This Week's Menu | January 3, 2025
Meatball subs, chicken noodle soup, buttery sea scallops with peas & potatoes, and green monster pasta
Hey everyone! Happy New Year, and happy free menu day! (The first menu + recipes of the month are always FREE!)
This week, we have an impending winter storm that’s coming this weekend.
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And now, our menu.
Meals for the Week:
Buttery Scallops with Spring Vegetables
Scallops are not hard to make, not even a little bit. You can make them with spring vegetables (peas and new potatoes) any time of year.
Pappardelle with Kale Sauce
This recipe is a complete slam dunk! We totally loved it. It tastes amazing, and it’s so full of nutrients from the kale! What a great way to get a TON of leafy greens in your diet without even knowing you’re eating them.
Meatball Subs
There are few childhood memories that come back quite as vividly as making meatballs with my mom. I remember the feel of the gooey mixture on my hands as my sister and I mixed and rolled the meatballs.
Notes for this week’s menu:
ALDI FAILS:
No shallots (for the scallops): they have an irreplaceable flavor, so try to grab one elsewhere if you can!
No pappardelle— use the other half of the egg noodles from the chicken noodle soup
No bay leaves
No vermouth (can use white wine)
Alcohol needed (scallop recipe)! If you’re ordering from Instacart, just a reminder that you’ll need 1/3 cup of white wine or vermouth. Not a great idea to omit, flavor-wise, but I’m sure a bit of chicken or shrimp stock would work in a pinch.
Servings:
Chicken noodle soup: 8-10
Meatball subs: 6
Scallops/Pappardelle: 4
Instacart lists
Aldi: I’m not sure why, but there were very few produce items available from Aldi. Kale, carrots, bell peppers, red onion, spinach, shallot, garlic, potatoes and fresh herbs were not showing as options when I made the list. I hope this will resolve itself soon— I’ll email everyone if I’m able to get it fixed! In the meantime, make sure to add these manually (hope that it works for you!), or order from Kroger this week instead.
Grocery List
Meat
1 lb ground beef
2-3 chicken breasts (1.5 - 2 lb)
1 lb scallops (12 oz package is also fine!)
Dairy
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 egg
6-8 oz sliced Provolone cheese
1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago cheese (for ¾ cup grated)
Produce
3 large carrots
4 stalks of celery
2 bunches lacinato kale
Toppings for meatball subs: 1 bell pepper, 1 red onion, baby spinach
8 small baby gold potatoes
1 medium shallot
1 head of garlic
Fresh dill, tarragon, or parsley (optional, for scallops)
Pantry
8 oz wide egg noodles
½ cup plain breadcrumbs
1 24 oz jar marinara sauce (like Bertolli or Rao’s)
1-2 loaves of Italian bread (long loaves, not a boule - enough for 6 sandwiches) or 6 hoagie buns
⅓ cup dry white wine or vermouth
9 cups of chicken broth or 1 jar of Better than Bouillon chicken base
1 loaf of crusty bread
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
8 oz (½ lb) dried pappardelle (Italian egg noodles) (or you can use the other half of the bag of egg noodles from the chicken noodle soup)
Spices: bay leaves, oregano, garlic powder, freshly ground black pepper
Frozen
1 10-12 oz bag frozen peas (need 1½ cups)
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