I started my planning process earlier this time around, so there is no scramble to make a plan and also it gave a little time to go along and comment on the week as things happened.

How did we do with last week’s plan?

I think it’s worth analyzing how last weeks meal plan worked out as I create this new one. I probably had too many ambitious dishes on the roster for last week, especially when we also had too much stuff on the go with non-food life related things. That will change over the next few weeks, but easier options would be a better idea. We loved the overnight oats/make ahead breakfast options and I loved having prepared jarred lunches to grab for after our son’s early afternoon nap.

We have added a wildcard to our week in the form of a CSA. We have some idea of what we’re getting earlier in the week, but the resulting meals after delivery might be more impromptu or side dishes.

I did follow through with bagels this morning and they were absolutely excellent, but I think I’m going to aim to do them 1-2 a month rather than every week. Though I’ve considered the overlap between challah making and other baking - so we’ll play that by ear.

The other nice thing about having a plan or just planning some of our meals ahead is that cooking in the evening or early in the morning controls our temperature a little bit - especially as our summer heats up a bit more for the season.

Without further ado, this is what we’re planning on making this week;

Breakfast

Monday - Basil Asparagus Fritatta Apricot ginger overnight zucchini oats Wildberry Overnight Zucchini Oats Tofu Scramble and Hashbrowns Savoury mung bean congee

Lunch

Make ahead

• Lemon ginger jar

  • Lemon Ginger Dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, Dijon mustard, Soy), Millet, lentils, celery root, Edamame, kale, Corn, Carrots, Sweet Bell Peppers, Seeds, Unsalted dry roasted sunflower seed, Green Onions

• Moroccan Tagine jar

  • Chickpeas, lemon ginger dressing, millet, sweet potato, celery root, carrots,  various greens, rehydrated apricots and raisins, parsley

• Deconstructed falafel jar

  • chopped up tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion

  • pickled turnips

  • chickpeas

  • lemon lentil salad

  • sesame seeds

  • a tahini parsley dressing on the side

• Burrito Jar

Dinner

Monday or Tuesday. Lentil Loaf - some lentil loaf recipes can be really fussy and full of steps and work - Im hoping to find one that is straightforward and easy to put together. This one might just be that recipe. But only time will tell if it’s delicious too. With a side of mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable salad. Make lots of lentils for other dishes throughout the week. Leftover loaf could make a great quick lunch later in the week as well.

Tofu Cacchitori with Rigatoni pasta

Lentil Loaf Leftovers or Zucchini Pad Thai

Thursday

Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Gabriel Kreuther PG 122

• Yukon Gold Potato “Linguini” and Fresh Sprouts Salad with a Sorrel-Arugula Emulsion

• Warm Watermelon Salad with Tomatoes, Crushed Pistachios, and aged Balsamic Vinegar

• Seasonal Vegetable Medley with Sautéed Tofu and Horseradish Broth

• Chilled White and Yellow Peach Soup, Poached with Beer and Lemon Verbena

Friday Crunchy Cucumber salad, challah, matzo ball soup, seitan brisket, leftover lemon lentil parsley salad from lunches

Snacks

Red Pepper Hummus and Pita Bread and/or sweetpeas Zaa’tar baked olive oil pita and tomato Fresh fruit Whatever we find at the farmers market

Other - Pie

I’m planning to make a strawberry rhubarb pie this week. This crust from smitten kitchen looks lovely, but despite her proclamations of the superiority of butter, I will still (obviously) be using Earth Balance.

I should start thinking about the weeks ahead during the week before, but we get to Sunday and I remember it’s time to put our grocery order in. Grocery order? Well - our local grocer has an online option so someone else picks our groceries for us and we load it into our car.

We just pick them up. This still usually involves a quick run through for items we might have forgotten or to pick up some beer or cider, but generally, it keeps our time there as short as possible. Our little one does not like shopping carts, so one of us ends up carrying him around or occasionally letting him roam the less breakable aisles for a while, which adds to our desire to get in and get out sooner rather than later.

The following are recipes we’re planning on making in the coming week, starting on Monday for 2 hungry adults and 1 not-so-picky toddler. Some lunches are for my husband to take to work, but if we can prepare  a few lunches ahead of time all of us will win.

To be honest, many of these aren’t all reasonable or simple meals, but many or parts of them can be prepared in advance.

I’m starting the weekend feeling more enthusiastic about savoury items but I like having a few different options in mind. I find having an idea of what we’re going to have during the week, makes it a lot easier to make things, and saves me a lot of time searching for the one thing

Breakfasts

• Monday - Overnight Zucchini oats

• Smoothie Bowl - In the smoothie: Frozen strawberry, soy yogurt, soy milk, maple syrup or agave, vanilla. On Top:  granola, chia seeds, hemp seeds, fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, almonds slivers, more non-dairy yogurt.

