a week of meals no. 74
meal plan for the first week of April 2025
Welcome to mamaeats, a twice-weekly newsletter (Tues. & Sat.) inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. I’m a mother of three, avid reader, gardener, and home cook who focuses on nourishing, whole food meals with a focus on plants. This newsletter is my labor of love, and it means so much that you are here. If you are not already, and are able to do so, please consider becoming a subscriber to support my work here. This gives you access to all the archives and recipes (find the recipe index here), as well as cook-along videos which go along with most recipes.
Saturday morning here again, and March slipping through our fingers like dry sand. It’s been a week of spring break over here, which in our book just means more time to relax at home and slow our pace. It’s been a welcome pause in our otherwise rapid feeling life (just the season we’re in). This week, we’ve had quite lovely weather for a handful of days, and even had one day above 80 degrees (Fahrenheit). I wore bare legs and arms and read in the sunshine, gardened, sprayed the kids with the hose at their request. What a tease! Now we are back to clouds, rain, and an almost 20 degree drop in the temperature. No matter though, the more rain it is, the more the season of green is extended. I love March for this reason, all the lush verdant growth, the beauty of even the weeds:
Each leaf,
each blade of grass
vies for attention.
Even weeds
carry tiny blossoms
to astonish us.Marianne Poloskey, Sunday in Spring
In reading news: Stone Yard Devotional was the book of the week. I had been meaning to read it because it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year. It was not my favorite, but still an overall interesting read—an atheist woman abandons her life, job, and husband to live in a small Catholic abbey in her hometown. In the jacket, it talks about plagues, a strange visitor, which piqued my interest. I also always love a book where a person disengages from modern life and capitalism in favor of an extremely simple life, Thoreau style- it’s an urge I relate to. Overall, the story was simply too slow- not much narrative drive, but the woman ruminating on her life and childhood, and death in a disconnected sort of way. Look, I love a slow book, and living in the inner thoughts of characters. But this one felt endless! I have to say though, the sentences themselves are beautiful, well written and with a gentle rythym, and this is what kept me reading.
Here are the picture books I’ve picked up from the library to read with James this week (he’s 3.5). He is still really into the Frances series here!
A very spring meal plan this week: lemony pasta, asparagus, peas, orange walnut cake, our favorite caesar, delicious and brightly colored tacos with citrus avocado salsa. All very good things, in my book!
the meal plan
weekend prep work: clean out the fridge, go to the farmer’s market and grocery store to re-stock pantry and fridge, soak and cook chickpeas and white beans, mix sourdough to bake on Monday. Bake a batch of orange vanilla granola for breakfasts/snacks during the week (this week will do lemon zest instead of orange, and mix through some freeze dried strawberries).
Sunday: creamy lemon and asparagus pasta; will add some frozen peas to this, too
Monday: “fresh” pea soup with frozen peas; buttered sourdough, white beans tossed with quickly broiled asparagus and vinaigrette
Tuesday: cauliflower al pastor tacos, refried black beans
Wednesday: curried red lentil and coconut soup with spinach wilted in; served with basmati rice
Thursday: tostadas spread thickly with the leftover refried black beans, topped with a few slices avocado, cilantro, chiles, pickled onions, and a smattering of Trader Joe’s veg feta. Corn chips and navel orange pico de gallo on the side (the persimmon salsa recipe, subbing peeled/diced navel orange for persimmon)
Friday: same situation as last week- a sourdough crust pizza topped with red sauce, thinly sliced red onions, mozzarella, dried oregano, olive oil + kale and romaine caesar with crispy chickpeas
Saturday: burgers on whole wheat buns with lettuce, chipotle mayo, leftover pickled onions- trying out this recipe for the burgers themselves + roasted sweet potato wedges
weekend bake: greek orange and walnut cake
weekend breakfast: oat waffles again! This time, with fruit-sweetened strawberry jam and coconut cashew yogurt.
Leaving you with this poem from Linda Pastan’s Almost an Elegy. I love this one and always think of it as I go to clear out a vase of spent tulips. xx A
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Love your meal plans - they're so comforting and inspiring.
These menus always look soooo lovely and soothing! I want to come be a houseguest for a week haha.