Eat & Feed Weekly Prep: Week 1 Meal Plan + Shopping List

This week is built around one prep afternoon and two workhorse meats: smoked chicken tenderloins and a pan of beef-and-turkey taco meat. Half the chicken goes into an easy fried rice on the Traeger Flatrock; the other half goes into Grandma’s chicken and wild rice soup. The taco meat becomes taco bowls one night and loaded walking taco bowls the next, with roasted and baked potatoes ready to go underneath or as a swap.

The rhythm is simple. The smoker handles the chicken while the potatoes cook and the taco meat browns on the stove. Banana bread muffins and cinnamon roll scones go to the oven, the protein balls come together while the muffins bake, and you cook the fried-rice rice whenever it works for you, as long as the rice is cold.  You cook once, pack it up, and the week gets much easier.

If you prep on Sunday, follow Monday through Sunday as written. Use the refrigerated meats within 3 to 4 days, and freeze anything you will not get to by then. The baked potatoes can stand in for the walking tacos or the roasted-potato taco bowls whenever that sounds better.

This week’s lineup: Banana bread muffins and cinnamon roll scones; large-batch protein balls; smoked chicken for fried rice and wild rice soup; taco meat for taco bowls and walking taco bowls; roasted and baked potatoes.

Prep-Day Timeline

This is the fastest order with one oven, a smoker, and the stovetop running at the same time. The Traeger Flatrock is for the fried rice on the night you serve it, not for this afternoon. Times start at 12:00 so they are easy to shift. Starting later? Move every step by the same amount.

You will want a smoker (or a second oven rack if you are roasting the chicken), two sheet pans, a wide skillet or Dutch oven, two muffin tins, a small skillet or pan for the scones, a food processor, a large bowl, an instant-read thermometer, parchment, and shallow containers for packing.

Total time: About 3 1/2 to 4 hours, including packing.

• 12:00 Heat the smoker to 225–250°F and the oven to 425°F. Season 3 to 4 pounds of chicken tenderloins with kosher salt and black pepper only, or the amount your family prefers. Scrub and prick 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes for baking. Cut the other 2 1/2 pounds into 1-inch chunks and stir them with oil, salt, and pepper. Put 2 cups of dry long-grain rice on to cook for the fried rice.
• 12:15 Put the chicken on the smoker. It will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to reach 165°F. Slide the baked potatoes onto one oven rack; they will take 45 to 60 minutes. Slide the roasted potatoes onto the other rack for 30 to 40 minutes, turning them halfway through.
• 12:20 Start the taco meat. Brown 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef and 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey in a wide skillet or Dutch oven, in batches if you need the room. Drain extra fat if there is a lot of it. Stir in the seasoning and a splash of water, and let it simmer a few minutes. Spread the meat in shallow containers to cool.
• 12:25–12:50 Make the cinnamon roll scone dough (the sourdough recipe or the non-sourdough version), cut it into 6 or 8 pieces, and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Chop the soup vegetables (onion, celery, and carrots) and refrigerate them. When the fried-rice rice is cooked, spread it on a sheet pan to cool, then refrigerate it so it is cold for the Flatrock.
• 12:55 Take the roasted potatoes out. Cool them, then portion them for taco bowls. Put the scones in at 425°F for 20 minutes. Leave the baked potatoes in until they are tender.
• 1:15 Pull the scones and the baked potatoes. Stir the frosting together and spoon it over the warm scones. Crack the oven door and lower the temperature to 350°F.
• 1:20 Make the banana bread muffin batter and fill two muffin tins, each cup about 3/4 full. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• 1:20–1:45 While the muffins bake, make the protein balls and check the chicken.
• 1:40 Pull the muffins and let them cool.
• 1:50 Take the chicken off the smoker when it reaches 165°F. Rest it for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice or dice it. Portion half for the fried rice and half for the soup (the soup recipe uses 2 cups cooked chicken; keep the rest of that half for lunches). Divide the taco meat in half: one half for taco bowls, one half for walking taco bowls, unless you are swapping in baked potato bowls for either night. Freeze anything you will not eat within 3 to 4 days. Refrigerate the rest in shallow containers, with the lids cracked until the steam stops.
• 2:15–2:30 Pack the muffins, scones, protein balls, and potatoes. Label everything and wash up.

