Dinner recipes, Winter Meal Plan #1 (2024)

What to cook for dinner this week:

Roast Chicken with Sautéed Green Beans and Red Bell Peppers
Chicken Salad Nicoise
Enchilada Casserole with Black Beans
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Stuffed Poblano Peppers

If you’re not familiar with this blog, here’s the basic idea:

Using some of the same ingredients in multiple dishes throughout the week is the key to gettingdelicious, wholesome, good for you, home cooked meals on the table several nights of the week. The recipes in each5-day meal planinclude some prep-work for another meal later in the week.

Each meal is designed to build on the previous night’s efforts. Alittle= a lot.

*This meal plan is based on a family of 4, with a couple of meals making more than 4 servings so that you have some leftovers for lunches, etc.

(A shopping list for this week’s meal plan is at the bottom of this page)

Day #1: Roast Chicken and Sautéed Veggies.

If you like, serve a loaf of crusty bread with tonight's chicken and veggies.

Meal prep for tonight and for the rest of the week:

Roast one, two, or more chickens, depending on how many people you're cooking for this week. For a family of four, roast two 4 lb chickens. Eat one for dinner tonight and divide the meat from the second chicken into two portions, saving it in the refrigerator for Chicken Salad Niçoise and Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Sauté green beans and red peppers: For a family of 4, sauté 6 red peppers and 1 ½ lbs of green beans. Cook them just until they are crisp-tender. Serve half for dinner tonight and reserve the rest for tomorrow night'sChicken Salad Niçoise.
If you're serving bread with dinner tonight, save the leftovers to make croutons for Chicken Salad Niçoise. To get a jump on the week, go ahead and make the croutons today. (Alternativly, you can use packaged croutons.) You can also make the salad dressing in advance, storing it in the refrigerator.
Get started on the black beans that will be used throughout the rest of the week. Follow the recipe instructions to soak the beans overnight and cook them in the slow cooker or on the stovetop the next day.

OPTIONAL: After picking off all the meat, use the chicken bones to make ultra simple chicken broth, letting it simmer on the stovetop or in the slow cooker overnight. Use the broth to make Chicken Tortilla Soup later in the week.

2 Fool Proof Methods for Perfect Roast Chicken

Two genius methods, from two of the most acclaimed chefs, for how to make the most tender, juicy, richly flavorful Roast Chicken. Both methods require minimal prep time (5-10 minutes) and only 3 ingredients, including the chicken.

Perfect Sautéed Vegetables

The trick to perfectly sautéed vegetables is to slice them uniformly & cook them quickly in a hot pan with a tiny bit of oil. Here’s how to get it right every time.

For the Bakers: Simple Homemade White Bread

This homemade white bread recipe has been a staple in my house for over 20 years because it’s quick, simple, fail-proof, and deliciously satisfying like only homemade bread can be.

Day #2: Chicken Salad Niçoise

If you're making homemade croutons, get those going before assembling the salad so they have time to cool.
Use the extra sauteed green beans and red bell peppers you prepared last night as well as some of the reserved roasted chicken to make this salad.
If you haven't already, be sure to soak the black beans according to these instructions so they are ready to be cooked tomorrow morning.

Chicken Salad Niçoise

Traditionally, Niçoise salads are “arranged”, meaning that each ingredient is grouped together separately rather than all tossed together. This can be a pretty handy way to serve a salad when making it for a group of people who may have different tastes, or when you know that not everyone you’re serving it to will like everything in it.

co*cktail Pairing: Cucumber Gimlet with Mint

A deliciously refreshing sour gin co*cktail made with Rose’s Lime Juice, cucumber, mint, and sparkling water.

Dessert Suggestion: Lemon Olive Oil Loaf Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze

Photo Credit:ofbatteranddough.com

This simple lemon loaf cake is exceptionally moist, tender, and flavorful thanks to olive oil, lemon oil, and a generous blanket of tart lemon glaze.

Day #3: Enchilada Casserole and Black Bean

If you haven't already, get the black beans cooking in a pot on the stovetop or in the slow cooker (instructions for both are in the recipe).
The Recipe below for Enchilada Casserole can be made with or without chicken. If you have quite a bit of leftover roast chicken, you might want to throw some in there. This is optional; Enchilada casserole can be made with only cheese if you prefer.
The Enchilada recipe will make more sauce than you need for Enchilada Casserole. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of the enchilada sauce in two portions: 1 cup for tortilla soup and ¼ cup for stuffed poblanos peppers.
Reserve leftover black beans in two portions: 2 cups for stuffed peppers and 1 - 2 cups for tortilla soup.

Cheese Enchilada Casserole with {or without} Chicken

Easy cheese enchilada casserole requires just three ingredients: corn tortillas, a ridiculous amount of cheese, and a kick-ass red chili enchilada sauce. Layer it up with or without chicken for super easy cheese enchiladas with very little fuss.

