Menu 5.8.10

Menu Plan 5.8.10


Monday

Breakfast – pbj on whole wheat (what I was craving…lol)

Dinner -- veggie soup and pitas

Supper -- lentil tacos



Tuesday

Breakfast – biscuits with jam

Dinner – on the road, so probably subway veggie sub

Supper – bean soup and cornbread



Wednesday

Breakfast – oatmeal with cranberries

Dinner – pasta salad Italian style

Supper – homemade calzones (spinach, tofu, and spices)



Thursday

Breakfast – cream of wheat

Dinner -- split pea soup

Supper – fried potatoes, fresh sliced veggies, and hush puppies



Friday

Breakfast – grits

Dinner – fried rice

Supper – lasagna (first attempt to veganize)

Saturday

Breakfast – homemade whole wheat cinnamon rolls

Lunch – veggie burgers, buns, fries

Supper – great northern bean soup, sweet cornbread



Sunday

Breakfast – toast with jam

Lunch – cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and fruit salad

Supper – homemade pizzas



Go over to Organizing Junkie and see more menus. I have a hard time sticking to it exactly, but it makes me look over the pantry and plan a more careful grocery list.



This week I only need to buy:

Tofu

Potatoes

Fresh veggies

Fresh fruits

Cabbage

And soy milk if the soy milk maker doesn’t come today.



That’s a pretty short list.

What No One Wanted...

No one wanted spaghetti tonight.  Even the dog couldn't be wooed into thinking it would be great.

So menu change on the horizon.

Cabbage with potatoes and carrots
Cornbread (cause it is my favorite)
Apple and Orange slices

Topsy Turvy Tuesday

It is Tuesday -- only the second day of the menu week -- and I am a failure.  I cannot stick to a menu to save my life.  See Monday night went fine.  I went to my Mama's house and made do with the side dishes we had.  Walked away satisfied and quite happy to see my family together.

On the way back from her house we stopped at a Foodlion to buy the kiddos some pepperoni pizzas for the freezer.  Bad I know, but the college kid is home....lol.  While I was there I grabbed a few things for healthier eating, too.  Bananas, apples, grapes, onions, pitas, whole wheat tortillas, and orzo.  I found orzo for .69 a lb.  I came home with 5 lbs.  A little less than 1/2 price.

So today I have the orzo sitting on the counter staring at me and I think I'd like to have some.  Then when I try to move the apples out of the way of the soy milk, I find that I still have broccoli from last week in the frig and I need to go ahead and use it.  Under the broccoli is a package of spinach that needs to be finished.  So do you see where this is going?

Tonight we're having orzo with a bit of olive oil, broccoli, carrots and onions and I'll serve it on a bed of spinach with pitas and perhaps apple slices on the side.

I so love my UPS lady!

I really do.  I know every time she pulls up I'll be finding something fun on the back porch.  Just look at what she left today!

I'm really hoping this book lives us to its reputation.  It came highly recommended and since I am relying on my "super" Walmart market to supply the bulk of our foods I am hoping it is right up my alley.

So tonight I'll be settled in for a good read and then I'll see what recipes to try first.

Other notes --

I didn't stick completely to Wednesday's menu.  I had leftovers of the Speckled butter beans and rice.  So of course, I served them for lunch.  Then I took the final bit of them and used them to make soup that night so instead of barley I used rice.  No big deal...but today I didn't stick to the menu either. I had extra time this morning and we made hashbrowns.  Then I forgot to bring the potatoes with me so we're having left over soup for lunch.  Thank goodness I did start the blackbeans in the crockpot!

Cupcakes Rule the Day

I know the menu calls for cookies, but it was just a cupcake kind of day.
We decided to try a new recipe, Vanilla Cupcakes, in a fabulous book called 500 Vegan Recipes.
I used the basic recipe except I substituted whole wheat flour. I also made an 8x8 inch cake with the
leftover batter rather than more cupcakes.

This is really a great cookbook because it has everyday dishes and the slightly more exotic.
A good mix for a family. I think I'll make it a goal to try each of these recipes over the next 2 years.

Supper went as planned...I think.

We had speckled butter beans, which I buy frozen. They aren't anywhere near as inexpensive as dried beans
but they taste so good. (It takes about $4.50 to buy enough for a meal and a few leftovers to add to something else.)  I cooked them in Rosey.

I learned how to cook rice in the pressure cooker and it was so fast!  I used the directions in this great book by Lorna Sass.  It isn't all vegetarian meals, but the directions on cooking beans and grains are fabulous.

The slaw was simple:
pre shredded cabbage
3 huge tablespoons of brown spicy mustard
big dash of Original Mrs. Dash
And let it chill.