No smoker? Roast the chicken at 425°F on a rack beside the potatoes. Tenderloins usually reach 165°F in about 18 to 25 minutes in the oven, so start checking early. Pull the chicken, keep the baked potatoes going, then bake the scones and finish the muffins at 350°F as written. The rest of the timeline stays the same, and the afternoon may run closer to 3 hours.

Sit down once the containers are in the fridge. The fried rice happens on the Flatrock the night you serve it, and the soup can be made that evening in about 45 minutes with the chicken and chopped vegetables already ready.

Prepped Meats and Ways to Use Them

Two seasoned meats do most of the work this week. Keep the flavors simple on prep day so you can take them in different directions at dinner.

Salt-and-pepper smoked chicken tenderloins

Pat 3 to 4 pounds of chicken tenderloins dry, or the amount your family prefers. Season all over with kosher salt and black pepper only. Smoke at 225–250°F until the thickest piece reaches 165°F, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Rest, then slice or dice. If you are using the oven instead, roast at 425°F until 165°F, about 18 to 25 minutes. Split the batch in half: one half for the fried rice and one half for the soup.

Ways to use it this week:

• Monday dinner: easy chicken fried rice on the Traeger Flatrock (recipe below).
• Wednesday dinner: Grandma’s Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, using 2 cups of the cooked chicken. The recipe is on the blog: Grandma’s Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. Any extra chicken from this half is handy for lunches or for adding a little more to each bowl.
• Lunches: leftover fried rice or leftover soup.

Easy chicken fried rice for the Traeger Flatrock

This is a short, simple fried rice you can cook on the Flatrock the night you serve it, using the smoked chicken and the cold rice from prep day. A large skillet or another flat-top griddle works the same way. Serves a family of five, with some leftover for lunches.

Yield: About 6 servings  |  Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet until 165°F.

Ingredients

• Half of the smoked chicken tenderloins, chopped (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, depending on the size of your batch)
• 2 cups dry long-grain white rice, cooked and fully cooled (about 5 to 6 cups cooked)
• 3 or 4 eggs
• 1 bag (10 to 12 oz) frozen peas and carrots
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter or oil

Directions

1. Heat the Traeger Flatrock over medium-high heat. Add the butter or oil.
2. Scramble the eggs until just set, then move them to the side of the griddle or onto a plate.
3. Add a little more butter or oil if the surface looks dry. Add the cold rice and press it out in an even layer. Let it sit for a minute so it can toast, then turn it.
4. Add the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are hot and the chicken is warmed through, about 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Return the eggs to the griddle. Add the soy sauce and most of the green onions. Stir until everything is coated and hot. Taste and add a little more soy sauce if you like. Finish with the remaining green onions.

Beef-and-turkey taco meat

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe Here

Brown 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef and 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey (3 pounds total) over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains. Drain extra fat if needed.  Add 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning (more or less to taste) and about 1/3 cup water. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Taste and add a pinch more salt if it needs it. Cool in shallow containers. Divide it in half.

Ways to use it this week:

• Taco bowls: taco meat, roasted potatoes, salsa, and fixings (cheddar, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime).
• Loaded walking taco bowls: a base of Doritos, then taco meat, cheese, and the same fixings.
• Loaded baked potato bowls can stand in for the walking tacos or the roasted-potato taco bowls. Split a baked potato, add the meat, cheese, salsa, and fixings.
• Lunches: leftover taco or potato bowls.

Roasted and Baked Potatoes

You need 5 pounds of potatoes in all, half roasted and half baked. Heat the oven to 425°F. For the roasted half, cut 2 1/2 pounds of Yukon Gold or russet potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Stir with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Spread on a sheet pan in a single layer and roast 30 to 40 minutes, turning halfway, until browned and tender. For the baked half, scrub and prick 2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes, rub them lightly with oil and salt, and bake on the other rack for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender.

