One of the trickiest parts of getting started with a CSA is learning how to meal plan using the ingredients. It is an exercise in creativity, which I think is one of the things I love most about it. You really have to look at recipes with a creative eye, and be willing to substitute based on what you’ve gotten in your pickup that week.
When I sit down to meal plan each week, I make a list of what I already have available in my fridge that needs to be used. I keep a running freezer and pantry inventory, so I know what I have to work with at any given time. It takes practice for meal planning to become second nature, but in time, you’ll be able to do it too!
The internet and cookbooks are my best friends when it comes to meal planning. I have a few trusted cookbooks and websites that I go to first. I’ll search for a specific ingredient that I need to use, and find something that looks good. Often I’ll find a recipe that uses several things I have already, so it minimizes my need for grocery shopping. For this week, I focused on using up the asparagus first and built meals around that.
As the season progresses and our pickups get bigger, I can’t use all of the produce before our next pickup, so I start to preserve some for Winter. This week I’ll freeze our spinach so I have it later in the year.
Spring Week 3
1 bunch spring onions
1 head lettuce
1 bag spinach
1 bundle baby bok choi
2 bunches asparagus
Recipes to Try
Spring Onions
We’ll use these on top of salads and in recipes for Chinese night with bok choi and asparagus.
Lettuce
This Ginger-Lime Chicken is so good on top of lettuce. It makes a delightful dinner salad. The flavorful chicken over lettuce is enough for me, but you can add croutons, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, grilled asparagus, pickled red onions, or anything else you can find in your fridge.
Taco Salads are another favorite right now. Everyone will eat a taco salad, even the little ones in my life.
And it’s Memorial Day weekend! The weather here is going to be cold and rainy, but we’re grilling hamburgers anyway, because there’s no better way to celebrate the start of Summer. Save a few pieces of lettuce for your burger, or use lettuce instead of a bun for a healthier option.
Spinach
If you’re having parties this weekend (or even if you aren’t), this Spinach and Cheese Strata is an excellent prep-ahead meal. It makes a delicious breakfast, or lunch, or dinner. You really can’t go wrong with this one.
Or if you want a delicious side to go with those burgers, this creamed spinach is incredible.
Spinach is my favorite thing to use when I need a quick vegetarian meal. Make some pasta, wilt the spinach, and add some cheese, and you have an easy fast meal that the whole family will enjoy.
If you want to freeze spinach to use later in the year, this is a good article on how to do it.
Baby Bok Choi
Tonight we’re making Chinese food and I’m making this Candy Pork with this Sesame Ginger Bok Choi. I’m sure there will be plenty of leftovers so tomorrow’s lunch can feel like the old days when I pulled leftover Chinese takeout from the fridge and ate it cold.
I’ll also make lo mein for my kids who don’t really like meat and sneak a bit of bok choi in. I use this lo mein recipe and alter it based on whatever veggies I have. I don’t always use as many veggies as the recipe calls for, and I hardly ever use the veggies they use. This is one of those base recipes that’s always good, no matter what you decide to throw in it. It was one of the first recipes I used when I was learning how to be creative in the kitchen.
Asparagus
I don’t know how many more weeks we’ll be picking up asparagus, but I feel like the season is almost over, so this week I’m sneaking in all my favorite asparagus meals. This sheet-pan gnocchi with asparagus is a busy parent’s dream. I’ll use 1/2 a sweet onion instead of leeks and make homemade gnocchi with potatoes I got from the misfit table (if you make homemade, make sure to pre-boil it before baking).
For tonight’s Chinese Feast, I’m making this Turmeric Black Pepper Chicken with Asparagus, but I’m using beef instead of chicken because it’s what’s in my freezer.
If I have any asparagus and spinach left, I’m making this Asparagus Pesto. Pesto typically freezes really well, and I think this can be a creative way to preserve asparagus for winter. I love using pesto for these meatballs.
Have you discovered any new favorite Spring recipes this month? If so, I’d love for you to comment below and share them!