Menu for the Week

Currently I am planning my menus to start on Wednesday, as I hit up Henry's for the double sales on produce on Wednesdays. Many people in the past have been interested in my meal planning so I thought that I would share. I will try to post it weekly.

Now that I am pretty efficient with cooking, shopping sales and food budgeting I am more flexible. For example, if I plan one green veggie on my menu but another is on sale, I'll swap it out. Also, since I'm not working and don't have to be so rigid with planning I'll switch days, or make something different entirely, since I have a pretty good mental inventory of what I have on hand. I also have 5 vegan and vegetarian cookbooks from the library right now so I am having a lot of fun with those.

In addition to these we usually have 3 snacks per day (mid-morning, afternoon and evening). It's amazing what volume of food you can eat on a vegan diet and just get enough calories. Snacks are usually fruit, veggies and hummus or other dip, apple with almond butter, ants-on-a-log, a handful of almonds and dates, brown rice cakes, smoothies, cereal, dark chocolate, occasionally soy or coconut milk yogurt, etc.

You also may think this menu sounds like nothing but carbs, but that is a big misconception with vegan diets. I log my calories on livestrong.com and ALWAYS meet my protein RDA without even trying. For example: the breakfast burrito I make with hashbrowns, beans and a whole grain tortilla sounds like pure carbs, but in actuality it provides 12 grams of protein.

At any rate, hope the ideas help!

Wed
B: Trader Joe's Force Primeval Bar (like a whole grain bagel stick) with peanut butter and honey (yes, I am not a real vegan), OJ, tea
L: Chickpea salad sandwich on Ezekiel 4:9 bread
D: Penne Arrabbiata (with brown rice pasta), Tuscan chard (with pine nuts, raisins, lemon juice and olive oil)

Thur
B: Tempeh-potato hash, OJ
L: Leftovers
D: 7 bean & barley soup, blueberry muffins

Fri
B: Teff porridge with coconut, almonds and dates, OJ, tea
L: Leftovers
D: Out

Sat
B: Whole-grain pancakes with warm apple topping, maple syrup, Earth Balance, OJ, tea
L: Sandwich with jarred roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, raw spinach, pesto and Vegenaise
D: Veggie-loaf (seitan and beans), roasted acorn squash, orange broccoli (simmered with a bit of OJ and Bragg's Liquid Aminos)

Sun
B: Veggie-benedict (tomato, avocado and cashew "hollandaise" sauce), OJ, tea
L: Home fellowship potluck, bring side
D: Vegan Trader Joe's appetizers: Spicy Spinach Thin Crust Pizzas, Thai Vegetable Gyoza with home made dipping sauce

Mon
B: Peanut butter cookie oatmeal (peanut butter, raisins, flaxseed stirred in), OJ, tea
L: Leftovers
D: Amy's California Burger (made with bulgur/wheat and veggies, no soy isolates) with carmelized onions and sauteed mushrooms on Ezekiel 4:9 burger buns, broccoli slaw (frugal use of broccoli stalks!)

Tue
B: Breakfast burrito (hash browns, home-made beans, salsa on Ezekiel 4:9 tortilla), OJ, tea
L: Veggie-loaf (leftover from Sat) sandwiches (with Vegenaise, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and shredded raw beets and carrots, fruit
D: Chana masala (chickpea/garbanzo bean curry), brown rice, spinach masala (with chiles, onion and garlic), Indian salad (like pico de gallo with cucumber)