Ways to use it this week:

• Roasted potatoes: the base of the taco bowls, with taco meat, salsa, and fixings.
• Baked potatoes: loaded baked potato bowls, which can replace the walking tacos or the roasted-potato taco bowls.
• Lunches: a leftover roasted or baked potato with a little meat and cheese.

Breakfast/Snack Option 1: Banana Bread Muffins 

Two make-ahead breakfasts share the oven on prep day. The muffins are the weekday workhorse: ripe bananas, a little molasses, and cinnamon, with crunchy turbinado sugar on top. The scones are a small cinnamon-roll-style batch of 6, finished with a quick powdered-sugar frosting.

Full recipe: Banana Bread Muffins

Yield: Two muffin tins (about 18 to 24 muffins, depending on how full you fill the cups)  |  Storage: Up to 5 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 or 5 overripe bananas (a generous 2 cups mashed)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• Turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon for each muffin

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two muffin tins, or grease muffin liners, and set them aside.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. It does not need to be fully melted or piping hot. Whisk in the brown sugar. Add the mashed banana and stir.
3. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the molasses and cinnamon, and whisk again.
4. Add the flour over the batter, then sprinkle the salt, baking powder, and baking soda evenly over the flour. Stir just until no flour bits remain. Do not overwork the batter.
5. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full. Add 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar to each muffin.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm, or at room temperature, with butter and honey if you like. They also work as an after-school snack.

 

Breakfast/Snack Option 1: Cinnamon Roll Scones

The scones bake at 425°F, so they fit the potato window on prep day. If you do not keep sourdough discard, skip this version and use the non-sourdough recipe below.

Yield: 6 scones  |  Storage: Covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Warm briefly before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the tops
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons cold butter, grated
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup sourdough discard
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, for brushing (a little milk works too)

Frosting: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a splash of milk.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt.
2. Grate the cold butter into the bowl, or cut it in, and toss it so the pieces are coated in flour. Add the Greek yogurt and the sourdough discard.
3. Stir to combine, then turn the dough out and work it with your hands until it comes together in a ball. If it stays dry and crumbly, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds.
4. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and set them in a small skillet or on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
5. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
6. Heat the oven to 425°F. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are golden.
8. Stir the powdered sugar with a splash of vanilla and a splash of milk until smooth. Spoon the frosting over the warm scones.

Non-sourdough cinnamon roll scones

If you do not keep a sourdough starter, make this baking-powder version instead. It bakes at the same temperature, gets the same cinnamon-and-brown-sugar finish, and uses the same frosting. Make one recipe or the other, not both, unless you want two batches.

Yield: 6 scones  |  Storage: Covered at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Warm briefly before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the tops
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons cold butter, grated
• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing

Frosting: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a splash of milk.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt.
2. Grate the cold butter into the bowl, or cut it in, and toss it so the pieces are coated in flour.
3. Pour in 3/4 cup cold heavy cream. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn it out and work it with your hands until it comes together in a ball. If it stays dry and crumbly, add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds.
4. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and set them in a small skillet or on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
5. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
6. Heat the oven to 425°F. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are golden.
8. Stir the powdered sugar with a splash of vanilla and a splash of milk until smooth. Spoon the frosting over the warm scones.

Snack: Large Batch Protein Balls

No baking required. This is the big weekly tin: oats, peanut butter, honey, protein powder, and mini chocolate chips, rolled once and ready for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, or a quick bite with a muffin.

Full recipe: Large Batch Protein Balls

Yield: About 50 to 60 balls, using a size 50 cookie scoop  |  Storage: Up to 1 month in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 3 months

Ingredients

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup protein powder (any variety you like)
• 2 cups natural peanut butter (if it is thick, warm it briefly so it is easier to stir)
• 1 1/3 cups honey
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a food processor, process 3 of the 5 cups of oats until they are broken up, but not quite a powder.
2. In a large bowl, combine the processed oats, the remaining 2 cups of oats, the protein powder, peanut butter, honey, and mini chocolate chips.
3. Stir until everything comes together and the chips are evenly distributed.
4. Scoop with a cookie scoop (size 50) and roll into balls.
5. Refrigerate to store. 

