the saucy rabbit Meal Plan for November 11-17

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1 This meal plan feeds 3 if you follow as is. Keep in mind, each dinner technically serves 6 but we eat leftovers for lunch. Also each breakfast can be easily scaled up or down to suit your needs. All underlined text are links you can click on for recipes the saucy rabbit Meal Plan for November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pork, Apple, & Cabbage Sauté w/ Fried Eggs Curried Lentil Soup & Chicken Satay Spinach Scramble w/ Sliced Apples Blueberry Muffins & Bananas Spinach Scramble w/ Sliced Pears Blueberry Muffins & Bananas Spiced Pork & Kale Sauté w/ Sliced Apples Lunch None Leftover Pork, Cabbage, & Turnips Leftover Steelhead w/ Pine Nut Salsa & Carrots Leftover Fall Salad Leftover Snack Leftover Burgers & Fries Leftover Pasta w/ Broccoli, Cheddar, & Bacon Kalua Pork, Cabbage, & Turnips Pan-Fried Steelhead w/ Pine Nut Salsa & Roasted Carrots Fall Salad Snack Hoisin Glazed Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries Pasta w/ Broccoli, Cheddar, & Bacon Pan-Seared Steak w/ a Balsamic Reduction, Broccolini, & Baguette BONUS: Winter Cherry

2 Sunday Pork, Apple, & Cabbage Sauté w/ Fried Eggs This is finishing up the leftovers from the previous Thursday s breakfast. I know it s pretty monochromatic but this is one of my favorite fall sautés Lunch None was late so we skipped lunch and had an early dinner. Kalua Pork, Cabbage, & Turnips See the next page for the recipe. I absolutely love Nom Nom Paleo s Kalua Pig recipe. I love it so much I don t really deviate from her perfect recipe. I like to throw in some type of starchy vegetable though so I don t have to cook anything else. Note: I froze 1 pound of shredded pork for something in the coming weeks I love super tender pork like this and the Instant Pot makes it so quick and easy

3 Sunday Kalua Pork, Cabbage, & Turnips You will need an Instant Pot for this recipe Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers 3 slices bacon 4 pound boneless pork butt (or about 5lb bone-in) 6 cloves garlic, peeled Salt 6 turnips (tennis ball size), peeled & quartered 1 cabbage, cored & cut into 6 wedges 1) Throw the bacon in a single layer in the bottom of the pressure cooker insert. Push Sauté and brown the bacon on both sides. 2) Meanwhile, cut the pork into 3 equal pieces. Use a sharp knife to poke 2 garlic clove size holes into each piece. Stuff a garlic clove into each hole. Season the pork liberally with salt on all sides. 3) Throw the pork in a single layer on top of the bacon and pour in 1 cup of water. Cover with the lid, push Manual and cook under high pressure for 90 minutes. 4) When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally (mine usually takes about 30 minutes). Remove the pork to a bowl, leaving the liquid behind, and cover with foil. 5) Add the turnips to the liquid and top with the cabbage. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, manually release the pressure. 6) Shred the pork in the bowl. To serve, divide the pork, cabbage, and turnips between bowls and top with a ladle or two of the liquid. I froze 1 pound of the shredded pork for something on another day Original recipe: Kalua Pig from Nom Nom Paleo

4 Monday Curried Lentil Soup & Chicken Satay This is finishing up the leftovers from the previous Saturday s breakfast. To keep things simple, I chopped up the chicken and stirred into the soup before reheating. I didn t use any of the sauce. I kinda liked starting the cold morning off with a soup Lunch Leftover Pork, Cabbage, & Turnips Pan-Fried Steelhead w/ Pine Nut Salsa & Roasted Carrots See the next page for the recipe. Although I use steelhead, you can most definitely use salmon. I despise capers but I toughed it out for my husband

5 Monday Pan-Fried Steelhead w/ Pine Nut Salsa & Roasted Carrots Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers 3 pounds carrots, peeled & cut into 1 / 2 inch thick spears Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1 cup dried currants or raisins 1 hefty pinch saffron 2 pounds steelhead or salmon fillet, deboned & cut into 6 portions 5 stalks celery, chopped small 1 / 2 cup pine nuts 1 / 4 cup capers, rinsed 1 / 2 cup green olives, roughly chopped 1 large handful parsley, chopped 1 lemon start turning brown. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the capers, olives, saffron (plus its water), parsley, zest of the lemon, juice of half the lemon, and a hefty sprinkling of salt. Drain the currants and stir into the salsa. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. 4) Grab a large sauté pan and put on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season the steelhead fillets with salt and pepper to taste then throw into the pan, skin-side down. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. 5) To serve, divide the fish and carrots between plates and top the fish with the salsa. 1) Preheat oven to 425 and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Throw the carrots onto the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and toss to coat. Spread the carrots out into a single layer and roast for 25 minutes. Stir and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until cooked to your liking. 2) Meanwhile, throw the currants into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes. Put the saffron into a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of hot water and set aside. 3) Grab a large sauté pan and put on high heat with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, throw in the celery and pine nuts and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the nuts Original recipe: Pan-Fried Salmon w/ Pine Nut Salsa from Ottolenghi Simple