Cornbread and Rutabegas

My husband and I love simple meals. Eating a vegan diet makes it easy to stick to simple meals and this is one of our favorites.

I love my BRK pressure cooker. It was expensive, but has quickly repaid me with fast, tasty food.

To cook rutabagas in pressure cooker -- peel and dice in cubes and put in pot. Add spices of your choice. I use garlic and various herbs along with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then put lid on. Set pressure on 2. When "button" pops up and steam begins to escape at a steady pace lower your heat. Set time for 6 minutes. When time is up do rapid cool down. (Put under running cold water.) When button drops you can remove lid. Test doneness and seasoning. Super easy!

I'm a "Southern Lady" and I love cornbread. I grew up always eating white cornmeal and I often use it if I am buying meal and not grounding my own popcorn. Blue Ribbon is the best brand....just because my mama says so....lol.

When I first starting trying to get my family to consider a vegan diet I was constantly looking for old favorites reworked.

The Vegan Lunchbox has a wonderful recipe for cornbread that we just love. My children ask for it and tell me it is sweet enough that they could eat it for cake. I love the fact that I use all whole grains and no milk/eggs. It isn't an inexpensive bread because it does have pure maple syrup in it, but boy is it good! (By the way, my book is one of the first editions, but there is a second edition that doesn't cost $71...lol)

The corn and bean salad was my variation of a recipe I found in a McDougall book. I just didn't want the complicated additions so I simply used 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans -- both drained. Then I added a big dollop of hot salsa. Stir and chill.

This was our simple supper for Monday night.

Blackberry Pancakes and Weekly Menu

Yesterday at the store I found fresh blackberries. Don't they look yummy!
And they were fabulous with pancakes this morning.

Menu for this week:

Monday: B -- blackberries and pancakes
L -- Mexican Corn Salad
D -- Rutabegas and Cornbread with leftover salad from lunch
Snack -- Chocolate cookies

Tuesday: B -- Crockpot Oatmeal with peaches and blueberries
L -- Spicy Cole Slaw, Hashbrown potatoes
D -- Speckled butter beans, brown rice, and chopped onion
Snack -- Ginger snaps

Wednesday: B -- Grits with cinnamon apples
L -- Baked sweet potatoes and a veggie salad
D -- Vegetable and Barley Soup
Snack -- Oatmeal Cookies

Thursday: B -- Cream of Wheat with bananas
L -- Baked potatoes with salsa, steamed broccoli, leftover slaw
D -- Black beans, cornbread, fruit salad
Snack -- cupcakes

Friday: B -- Oatmeal with fruit
L -- Lima Beans, hash browns, leftover fruit salad
D -- Chili, brown rice, corn chips
Snack -- Chocolate Chip Cookies

Saturday:  B -- Blender Pancakes, Fruit Syrup
L -- Chili Casserole (from leftover chili)
D -- Veggie burgers, whole wheat buns, fries
Snack -- Cake

Sunday:  B -- Biscuits and jam
L -- Stewed Potatoes, Cabbage, Baked sweet potatoes
D -- Clean out leftovers from week and add to if needed
Snack -- Leftover cake

Head over to Organizing Junkie to see more great menus for the week. 
I always find something new I want to try.

Menu Planning Monday

In my mind there are three good things about a menu plan.

1. It makes meal time easier because I can prep things in advance.
2. It saves me money because I can shop based on my plan and not on whim.
3. I eat less with a plan, because I can always look forward to the next meal.

My menu is pretty simple.  I try to plan enough for the evening meals to eat the same dish again the next day.

My plan for the week is:
Monday

• Crockpot oatmeal with peaches and blueberries
• Slaw, corn and bean salad, wheat pitas
• Pinto beans, rice, sauteed onions and peppers

Tuesday

• Warm rice with soy milk, cinnamon and apple dices
• Leftover Pinto beans with rice
• Pasta with tomato sauce filled with chopped veggies

Wednesday

• Oatmeal bars
• Leftovers from night before
• Cabbage, potatoes, and onions with cornbread

Thursday

• Cream of wheat with banana slices
• Veggie tacos
• Fried rice

Friday

• Grits with maple syrup
• Baked beans and toast
• Calzones

Saturday

• Fried potatoes with onions, biscuits, jam
• Crockpot veggie soup with baked tortillas
• Leftover soup with PBJ sandwiches

Sunday

• Crockpot Oatmeal with peaches and cinnamon
• Roasted root veggies -- potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and added Brussels sprouts, cold bean salad
• Leftovers from lunch and the rest of the week

Head over to Organizing Junkie to find many more people who believe in menu planning.  Several have some good vegetarian dishes posted.