Meal Planning Revised

We managed to go about a week and a half between grocery store trips.  I went shopping yesterday because we were finally completely out of leafy greens in any form and I needed more for green shake, which has become something even Sameer and Simran drink every morning (a 16 oz. glass each for Sameer and me and a little jam jar sized glass alongside her cereal for Simran).  I shopped like a hoarder because going out makes me nervous now and I didn't want to do it again soon.  I'm going to be making dinners in order of most-likely-to-spoil-soon to least-likely-to-spoil-soon.  We also noticed that I made too much food on the average day last week, so I'm going to be making smaller meals this week to see if I can stretch the meal plan longer and yield fewer leftovers.  For example, instead of making saag paneer and vegan methi chik'n curry and rice tonight, I'm just making the curry and rice (because my older container of cashew yogurt's best by date is today), and I'll make saag paneer and another pot of rice in a few days.  Any leftover rice can become yellow rice with the turmeric and yogurt (from the new container) because Sameer and I always finish off yellow rice for lunch or whenever.  Here is what I have the ingredients to make and about how long I have in which to make them:

Vegan Methi Chicken Curry and Basmati Rice
Tonight, Friday night.  We still have some red cabbage slaw in the fridge we can eat with this too.  And LOTS of fresh fruit.  And I just made a batch of chia cherry chocolate pudding to use up an avocado and a mason jar of date syrup that were in the fridge, so there's that for desserts (for me anyway -- no one else in the house likes my healthy pudding).

Veggie Summer Rolls
Simran requested these, so I'm making them tomorrow, our warmest day for awhile.

Hearty Veggie Hoagies 
Because they use up the rest of the sliced red bell pepper and cucumber generated by the veggie summer rolls.  I'll make whole wheat baguettes and make vegan pesto from my basil plant, which is in need of serious pruning again, because the store didn't have any vegan pesto in stock.

Tofuna Salad Sandwiches
We have a package of savory baked tofu I bought for Simran's lunches that has a best by date before she could potentially go back to school, so I'm going to try making it into these veg tuna salad sandwiches.  I have yet to find a vegan tuna salad recipe I like, but I've never tried one from baked tofu before.  I also just discovered my old chive plant on the deck has regenerated, so I have two flourishing chive plants now and I think chives would taste nice on this in place of the green onion in the recipe.

Saag Paneer and Basmati Rice
I just have to make this before the spinach and cilantro wilt, so I have a couple days.  I'm considering washing my cilantro and parsley and putting baggies of their leaves in the freezer so they last longer.  I normally don't worry about it because they're so cheap to toss and replace, but I don't want to go out to buy more.

Penne alla Vodka
I really just have to make this before my single zucchini spoils.

Brinner
There was no problem getting eggs at the store, so I'm going to make buttermilk biscuits and scrambled eggs and use American cheese (this is the only way I eat it, and Simran won't eat it at all) and the last of the vegetarian sausage patties in the freezer to make sausage & egg patties with cheese.  I also bought hash brown patties from the freezer section.  Simran is going to want pancakes, but I should probably make those a different day so we don't create so many leftovers.  None of my ingredients (i.e., the eggs) have a best by date in the next couple weeks, so I can make this pretty much whenever. 

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo  
I could make this out of random vegetables, the other half of the whole wheat penne leftover from the the last of the half-and-half, and any pesto leftover from the hoagies.  I can make this any time before the half-and-half's best by date of 4/11.  Theoretically I could even make it without the half-and-half and just blend up some cashews and water instead.

Tofu Pot Pie
I can make this from vegetables in my freezer, and my tofu will be good for weeks (and could be frozen too), so I can make this pretty much whenever.


Vegan Shepherd's Pie
This is another dish I can make from the vegetables in my freezer so I don't have to worry about perishable ingredients.


Creole Red Beans & Rice

If I chop the green bell pepper and onion and stash them in the freezer, I can make this whenever.

Vegan BBQ Ribs and Patatas con Alioli and ...Green Bean Casserole?
I have some lite sour cream in the fridge and the other ingredients in my pantry, so I bought canned green beans yesterday to make green bean casserole.  I can make this any time within the next couple weeks, when the sour cream's best by date is.  The ribs come to mind because I have half a bottle of barbecue sauce taking up space in my fridge and a bag of vital wheat gluten in the pantry.  I bought a couple pounds of russet potatoes yesterday without a plan because I was in hoarder mode and I thought I might want them.  I always finish off potatoes though, so I don't think it was necessarily a bad call.

Spaghetti & Meatless Balls

Veggie Dogs

Grilled Cheese or Other Sandwiches 
I bought a brick of cheddar the size of an actual brick, which is apparently just enough for a week at our house, which is absolutely ridiculous.  It would make grilled cheese possible though.

Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls
Because I have extra black bean burgers in the freezer. 

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Because it's a vegetable side I can make without perishable ingredients.

Tomato Bisque
Same as soup above. 

Idli-Sambar
I make this from pretty much non-perishable stuff except for the cilantro.  I keep trying to think of vegetable-heavy dishes I can make without fresh veg.