A Menu of Changing Seasons
featuring Spiced Feta Meatball Gyros, ✨Crispy✨ Ranch Potatoes, and Caramelized Cabbage Shakshuka
Hi, Hello, and HAPPY FRIDAY, all my fabulous people!!!
Another week in the books of prepping and I gotta say, I’m especially excited for this week.
Although this week is hard to categorize because it’s sort of all over the place, it has an underlying theme (like most things in life if you analyze hard enough).
We’re looking at a menu with Mediterranean flare (like gyros and shawarma-inspired meatballs!!) but also pops of American comfort (like ranch). It also screams vibrant and fresh (with herbs like dill and chives), but then again, cozy and warm (with dishes like shakshuka).
This menu, to me, emulates the seasons of change: early Spring. Warm on some days and cold on others. And similar to Spring (or Autumn if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere), it has me giddy for what’s to come.
Day 1: Spiced Feta Meatball Gyros
Elements:
Spiced Feta Meatballs
Yukon Golds
Flatbread
Hummus
Tzatziki
Romaine
Cherry Tomatoes
Turmeric Rice (served on the side)
Day 2: Crispy Ranch Potato Salad with Cheddar Chicken Cutlets
Elements:
Crispy Potatoes
Buttermilk Ranch
Cabbage
Dill
Cheddar Chicken Cutlets
Day 3: Chopped Salad with BBQ-Spiced Chicken
Elements:
Romaine
Cherry Tomatoes
White Cheddar
8-Minute Eggs
Buttermilk Ranch
BBQ-Spiced Chicken
Flatbread (served on the side)
Day 4: Mediterranean Bowls
Elements:
Turmeric Rice
Spiced Feta Meatballs
Romaine
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Tzatziki
Hummus
Feta
Day 5: Caramelized Cabbage Shakshouka
Elements:
Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce
Cabbage
Eggs
Feta
Flatbread (served on the side)
This is the exact list I used to shop for my groceries this week - keep in mind, the quantified ingredients are enough for 2 people, so if you’re shopping for 3 or more people, double it, quadruple it, septuple it, do whatever you need to customize it to your liking! 😊
As always, the total cost doesn’t take into account the proteins - I generally get my protein (chicken, salmon, shrimp, etc.) in bulk from Costco. I find that most everything from Costco lasts me around 3-4 weeks (stored in the freezer) and saves me a lot of money.
All that said…
This Week’s Total Cost: ~$58
$5.80 per person for 5 meals…NOT BAD!
Also!
A Note on Essentials: I also wanted to give you a heads-up that you’ll be seeing a lot of spices (cumin, turmeric, etc.) that are not on the shopping list, but they are on the essentials list (aka what’s in my pantry/things I use frequently).
I also updated it this week with a couple of ingredients I failed to mention in the first week, including:
Tahini (this might seem like a specialty item, but we’ll be making a lot of hummus on RD!)
Allspice
Alright enough chatter, here’s the grocery list:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Restaurant Dropout to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.