Weekly Meal Plan

Super excited to try to make our own Tofu Ricotta this week (we're going to try it in the shells and in the lasagna, but I've left the grocery list for the linked lasagna recipe). Friends brought it by after Little Miss was born and it was so delicious, so on the meal plan it goes. We've also never had couscous, so that should be an interesting attempt and we're trying to incorporate more lentils in our meals. Here we go. 

Day	Dinner
M	Spinach Mushroom Lasagna
T	Roasted fennel couscous
W	Pasta & Sauce with Salad
R	Stir Fried Tofu (FF veg P.104) w/ rice
F	Tofu Stuffed Shells
S	Red lentil, tomato, and kale soup
S	New Night!

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces Bread

M

• For the Bechamel (White) Sauce
  2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Onion
• 1/2 tbsp Garlic paste (minced garlic)
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour, see Tips to make this Gluten free
• 1-3/4 cup 2% Milk
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 Bay leaf
• Ground Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (see Tips)

• For the Pasta and Layering
  7 Brown Rice Lasagna Sheets, see Tips
• 5 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, or store bought
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, see Tips
• 4 oz fresh Mozzarella Cheese, crumbled
• Pinch of Salt

• For the Spinach and Mushroom Stuffing
  10 oz (abt 300 grms) fresh Spinach, with trimmed ends
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 4 oz Button Mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thick
• bread

T

1 box israeli couscous, prepared according to package directions

1 cup broccoli florets (from about 1/4 large head)

1 cup cauliflower florets (from about 1/4 large head)

1 fennel bulb, cored, quartered, and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

W

Bag of Salad
Cucumber
Tomato
Croutons
Dressing
Bag of Pasta
Sauce

R

• 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

F

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 16 ounces extra firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 box jumbo shells
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

S

1 tsp coconut oil (or other oil)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 sweet onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 bay leaf

1 & 1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4-1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika, to taste

1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

14-oz can diced tomatoes

5-6 cups vegetable broth, more if desired

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste

2 handfuls torn kale leaves or spinach

crunchy bread

Recipe Review: Spaghetti Squash

We are bad, bad vegetarians. We have never tried Spaghetti Squash although we've heard so much about it. It seemed slightly intimidating and difficult, so we just never even had it on our radar, until last week. 

I told Mr. that we were going to do it -- and by we, I meant I was going to put it on the meal plan and HE was actually going to do it. He had no qualms and so it was decided. It was actually quite simple! We followed the Spaghetti Squash Caprese recipe found here at The Pink Troll Kitchen blog. 

What ya need:

1 large spaghetti squash

2 cloves garlic

4 roma tomatoes

1 small handful of fresh basil

1 overflowing handful of fresh baby spinach  (we used a whole bag)

2 tbsp EVOO

3/4 cup = 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper

What ya do:

Cook the spaghetti squash by baking it in the oven at 375F for 1 hour and 20mins. Be sure to stab the squash a few times with a knife so it doesn't explode and flip the squash about halfway through. Apparently you can also microwave a stabbed squash for 10-12mins, but we used the oven. 

After it's cooked, cut the stem off the squash and slice it lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds and use a fork to scrape out the 'noodles' This is where we were all, "Oh my gosh!!! This vegetable is magic!"

Scoop out the junk and watch the magic happen.

Put your noodles in a bowl and add minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, and torn spinach and basil along with the olive oil. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 3/4 cups of mozzarella and spread the mixture into a pie dish or a 1 quart baking dish. Use the additional cheese to sprinkle on top. Bake at 375F for 30-40mins or until the cheese on top is lightly brown. Add fresh basil on top and serve.

 

We also had corn... Because Big really wanted it.

This stuff was GOOOOOOD. The kids devoured it, we devoured it. We even fought over who got seconds. It was super filling and relatively simple. The hardest part was planning ahead and having time to bake the squash, but microwaving it seems to be a game changer. We'll try that next time and hopefully it comes out just as nicely. YUM! 

Weekly Meal Plan

Day	Dinner
M	Spaghetti Squash Caprese
T	Roasted Chickpea Ratatouille
W	Pasta & Sauce with Salad
R	Stuffed Peppers with Rice
F	Portobello tacos (F/K P. 137) w/ salsa verde
S	French Onion Soup Sandwiches
S	New Night!

Cucumber
Tomato
Croutons
Dressing
Bag of Pasta
Sauce
1 Can Diced tomatoes
1 Can Black Beans
Quinoa
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Rice

Produce Dairy Packaged Goods Spices/Sauces Bread

M

1 large spaghetti squash

2 cloves garlic

4 roma tomatoes

1 small handful fresh basil

1 overflowing handful fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup + 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt & pepper to taste

T

1 small eggplant (about 1.5 cups, cut into 1-inch cubes)

2 roma tomatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges

2 cups chopped zucchini/yellow squash

½ medium yellow onion, sliced into strips

½ cup canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon white or red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

a few pinches of red pepper flakes

a few leaves of basil, sliced

(optional): cooked millet or crusty bread on the side

W

Bag of Salad

R

2 Green Peppers

“Sausages”

F

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed

Tortillas

Salsa Verde:

S

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried thyme

4 ciabatta rolls, halved

1 c. shredded Gruyere cheese

4 c. no-beef broth, heated (you can find meatless beef broth at stores like Whole Foods)