6 Tuesday Spinach Scramble w/ Sliced Apples For the scramble, grab a non-stick pan and put on medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When hot, throw in 1 / 2 diced onion and sauté until tender. Wilt in 2 handfuls of baby spinach and season with salt and pepper. Scramble in 6 beaten and seasoned eggs and stir until cooked to your liking. I was going to make muffins but I didn t have enough time Lunch Leftover Steelhead, Pine Nut Salsa, & Carrots Fall Salad See the next page for the recipe. I had planned to use sweet potatoes but had quite a bit of squash leftover from making pickled butternut squash for Wednesday s dinner. You can use whichever you d prefer. Feel free to change up the dried fruit and nuts to whatever you have on hand. This is the only way I ve found to get my son to enjoy Brussel sprouts and winter squash

7 Tuesday Fall Salad Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers 1 pound Brussel sprouts, trimmed & halved 1 / 2 medium butternut squash, peeled & cut into 1 / 2 inch chunks Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 batch Go-To Chicken 1 batch Go-To Creamy Dressing 1 cucumber, peeled & diced 1 apple, diced 1 large handful dried cranberries 1 large handful pecans 1 pound mixed salad greens (I used baby arugula and butter lettuce) 4) While everything s cooking/cooling, make the Go-To Creamy Dressing as directed. 5) In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, cooked chicken, roasted Brussel sprouts and squash, cucumbers, apples, cranberries, pecans, and creamy dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. 1) Preheat oven to 425 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2) Throw the Brussel sprouts and squash onto the baking sheet, keeping them separate from each other. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, being sure to keep the veggies in separate piles, and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes then stir. Check the Brussel sprouts for doneness and remove to a plate to cool if ready. Continue to roast the squash for an additional 10 minutes or until both veggies are cooked to your liking. Set aside to cool. 3) Meanwhile, preheat grill while the veggies are roasting and cook the Go-To Chicken as directed. Chop into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle and set aside.

8 Wednesday Blueberry Muffins & Banana I followed my recipe for Raspberry Muffins however I used blueberries. I froze the remaining 9 muffins for another day. I usually make these in advance when I have extra time and freeze them Lunch Leftover Fall Salad Snack (Harvest Edition) See the next page for the recipes. In the picture you may notice I do not include olives/pickled onions as called for in the recipe. I had attempted to make pickled butternut squash but I didn t like the results. Testing will continue. We watched Night of the Living Dead while we snacked on this board

9 Wednesday Snack (Harvest Edition) 8 ounces pecans or whatever nut you like 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Hefty pinch cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 8 cups apple cider 3 cinnamon sticks 4 cardamom pods 10 allspice berries 1 vanilla bean, halved 1 orange, sliced 1 baguette 4 ounces blue or goat cheese (I used Humboldt Fog) 4 ounces smoked cheese (I used smoked gouda) 8 ounces cheese curds 12 ounces cured sausage, sliced (I used elk summer sausage) Pickled onions or olives Grapes (apples and/or pears are a good option) 1 / 2 cup jam or chutney (I used apple) 3 / 4 cup whiskey (optional) 1) Grab a medium pot and throw in the apple cider, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, vanilla, and orange slices. Bring to a fast simmer, cover, Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers and reduce heat to low. Simmer while you get everything else ready. 2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment. Throw the pecans onto the prepared baking sheet along with the thyme. Bake for 5 minutes. 3) Meanwhile, grab a small saucepan and put on medium heat. Throw in the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Cook, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the pecans until well coated then return to the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don t burn. 4) Throw the baguette into the oven to warm through, about 5 minutes. 5) Grab an appropriately sized board and arrange the cheeses, sausage, olives, and fruit nicely along with the jam in a small bowl. When the baguette is warmed through, cut into slices and add to the board. 6) Use a slotted spoon to remove the spices and oranges from the cider. Stir in the whiskey if using. With a little prep, this board can be ready in less than 10 minutes. You can throw all the cider ingredients into a slow cooker and simmer on low for 4 hours. The nuts can be made up to a week in advance. Original recipe: Candied Cocktail Nuts from Everyday Dorie

10 Thursday Spinach Scramble w/ Sliced Pears See Tuesday s breakfast. This is finishing up the remaining 1 / 2 onion and baby spinach. In the end my pear sucked and I sliced up an orange instead Lunch Leftover Snack No mulled cider this time around :( Hoisin Glazed Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries See the next page for the recipe. I served the burgers with my Best Oven Fries using sweet potatoes. I seasoned the fries with a Gingerbread Spice Blend from Well Fed. It was chilly but I braved grilling the burgers

11 Thursday Hoisin Glazed Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers 1 batch Best Oven Fries 2 pounds ground beef Salt and pepper Olive oil 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated & washed Sliced pickles 1 / 4 cup hoisin sauce 1) First get started on the oven fries. 2) When the fries have about a half hour left, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Form the ground beef into 6 equal patties, making sure the outer edges are a bit thicker than the center. Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with a little olive oil. 3) When the grill is hot and clean, throw the patties on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. During the last minute of cooking, brush both sides of the patties with the hoisin sauce. Remove to a plate and tent with foil. 4) To serve, divide the lettuce between plates (I usually do 2 leaves per burger) and top with a burger patty, tomatoes, and pickles. Serve the fries on the side.

