VEGGIE MONTH WEEK 5 MEAL PLAN

Huevos Rancheros. Mmm.

January is almost over! For those who are still hanging in there, here is a very-short-week vegetarian meal plan for you.

I've had a lot of fun finding new recipes to try and creating these plans. I hope you've found something new for dinner at your house!

DOWNLOAD VEGGIE MONTH WEEK 5 MEAL PLAN

VEGGIE MONTH WEEK 4 MEAL PLAN

Monday night: Cornmeal crusted bean burger. Yum!

It’s week four! After this week, there are just two days left of vegetarian month, a fact for which my older son is very grateful.

He’s been a good sport, though. And while we’ve tried a couple dozen or more new recipes by now, only a few have been deemed worthy of adding to our regular dinner rotation.

So far, my family has loved: Spicy Peanut Noodles, Lentil Quiche, Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce, Spicy Szechuan Stir Fry, Rigatoni with Cauliflower, Mushroom Polenta Pie (well, to be honest, only I loved that), Crispy Black Bean Tostadas, White Bean & Toasted Cumin Chili, Pumpkin Corn Muffins, Pappardelle with Goat Cheese and Onions (again, only the grownups loved this one), and Ancho-Lentil Soup with Grilled Pineapple. 

Others were good enough, or “oddly tasty,” like the Coconut Rice with Butternut and Edamame (week 1), Cajun Dirty Rice (week 3), Sweet Potato Burritos (week 2), or Pasta Della California (week 3). A couple recipes never got made, either because I ran out of time or used the ingredients for something else. There wasn’t one we just hated.

Which recipes did you try? Did you find any new family favorites? 

Happy cooking!

DOWNLOAD THE WEEK 4 PLAN

VEGGIE MONTH WEEK 3 MEAL PLAN

TGIF! This pasta will make everything all better.

It’s already week 3! I’m finding that this year’s vegetarian experiment is much easier and smoother than last year’s. My boys aren’t mutinying and Scott and Owen are even battling it out for who will win the vegetarian lunch challenge. Owen is currently winning; Scott slipped up by eating a Caesar salad with anchovies in the dressing, but Owen ate his peanut butter sandwich while all his friends had hamburgers at school. He reported it was “torture.” I’m pretty sure a school lunch hamburger is its own form of torture.

I also think it is easier because cooking methods and ingredients are more familiar, and since I had to cut most cheese and dairy after my heart attack, I’m finding it easier not to rely on cheese as the protein. This opens up new categories (beans, beans, and more beans!) and new recipe options.

Some new resources I have on hand have also helped make it easier, including my vegan cookbook “Veganomicon” and the “Moosewood Restaurants Low-Fat Cookbook.”  After some disappointments with low-fat cookbooks that merely try to substitute or fake dishes usually made with high fat ingredients, I realized that I should start with something that tastes good because it is a good vegetable– or lean protein-based recipe, not a modification. This has definitely improved my enjoyment of cooking and eating, and broadened the range of available meals.

I hope you enjoy this week’s menu!

DOWNLOAD THE MEAL PLAN

NO EXCUSES

I like this phrase from this public service announcement: "Don't make excuses, make the call."

My symptoms were pain in back, shoulders, and arms, and fatigue. I made lots of excuses for my symptoms. You shouldn't.

Please take 60 seconds to watch, and then pass it on.