Meal Plan Monday

Happy Monday to you all! This weeks focus is quick meals. We aren't super busy or anything (although I did just rejoin the gym). But it's been a hectic few weeks and I'm giving myself a break this week. Not having to make anything super fancy affords me more relaxed time to rock my baby, or cuddle with my kids and read them stories, or even listen to my oldest read to me (I can't get over the fact that she's reading, it's amazing. I think it will shock me over and over until she's 25).

Monday- Leftovers. Yum!

Tuesday- Black bean and avocado tacos/nachos (I already have the beans for this so it will come together really quickly)

Wednesday- Spaghetti tossed with garlic and artichoke hearts, and some steamed broccoli

Thursday-Earth Fare (kids eat free night)

Friday- Sandwiches of some sort. I guess it depends on what I have in my fridge at the end of the week. For sure some spicy Field Roast sausage, and possibly some sauteed peppers and onions.

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday - Soup!

Meal Plan Monday

I made a fabulous pizza last night. The best part about it being that the dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas, and I only used half of my "sausage" so now I have a super easy meal to throw together later this week, and I'm oh so excited about that. You have no idea. It was really (really) good. Do you have a favorite recipe that you like to make a double batch of?

Monday - Leftovers. We have quite the variety to choose from, various curried vegetables, rice, Beans (do I hear nachos?). I love leftover night.

Tuesday- Taquitos and guacamole

Wednesday- Lentil loaf

Thursday- Earth Fare night

Friday- Animal lovers pizza and artichoke casserole

Saturday- Chickpea tagine

Sunday- Tempeh unmeatballs

What's on the menu at your house? Have a vegetarian meal plan Monday up at your blog? Let me know so I can add your link!

Other vegetarian meal plan Mondays

Lilac Barries

A Movie and Some Fun Food

Meet Tim. Tim was very tasty. Last Sunday the kids were recovering from a cold, so we had to stay in (because they like to take it upon themselves to build other children's immunity by licking walls and nibbling furniture). We watched "Turtle: The Incredible Journey", and made some fun food.

I think there is a misconception that kids who eat healthy foods are missing out. Yes. They are. Missing out on chemical flavorings, preservatives, and food dyes that can all have scary side effects (including allergic reactions in our family) on their little bodies. Missing out on fun? Never. Sure, I may have to be more creative. It takes a little more work to make fun foods from scratch. But we still do have fun. We don't sit around moping about what we can't eat in this house, we make it work for us. Like Mr. Turtle here. He is simply a double crust recipe of pizza dough, formed into balls, and then shaped into a turtle. I baked him for about 20 minutes at 350, then I pulled him out and brushed him with garlic, and olive oil. I sprinkled him with a little salt and stuck him back in the oven until he started to brown. Then we slathered him with pesto and my daughter ate his head. Good times. I think I probably would have made Tim here even if I didn't have kids because he is a.) tasty, and b.) I have the maturity of a five year old, things like fun food just make me happy.

Vegan Entomatadas

My entomatada sauce on top of an open face taco with

black bean cakes, corn salsa, and fresh avocado

I've put this post off for too long. You simply must make this sauce. The only excuse you have not to is if you are allergic to one of the ingredients. Otherwise it is mandatory, and may in fact be crucial to the future of the *insert country of current residence* that you try this recipe. I might be exaggerating, but only mildly so. This sauce is intended for entomatadas (basically an enchilada, but instead of a chili based sauce it's tomato based), but also fabulous on burritos, and nachos.

Take note, two things will greatly affect the flavor of this sauce. The first is my new found love, Not Chicken Bouillon Cubes. You will not get the same flavor if you substitute veggie broth. These tasty little cubes of happiness and delight are worth going out of your way for. And they are egg free, dairy free, and gluten free to boot. The second thing that has a profound affect on flavor is the fire roasted tomatoes. Depending on the brand you use you may have to add more heat or salt than my recipe calls for. Because my daughter is not really big on spicy food I found that one can of fire roasted tomatoes and green chilis from Trader Joe's provided enough heat (for her) in this sauce. If you like more heat you can definitely add more chilis, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.

What you need

A large cast iron pan

Oil of choice to coat

2 onions sliced or diced (depending on how quickly you need this to cook)

2 tsp chili powder

1 Not Chicken Bouillon Cube

1/4 tsp oregano

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes and green chilis

I can worth of water

Salt and cayenne/hot sauce to taste

What you need to do

Heat the oil in the cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onions, chili powder, oregano, and crumbled boullion cube. Cook until onions are cooked through and browned.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the garlic (taking care not to burn) and tsp of sugar. Cook for two more minutes, stirring often.

Carefully add the can of tomatoes and water. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes and then remove from heat.

Let the sauce cool and blend it until smooth in blender or food processor.

We actually ate this sauce on our burritos Christmas day. My husband said it was the best burrito he'd ever eaten.

Meal Plan Monday....oh look shiny stuff!

Who else is kind of overwhelmed with the holidays this year? We have so much fun stuff going on, you probably won't see too much of me until January, I just keep getting distracted. The next few weeks are going to be dedicated to pantry meals, clearing out the fridge, and keeping it cheap. In short.....lots of beans, pasta, and rice. Here is a little of what I've got planned in no particular order....

Cabbage curry, curried lentil dip, toasted pitas and brown rice

Pita pizzas and steamed veggies

Apple soup and the best ever skillet jalapeno cornbread

Spaghetti and a warm spinach salad

Pupusas and refried beans

Stuffed shells

Battered n' baked chickpeas with rice

Chickpea pot pie

Wild rice stuffed portabella mushrooms

Throw in some leftover nights and a few Christmas parties, and there's are menu up until Christmas. I still have not figured out the Christmas menu though....I'm really slacking. What are you making for the holidays?

Meal Plan Monday:Operation get rid of those holiday lbs....oops

Did you know that I'm a naturally thin person? *snickergigglesnort** Ok, so that's not true at all.

I've fought long and hard to keep myself in a healthy weight range. The only things I drink on a daily basis are coffee, water, and tea. I don't eat second helpings, and I try to fill my plate with mostly veggies. When I lose weight nowadays it usually averages out to about a 1/4lb loss per week....that doesn't even register on some scales. Pretty discouraging, especially when a lot of my friends post-partum pounds just "melt off ". That's why I say 'fight', it's an on going battle with myself because even though I eat whole, healthy foods for the most part I have my weaknesses.....still....after eight years of deciding to eat healthy, sometimes I slip.

The battle is much easier than it was at first, I don't ever crave fast food, or processed box meals, or pop. In fact, when I'm on the road I get pretty antsy for fresh fruit and veg. However, I do find myself longing for foods that I really should limit, like fried corn tortillas, big heaping bowls of pasta, and sweets. And there are all sorts of foods I just downright should-not-eat! For example, potatoes.

Guess what I had a lot of this past week?

Did you guess potatoes?

Very good. Let us try another.

Guess who gained 4lbs this week?

So......today is a new day, and this week is all about filling my body with lots of good foods that will be much kinder on my system than last weeks menu.

Monday- Red beans and rice with leafy greens and steamed veggies

Tuesday- Tortilla soup (soups are fabulous because they can be low calorie, and yet doctored up with toppings and biscuits for my kiddos who need the extra energy)

Wednesday- leftovers! As well as some jalapeno cornbread

Thursday- More soup, I haven't decided what kind

Friday- Pupusas and fajitas made with whatever veggies I have lying around

Saturday-Pizza and steamed veggies, maybe some sort of chickpea salad this dinner will be served on a picnic blanket in front of the tree for night feast so there will probably be other picnic goodies involved, I just don't know what yet.

Sunday...I don't remember....I'm currently typing this while seated on my couch, there is a little boy halfway onto my lap who crawled up here a good hour ago, asked to cuddle, and promptly fell asleep. My original meal plan is entered into my phone....which is somewhere....Due to the cuteness factor of aforementioned toddler, I'll not be getting up to retrieve it.

Well now that you know a little more about me I'd love to hear about you!

Have you ever felt like you are battling yourself to get healthy? Who wins.....live to 110 self...or I want another handful of chocolate chips and peanut butter self? Do you get right back up on the wagon? Any tricks to coax chocolate chip lady on up there?

I like to write lists, so when I'm lacking motivation I think of all the reasons I should be good to my body. Watching my kids grow, having more energy, less back pain, and sleeping better at night are great motivators. Even when the numbers on the scale don't budge.

Other Meal Plan Mondays:

Lilac Barries

**I do in fact snort when I giggle. Truth.

Meal Plan Monday: Operation clear out the fridge!

This week will be full of eating, traveling, packing, unpacking, family and fun. What it will not be full of is cooking. I'm actually very excited. This will be my second year traveling up to Indiana to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. I'm going to bring some pumpkin pie filling that I have already made and frozen (I'll make the crust and bake the pie up there), and some cookie dough truffles. I'll also be bringing a bunch of our favorite pantry foods and snacks. So most of this week I'll be trying to clear out the fridge, that's about as exciting as it gets I'm afraid.

What are you making this week? Are you hosting or traveling? Do you have a meal plan up on your blog?

As always I'd like to extend an invitation to the other meal planners out there. If you do a vegetarian meal plan Monday and would like my blog to link back to yours please let me know! The more the merrier! I'd love to have a long list here of vegetarian meal plans for people to peruse....I just love that word...don't you? Peeeeruuuuse....In addition, I also really love to peruse things...It's a word, and an action that I genuinely like.

ok...

I'll stop now.

Sorry for wasting your time.

More meal plans from blog land

Lilac Barries