If the dough sticks to your hands, lightly wet your hands or spray them with a little oil before rolling. If it feels too sticky, add a few tablespoons of oats. If it feels too dry, add a little more peanut butter or honey.

Meal Ideas for the Week

These dinners serve a family of five. Most of them are assembly and reheating, or a short cook with food you already prepped. The fried rice is cooked on the Flatrock the night you serve it, and the soup comes together in about 45 minutes with the chicken and vegetables ready to go.

Monday

Easy chicken fried rice on the Traeger Flatrock, using half of the smoked chicken and the cold rice from prep day. Follow the short recipe above. A large skillet works if the Flatrock is already put away or you don’t have one. 

Tuesday

Taco bowls: warm the taco meat (half the batch) and the roasted potatoes, then set out salsa and fixings — cheddar, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime. Let everyone build their own.

Wednesday

Grandma’s Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, using 2 cups of the remaining smoked chicken. Follow the recipe at Grandma’s Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. The chopped onion, celery, and carrots are already in the fridge, so the pot takes about 45 minutes. Serve with leftover muffins or scones on the side if you like.

Thursday

Loaded walking taco bowls. Put Doritos in each bowl, then add the remaining taco meat, cheddar, and fixings. If you would rather have loaded baked potato bowls tonight, use the baked potatoes instead of the Doritos; they can stand in for the walking tacos or for Tuesday’s roasted-potato taco bowls.

Friday

Loaded baked potato bowls. Reheat the baked potatoes, split them, and add leftover taco meat if you have it, plus cheddar, salsa, sour cream, and any remaining fixings. If you already used the baked potatoes as a swap earlier in the week, this can be leftover fried rice or leftover soup instead.

Saturday

Leftovers: fried rice, soup, or whatever bowls are still in the fridge. Reheat meats and leftovers to 165°F.

Sunday

Flexible night. Finish anything left, or keep this night open. If you froze extra meat on prep day, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and build one more round of bowls.

Lunches

Pack these with whatever is still in the fridge. A muffin, a scone, or a couple of protein balls on the side makes a complete lunch.

• Leftover chicken fried rice, reheated until hot.
• A container of Grandma’s chicken and wild rice soup.
• A leftover taco bowl or loaded baked potato with salsa and cheese.
• A banana bread muffin or a scone, and two or three protein balls.

Storage and Reheating

• Get cooked chicken, taco meat, potatoes, fried rice, and soup into the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking. Shallow containers cool fastest. Crack the lids until the steam stops, then close them.
• Eat refrigerated chicken, taco meat, potatoes, fried rice, and soup within 3 to 4 days. Freeze anything you will not get to by then, and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheat meats, fried rice, and soup to 165°F in the center. A skillet works well for fried rice and taco meat. Recrisp roasted potatoes in a skillet or a 400°F oven. The soup can go on the stove; add a splash of broth or water if it has thickened.
• Cook the fried-rice rice on prep day (or the night before) so it is cold when it hits the griddle. The wild rice for the soup can be cooked when you make the soup, as the recipe directs.
• Banana bread muffins keep up to 5 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months. Scones keep 2 to 3 days covered at room temperature. Protein balls keep up to 1 month in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Week 1 Grocery List

Quantities cover the muffins, scones, protein balls, both meats, the potatoes, the fried rice, the soup, and the week’s dinners and lunches for a family of five. Check the pantry staples first so you only buy what you need. Each item includes a short note on which recipe it is used for. If you are making the non-sourdough scones instead of the sourdough version, pick up the items marked for that alternate.

A printable one-page list is included with this post. Pantry staples are marked so you can check the cupboard first.

Download Grocery List Here: Week 1 Grocery List