Before getting to the menu plan, I wanted to thank everyone for the encouragement on the blog. So thank you! Also, I would like to quickly say that this week has been full of pleasant surprises. Thank you to those friends who went out of their way to bring me vegan cupcakes, thank you to the people who gave me a bag of walnuts, a peppermint plant for my garden, and a bag of clothes and home goods. Thank you to the pastor in Pakistan who sent a traditional dress back to the U.S. with a friend for me- he has no idea who I am and it was such a kind gesture. Thank you to the person who is helping me get physical therapy at a discount. It's the little things in life, right? But no action is too small to let someone know you care, and it encourages me to pay it forward. I hope you can find something to change someone's day this week too.
Now for the menu plan.
I made this month pretty easy on myself because the weather here has been beautiful and my husband and I have been outside in the evenings training for our upcoming half-marathon. Also, when the weather gets warmer, it's nice to have lighter dinners that don't involve heating the oven up a whole lot. So consider that when making your plan...you don't need to become a slave to this method of eating. Don't push yourself too hard or you might burn out.
Here are the dinners by date of the month, and written out in detail:
1- Salad. Our salads are nothing to laugh at though. Lettuce doesn't necessarily play the lead role. We pile on quinoa, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, dried berries, homemade croutons, chopped veggies of all sorts, fresh black pepper, and homemade Dijon maple vinaigrette (extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and optional cooking sherry or rice wine vinegar- to taste). We love the ease and taste of these dinners so much that I might do a whole month of them during the summer.
2- Salad
3- Salad
4- Salad
5- Vegan "chicken" Cacciatore. I took a chicken cacciatore recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that everyone has in their kitchen (you know, the red and white checkered one) and made it vegan. I do this a lot actually. I will swap meat items for vegan options (but be mindful of the soy content and don't do this too often). I use rice, almond, and sometimes coconut milk, Earth Balance butter and mayo, and egg replacer for my dairy subs. The taste is just as good, if not better- you might be surprised.
6- Leftovers and salad
7- Black bean burgers and sweet potato fries (and salad if we have any left)
8- Veggie Tacos. Beans, rice, sautéed veggies, lettuce, salsa, and avocado on flour tortillas.
9- Tomato Basil Bisque with Steamed Broccoli. A friend introduced me to this vegan tomato bisque recipe. It is from Chloe's Kitchen and she serves it with croutons on top. I kid you not, it tastes like it should have taken hours but it is so easy. It's wonderful. Thank you Nichole for making it for us!
10- Polenta and Cauliflower "Steaks." I make my polenta with homemade vegetable bouillon and corn. The cauliflower is sliced into "steaks," drizzled with EVOO and salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees until browned. I also top the meal with sautéed veggies- mushrooms, onion, peppers, garlic, and zucchini. This meal is a great standby because it is easy and delicious.
11- Leftovers
12- Community group meal. My husband and I lead a home community group through our church every Sunday evening (except the first Sunday of the month). It is potluck style, and we don't know what we need to bring until the beginning of each week. I keep enough items on hand to find something to make. **However, if I do not have what I need on hand to feed the large group of twenty people and stay within the meal theme, I will send my husband to the store for only the item(s) that we need. I know this goes against my once-a-month, no exceptions rule, but I see this as a ministry and I will always make exceptions for that!
13- Quinoa and Oven Roasted Veggies. The quinoa is made with homemade vegetable bouillon, corn, tomatoes, black beans, green onions, and/or lentils. The roasted veggies might include red potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, kale, sweet potatoes, beets, red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, brussel sprouts, and/or zucchini. But you can add whatever you prefer and/or what is in season.
14- Leftovers
15- Tangy Pasta and Roasted Veggies. The Tangy Pasta recipe comes from the Budget Bytes blog and it is quick and easy. I use organic whole wheat spaghetti from Costco. The roasted veggies for this night are carrots and brussel sprouts with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
16- Curry Vegetables and Brown Rice. You can buy a bottle or mix of curry, or just make your own. I make a green coconut curry sauce fromFoodAndWine.com and leave out the fish sauce. You could also do stir fry teryaki veggies and rice.
17- Leftovers
18- Vegan Banana Pancakes and Vegan Sausage. I created this banana pancake recipe:
3 ripe bananas, smashed
1 1/4 cup flour of your choice (all-purpose, whole wheat pastry, etc.)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 egg replacers
1 cup almond milk
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, add wet to dry, mix until just combined, and cook on a griddle sprayed with canola oil.
19- Community Group Meal (see above)
20- Louisana Red Beans and Brown Rice. I use the bean recipe from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen website and use homemade vegetable bouillon to cook the beans in. Don't forget to soak your beans the night before.
21- Leftovers
22- White Bean Alfredo Pasta and Steamed Broccoli. The Alfredo recipe is from ThePrudentHomemaker.com. Her blog and website are where I find a lot of recipes and inspiration.
23- Leftover Alfredo Sauce over Roasted Veggies
24- Baked Sweet Potatoes, Vegan "Chicken" Tenders, Steamed Broccoli and Carrots
25- Black Bean Soup- this is one of my pre-made frozen crockpot meals. It is called Beezie's Black Bean Soup from AllRecipes.com
26- Community Group Meal (see above)
27- Sloppy Josephines- I use the recipe from PeasAndThankYou.com. This is a fabulous website with a lot of inspiring vegan recipes that has come in very handy for me as I plan menus.
28- Vegan "Chicken," Sweet Potato, and Pablano Enchiladas with Spanish Rice. I adapted the Sweet Potato and Charizo Enchilada recipe fromBudgetBytes.com into a vegan version and I doubled the Pablano peppers in the recipe. I leave out any cheese substitute. I also make the Spanish rice that she links from this recipe site and double it so we have leftovers for lunches for a few days.
29- Leftovers
30- Chickpea Pot Pie. This is a new recipe that I haven't tried yet. I found it on Pinterest from VeggieConverter.com.
31- Leftovers, and use up anything I have left after the month.
Tips: have "bench-warmers"- these are recipes that I like to keep in mind every month for when my menu-planning inspiration is lacking. They can be Pinterest recipes, old stand-bys, or things you haven't tried but would like to. Keep your old menu plans and highlight the meals that were a hit so you can refer back to them when planning.
I know that being vegan can be a challenge, especially when not everyone in your household follows the same diet. I am fortunate because my husband loves a plate full of veggies. But find what works for you. If you need to come up with a menu plan that allows for a meat side dish, that's great. If you plan your meals where meat is not the anchor, it should be easy to do so.
Let me know if you have any great meals that I should try- I'm always on the lookout. I wish you great luck while planning a menu that is full of whole, healthy foods. And thank you for reading.
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