Planning my week, at least the meal part

I love a good challenge. And every week I am handed one when I pickup my CSA share. Yes, lots of great produce direct from the farm. But what do I do with it?

This week I picked up some beautiful tomatoes (six different kinds!), green beans, corn, zucchini, carrots (purple ones!), red peppers, potatoes, lettuce, garlic, peaches, and apples.

I don't know about you, but I really don't want all this produce to go bad. So the first thing I do when I get home is make a plan. This includes taking an inventory of my produce (old and new), and then brainstorming a bunch of tasty possibilities. I like to use a chalkboard to list all this.

Here is what mine looks like as of today --->

Possibilites for this week include: Gazpacho, Fennel and Apple Salad, Corn Chowder, Carrot Halwa, Tortilla Espanola, Zucchini Cakes, and Green Bean Stir-Fry with Tofu. Anyone else getting hungry?

Some of these dishes I have made before. Others I have not. I'm not even sure if I have all the ingredients that I need! And that is okay. I usually look up the ingredients later - either finding a recipe in one of my cookbooks or on the Internet (Google is truly amazing for this).

For added fun, try doing this with your partner! It is a great creative exercise and will bring you two together around food and meal planning.

Oh and it helps to have a well stocked pantry. Hmm...mental note for future post. :)