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This week is SO good. We are fully in our sheet pan era over here and this week it shows. Chicken parm, caesar salad fries, chicken milanese, General Tso’s, and Crunchwrap fries all in one week. Comfort food meets spring!! Fletcher’s birthday is coming up next month and I am already deep in planning mode: push car, water table, foam climbing blocks, and footsie pajamas are all on the list. Between party planning and baby proofing literally everything in the house I needed a week of dinners that were fast, easy, and required minimal brain power. This week delivered on every single one!
This week’s podcast episode:
We also have a guest gluten free recipe this week from Celeste Noland from Easy Gluten Free! She shared her gluten free peanut butter cookies for this meal plan and we’ll have an easy gluten free dessert from her every week for the month of May!!
The Busy Mom Strategy
Chicken is the hero protein of this week and it shows up in four out of five dinners so buying in bulk is the move. Two dinners this week use the exact same prosciutto cutlet recipe. Monday is chicken parm and Wednesday is chicken milanese. That means if you make a double batch of cutlets on Monday you are essentially getting Wednesday’s dinner almost for free. The cutlets reheat really well in the oven or air fryer and the whole assembly on Wednesday takes about five minutes. One cook, two dinners. That is the strategy!
Aleias gluten free breadcrumbs are used in the cutlet recipe which covers both Monday and Wednesday so one container handles both nights. Broccoli is also used in the General Tso’s on Thursday so grab a large head or two when you shop. Gluten free fries show up twice this week (Tuesday and Friday) so one or two bags handles both nights. Olive oil and seasonings like garlic, salt and pepper are used in almost every dinner as always so make sure you are stocked before you shop!
The best Sunday prep move this week is making the General Tso’s sauce ahead of time. It takes five minutes to whisk together and keeps in the fridge for two days. Thursday just became a 15 minute dinner!
Double It for Later, Trust Me
Monday’s chicken parm cutlets are your most important double batch this week. Make extra cutlets on Monday and Wednesday’s chicken milanese is basically already done. Just reheat the cutlets in the oven or air fryer until crispy again, pile fresh arugula on top with lemon and parmesan, and dinner is on the table in five minutes. The cutlets reheat SO well in the oven or air fryer but do not microwave them or the breadcrumbs will go soggy. The Crunchwrap fries taco meat also stores really well in the fridge for up to three to four days. Make extra on Friday and you have an easy weekend lunch ready to go!
The Dinners
Monday: Gluten Free Sheet Pan Chicken Parm
Start the week with this one and make a DOUBLE batch of cutlets. The prosciutto gets pounded right into the chicken before breading which gives every single bite that salty crispy layer. Use the parchment paper breading trick — one pile of flour and one pile of breadcrumbs on the same sheet of parchment, ball it up and throw it away when done. One less bowl to wash. Top with marinara and cheese and serve over gluten free pasta for the full chicken parm experience! Make extra cutlets tonight because you will need them on Wednesday!
Tuesday: Gluten Free Caesar Salad Fries
This one had over 2 million views on Instagram and the concept is exactly what it sounds like.. hot crispy fries straight from the oven with cold Costco rotisserie chicken, cold chopped romaine, and Cardini’s gluten free caesar dressing piled right on top. The hot and cold contrast is the whole magic of this recipe. Grab a rotisserie chicken from Costco when you shop this week since it is always labeled gluten free and covers you here with zero cooking required. Chop the lettuce while the fries bake and dinner is ready in 30 minutes flat!
Wednesday: Gluten Free Chicken Milanese
This is the same cutlet maxxing post as Monday but served milanese style instead. If you made extra cutlets on Monday just reheat them in the oven or air fryer until the breadcrumbs are crispy again. Then pile a generous handful of fresh arugula on top, drizzle with olive oil, squeeze fresh lemon over everything, shave parmesan on top, and finish with cracked black pepper. The heat from the cutlet slightly wilts the arugula and it is SO good. A completely different dinner from the same batch of chicken!
Thursday: Gluten Free Sheet Pan General Tso’s Chicken
If you made the sauce ahead of time on Sunday tonight is incredibly fast. The chicken goes on the sheet pan with cornstarch and tamari, broccoli goes alongside it, everything bakes at 375 for 30 minutes while the rice cooks and the sauce warms up in the microwave. Stir the sauce every 30 to 40 seconds and do not let it boil — you want it thick and glossy like real takeout. This one tasted exactly like delivery without any of the gluten risk. Always use Kikkoman tamari instead of regular soy sauce and check your chili oil label before you start!
Friday: Gluten Free Crunchwrap Supreme Fries
End the week with this one and it genuinely feels like a Friday night Taco Bell run without leaving the house. Hot crispy fries as the base, saucy taco seasoned ground chicken on top, cold sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomato, and crushed corn tortilla chips for that signature Crunchwrap crunch. Toss the fries in a little taco seasoning before they bake for an extra flavor hit. The taco meat takes about 10 minutes while the fries bake. Make extra meat tonight — it stores great and makes an easy weekend lunch. Fletcher gets a plain scoop of the seasoned chicken mixed with black beans and rice on the side!
Dessert
Grocery List
Paid subscribers only
Produce
1 bag fresh arugula
