CSA Box Week — July 2026

YKGrub · 4 days · 7 meals · Built around this week's CSA box, no ratatouille

Uses: lettuce, eggplant, 2 green + 1 red + 1 orange bell pepper, 5 tomatoes, 3 yellow squash, 4 cucumbers, watermelon, spaghetti squash, okra, box of cherry tomatoes.

Day 1
Lunch

Roasted Pepper & Yellow Squash Bowl

Red and orange bell pepper + 2 yellow squash, diced and roasted at 425F for 20–25 min until edges caramelize. Served over warm rye berries or rice with garlicky white beans, torn lettuce, and a lemon vinaigrette. Roasted-and-composed, not stewed — a different texture and flavor from a ratatouille.

red bell pepperorange bell pepperyellow squashwhite beanslettucerye berries or ricelemon
~520 cal · 20g protein · 62g carb · 20g fat

🍼 Baby: soft roasted pepper and squash pieces (skins removed, diced small), mashed white beans, soft rye berries or rice, drizzle of olive oil. No dressing, no added salt.

LDL: peppers for vitamin C, white beans for soluble fiber, olive oil as the only added fat.

Dinner

Baingan Bharta with Rice & Cucumber Raita

Whole eggplant charred/roasted until collapsed, then mashed and cooked down with 2 of the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala. Smoky and distinct — nothing like a stewed veg medley. Served with rice or rye berries and a cooling cucumber-yogurt raita (uses one cucumber).

eggplanttomatoesgingergarliccumingaram masalarice or rye berriescucumberyogurt
~480 cal · 20g protein · 58g carb · 16g fat

🍼 Baby: plain mashed eggplant pulled before spices go in, plain rice, plain yogurt-cucumber (no garlic, no salt), drizzle of olive oil.

LDL: eggplant is a solid soluble-fiber vegetable; dish is otherwise plant-forward with only a light yogurt finish.

Day 2
Lunch

Cucumber, Cherry Tomato & Chickpea Salad with Feta

Diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, thin red onion, crumbled feta, and torn lettuce, dressed with olive oil, lemon, and dried oregano. Bright and no-cook — the lemon vinaigrette carries it, not miso-tahini.

cucumbercherry tomatoeschickpeasfetalettucelemon
~430 cal · 18g protein · 46g carb · 20g fat

🍼 Baby: soft mashed chickpeas, diced cucumber, quartered cherry tomatoes. No feta, no dressing — drizzle of olive oil instead.

LDL: chickpeas for soluble fiber, olive oil as primary fat, feta kept light.

Dinner

Fish & Okra Tomato Stew

A riff on the fish-and-okra stew you've loved before: white fish fillets simmered in a tomato stew with the okra, both green bell peppers, garlic, onion, and warm spices, finished with lemon (or dried lime if you have loomi on hand). Served over basmati rice.

white fishokratomatoesgreen bell pepperlemonbasmati rice
~540 cal · 36g protein · 52g carb · 16g fat

🍼 Baby: plain flaked fish (check carefully for bones), soft-cooked okra pieces, plain rice, drizzle of olive oil. No spice, no salt.

LDL: lean white fish plus okra, which has real soluble-fiber/mucilage benefit for cholesterol; olive oil throughout.

Day 3
Lunch

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic-Tomato Sardine Sauce

Roasted spaghetti squash, shredded into strands, tossed with a quick garlic-tomato pan sauce, tinned sardines, wilted lettuce or arugula, lemon, and olive oil. Same bones as the sardine pasta you loved, swapping in the squash.

spaghetti squashtinned sardinestomatoesgarliclemonlettuce
~460 cal · 28g protein · 34g carb · 24g fat

🍼 Baby: soft squash strands, flaked sardine (boneless variety if possible, check thoroughly), quartered tomato, drizzle of olive oil. No garlic raw, no chili.

LDL: sardines are the top omega-3 source in the plan; spaghetti squash is a lower-carb, higher-fiber stand-in for pasta.

Dinner

Lemon-Herb Salmon with Lettuce Salad & Watermelon-Cucumber-Mint Salad

Salmon rubbed with lemon zest, garlic, dill or parsley, and olive oil, roasted at 400F for 12–15 min — a cleaner, more interesting prep than a miso glaze. Side of simple lettuce salad with lemon vinaigrette, plus a separate watermelon, cucumber, and fresh mint salad (lime, pinch of salt) to close out the melon and remaining cucumbers.

salmonlemongarlicdilllettucewatermeloncucumbermint
~560 cal · 40g protein · 30g carb · 30g fat

🍼 Baby: plain flaked salmon (check carefully for bones), a few small soft lettuce pieces, watermelon cut into small deseeded pieces, diced cucumber. No lime, mint, salt, or dressing on baby's portion.

LDL: second omega-3 anchor of the plan alongside sardines; olive oil throughout, no saturated fat from the sauce.

Day 4 — Bonus
Dinner

Mediterranean Roast Tomato & Butter Bean Bake with Baked Cod

From the video you sent — remaining tomatoes and a whole garlic bulb roasted at 400F (200C) for 40 min with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Toss through with butter beans and a splash of stock (thickens the sauce), capers, olives, lemon zest, fresh basil, and the squeezed-out roasted garlic. Warm through 5 min on the stove. Cod fillet baked separately in olive oil and salt, 8–10 min, served on top.

tomatoesgarlicbutter beanscapersoliveslemonbasilcodchili flakes
~500 cal · 38g protein · 36g carb · 20g fat

🍼 Baby: plain flaked cod (check carefully for bones), soft roasted tomato, mashed butter beans, drizzle of olive oil. No capers, olives, chili flakes, or added salt.

LDL: lean white fish plus butter beans for soluble fiber, olive oil as the only added fat — no butter despite the name.

Grocery List

From the CSA box (already have)

Produce to buy

Pantry / Dry

Protein (fresh/frozen)

Dairy