetarian: Pack a protein punch with our White Chili with Lentils, which has 30 grams of protein per serving.
“Everything for the week is prepped . . . I feel so good going into a week with icky weather predicted, knowing that whenever I make it home there will be a healthy and delicious dinner waiting for me.”
– Beth P. (Member since Sept 2019)

WEDNESDAY
Deconstructed Pork Potsticker Bowl with Rice Noodles
How have potstickers remained an element of Chinese cuisine for thousands of years and become beloved all around the world? Well, it’s because they are superbly delicious. But, as tasty as they are to eat, the beautiful craft involved in making them by hand can take quite a lot of time. That’s why our Deconstructed Pork Potsticker Bowls are inspired by potstickers and ready in just 35 minutes! But don’t worry, the bowls are still deeply satisfying and totally bring it in the flavor department with traditional Asian ingredients like ground pork, smooth rice noodles, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, and a gingery stir-fry sauce. Top them with cucumber sticks to add a fresh crunch and pop of color, and you’ll have yourself a new favorite meal.
Meal Planning Smarts:
- You can be super efficient by grating fresh ginger and chopping roasted peanuts not only for this Deconstructed Pork Potstickers recipe, but also for tomorrow’s Chicken Mafe recipe.
Diet Variation:
- Gluten-free: Use tamari and gluten-free hoisin sauce to make the stir-fry sauce.
- Paleo: Make the paleo-friendly version of our stir-fry sauce and replace the rice noodles and peanuts with zucchini noodles and chopped cashews.
- Vegetarian: Simply swap out the ground pork with stir-fried tofu.

THURSDAY
West African Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Mafe)
If you’ve never had mafe before, you’re in for a treat. It’s a peanut stew enjoyed all over West Africa, originating from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali. Mafe traditionally has meat and vegetables cooked in a flavorful peanut butter and tomato sauce, and our Chicken Mafe recipe uses sweet potatoes, turnips, and more. The result is a rich and satisfying stew over couscous that the whole family will love as it warms you up from the inside out.
Meal Planning Smarts:
- Grating the ginger and chopping peanuts for the Deconstructed Pork Potstickers recipe from the day before makes cooking this Chicken Mafe recipe a whole lot faster, so always chop a same ingredient used for the week at the same time, if you can!
- You can also make the entire stew ahead of time and / or use our special servings adjustment feature to make extras for freezing.
Diet Variation:
- Gluten-free: Swap out the couscous for fluffy quinoa.
- Paleo: Instead of mafe, we use some of the same ingredients for our Paleo Red Curry Chicken that has root vegetables and is served over cauliflower rice.
- Vegetarian: Replace the chicken with kidney beans for a hearty, meatless mafe.
All meals come with gluten-free, paleo, and vegetarian options, as well as a grocery list and optional weekend prep steps. Join our weekly meal plan service to get the grocery list, dinner steps, and more cooking tips for these 4 simple dinners.