Veggie Pasta Salad

This recipe is so simple and so good! You can really add whatever you want. You can make it vegan, vegetarian, or throw in some ham or salami chunks. It is perfect for picnics, pot lucks, sack lunches, or even main dishes. I hope you like it as much as we do! Here is what I threw in there today:

Ingredients:

1 lb of whole wheat pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water

2 cups of black olives, sliced

1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

8 (ish) green onions, sliced

2 cups of raw broccoli and 2 cups of raw carrots, pulse chopped in the food processor

8 oz of Kerry Gold (grass-fed, Irish, SUPER yummy) cheese, cubed- optional

1/2 cup (or so) of Italian dressing (homemade or bottled)

Combine all of the ingredients. Season with sea salt, if necessary. Chill for one hour. Re-taste and add more dressing, if needed. Dressing should coat the ingredients, but not make the dish too soupy. Enjoy!



Arugula Salad with Orange Juice Vinaigrette

Yes, another salad. But it's summer and I don't have to turn on my oven! Plus I am lucky that my children will all gobble up salads- just have to vary it up a little and they are happy, healthy campers. :)

Ingredients:

1-2 heads of Arugula

1 head of Butter Leaf

2 fresh mangoes, diced

2 avocados, diced

Several Tbs of sliced almonds per bowl

Chop arugula and lettuce coarsely and top with fruit and nuts.

 

Vinaigrette:

I just kind of eyeballed this ,but I added approx 4-6 Tbs of O.J. concentrate to approx 2 Tbs of rice vinegar to approx 1 Tb of olive oil. I did add a small amount of water too, but you can just mix and keep tasting it until you like it. We like it tangy with a hint of vinegar so we add more O.J.

Like I said, super easy but really, really good!

A Simple Salad Bar

My kids love any kind of "bar." Salad bars, burrito bars, taco bars, breakfast bars...they love having lots of choices and putting together their own unique meal! Even if all the choices are good, healthy ones like veggies, nuts, beans, and whole grains, they get excited! We have been doing a salad bar once a week. I pull anything and everything out of the fridge, chop it up, and leave it out all day for the kids to snack on. It takes a little prep time but we usually end up eating it for lunch and dinner, so in some ways it's easier for me.

This salad bar we made recently had:

romaine lettuce

hard boiled eggs

garbanzo beans

sprouted sunflower seeds

olives

pickles

carrots

red bell pepper

parmesan cheese

homemade dressings

cucumber

green onion

peas

corn

broccoli

sprouts

whole grain crackers

mushrooms

That's just what we had in the house. Add some different kind of beans and guacamole and salsa and it can become a taco bar. Add some whole wheat tortillas for a burrito bar. Add some fresh fruit . Add some baked potatoes for a potato bar- the possibilities are endless. And you will be surprised at what you have on hand!

Pumpkin/Turkey Chili

As promised, here is the recipe I borrowed (and tweaked just a little) from Primal Mama Cooks...and Dishes on Life (http://feedmepaleo.blogspot.com):

Seriously, this is the easiest and yummiest chili. Very festive too for this time of year- a must-try recipe for the holidays! Let me know what you think. :)

Ingredients:

3lbs. Ground turkey (or grass fed ground beef)

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced (I like red, yellow or orange)

1 14oz can of canned pumpkin (make sure it's just pumpkin)

2 cans of organic black beans

2 cans of organic pinto beans

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 jar chipotle salsa

1 box of Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tsp cumin

"Cook the ground turkey, diced onion, and pepper in a large pot until the meat is crumbly and no longer pink. Drain. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer for one hour."

Easy Peasy! Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera Salad Surprise (Or Something Like That!)

This is another winner from our Fit for Life recipe book. Really delicious, and fairly easy. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is chopping up all the individual ingredients to make them "pretty."

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 lb of whole wheat penne pasta

1 firm avocado, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

4-5 celery stalks, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cucumber, diced

2-3 Tb Olive Oil

1/4 cup fresh basil, minced or 1 Tb dried

1 small red onion, diced

4-6 cups of tender lettuce (red leaf, butter or bibb), shredded

2-3 cups of fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

ground sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Cook Pasta. While cooking, place diced and minced veggies in a large salad bowl. Add the olive oil and seasonings and allow to marinate.

Drain pasta and toss in 1 Tb of olive oil. Add shredded greens to marinating veggies in the bowl, and then add pasta and toss well. Adjust seasonings and serve.

