Weekly Meal Plan

Lots of new stuff on the plan this week - I'm pretty excited about these Philly Subs. We've got two Quinoa recipes on the plan this week because they are fairly simple and once you buy Quinoa, it tends to hand around for a while until we use it all up. 

Day	Dinner
M	Cheesy Quinoa Casserole Bake with black beans
T	Vegan Philly Subs
W	Vegetarian Taco Salad
R	Kale Avocado Salad
F	Stuffed Peppers
S	Cheese and Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
S	*New Recipe Night*

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces Bread

M

3 cups cooked quinoa

⅓ cup tomato/pasta sauce

⅓ cup milk (1% or full fat works fine)

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 medium tomatoes, diced

Shredded basil or parsley or other herb for the top

Black Beans

T

2 vegan hoagie rolls

spicy saute:

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (use red an/or green peppers)

1 medium sweet onion, sliced

1/4 tsp black pepper

a few dashes chipotle or cayenne powder for heat

salt to taste (I used Penzey's seasoned chili salt 4/s)

1-2 tsp oil (EVOO, safflower or other to saute)

optional: 1 small Anaheim chili, sliced (or any spicy chili - jalapeno works too)

2 Tbsp hatch chilies, diced (canned)

cheese: 2-5 Tbsp Teese vegan cheddar cheese

seitan: 3/4-1 cup seitan strips (WestSoy brand was used)

garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped, fresh tomato, sliced fresh chilies or jalapeno

W

Tortilla Chips

Tomato

Onion

Black Beans

Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Taco Cheese
Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

Salsa
Sour Cream

R

1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
Bread

F

Green Peppers (3)

Soy Chorizo

Aduzki Beans

Quinoa

Provolone Cheese

Tomato

Can Tomato Sauce

S

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom), low-sodium if you prefer (*see note for gluten free)

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/2 teaspoon Splenda/sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

.2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)

Feshly grated Parmesan cheese

Ale and Cheddar Soup: Recipe Review

I wanted needed cheese last week. I just did. I also wanted everything spicy so this Ale and Cheddar Soup recipe seemed to fit the bill.

It was really simple to make, but it didn't make a whole lot. The recipe says it serves 4, but the little guys barely had any and Mr and I housed all the rest. The boys had grilled cheese sandwiches along with their soups, but Mr and I just dunked in some bread. It was delicious.

Some of our Non-Vegetarian friends joke that all our meals look great, especially if you add bacon. Well, for this one, it's part of the original recipe that we obviously omitted. No bacon needed. This soup is fantastic.

We omitted the jalapeno peppers when cooking the vegetables since the boys were going to eat it too (and I tend to get some wicked heart burn these days). Instead, we sliced some up and tossed a few into our own bowls when we went to eat - and it still had quite a kick! We Mr. made our soup stove-stop, but I can't wait to see if it works just as well in the Crock Pot. 

What you need:

• 1/2 pound bacon (preferably smoked or double smoked), cut into 1 inch slices (omit and replace with 2 tablespoons of oil or butter for vegetarian)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free)
• 1 (~12 ounce) bottle/can ale (gluten free for gluten free)
• 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Cook the bacon in a pan over medium heat and set aside on paper towels to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the grease in the pan.
2. Add the onion, celery and jalapeno and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the butter and let it melt and get all bubbly then sprinkle on the flour and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the ale and broth and deglaze the pan before adding the bacon and then let cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cream, and cheese and cook until the cheese has melted without bringing it back to a boil.
7. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, implement step 4, place everything except the cream and cheese in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the cream and cheese and letting the cheese melt.

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Weekly Meal Plan

Nothing too special about this week - except for that fact that I WANT ALL THE CHEESE!

Sorry, vegan friends...

