Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  Here is what I currently have in the fridge to use up:  a bag of baby spinach, some carrots, half a red onion, a crown of broccoli, an avocado, more than half a dozen eggs, two Roma tomatoes, and a red bell pepper.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

Tofu Scramble and Green Banana Power Blended Salad and Banana Spice Muffins
We didn't end up making the tofu scramble and blended salad planned for last week.  We did finish off the zucchini-raisin muffins in the freezer though, so I'm going to use some of the enormous amount of frozen bananas on hand (I seriously have at least a dozen ripe bananas in my freezer) to make banana spice muffins.  It will be a healthy, vegan, oil-free version of a banana bread recipe I used to make often.  I find that if you take the muffin cups off any leftover muffins, put the muffins in a ziploc bag, and stash them in the freezer, you can put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and have an easy snack whenever, especially for Simran.

Welsh Rarebit and Watercress Salad and Luxurious 7-Vegetable and "Cheese" Soup
I don't think Simran will eat fresh watercress -- she avoids most green vegetables these days, especially raw ones -- so I'm also making this soup that contains hidden broccoli.  Welsh rarebit isn't in the least bit healthy, but I like it and have some eggs in the fridge that need to be used up, and I don't know the next time I'll have eggs on hand to make this dish since I rarely ever buy them anymore.  I plan to make fresh baguettes for the Welsh rarebit.  I'd like to try an oil-free vinaigrette on the watercress -- something with a champagne vinegar and Dijon mustard base.  If it tastes weird, I figure I'll add small amounts of oil until it doesn't.

Rigatoni Alla Anthony
This is my favorite dish from a restaurant in our town.  It's just pasta with artichoke hearts, spinach, tomato, and onions.  I figure it should be pretty easy to replicate and make slightly healthier (whole grain pasta, reduce oil, etc.) at the same time.  I'm thinking of adding a can of white beans too.  Maybe.  I plan to serve any leftover baguette on the side of this dish, either just plain or -- if I'm feeling ambitious or the bread is feeling stale -- as crostini with an artichoke/olive tapenade (another recipe rip-off from the restaurant).
Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips with Buffalo Hummus & celery sticks and Winter Squash Mac 'n Cheeze
Last time I made the crispy breaded tofu strips, they were rather bland, though Simran liked them.  I saw this recipe for buffalo hummus, flavored like spicy wings, so I figured it might make an interesting dip, alongside some celery sticks.  In order to avoid having to make a separate green vegetable, I'm going to throw some ribbons of spinach in the mac 'n cheeze.

Curry Pumpkin Soup and Tasty Breaded Seitans (No Oil!) and Collard Greens with Almonds
We all loved the vegan version of this soup with coconut milk so much that I'm eager to make it again.  Even Simran ate the leftovers until they were gone, and she usually hates leftovers.  I'm making my breaded seitan recipe in the style of the crispy breaded tofu strips -- baking without any pan frying.  I think they'll cook up okay, and they should make for easier finger food for Simran since they won't be all oily like they usually are.

Spicy Vegetable Curry
This is an easy dish that will use up some of the carrots in the fridge.  I have a small amount of curry base leftover in my freezer from making vegetarian korma that I might add too, just to get rid of it.

Easy Healthy Veggie Pizza and Beets and Beet Greens
I have a few whole grain tortillas in the fridge that promise to go bad in another week, so I'm using them up making vegan tortilla pizzas.  Any fresh greens I have leftover will go on top.