Meal Plans: February 20-26

As promised in yesterday's article, this upcoming week marks the first week of meal plans by The Maple Press. It only made sense to share what was already being planned in the hopes that it might inspire someone seeking meal planning inspiration, or take care of the planning entirely. This will be a fun way to share one of the simple pleasures of enjoying each season, and the delicious tastes they offer. These meal plans will be published on Friday mornings to provide enough time for some weekend grocery shopping for anyone interested in implementing some (or all) of the menu plans shared, into their weekly meals.

This week's meals feature the beautiful citrus of the season, a cherry dessert in honor of Presidents' Day, and some kid-approved lunch box meals that are simple and satisfying. Each dish has a link to the recipe that either inspired a variation of the dish or the recipe The Maple Press will be following exactly to duplicate. Next week's meal plan will feature a short review of how the meals went the previous week, with a report of what went well and what didn't, as well as a new recipe round-up for the following week. Enjoy!

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This upcoming week's meal plan:

SUNDAY

Lunch - Egg + Potato Salad with Crackers and Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Baked Salmon with Crispy Potatoes, Broccoli, and Lemon Sauce (recipe source)

Dessert - Citrus Slices over Yoghurt drizzled with Honey (recipe inspiration)

MONDAY

Lunch - Egg Sandwich with Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Lemony Garlic Chicken and Orzo Soup with Rolls (recipe inspiration)

Dessert - Cherry Cheesecake Brownies (recipe inspiration)

TUESDAY

Lunch - Egg + Potato Salad with Crackers and Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Leftovers

Dessert - Citrus Slices over Yoghurt drizzled with Honey (recipe inspiration)

WEDNESDAY

Lunch - Egg Sandwich with Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Broccoli + Cheese Pasta (recipe source)

Dessert - Cherry Cheesecake Brownies (recipe inspiration)

THURSDAY

Lunch - Egg + Potato Salad with Crackers and Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Dutch Baby with Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, and Berries (recipe inspiration)

Dessert - Citrus Slices over Yoghurt drizzled with Honey (recipe inspiration)

FRIDAY

Lunch - Egg Sandwich with Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Leftovers

Dessert - Cherry Cheesecake Brownies (recipe inspiration)

SATURDAY

Lunch - Egg + Potato Salad with Crackers and Citrus Slices (recipe inspiration)

Dinner - Pizza with Side Salad (recipe inspiration)

Dessert - Cherry Cheesecake Brownies (recipe inspiration)

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Kid's Lunch Box:

Each weekly meal plan will include a kid's lunch box menu with two options to switch between during the week. The lunch will incorporate most components of the above-listed lunch menu, with slight variations if needed. The layout will always feature the PlanetBox Rover Stainless Steel Lunch Box along with other Planet Box accessories such as the Rover Pod 4-Pack, Rover Little Square Dipper, Rover Big Round Dipper, and Rover Little Round Dipper. A PlanetBox article in the Gazette will be coming soon to showcase why the brand is the perfect choice for lunch boxes.

Until next time,

The Maple Press

Meal Planning

Meal planning is one of those simple pleasures that can easily be missed. To find that simple enjoyment, only takes a little extra thought, care, and time. Suddenly a last-minute scramble to think up a grocery list turns into an opportunity to create a menu to look forward to. Over at The Maple Press, some tips and tricks have proven to make the entire weekly experience much more fulfilling. Today each of those tips and tricks will be shared, and tomorrow, the first installment of meal plans by The Maple Press will be published, featuring a menu planned for the week of February 20-26.

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Time

The trick to planning meals in an enjoyable way is to set aside some time in advance (weekly, every few weeks, monthly) to sit down with a notebook or notes app, maybe a favorite drink to sip on, and a calendar. Take note of any upcoming holidays or events that meals would need to be planned around. It also helps to have a furry friend napping nearby.

Seasonal

A great tip for creating an enjoyable meal planning experience is to have a list of what produce is in season each month. This not only helps provide some ideas, but it's a way to ensure a continual variety of meals throughout the year. Get the most out of each season by incorporating those seasonal items into as many dishes as possible.