Day	Dinner
M	Pasta and Sauce w Salad
T	Stir Fried Tofu (FF veg P.104) w/ rice
W	Ale and Cheddar Soup w grilled cheese
R	Penne Greek Pasta
F	Spinach Feta Tomato Strudel
S	Guacamole Grilled Cheese
S	*New Recipe Night*

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces

M

Bag of Salad
Cucumber
Tomato
Croutons
Dressing
Bag of Pasta
Sauce

T

• 1 block tofu
• ¼ Orange Juice
• 2TBS soy sauce or Tamari
  2 TBS Japanese rice vinegar
  1 TBS Honey/Maple Syrup/Agave
• 1 TSP toasted sesame oil
  1 ½ TBS cornstarch
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 3tbs peanut oil
• 8 ounces mini bell peppers or 1 large red bell pepper
• 8 ounces oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbs fresh ginger
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 garlic clove
  1 bag baby spinach
• Rice

W

• 2 tablespoons of oil or butter for vegetarian
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2+ jalapeno peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour (rice flour for gluten free)
• 1 (~12 ounce) bottle/can ale (gluten free for gluten free)
• 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Cheese: Bread, Butter, Cheese

R

• 12 ounce(s) penne rigate
• 1 can(s) (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
• 1 jar(s) (7 oz) roasted peppers, drained and sliced
• 1 jar(s) (6 oz) quartered marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced scallions
• pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

F

250g frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of all liquid
1 cup feta
1/2 cup sundried tomato
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Milk or melted butter to brush over, and grated parmesan to sprinkle

S

2 slices of french bread

⅓ Cup Best Damn Guacamole Ever!:
(2 Avocados, 2 tomatoes, diced, 1 lime, zested and juiced, ½ Cup cilantro, chopped, ⅔ Cup red onion, finely chopped, 1 green onion, sliced, 1 serrano pepper, minced, 1 clove of garlic, minced, ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt)
5 fresh sprigs of cilantro
2 slices of tomato
⅓ Cup Cheddar, shredded
½ Tablespoon Butter

Weekly Meal Plan - Thanksgiving Edition

We will be out of town visiting family for Thanksgiving, so we are using some meals we have left over from last week until we go out of town (here's looking at you Mediterranean Soup and Stuffed Peppers). Mr also has a big race this weekend, so we added a Carbo Load Meal of pasta to the plan that we will actually be having tonight.

For Thanksgiving, we will be sure to take our own Tofurkey even though Mr's father graciously volunteered to try to find us one. We just know where to look, so we'll grab one while doing our shopping. We're also going to contribute Glazed Carrots and a Pear Tart to the meal. Both of these are new, but seem relatively simple enough and don't require too much oven time. The Tart can be made in advanced and then baked after the main dish is finished cooking.

Thanksgiving has ALWAYS been my favorite holiday - but Pregnant Thanksgiving is the BEST! I'm so excited to spend the holiday with our families back home.

Day	Dinner
M	Mediterranean Stew (Veg CrockPot) w bread
T	Pasta with Tomato Sauce with Salad
W	Stuff Peppers w Rice
R	THANKSGIVING - Tofurkey, Pear Tart , Glazed Carrots w Pecans.
F	Out of Town
S	Out of Town
S	*New Recipe Night*

M

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 eggplant, chopped

1 15oz can artichoke, drained and chopped

1/2/ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

2 15oz cans diced tomatoes (we use low sodium)

4 cups (usually a whole box) Vegetable Broth (again, we use low sodium)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

French Bread

T
Box of Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Bread
Salad:
1 bag lettuce
Tomato
Cucumber
Croutons
Dressing

W
2 Green Peppers
1 Can Diced tomatoes
1 Can Black Beans
Quinoa
Soy Chorizo
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Rice

R
Tofurkey Loaf

Pear Tart Recipe

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 T. sugar
8 T. butter (Vegan - Sub Coconut Oil)
1 egg yolk (Vegan - Sub 1/8c Banana)
2 T. cold water, or more if needed

Filling
3 pears
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
3/4 cup sugar

Glazed Carrots Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 cups diagonally sliced (1/4 in.) peeled carrots (bag baby carrots)

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves