As Dorothy Gale says in my mother’s all-time favorite movie: “My! People come and go so quickly here!”

That’s how I’m feeling about this month. It’s already March 5 and I haven’t posted a meal plan yet; I’ve had one, of course, but I’ve been changing it almost constantly as plans have evolved. It seems like basic questions — “Who’s going to be here for dinner?” “What do we have on the calendar for that night?” — are more of a moving target than usual this month, and I’m not entirely sure why except that life happens. Sometimes your nephews fly home from college and you end up picking them up at the airport and feeding them. Sometimes your dad comes into town and then decides he’s coming back in ten days, and oh yeah, another week or so after that. In the middle of that, sometimes, you might be singing in a few concerts and have a bunch of rehearsals and performances to juggle into the schedule. Sometimes your kid gets a spot in the school talent show, and your other kid has a birthday and the plans for that all get changed around about a million times, and sometimes you’re turning a Big Birthday Number yourself but haven’t had a half a second to figure out if you want to do something or not so you’re just shrugging and leaving it up to chance. When all those things, and more, happen in a single month, it shall henceforth be known as “March.”

At this point, I’ve decided that trying to wait until the plan is fully baked before posting it is just foolhardy, because I might have to keep tweaking things right up until April arrives. So I’m posting, but with the caveat that there are still a couple of nights where I don’t have a clear idea of what’s going on, and an additional caution that everything here is more of a GUIDELINE than an actual PLAN. I’ve got to have an idea of what I might be cooking during a given week; beyond that, we’re just going to assume it all works out.

March 2019 Meal Plan

WEEK ONE:

Friday, 3/1: Nephews coming for dinner! Chicken saltimbocca, sourdough ciabatta, and an Italian chopped salad, plus chocolate mousse because when the nephews show up there’s always dessert.
Saturday, 3/2: Dad in town — Ragu alla Bolognese and salad
Sunday, 3/3: Cornflake-crusted chicken, mashed potatoes, asparagus
Monday, 3/4: Things went wonky. It snowed. Stuff happened. We ended up ordering pizza.
Tuesday, 3/5: Gingery Chicken Lo Mein
Wednesday, 3/6: Breakfast tacos and fruit
Thursday, 3/7: I have a dress rehearsal and the kids have to be in different places at the same time. We’re taking pork and broccoli rabe sandwiches on the road for everyone.

WEEK TWO:

Friday, 3/8: Another dress rehearsal. Roasted kale and brussels sprouts Caesar Salad for dinner so I can pack it and take it along.
Saturday, 3/9: I’ve got a performance tonight, so we’re using the last of the slow cooker pork from Thursday’s sandwiches to make rice bowls with broccoli and hoisin sauce.
Sunday, 3/10: Another concert day for me. I’ll get baked gnocchi with greens and cheese ready before I go, and J. and the boys can pop it in the oven before I get home.
Monday, 3/11: Crustless quiche and roasted vegetables
Tuesday, 3/12: Salisbury lamb patties, potatoes and vegetables
Wednesday, 3/13: Egg and avocado quesadillas, rice and beans
Thursday, 3/14: Broccoli cheese soup and bread

WEEK THREE:

Friday, 3/15: Dad’s back in town tonight — Penne vodka and salad
Saturday, 3/16: Sunday roast chicken dinner
Sunday, 3/17: The annual Saint Patrick’s Day feast with Dad and my in-laws — home brined corned beef, scalloped potatoes, brussels sprouts, glazed carrots and soda bread
Monday, 3/18: Pasta alla Norma and salad
Tuesday, 3/19: Chicken soft tacos and refried beans
Wednesday, 3/20: “Snack plate”
Thursday, 3/21: P.’s birthday (and mine!). He’s got fencing and L.’s got viola until late and I have no idea what tonight will look like AT ALL.

WEEK FOUR:

Friday, 3/22: L.’s school talent show. We were supposed to be out to dinner and a show tonight. Instead, different show, no clue about dinner.
Saturday, 3/23: Dad in town again — Spaghetti and meatballs and salad
Sunday, 3/24: Slow cooker turkey breast with gravy and fixings
Monday, 3/25: Taking P. and a buddy out for a post-birthday celebration
Tuesday, 3/26: Sausage and kale sheet pan dinner
Wednesday, 3/27: Egg noodles with Brussels sprouts and bacon
Thursday, 3/28: Turkey pot pie

WEEK FIVE:

Friday, 3/29: Smoked sausage and potato frittata, salad
Saturday, 3/30: Ramen with veggies and baked tofu
Sunday, 3/31: Lasagna and salad