Meal Planning

My goal today is meal planning through New Years weekend.  My meal planning goal around the holidays tends to be a combination of holiday feasts and using up leftovers the rest of the time.  After the new year, I want to eat healthier (which for me mostly means more whole food plant-based and less cheese and oil), so I don't want to have a lot of leftovers after Friday.  Here is what I have to use up:  8 egg whites + 3 eggs, about a pint of whole milk, and about a pint of vegetable broth.

Here is what I'm making this week:

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw

We didn't end up making this yet.

 

Classic Vegan Fish Tacos with Pico de Gallo 

Because I love this and it's easy when we already have the red cabbage slaw prepared.

Lasagna

We didn't end up making this yet either.  It should use up a few containers of random shredded cheese taking up space in my fridge, so that'll be nice.

Loaded Nachos

I'm thinking of this for New Years Eve because it's delicious junk food that generates no leftovers.  We have tons of avocados I could make into guacamole, and there is some sour cream leftover in the fridge too.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup

Terribly unhealthy, but I love it so much. And I have lots of bread and cheese on hand at the moment. This meal is a "maybe."

French Onion Soup and Omelets and leftover Green Beans with Bagna Cauda

Sameer is making this tonight because he's been wanting to try a vegetarian French Onion soup recipe he found.  The eggs and whites will become the omelets.

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

From the NYTimes cooking section.

 

Ingredients

8 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes

 

Directions

1) In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until pale yellow. While whisking, slowly add the cream and the milk. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes.

 

2) Transfer the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to cool at room temperature. Stir in the peppermint extract. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Set a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan in the freezer to chill.

 

3) Churn ice cream in ice cream machine.  During last few minutes of processing, add the candy cane pieces. Transfer the ice cream to the prepared loaf pan, cover well with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Meal Planning

 This week's meal plan is courtesy of Sameer.  This week we're having:

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

Because I still didn't make this last week. We'll have to do this one today.

Lasagna

I've got a bag of frozen kale and assorted dark leafy greens in the freezer that I'd like to get rid of.  I'm going to food process it and mix it in with some Beyond Meat and dried herbs to hide it in this lasagna.

 

Scrambled Eggs & Toast & Roasted Tomatoes

 

Beyond Burgers with Crudites or something

 

Avocado Grilled Enchiladas

 

Homemade Pizza

 

Christmas Dinner

 

[Edited 12/28/2021: Every meal since Christmas has become about finishing off leftovers.  I had sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, and brussel sprouts I didn't get around to making on Christmas, so I prepared them on the 26th and served them with Christmas leftovers and the last bag of Gardein vegetarian turkey cutlets in my freezer.  That yielded even more veggie side leftovers, so yesterday I served those with a lentil loaf I threw together, which I don't normally enjoy but this was easily the best lentil loaf any of us had ever had.  I'm eating leftovers of all that again for lunch right now.  Hoping to finish off the last of the leftovers today.]

Christmas 2021

 

Crudites with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For lunch and noshing on till dinner time.

 

Cheese Herb Rolls 

Gardein Turkey Cutlets

 

Boxed Mashed Potatoes

 

Green Bean Casserole

 

Stuffed Mushrooms with Horseradish Cream Sauce

 

Whipped Sweet Potatoes

 

Possibly another veggie side depending on what looks good at the store

 

Candied Pears

 

Peppermint Ice Cream

Selected by Simran because of how much she liked it last year.

Gingerbread Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

We're baking these this week.

Meal Planning

Time to go grocery shopping again. Here is what I'm making this week:

 

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

Because I didn't make this last week. 

Vegetarian Roast and Roasted Potatoes with Baby Carrots and green veg

The green veg will depend on what looks good at the store.  Either green beans, kale, spinach, or brussel sprouts.  The roast is a prepared food from the vegan section. 

Tofu Provencal and Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf  and green veg

 

Spinach and Feta Pita Bake

 

Red Beans & Rice  

 

Tofu & Veggie Stirfry with Brown Rice

Meal Planning

Still cleaning out the freezer and delving into the pantry.  The fridge is mostly cleared.  Here is what I have left to use up around the kitchen:  bread, burger buns, container of unidentified frozen puree of some kind in the freezer (smells like Dole Whip -- I've put it in the fridge to thaw and we'll confirm later), leftover vegetable manchow soup in the freezer, one more serving of vegetarian French onion soup from Trader's Joe's, part of a jar of pesto, just under a pint of heavy whipping cream, part of a jar of marinara, part of a jar of pizza sauce, a bag of mixed snacking olives, garlic hummus.  Here is what I'm making:

 

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup

I'm making this tonight because I want to eat grilled cheese and it'll use up the last of the bread before I go grocery shopping tomorrow. I'm going to serve the snacking olives and the hummus with baby carrots alongside this.

Vegan Quiche

Upon Sim's request for a quiche because she said it sounds good and she can't remember the last time I made one.  Also because I have a small amount of spinach I could use up on this.

Pasta Primavera with Pesto Alfredo and Soy Curls

This will use up the jar of pesto and the heavy cream.  

 

Vegan Penne alla Vodka

Seems redundant after the other pasta, but it'll use up any extra cut vegetables as well as the various open jars of tomato-based sauces in the fridge. 

Pizza

Because I have mozzarella and parmesan and I haven't made pizza in a long time.

Black Bean Quesaritos

Because we all want to eat this.  

 

I need to look through my Vedge cookbook and see what favorites I haven't made in awhile.  Maybe the Korean eggplant tacos with kimchi mayo. ]

I also have everything necessary to make red beans & rice.

After I buy a green cabbage:

 

Veggie Spring Rolls Fried Rice

 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

 

Gochujang Noodle Stirfry 

 

[Edited 12/10/2021: The frozen cylinder was indeed leftover homemade Dole Whip. We ate it.]