Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  I have a couple carry over meals from last week, and I'm trying to avoid using the oven too much since we're actually getting into summer temperatures.

Seitan & Veggie Stirfry and Brown Rice

Pasta Salad

Chilli-Garlic Noodles   
I always make this two weeks in a row to use up the cabbage and chile-garlic paste.

Quesadillas and Red Cabbage Slaw 

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps 
This will use up the rest of the red cabbage from the slaw.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes and Winter Squash Mac 'n Cheeze and Garden Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing   

Tofu Provençal and Baked Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf 

Brinner 

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  Since we're finally getting some summer weather, I'm trying to include a few dishes that don't require the oven.

Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls with Chipotle Mayo and Homemade Ranch Dressing with crudites

Seitan & Veggie Stirfry and Brown Rice

Veggie Summer Rolls with Peanut Lime Sauce 

Loaded Nachos and Red Cabbage Slaw 

Garden Pretzel Sandwiches and Cinnamon Squash Chowder 

Pasta Salad

Cheese Pizza and Garden Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing 

Chilli-Garlic Noodles   

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  My produce drawers are almost empty, so that's nice.  Here is what I currently need to use up:  an entire package of Food4Life whole grain tortillas, some other random whole wheat and white flour tortillas, half a red cabbage shredded, one avocado, and about three carrots.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
This will use up half the Food4Life tortillas, the avocado, the remaining carrots, and some of the red cabbage.  We haven't had these wraps in ages.

Fresh Veggie Tacos and Red Cabbage Slaw 
This will use up the rest of the shredded cabbage and the remaining whole wheat tortillas.

California Wraps
This will use up the other half of the Food4Life tortillas and the rest of the sprouts I need to buy for the veggie tacos.  I think the graininess will actually work well for these wraps.

Cheese Pizza and Homemade Ranch Dressing with crudites
This will use up one of the pizza doughs in my freezer.

Seitan & Veggie Stirfry and Brown Rice

Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls with Chipotle Mayo and Homemade Ranch Dressing with crudites

Cheese & Veggie Omelets and Hash Browns
This will use up the mushrooms leftover from the fresh veggie tacos.  The hash browns are the frozen ones from Trader Joe's that are still taking up space in my freezer because there are so many of them.

Green Monster

Simran has enjoyed smoothie recipes from OhSheGlows.com before, and I've been trying to come up with more ways to offer her green veggies, so tomorrow I plan to make her a classic green monster.  We have a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach leftover from dinner tonight, so it's just the right amount to use up on this recipe. 

If I serve it in a proper glass with a straw and perpetually caution her not to spill it all over herself, I think she'll get excited enough to try it.  I like that it works for breakfast and snack time too.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
• 2 handfuls organic spinach or 1 handful destemmed kale leaves
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds OR ground flax
• 1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter (optional)
• 2-4 ice cubes, as desired
• dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Starting with the liquid, add in 1 cup of milk of your choice. Now add in the chia or flax and nut butter. Next, add in the spinach followed by the banana on top. Blend until smooth. Add in your ice cubes and blend some more. Serves 1- about 2 cups.

Kale Butter

This recipe comes from the Engine 2 Cookbook, but I found it on here.  I've been looking for new ways to get Simran to eat green vegetables, and I had heard of kale butter.  She tends to enjoy dips, so I'm hoping she'll actually try this.

I imagine it would taste even better with a clove of garlic and a tablespoon of Bragg Liquid Aminos in place of the salt -- it would be like pureed kale in walnut sauce, the way Simran used to enjoy it before she had teeth.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

Directions

Steam kale for 5 minutes, until tender. Blend with walnuts and 1/2 cup of green water from steaming. Add salt to taste if desired. Process in blender until smooth.

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  We got takeout at least once last week, so I have some carry over from last week's meal plan.  I have the following additional stuff in the fridge to use up:  half a green cabbage grated, half a red cabbage grated, one bunch lacinato kale, half a pound of fresh baby spinach, about 4 oz. fresh white mushrooms sliced, two tomatoes, and five eggs.

Veggie Summer Rolls with Peanut Lime Sauce

Cheese Pizza and Kale in Walnut Sauce

Tofu Po'Boy Sandwiches and Baked Sweet Potato Fries and  Homemade Ranch Dressing with crudites

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 
I'm making these again to use up the other half of the cabbage and the chile-garlic paste.

Seitan & Veggie Stirfry and Brown Rice

Brinner and Green Banana Power Blended Salad

This meal will consist of omelets to use up the eggs, mushrooms, and some of the spinach.  We also have hash browns from Trader Joe's in the freezer, as well as frozen chocolate zucchini muffins leftover from the last time I made a batch.  

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes and Baked Potato Skins

Flax & Pumpkin Seed Corn Bread

This comes from Whole Foods' recipe site. 

 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup flaxseed
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon powdered gluten-free egg replacer (such as Ener-G)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1/4 cup high oleic safflower oil or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (use more for a sweeter flavor)
• 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with olive or canola oil spray.

In a mini-food processor or coffee grinder, process flaxseed until finely ground, 10 to 20 seconds.

In a large bowl, combine ground flaxseed, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine egg replacer with warm water, stirring with a whisk. Stir in soy milk, oil and maple syrup. Make a well in dry ingredients and add liquid ingredients. Stir until just combined. Stir in pumpkin seeds.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and continue cooling on the rack.

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.

Seitan & Veggie Stirfry and Brown Rice

Chilli-Garlic Noodles 

Fresh Veggie Tacos and Red Cabbage Slaw 

Cheese Pizza and Garden Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing 

Pasta Salad with Baked Tofu and Leftover Soup from the freezer

Veggie Summer Rolls with Peanut Lime Sauce

Tortilla Pie and Red Cabbage Slaw