Meal Planning

Time to order groceries.  We don't really need them just yet, but Simran wants hearty veggie hoagies for our picnic lunch at the tallgrass prairie tomorrow, so I need supplies for that.  Here is what I'm making in the immediate future (most of it is just meals we could make from what we already have on hand):

 

 Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake

Definitely making this tonight because I didn't get around to it last week and I want to use up the fresh spinach to make room in the fridge.

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles 

I've been making this every week, so it may or may not happen this week.  It's a nice, healthy, easy dish though.

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

Haven't made this in a few weeks but could make it any time since it's mostly non-perishable and I've been keeping bell peppers on hand.

 

Black Bean Burgers

Three more burgers remain in my freezer.

 

Homemade Pizza 

May or may not actually make this since Sameer is planning to order a takeout pizza this week.  We have the ingredients though, so it'll happen eventually.

 

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese 

I keep putting this on the meal plan but haven't actually made it in awhile.  It may or may not happen immediately since the ingredients are non-perishable.

 

Hearty Veggie Hoagies     

To take on our hike through the tallgrass prairie to look for bison tomorrow.

 

Italian Escarole Soup from The How Not to Diet Cookbook, pg. 6

This will be the veggie side of the week that I serve with practically every meal until it's gone.  It'll be the most labor intensive dish since I have to make broth before making the soup, but it's healthy and tasty and will be worth it.

 

Meal Planning

Time to order groceries again.  Here is my meal plan for the week:

French Onion Skillet Lasagna

Everyone in the house likes French onion flavor. [Edited 3/26/21: I made this last night and forgot to take a picture (as I so often to) but it was very good.  Will make again.]

 

Vegan Quesadillas with Walnut Taco Meat

On the off chance I can entice Simran to enjoy a vegan quesadilla since she eats a bean and cheese quesadilla for lunch most days.

 

Instant Pot Teriyaki Fried Rice 

Because I'm always interested in new fried rice recipes.  Especially healthy, easy ones.

 

Black Bean Soup and Jalapeno Popper Chickpea Salad

The sandwiches were good last time and the soup sounds good and healthy.

[Edited 3/26/21: I made the sandwich into a jalapeno popper melt.  I put Earth Balance vegan butter on the outsides of the sourdough bread slices, then filled them with the jalapeno popper salad, a layer of pickled jalapeno slices, and a thin layer of Daiya brand vegan havarti with jalapeno.  Then I grilled it in a skillet until the buttered sides were brown.  It was so good, like a jalapeno popper in sandwich form.  Simran complained about the spiciness of the soup because she still has low spice tolerance, but it was very good and not very spicy.]

Vegan Malai Kofta

I think I made this once before.  It was really good and indistinguishable from restaurant malai kofta.

 

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake

Because it was good when I made it a week or two ago and I need a way to use up the spinach I'm ordering.  Plus there's always a surplus of pasta in the pantry.

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles

Because I love it so much and there are never any leftovers.

Lunches:

I've been looking for some high protein, whole grain, veggie-heavy lunches I could make for myself.  But they also need some kind of sauce to be palatable to me.  The soba noodles jumped out because I have some soba noodles in the pantry.  It also seems good for summer since it's cold.  I plan to make the Buddha bowl fixins this week.  It sounded appealing because it's so hearty and healthy but also has Korean chile flavors in the sauce and marinade and I discovered last year that I love gochujang.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Buddha Bowl from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook

Green Juice

 

I bought a juicer so I could get nutrients even when ulcerative colitis is bad and eating a lot of fiber is painful.  If you're doing multiple very small meals for digestive reasons, this is a good one for keeping blood sugar normal.

Ingredients

1 green apple

1/2 cucumber

1 tsp fresh ginger root

1 celery stalk

1 fistful baby spinach

 

Directions:

 

1) Put everything in a juicer.  Don't bother peeling anything and only cut as much as you have to to get it in the juicer.  Juice it.  Add lime juice if you like (I add 1-2 tsp lime juice because I don't want to do the work of peeling an entire lime).  Stir well and drink immediately.

Meal Planning

Time to order groceries again.  We still have lots of things but we're out of a few things.  Here is what I want to be able to make over the next week and a half:

 

Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup

Because I have cauliflower and red bell pepper leftover from meals this past week and this will use them up.

Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chicken

 Not sure if I've made this before but it sounds easy and good.

 

One Pot Peanut Sauce Noodles 

Because it's easy and good.

 

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake

Sounds good and I have some artichokes and pasta shells to use up.

 

Creole Red Beans & Rice

Easy and good.

 

Black Bean Burgers

I still have black bean burgers in the freezer so this is easy and good.

 

Homemade Pizza and Lacinato Kale with Walnut Sauce   

 

Vegan Garlicky Korean Mac and Cheese 

Calls for no fresh produce so I can make this whenever.

 

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie   

Good stand by meal.  Doesn't call for much fresh produce so I can make it later in the week.

 

Avocado Grilled Enchilada with Red Chile Pesto 

 

Red Chile Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw

I could make this and the avocado grilled enchiladas on back to back nights to use up the slaw.  This would also use up the corn tortillas taking up space in the fridge.

[Edited 3/6/2021: I managed to get some marinated baked savory tofu and sliced sourdough bread in my Whole Foods delivery yesterday, so I'm making tofu salad sandwiches for dinner tonight.]