12 Friday Blueberry Muffins & Bananas See Wednesday s breakfast. Since the muffins were frozen, I microwaved what I needed for 35 seconds then heated through in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Hassle-free breakfasts are the best Lunch Leftover Burgers & Fries The cold fries in my lunch tasted like pumpkin pie! Pasta w/ Broccoli, Cheddar, & Bacon See the next page for the recipe. I used penne pasta however this will work with whatever shape you feel like. This dish comes highly recommended by Aiden

13 Friday Pasta w/ Broccoli, Cheddar, & Bacon Serves 6 or 3 with lunch leftovers Salt 1 pound pasta, whatever shape you like 3 / 4 pound bacon, thinly sliced crosswise 2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets 2 large handfuls pine nuts 1 1 / 2 cups aged cheddar (get the good stuff!) 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Before draining, be sure to save 1 cup of the pasta water. 2) Meanwhile, grab a large skillet and put on medium-high heat. Throw in the bacon while the pan is still cold and cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Throw in the broccoli and cook until just starting to soften then stir in the pine nuts. Cook until the broccoli is softened to your liking and the pine nuts are golden. 3) Add the reserved cup of pasta water to the broccoli and use a spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. 4) Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheddar and red pepper flakes. When the cheese is completely incorporated, throw in the pasta and toss until coated. Original recipe: Penne with Broccoli, Aged Cheddar, & Bacon from 5 in 5

14 Saturday Spiced Pork & Kale Sauté w/ Sliced Apples See the next page for the recipe. Consider cooking the pork and onions and steaming the kale ahead of time. Then breakfast is simply a matter of reheating everything together. However I very much prefer the crispy kale this version results in. I love the combo of pork and kale if you hadn t noticed Lunch Leftover Pasta w/ Broccoli, Cheddar, & Bacon Pan-Seared Steak w/ a Balsamic Reduction, Broccolini, & Baguette See the page after next for the recipe. This was not a planned meal however I m pretty dang happy with the impromptu results. Please ignore the sloppy plating! I pulled this dinner off in less than 15 minutes *flex*

15 Saturday Spiced Pork & Kale Sauté Serves 6 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 / 2 onion, diced 1 pound ground pork Salt and pepper Garlic powder 1 bunch kale, washed, stemmed, & chopped 2 teaspoons dried chives (or 1T fresh) Hefty pinch grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (or 1 / 2 T fresh) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Hefty pinch ground cloves 1) Grab a large sauté pan and put on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook until starting to soften. Crumble in the ground pork and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Cook until no longer pink. Remove to a bowl and set aside for now. 2) Put the pan back on the heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the kale with a hefty pinch of salt and cook until softened and starting to crisp at the edges, about 5 minutes. 3) Return the pork to the pan and stir in the chives, nutmeg, tarragon, cinnamon, and cloves. Cook until heated through. Taste for seasoning.

16 Saturday Pan-Seared Steak w/ a Balsamic Reduction, Broccolini, & Baguette Serves 3 3 beef tenderloin steaks, about 1 1 / 2 inches thick Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped Olive oil 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed 1 / 2 baguette (or other bread) 1 / 2 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoon butter add the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced and turning syrupy. Turn off the heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Swirl to melt then season with salt and pepper to taste. 7) To serve, divide the steaks, broccolini, and bread between plates. Spoon some of the balsamic reduction over the steaks. 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2) Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the rosemary, drizzle with a little olive oil, and pat the seasonings onto the steak. 3) Grab a large sauté pan and heat to medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When hot, add the steaks to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees (they will be rare). 4) Throw the baguette into the oven to heat through, about 5 minutes. 5) Meanwhile, throw the broccolini into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the broccolini is softened to your liking (usually about 4 minutes for me). Drain and return to the pot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper then cover to keep warm. 6) When the steaks are done, remove to a plate and tent with foil. Return the pan to the heat and

17 Bonus Cocktail Winter Cherry Yields 1 drink 3 fresh sage leaves 3 fresh or frozen cherries, pitted & thawed 2 ounces bourbon 1 / 2 ounce Benedictine 1 / 2 ounce maraschino liqueur Juice of 1 / 2 lemon 1) Grab a cocktail shaker and throw in the sage and cherries. Muddle for about 10 seconds or until the cherries are mushed and the sage is bruised. 2) Add the remaining ingredients and fill the shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds or so then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Quickly chill your glass by filling with ice and throwing in the freezer for a couple minutes. Dump out the ice before pouring in the drink. Don t have a muddler? Use the end of a rolling pin Don t have a shaker? Use a mason jar Original recipe: Winter Cherry from My Year in Cocktails