I’m in Italy this week! If things seem a little quiet around the blog, now you know why.
Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with me while I’m away – I love to share photos of food and travels!
I wrote up this meal plan for you before I left and filled it full of Italian-inspired dishes that I hope to eat while I’m abroad. From red-sauce pasta to creamy risotto, Tuscan beans to cheesy gnocchi, it’s time to put on your stretchy pants and whip up some Italian recipes!
If this is your first week joining us, here’s a little background on how I write the plans.
The Plan:
Breakfast during the week is usually an unreasonable amount of coffee along with something simple, like sautéed sweet potatoes topped with a fried egg and avocado. If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, check out my breakfast section for inspiration!
Weekday lunches are typically made up of leftovers and/or a mason jar full of homemade soup from my freezer. I like to make a big pot of soup at least once per week so I can freeze leftovers for future lunches! You can see some of my favorite soup and stew recipes right here.
I try to eat leftovers for dinner once per week (to keep my sanity), and Thursdays usually works best because I’ve already cooked on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. To make myself feel better about eating leftovers (I’m learning to love them, okay!?), I like to enjoy a cocktail on Thirsty Thursday.
Friday means HALLELUJAH, it’s the weekend! At this point in the week I likely haven’t left the house since grocery shopping on Monday (I work from home, remember?), so I get a little stir crazy and need to be taken out into the real world. Perfect timing for a night out!
On the weekends, things get a little crazy around here. In truth, I’ll likely be hungover (or at least just lazy) on either Saturday or Sunday morning, so I plan to make one big breakfast per weekend. On the other day, I head to the pub up the street for bloody marys and sustenance. Whichever weekend day I’m not hungover automatically becomes the day to do errands (yayyyy), so on that day lunch is something I find on-the-go; usually something from a food cart.
Desserts either happen or they don’t, but you can always find dessert ideas right here.
Here’s what’s cooking in the Wanderlust Kitchen this week: Inspired Italian Recipes!
MONDAY
Dinner: Pecorino Spaghetti with Toasted Breadcrumbs
Photo and recipe from Justine at Cooking and Beer
TUESDAY
Dinner: Pasta with Chipotle Cream Sauce
Photo and recipe from Erin at Platings and Pairings.
WEDNESDAY
Dinner: Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Photo and recipe from Chrissy at Homemade Hooplah
THURSDAY
Dinner: Leftovers!
Thirsty Thursday: Italian Mojitos
Beautiful image and recipe from Becky at The Cookie Rookie.
FRIDAY
Dinner: Date Night. Kitchen is CLOSED!
SATURDAY
Breakfast: Bloody Marys and French Toast (Portland brunch!)
Lunch: Tuscan White Bean Salad with a glass of red wine and lots of my Honey and Herb Bread (<–the Italian way).
Dinner: Burst Tomato and Basil Risotto with Mascarpone and Balsamic Reduction
SUNDAY
Breakfast: Goat Cheese Bruschetta (caprese or mixed berry, your choice!)
Beautiful image and recipe from Becky at The Cookie Rookie.
Lunch: Out and about today – I’m thinking a Food Cart lunch!
Dinner: Tuscan Bean Soup (always and forever my favorite)
Annnnnnd that’s a wrap!
Enjoy these inspired Italian recipes and have a GREAT week 🙂