I have to say that every recipe from the Fit for Life books has been amazing. Really filling, yet light and energizing. I have been trying to follow the principles of this book for about 6 weeks and have found surprisingly that my weight has plateaued. Although I feel really good most of the day, I am very hungry in the mornings with the "fruit only" rule until noon. This last week I decided to have my fruit and green smoothie first, but then allow myself a small breakfast around 10am. That has alleviated my hunger, boosted my energy, and I have dropped a couple of pounds since adding a few more calories to my mornings! It goes to show you that every person's body is different. It is fun and interesting to read and study different nutritional approaches, but in the end it is usually a mix, a tailor-made plan, that works for the individual. For me I need to eat a little before noon, but I still feel much better when I follow the remainder of the food combining principles throughout the day. It doesn't always happen, but I notice a difference in energy when I do. :)

Mexican Rice Bowls

This is a Fit For Life recipe, and has quickly become one of our favorite, quick, "go-to" recipes when want something fast, filling, and very easy!

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked brown rice

4-5 cups of chopped romaine lettuce

guacamole

fresh salsa

sliced olives

shredded cheese (optional)

alfalfa sprouts

lemon juice

(You can also add your favorite steamed veggies, fresh corn or cilantro).

To assemble, just layer the ingredients you choose beginning with a generous helping of rice and romaine and dinner is served! We like to leave all the ingredients out, so that everyone can make it just how they like it.

Serves 6

What's For Dinner: My Thoughts on Meal Planning

We only eat meat once, maybe twice a week. When people find this out, I often get asked what we eat for dinner. Several people have told me that they wouldn't know what to fix for dinner if meat wasn't on the menu. I thought I'd give you my menu plans for the last two weeks to give you an idea of what we usually eat.

Since the baby's arrival, our menu plans have been pretty simple. One night we usually enjoy a bean or vegetable-based soup or a pasta dish, one night we usually do something with eggs (omelets or a scramble or casserole), and one night we usually do some sort of main-dish salad. The rest varies depending on our schedule and time-constraints. I write out these dinner ideas on a sheet that is kept on the fridge, so that when anyone asks (and I get this question a lot), "What's for dinner?" I just tell them to go look on the fridge! This list is handy to have out. I often check what is for dinner the night before so I know if I need to defrost anything or soak anything or put something in the crock pot overnight, etc.

One thing I have realized with raising a family on a budget, and trying to eat healthy, is it is absolutely essential to plan out the weekly menu. If I don't plan, we inevitably end up eating out or eating something quick and less nutritious. I plan all of our menus on Thursday and do all my grocery shopping on Friday (pay day!). I plan 6 complete dinners, leaving Thursday night as a leftover night (it's my favorite night because there is no prep- we eat whatever is left in the fridge so we can fill it up again the next day!).

I have recently started planning out breakfasts, and I also keep the breakfast list on the fridge. Many of our breakfasts we prep the night before (simple stuff like putting the steel cut oats in the crock pot, or soaking grains for muesli or putting together parfait, etc.). This has helped tremendously with my need to get a little extra shut eye with the baby in the morning. The older kids can get up and breakfast is practically ready! No more grumpy, hungry kids waking me up after I just fell back asleep for the fourth time!

Lunch is a free-for-all. It is usually leftovers from the night before, salads or hummus and veggies, maybe a green smoothie or a pb & j. My three older kids make their own lunches most of the time, so I don't sweat it at all.

The other trick that has helped meal-planning go smoothly is to a have a food prep day. Savanna and I usually tackle this together on Saturday. It takes us a couple hours, but we will do our batches of granola, batches of whole wheat pancakes or homemade yogurt for breakfasts, a big pot of soup, a large salad, homemade bread or muffins, any treats or snacks for the upcoming days, etc. Then the rest of the week we just go by the lists and it's easy peasy!

So as you can see, the menu planning can be quite the project each week. It takes me a good amount of time, but I love looking through my cook books or websites and finding new, fun recipes to try. I love that I can type "main-dish vegetarian salad" (or any other specific dish) into the search box and get a TON of new recipes! There are always our "fall-back" dishes. When I just don't have time or need a quick meal idea, we have our family's "tried and true" go-to recipes.

Okay, FINALLY, here are our menus for the last two weeks (It's Thursday, so I'm swapping the old for the new):

Dinner For Last Week:

Friday- Vegan Pesto Pasta with Steamed Broccoli and Salad

Saturday- Turkey Sandwiches and Soup

Sunday- Veggie Omelets, Fruit Salad, and Toast

Monday- Bruschetta on Whole Wheat Baguettes and Salad

Tuesday- Vegan Taco Soup and Caesar Salad

Wednesday- Garden 3 Bean Salad with Homemade French Dressing

and Whole Grain Crackers

Thursday- Leftovers!