• Tofu Scramble, Greens, and diced potatoes/hashbrowns.

• Museli Breakfast Rounds with fresh fruit and peanut butter

• Weekend

  • Minimalist Baker’s 1 Pot Chickpea Shakshuka with Cauliflower rice

  • Bagels and Carrot Lox (and maybe cream cheese from Ceara’s Kitchen, or this one from Cupcakes and Kale)

Lunches (3 on the go)

• Monday - (Make ahead) - Orzo Salad in a jar with beans and tofu cubes - (minty dressing for me, a dill olive oil dressing for J) - celery, red peppers, orzo pasta, kale/radicchio or whatever greens come in our CSA this week, green onions, olives, walnuts, dill.) Dressings: 3 tsp mustard, 6tbsp white vinegar, 9 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Separate, 1 tsp of mint in mine, 1 tsp of dill in his.

• Tuesday: Black bean mixed vegetable mushroom stir-fry with rice noodles. (ended up making a potato linguine to go with this instead of rice noodles)

• Wednesday: (Make ahead) Oh She Glows  - Orange Maple Miso Noodle Bowl. Ended up doing something different - with a sesame maple dressing.

• Baked beans (canned or this recipe from Serious Eats), rigatoni pasta, and baked peanut tofu fingers.

• (Make ahead) Bryant Terry’s - Jamaican Veggie Patties from Afro Vegan pg.  (the plan is to use the recipe for the crust, but make my own lentil TVP filling based more on this recipe from Serious Eats)

Dinner

• Monday: Great Chefs Cook Vegan Night: Pg 43 - Cat Cora Curried Cauliflower Salad, Basque veggie kabobs with key lime chimichurri sauce, Kiwi Parfait

• Tuesday: One Pan Pasta - Martha Stewart, with added borlotti beans.

• Seitan en Croute, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Mixed Veggies. (1000 Vegan Recipes - Robin Robertson) (make extra seitan, for Friday Cholent)

• Grill days:  Corn on the Cob, Asparagus, and Mushrooms, Maple Bourbon Tofu, Potato Salad

• Friday Sorta Shabbat Dinner. Basically whatever we feel like making, but am looking to slow cook a Vegan Cholent during the day (using a bit of extra), Challah, Wild Mushroom Pate

Snacks

Banana bread muffins Hummus Snackworthy Cereal Bars out of DIY Vegan p90

I’ve been working on getting more organized in terms of making dinner. If I work that day, or we have a bunch of playdates, we are more likely to order in or get take out. Sometimes my partner cooks, but I usually have to come up with the idea or find a recipe that works with what we have in the house. Sometimes that seems like more effort than just opening the fridge, and making something up.

That said, one of my goals for the next few months is to start prepping more food in advance on the weekend. Thus far, during previous weeks, I haven’t been successful in planning or preparing or even thinking about the weeks meals before they happen, but this week might be a little different (or it might be more of the same.)

I had found a bunch of recipes I wanted to try this week, and planned my grocery shopping accordingly.

My planning is slightly complicated by an end of the week Purim feast, but preplanning might also help with that.

Here is our menu for the week starting with today: (maybe…)

Sunday (done!)

• Lentil Loaf (replaced lentils with black eyed peas)

• Roasted Sweet Potato (turned into simple baked sweet potatoes)

• Mint and Lime Green Beans (but I’ve already modified it to be garlicky mint and lime yu choy)

Monday

• Glory Bowl (the nice thing about this is that the ingredients are also perfect for lunch for some of the other days of the week for me and the small human)
  • On Sunday I cooked up enough rice for this and future meals (like the tacos and gumbo)

Tuesday

• Taco night (I’ve gotten super into making a make your own taco table every Tuesday)

  • Spicy Plantain Black Bean Tacos

  • Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms

Wednesday * Samosa Soup

• Burmese Ginger Salad

Thursday

• Vegetarian gumbo

• Cornbread

Friday

• Trini doubles with Chickpeas (though I will likely use the recipe in taymer mason’s Caribbean vegan)

Saturday (it’s Purim, so it’s time for a feast, and we’re considering inviting my partners family, some of which follow a ketogenic diet))

• Hamantaschen

• Iranian Jewelled rice

• Jewelled cauliflower rice (keto possible)

• Kreplach

• Stuffed Baby Eggplant with TVP (keto possible)

• Cucumber Salad (keto possible)

• Zaataar Bread