Something about menu planning has me hooked. I think it is a nice balance to my normally random, somewhat chaotic personality;). So this next two weeks we are going to base our diet around mostly whole grains, fruits and veggies. My husband will still be eating milk, eggs, and sugar, because as you can see he needs the extra calories, not me;). I was pretty happy to be able to find some great deals on foods to support us in this two weeks of plant-based healthful eating at our local Fred Meyer. We are going to be trying Quinoa for the first time, having couscous (both of us like it, but I always forget it exists!) and almond milk (just me though). The end goal of these two weeks is to see if we can work towards a larger repetoire of healthful, more plant/whole grain based meals that are fairly quick and easy (and that we enjoy)! I don't know if I will continue eating primarly vegetarian after these two weeks, but I think it will be a valuable time either way. Here are our meals, keeping with my desire for our meals to be relatively quick, and easy as well.
Monday: Beans and Rice (something we have often anyway-but w/o the sausage!) and Salad
Tuesday: Potato Carrot Soup and Whole Wheat Bread and Green Salad
Wednesday: Chana Masala over Couscous
Thursday: Polenta w/ Marinara sauce (and cheese for hubby) and green beans
Friday: Cheese Pizza W/Salad
Saturday: Hot Dogs (bought some veggie ones to try) and Spicy Fries
Sunday: Tortilla Casserole with mixed veggies
We will try the Quinoa next week...if you have any good recipes to share, I would appreciate it!
More menu plans here.
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7 comments:
It all sounds very good and healthy!
Lousiana beans and rice looks yummy!
I was looking forward to checking out the recipe for tortilla casserole, but the link took me to spicy fries again!
The tortilla casserole sounds good! Great menu plan!
The Frugal Momma
Hi! I found your link at Menu Plan Monday. Your menu looks great. We don't eat meat either and are trying to do it on a budget. I have never been able to get into polenta, so I will keep an eye on your menu for a good recipe. There is a terrific recipe for Pineapple-cashew-quinoa in Veganomicon...not exactly budget saving, but tasty! We will also eat it in place of couscous in a cold black bean/grain/ cilantro/pepper salad.
Just came accross your blog and thought I'd send you a yummy quinoa recipe! Enjoy!!
Walnut Rosemary Quinoa
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ small onion
¾ c quinoa (This is a small, round grain that you can find in bulk at Community Natural Foods or Planet Organic. It has a nutty taste, is high in fiber and is a complete protein. Before cooking, it needs to be rinsed, a small sieve works well; I got mine from Ikea.)
½ small red pepper diced
1 ½ c water, room temperature
½ Tbsp soy sauce or natural substitute (again, Bragg’s is great)
¼ tsp dried rosemary
½ c frozen and thawed peas
½ s raw walnuts, chopped
o Preheat oven to 350°F.
o Heat oil in medium sauce pan, add onion and quinoa. Sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 mins. Add pepper and sauté an additional 2 mins.
o Add water, soy sauce and, rosemary. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for 15 mins or until water is absorbed.
o Meanwhile, roast walnuts on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper at 350°F for 5-7 mins. Remove from oven.
o When quinoa is cooked, turn off heat and mix in walnuts and peas. Let sit and additional 10 mins and serve.
o Serves 2-3, does not freeze well.
Oooo thanks for the suggestions Angela and Ali!
Just realized I posted that recipe with the instructions I'd sent to my friend about how to find quinoa. Oops-guess I shouldn't copy and paste!
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