Black Beans - Slow Simmered

Homemade black beans is a simple fix-it-and-forget-it dish when simmered slowly with garlic and spices in your slow cooker or stovetop.

co*cktail Pairing: Freshly Squeezed Orange Margarita

While every good margarita should include a splash of orange liquor, this orange margarita includes the addition of freshly squeezed orange juice, brightening the flavors and creating a fresh tropical co*cktail, even when the weather outside is frightful.

Day #4: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tonight's meal will be on the table in just over 30 minutes thanks to the leftover chicken, enchilada sauce, and black beans you made earlier this week.

If you also made homemade chicken broth, use it in this soup.

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of those fast cooking, super satisfying recipes that has a guaranteed spot on permanent meal time rotation at our house. Pre-roasted chicken and black beans are simmered in a red chili broth flavored with garlic, onions, oregano, and cumin.

Then, come the toppings… Pile your bowl with tortilla chips, avocado, lime, green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and sour cream. The soup is an hearty, mouthwatering weeknight meal that will be on the table in just over 30 minutes.

Dessert Suggestion: Anything Cookies {One Dough, Endless Possibilities}

This simple, buttery all-purpose cookie dough can handle pretty much anything you want to throw at it. The chocolate or vanilla dough mixes up in about 5 minutes. After that, toss in anything you like, or anything you have, in whatever combination strikes your fancy. Chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, roasted nuts, chopped candies, shredded coconut, pretzels, oatmeal, dried fruit, sprinkles, chopped cookies, graham crackers, mini marshmallows… This one cookie dough is all you need for any kind of cookie you’re craving right now.

Day #5: Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Make tonight's stuffed Poblano Peppers using 2 cups of the black beans and ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce you cooked earlier in the week.

*If you want to get a jump start on these early in the day, roast the poblano peppers in the morning, placing them in a bowl covered with a towel on the kitchen counter, and leaving them there for the day. Then, that evening, peel off their blackened skins and proceed with the recipe.

Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Black beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices are simmered in red enchilada sauce and then stuffed into roasted poblano peppers. These Stuffed Poblano Peppers are a staple meatless meal around my house because they are simple, healthy, and so delicious we crave them on the regular.

Highly Recommended: Soft Homemade Flour Tortillas

Homemade tortillas, soft and warm, are one of the best things in the whole wide world. Combine that with how easy they are to make and flour tortillas from scratch becomes one of the few life decisions for which there can be no regrets.

co*cktail Pairing: Grapefruit Margaritas {with jalapeños and lime}

These grapefruit margaritas are a refreshing balance of fresh, tart, sweet, and salty, with a mild jalapeño kick that goes down easy.

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*Does not include ingredients for suggested co*cktails or baked goods.

Take a look at these two simple methods for Roasting Chicken and decide which one you’d like to follow.

If using Method #1, you’ll need: Two 4 pound chickens, salt and pepper
If using Method #2, you’ll need: Two 4 pound chickens, salt and 4 cups of buttermilk

Large loaf French bread (Enough to serve with roast chicken on Day #1 with enough left over to make 2 cups of croutons.) Or, if you'd rather bake your own, here's a great recipe: Simple Homemade White Bread
Flour tortillas (for serving with stuffed poblano peppers). Or, highly recommended, make them yourself: Homemade Flour Tortillas
6 red bell peppers
1 large yellow or white onion
2 small red onion
2 tablespoon chopped green onions(optional, to top black beans)
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
16 cloves garlic
8 poblano peppers
1 ½ lbs of green beans (Fresh or frozen)
4 lemons
3 limes
2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ½ lbs small red potatoes
3 tablespoon minced fresh basil (or any other kind of fresh herb for the Nicoise Salad Vinaigrette)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme – OR – 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano – OR – 1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tomatoes, cut into eighths
About 1 lb Boston, Bibb, or Romain lettuce, or any variety of mixed greens
16–18 corn tortillas
3 cups chicken broth (for enchilada sauce; can also use water)
2 tablespoon dried oregano
3 tablespoon + 2 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour
16 oz. (1 lb) dried black beans
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
7 oz (¾ cup) adobo sauce
31 oz canned diced tomatoes
½ cup long grain rice
4 cups chicken broth (if making your own this week from the bones of roast chicken, disregard.)
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 large eggs
6 tbs butter
22 oz grated Colby Jack, or Sharp or Medium Cheddar cheese
48 oz frozen red chili puree (I use one 24 oz bag mild and one 24 oz bag hot) *See Enchilada recipe notes for where to find this.
Salt and pepper
1 ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon dry vermouth (optional; used to toss with cooked potatoes for Nicoise Salad)
Sour Cream, for serving with enchilada casserole, tortilla soup, and stuffed poblano peppers

Other toppings for Tortilla Soup:

Slices of lime
Diced avocado
Fresh cilantro
Diced green onions
Diced jalapeño, OR pickled jalapeños
Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Crushed Tortilla Chips

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