Dinner For This Week:

Friday: Veggie Melts on Whole Grain English Muffins with a Side of Fruit

Saturday: We'll Be Out of Town

Sunday: Egg-in-the Hole (An egg fried into a piece of buttered toast) and Fruit Salad

Monday: Vegan Taco Salad with Mexican Rice and Homemade Guacamole

Tuesday: Hawaiian Steak Kabobs and Salad

Wednesday: Vegan Macaroni and Cheese with Steamed Broccoli and Fresh Snap Peas

Thursday: Leftovers!

Breakfast:

(I usually keep the same breakfast menu for several weeks)

Friday: Parfait (layers of homemade yogurt, granola, and mixed berries)

Saturday: Muesli (Soaked oats, raisins, cinnamon, a dash of vanilla extract, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, ground flax, etc- it varies based on what we have in the house) topped with chopped bananas and almond milk

Sunday: Whole Wheat Pancakes topped with blueberries, slivered almonds, maple syrup and a side of fruit

Monday: Steel Cut Oats mixed with berries, ground flax and a side a fruit

Tuesday: Carrot/Apple Breakfast Muffins, a handful of trail mix, and a side of fruit

Wednesday: Granola, almond milk, and a side of fruit

Thursday: Same as Monday

And there you have it! I will try to post some of these great recipes but if there is one that you would like beforehand, let me know and I'll get it to ya!

Happy Meal Planning!

Black Bean Burgers

I made these black bean burgers the other day for lunch and they were a big success. Very tasty, healthy, and is an inexpensive way to serve burgers.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked black beans

1 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice (I used cooked quinoa)

1 cup of bread crumbs (I took a piece of sprouted wheat bread and pulse chopped it in my food processor until it was the consistency of bread crumbs)

1 egg (or egg substitute- you could use ground flaxseed- 1 Tb of ground flax to 3 Tb of water mixed well until it is the consistency of an egg)

4 Tb (or so) of mild salsa

A handful of grated cheese (optional)

garlic powder and sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients well. I put them in my food processor to chop up the beans a bit. Form into patties. Fry over medium heat in a pan with a little olive oil until brown and crispy on both sides.

Serve on buns with all the normal burger toppings. We used lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and red onion.

*This batch will make 10 to 12 burgers depending on the size. It is better to make the burgers smaller and serve each person two or three. The batter seems to hold together better this way then when I tried making larger burgers.

**Beans plus rice equals a complete protein. Quinoa is also a complete protein so even though this is a vegetarian/vegan dish, it is very filling.

Cashew "Mock" Chicken Salad

These next few recipes are dedicated to my good pal, Lara. It's fun to have someone so excited to read my food blog and actually try my recipes! Plus, I'm very excited that she is making so many positive changes in her health- love you girl!

Savanna and I made this recipe this morning. It's one of my favorite raw recipes. It tastes very similar to chicken salad. I usually serve it stuffed in a raw red bell pepper or over lettuce. You can put it on bread like an actual sandwich or with crackers like we did today.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

1 cup pecans

1 cup cashews

1 cucumber, cut in chunks

1 stalk of celery

2 diced green onions (optional)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse chop until medium fine. Chill and serve!

Killer Vegetable Soup

It is an aspiration of mine to open up my own restaurant some day. It will be a whole foods, healthy, family-fare type place. Maybe even just a big salad and soup bar with homemade breads and smoothies. Well, when I do make it happen this will be a soup-of-the-day for sure!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Tb of olive oil
• 3-4 small red onions, diced
• 1 head of celery, chopped or sliced
• 5-6 carrots, sliced
• 1 bag of red potatoes, diced
• 1 bag of frozen corn
• 2 cans of crushed tomatoes (I use fresh tomatoes and process them in my fp)
• 1-2 cans of white beans
• Seasonings- I use a LOT of seasonings. Garlic powder, onion powder, Spike, dried parsley, sea salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne, etc. Use whatever you like, to taste.

In a large pot, coat the bottom with oil. Add onions and celery; cover and saute for about 5 mins. Add the carrots; cover and saute for 5-8 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover and saute for about 5- 10 minutes. These steps are crucial and really help the flavors of the soup blend.

