Weekly Meal Plan (for Sep. 16-22, 2024) + Hiking Blue Lakes Trail in Colorado

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Hello, friends and fellow home cooks!

This is my weekly newsletter, which includes 7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads (for the week of September 16-22, 2024) + 3 new recipes published in the last 7 days!

Also, at the bottom of this newsletter, I am sharing stunning photos from our hike to The Blue Lakes near Ridgway, Colorado. These high-altitude turquoise alpine lakes are located in a stunning glacial basin, surrounded by jagged ridges and peaks.

7 weeknight meals + 3 healthy salads

DAY 1: Autumn Chicken Dinner with Tortellini, Roasted Vegetables, and Garlic Butter Sauce. I used Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash. You can also use sweet potatoes, yams, or carrots.

 

DAY 2: Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes (or carrots or regular potatoes)

DAY 3: Creamy Shrimp & Mushroom Pasta in a homemade alfredo sauce.  The creamy pasta sauce is made with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese, garlic, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika.

DAY 4: Tomato Basil Artichoke Baked Chicken

DAY 5: Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan is a healthy dinner packed with protein, fiber, and Omega-3's! Made in just 30 minutes, this low-carb, keto, and gluten-free recipe.

DAY 6: Smoked Sausage Orzo with Spinach, Black Beans, and Roasted Butternut Squash (or Sweet Potatoes, Yams, or Carrots).

DAY 7: Cilantro-Lime Chicken Bowls with Peach Salsa (you can also use mango or nectarines)

SALAD 1: Fall Harvest Salad with Maple-Lime Cooked Apples and Pecans

SALAD 2: Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Butternut Squash, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Dried Cranberries

SALAD 3: Late Summer Plum Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese, Pecans, and Honey-Lemon Dressing

New recipes published in the last 7 days!

NEW: Steak with Green Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

NEW: Corn, Tomato, and Spinach Salad with Creamy Pesto Dressing

NEW: Steak Tacos with Mango Salsa and Spicy Cilantro-Lime Crema

Hiking to the Lower Blue Lake in Mt. Sneffels Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest

The Blue Lakes hike near Ridgway, Colorado, is hands-down one of the most breathtaking hikes my husband and I have ever done (and trust me, we’ve done it many times!). It changes with the seasons, so each time feels like a brand-new adventure, and it never gets old. It’s easily one of my all-time favorites because you can make it as challenging or relaxing as you want.

The Blue Lakes themselves are tucked away in a stunning glacial basin, surrounded by jagged ridges and peaks in the Mt. Sneffels Wilderness of the Uncompahgre National Forest. These alpine lakes sit high up in the mountains, above the tree line, and stay icy for much of the year. They're formed by glaciers (the ones here are), and sometimes by volcanic activity or landslides. What makes them so striking is their vibrant turquoise color, which comes from glacial meltwater carrying tiny minerals from the rocks—like nature’s own paintbrush!

To get to the trailhead, you have to drive a long dirt and gravel road that’s only accessible by a 4WD vehicle. But even the drive is gorgeous, especially when the leaves turn in October.

The hike itself starts (the trailhead) at 9,400 feet in elevation, and it’s about 3.2 miles uphill to reach the Lower Blue Lake, which sits at 10,940 feet. You’ll gain about 1,540 feet in elevation along the way, and the lower lake is the largest of the three Blue Lakes on the trail. Some people stop here to make it a shorter hike, and honestly, I don’t blame them—the first lake is stunning! But if you’re up for more, you can keep hiking to the two higher lakes. This time, we decided to stop at the first lake and skip the hike to the upper lakes since the weather was taking a turn for the worse. It was obvious that it was about to start raining with thunderstorms, and rain and thunderstorms at high altitudes are no joke!

Here we are at the lower Blue Lake, where you’re treated to jaw-dropping views of Mt. Sneffels towering above the lake to the east. At 14,158 feet (about 4300 meters), it's one of Colorado’s famous fourteeners. To the west of the lake, you’ll see Dallas Peak standing tall at 13,800 feet.

The reason these lakes have that magical turquoise hue is because of something called glacial flour, which is basically finely ground rock created as glaciers scrape and grind down against the bedrock below them. When the glaciers melt in the warmer months, the melt water brings the glacial flour with it into the lake. The glacial flour (finely ground sediment and minerals) is so light, it stays suspended in the melted lake water, giving the lakes their signature color. Nature’s magic at its finest!

Since the hike starts at such a high altitude, we always pack warm layers and rain jackets. The weather can change quickly, and this season’s been especially rainy—here's Kevin speeding up and running for cover as the rain intensified:

Sometimes you see horses on this hike.

Sometimes, you see a bear.

It was raining so much on our way back, that we had to move fast just to stay warm (our rainjackets were not enough). Finally, we got in a car and had a long drive home. It was nice to finally be back home, change into dry clothes, and eat the hot dinner I prepared the day before.