Inspiration

The next tip is to have an overflowing source of inspiration to pull from. Getting stuck in a rut of the same dishes week after week is not only depressing but is far from healthy. Bodies need variety, and thanks to the internet, it's not hard to find something to inspire a menu filled with different dishes. The Maple Press finds inspiration from...

- Pinterest: This is the absolute best source of food inspiration. Saving and organizing photos and recipes is a breeze, and searching for something couldn't be easier. The feature used most often is the ability to search "your Pins" for recipes previously saved. Looking for all the delicious rhubarb recipes you've saved? Go to your profile, and type in "rhubarb" in the search bar on the top that shows, "Search your Pins". Then voilà! All the rhubarb recipes you've saved are displayed.

- Instagram: Another great source for inspiring dishes is Instagram, and with their option to save posts, it's easy to go back and find photos or recipes that sparked some interest.

- Food52: From inspiring articles to well-tested recipes, Food52 has so much to offer. It's also a great place to find top-quality items to help prepare amazing meals, from handy appliances and cutting boards to aprons and cookbooks.

- Cookbooks: Nothing can replace the experience of paging through a collection of cookbooks. There is simplicity in the practice and the timeless value of printed recipes, stories, and heritage that are stored inside the binding will never cease to inspire.

Consistent Breakfast

While variety is key in creating healthy and exciting meals, there is value in keeping a consistent breakfast. Something satiating to look forward to each morning, like a warm baguette with butter and jam, paired with some juice, coffee, or tea. It's healthy and always exciting, yet simple, and leaves more time to plan lunches and dinners that emanate variety. If the grocery budget is more limited, a consistent lunch is also a great option, possibly switching between two lunch options throughout the week to save funds.

Go-To's

Well within the vein of variety, a list of go-to cuisines or dishes is incredibly helpful. This is another place Food52 shines, offering a helpful search option within the "Recipes" section of that site that allows users to filter based on cuisine (which is an impressive list of... all cuisines ever, from what it looks like), or dish type. The Maple Press go-to's are:

CUISINE

• Asian

• French

• Italian

• Mediterranean

• Mexican

• New England

DISH TYPE

• Breakfast

• Pasta

• Pie

• Salad

• Sandwich

• Soup

Protein

Another trick to preparing enjoyable meals that offer variety, flavor, and nutrients is to look at the protein. It can be easy to fall into the rut of serving the same protein again and again, without branching out into the vast options available. Choosing one night each week for fish, another for chicken, one for pork, turkey, and even a meatless night. Possibly preparing red meat once a month to keep things affordable and healthy.

Simple

The last, and possibly most important tip for creating an enjoyable meal planning experience is to keep it simple. It can be far too easy to fall into the trap of over-analyzing the menu, which ultimately takes the enjoyment right out. The above-mentioned tips and tricks can all work together to keep things simple. The outcome is the opportunity to nurture a love for cooking, creating, and eating. The Maple Press has found that looking for dishes that offer variety, highlight vegetables, and consist of mostly real, unprocessed foods is highly effective in providing satiating nutrients to enjoy a healthy life.

Until next time,

The Maple Press

Eva's Bakery

Stepping inside this picturesque café is like being transported from Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah into a Parisian realm of simple luxury. The delicious atmosphere of leisurely brunch is unrushed, undisturbed, and refreshingly intimate. From the fitting music to the delicate fresh flowers at each table, one could find themselves comfortably melted into their chair hours later, in a bliss of food and rich conversation, without any indication they were anywhere but an authentic bistro in France.

The light and airy ambiance alone is enough to swoon over. It’s the cuisine that sends the boulangerie to the next level of opulence. From savory to sweet, the menu of local ingredients hits the mark on each item. Perfectly flaky pastries, so buttery they’re naughty. A truly seductive Midnight Chocolate Cake. Stuffed French Toast, which poses the question, “Why isn’t all French Toast stuffed?” The Boulange Benedict is nothing to trifle with, with a hollandaise that puts all others to shame. Even a simple side of toast with jam is an indulgence that shouldn’t be missed. The Kouign Amann may be hard to pronounce but is easy to fall in love with.

On a weekend when the routine of homemade breakfast simply won’t do, look no further than the charming blue and yellow, bread-filled bakery on South Main Street.

Until next time,

The Maple Press