Break the January Doldrums Meal Plan

My reset is finally happening

Bright and early on January 2, I left Sun Valley, Idaho where we spent the holidays and flew to Houston with my trusty sidekick, Bowie the dog. I had to get him home to Houston and drop bags before repacking and heading to Washington, D. C., to help my daughter pack up and move apartments. Of course, on the day of the scheduled move, with parking permits procured for the moving trucks and plans ready to unfold, D.C. was blanketed in the first big storm of 2025. The movers canceled, the permit office (and all of DC) closed up shop, and there was nothing to do but wait it out and hope the move would happen the next day. It all worked out, the movers arrived ready to climb flights of stairs (the elevator in the new building was broken), just in time for me to wish everyone well and head to the airport.

My view from the back of the Uber driving to the airport on moving day!

After the snowy move, I returned to Houston for 24 hours to unpack and repack before catching a flight to NYC with my husband. Our youngest daughter was on a school trip to Japan, so we pretended we were empty nesters. We stayed at The Warren Street Hotel again, which I still love if you’re willing to be on the southern edge of downtown. We were there for a friend’s 60th birthday celebration and they stayed at The Fifth Avenue Hotel and loved it. More updates in my NYC travel guide soon, including details of my Hoda sighting at The Polo Bar—she was celebrating her last day at the Today Show. I’ll leave you with this tidbit. Get excited for NYC updates.

A chicken parm sando from Faicco's in NYC

After the birthday festivities and begging the DJ to play Flashlight all night, we flew directly from New York to Paris for a quick getaway. We had an Air France ticket to rebook and I couldn’t let it expire and go to waste. Quelle horreur! Of course, the minute I started to relax and unwind in Paris, I got sick with a cold and cough, and I’m still fighting it. I’ve been to the doctor and it’s not the flu or Covid, so don’t worry. I had asthma as a kiddo, and coughs tend to sit in my lungs long enough to test my sanity. The coughing has led to lots of naps, general “doing nothing” after a historic five-day snow weekend in Houston, and a backlog of work and emails to catch up on. I’ve also felt a heavy sadness for friends in California, which has filled my brain and heart and kept me from jumping into the new year full steam ahead.

Houston snow!

This is a long-winded way of apologizing for not sending a recipe last Saturday. My plan had been to write the post while in Paris (my husband was working every afternoon, so I had visions of camping out at cafes and writing, writing, writing). But instead, I walked, walked, walked around the city, drank lots of coffee, blew my nose, and explored. Also, ran into Dorie Greenspan at dinner one night, which felt fortuitous. More on that later!

After Paris and all the eating and exploring, it’s time to return to a routine. I need a healthy meal plan for the week ahead that doesn’t require too many ingredients or dishes, and I bet you might, too. Reheat leftovers for lunches, or make a big batch lunch to nosh on during the week.

If you want to learn more about how to plan your meals in a way that makes sense, download my free Meal Plan Like a Pro guide. You can also find a decade's worth of weekly meal plans on my website. I have several dairy-free and gluten-free meal plans available if you search “Whole30 meal plan” in the search bar.

This plan focuses on dinners, with suggested breakfast items. Make what you want, and ignore the rest! There’s no shopping list because I need to get this out fast. Decide what you’ll make from the list (I promise if you take ten minutes to make a plan, you’ll be so happy and feel “lighter” going into the week ahead. You’ll have done one thing for your future self and can take some of the mental load off the coming week. Then check your pantry, fridge and freezer before making your shopping list. And while you have your nose in your freezer, check for a dinner you can incorporate for the coming week. Mix it in at the end of the meals when your energy starts to fade at the end of the week.