Then add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water or vegetable broth. Season, cover and bring to a boil. Then remove lid and simmer for 30 - 60 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Serves 8-12

Sweet & Sour Veggie Stir Fry

This is one of my favorite dishes to make. It is really simple, and really delicious. Whenever I eat chinese food I always order something with the Sweet & Sour Sauce. This recipe really duplicates that taste very well, and is much healthier! You can add meat to this dish if you like. We used tofu in this one.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tb cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 3 Tb of rice vinegar
• 3 Tb of turbinado sugar
• 1 Tb ketchup
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 4-5 minced garlic cloves
• 1 diced onion
• 2 sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 diced green or red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 14oz package of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes

In a large bowl, mix together the cornstarch and veg broth, then add vinegar, sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, and cayenne until mixed well.

In a large skillet or work, stir-fry the garlic, onion, and carrots in the olive oil about 5 minutes until carrots begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, pepper, mushrooms, and pineapple and stir-fry another 2-3 minutes.

Add the veg broth mixture to the veggies and cook until mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Add tofu and allow to cook at least 5 minutes more. Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili in the Crock Pot

I took this picture when it had only been cooking a few hours. All the liquid was absorbed and the end result is a very thick, hearty, and tasty chili. The lentils kind of break a part and resemble the "meat" of the dish. My kids loved it, and even my finicky pregnant taste buds enjoyed it!

(Again, this is from www.weelicious.com).

Serves 16- I'm not sure what size crock pot this girl has, but we halved the recipe and it filled up my pot- it makes a LOT!

Ingredients:

2 Cans Organic Chopped Tomatoes

2 32 oz Boxes Vegetable Broth

6 Cups Mixed Beans (Lentils, Yellow Split Peas, White Beans) (If using large beans, soak the night before)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, minced

5 Cloves Garlic, minced

6 Celery Stalks, chopped

6 Carrots, chopped

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Cumin

2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Sweet Paprika

1 Large Bunch Dinosaur Kale, chopped

1. Turn slow cooker (crock pot) on high. Set it for 12 hours. Pour all liquid into the pot.

2. Heat olive oil over medium flame and saute onions for 5 minutes. Lower heat if they start to brown. Add garlic and continue to saute another 2 minutes. Pour the onion mixture into the crock pot with the remaining ingredients. Stir.

3. Cook in the pot for 12 hours.

*For baby food: Cool, puree, and serve or freeze in baby cubes.

**Freezing Instructions: Allow to cool, place in appropriate container or Ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and heat through under low-medium heat.

Veggie Burgers

These also came from www.weelicious.com. They turned out SO good, but I have to say they took quite a long time to cook. I doubled the batch and it took me over an hour to fry them all up. However, it made 25 of them- 20 of them which I put in the freezer for future meals- so when you look at it that way, an hour isn't that long.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Bulgar Wheat
1 Cup Water
1 15 Oz Can Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Cheese, grated (we used goat cheese- this can be optional)
1/2 Cup Carrot, grated
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Oil

Accompaniments: Bread, Lettuce, Tomato, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles

1. Place the Bulgar wheat and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 13 minutes.
2. After the Bulgar has cooked, place in a bowl and let cool.
3. Place 1 can of rinsed and drained pinto beans in a food processor and puree.
4. Add the pureed beans, cheese, carrot, salt, garlic and onion powder to cooked Bulgar and mix thoroughly.
5. Form into patties.
6. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the burgers for 3 minutes on each side.
7. Serve with accompaniments.

* Patties can be frozen on a baking sheet for one hour and placed in a large zipper bag or individually wrapped and frozen. Defrost, then cook.

Turkey Pesto Meatballs

**We used organic, ground turkey from New Frontiers. You could easily make this vegetarian or vegan using some faux-meat**

Savanna actually made these. She made homemade pesto too- we've yet to find any pre-made pesto that didn't have some sort of cheese in it. Her homemade pesto is awesome! I'll list both recipes below (The meatball recipe itself comes from a great whole foods site www.weelicious.com)

PESTO:

Ingredients:

2 cups packed fresh basil

3-4 tbs of walnuts

Sea salt to taste

2-3 cloves of garlic

Olive oil (enough to coat the other ingredients- you can add more as you process the ingredients depending on how chunky or smooth you like your pesto)

Blend well in a food processor.

MEATBALLS:

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey or vegan meat substitute
1/4 cup pesto (we added a bit more- made them a little greasy and they crisped up nicely in the oven)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp of sea salt

plus

2 cups of Marinara Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place all the ingredients (except for the marinara sauce) in a bowl and using your hands, combine until everything is incorporated.
3. Using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture per meatball, roll into balls and place on a plate.
4. Pour the marinara sauce into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and top with the meatballs.
5. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Serve.

*Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet and freeze. After 30 minutes place the par-frozen balls in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or put them straight in the oven with sauce increasing cooking time by 5 minutes.

Avocado Chutney

This is a great summer recipe. It's fresh and filling, and super healthy.

(This recipe is from Alissa's Cohen's "Living on Live Food"- slightly modified by me)

Ingredients:

• 2 large avocados, diced
• 3 ears of sweet corn (corn cut off the cob- don't use frozen or canned)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teas of cumin
• 1-2 teas of oregano
• sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, chill, and serve over lettuce or with crackers or just eat it by itself! This amount fed my family of five and we had 3-4 servings left the next day. It saved surprisingly well overnight in the fridge, but I wouldn't recommend waiting too long to eat the leftovers...you probably won't have much any way!

Quick Lunches that Will Impress

This is one of my boys' favorite quick meals (and mine too- I've been on a hummus kick lately). Simply slice cucumber into thick rounds (or you can use zucchini, squash, etc.), top with a generous scoop of hummus and an olive. It was the day before our weekly shopping, so I just threw some leftover grated carrots in the middle for decor, but they ate them up too!

More from our snacking table, but this turned into more of a snacking lunch. Bradley cut up the cucumbers and added the hummus to our jicama, snap peas, and melon ensemble. It was very quick, very filling, and very tasty!

Grandma's Pasta Gravy!

I have slowly been adding more meat and dairy into our diets. I am not a big meat eater- never have been. I just don't care for it, so I tend to not cook a lot of it. My kids don't do well with dairy from cows either, and Brad has his whole allergy issues. Plus, I have done too much reading about what happens to our food before it hits our tables, especially in the animal products realm, that it has been a slow adjustment for me to bring these into the home. So needless to say, our menus have been strictly limited. However, I have started to transition from the extremist view of complete abstinence from certain foods to one of an informed consumer. I have found some great local farms that sell organic, free-range, grass-fed meats that I feel good about supporting. I also buy my kids goat products which tend to be healthier not only because they are easier to digest, but because they don't contain the hormones, antibiotics, etc. that a lot of dairy products from cows contain. So, we still eat mostly a plant-based diet, but have our animal products in moderation throughout the week. The meat or dairy tend to be the side dish of most meals we make...we follow Dr. T. Colin Campbell's rule from his great nutritional study, "The China Study," which says that 90% of our diet should come from plants, 10% from animals. Anyway, the kids are doing great with the changes, and we've made some very yummy recipes lately! It feels liberating. :)

Here is my grandma's recipe for pasta gravy. You can make this without the meat or with some kind of meat substitute, but we made it with the organic ground beef from New Frontiers health food store.

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef

2-4 chopped garlic cloves

1 large red onion

2 large cans of tomato puree

1 large can of Italian seasoned chopped tomatoes

2 small cans of tomato sauce

Seasonings to taste: LOTS of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasonings, oregano, and parsley

Directions:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in a small pan.

Cook meat or meat substitute, if using, and drain.

Combine the onions and garlic with the meat and all the rest of the ingredients.

Cook over low heat for several hours or put in a slow cooker for the day.

Pour over noodles, grilled or fried eggplant, use in lasagna, etc.

We poured it over fried eggplant and served it with garlic bread and salad- so good!

This recipe made enough for 2 meals (for the whole family), and we had three jars on top of that left over! We store our pasta sauce in mason jars in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Counting Soup

We also got this recipe out of "Salad People" by Mollie Katzen. We modified it a bit, but here are the ingredients we used:

• 2 cups of peas (we used frozen and rinsed them under water until they thawed)
• 2 cups of corn (same thing as above- you can use fresh peas or corn and lightly steam them as well)
• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 1/3 pound green beans, steamed and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups of cooked noodles (whatever kind you like- we used the pasta shells)
• 2 cups of vegetable broth, heated (you can make your own or use the "box" kind)
  
  Put the peas, corn, carrots, green beans and cooked noodles in separate bowls on the counter with individual spoons in them where your child can reach. Here is where the counting comes in:
  
  Hand him ONE bowl. Allow him to scoop TWO spoonfuls of shredded carrot into his bowl, THREE spoonfuls of peas, FOUR spoonfuls of corn, FIVE green bean pieces, 6 spoonfuls of noodles, you pour the heated broth in the bowl and have him blow SEVEN times, and lastly, he stirs all the ingredients EIGHT times and eats! Very cute, very fun, and very nutritious!

My Weekly Menu

It occurred to me that it would fun to occasionally post my weekly menu plan- just to give you an insight as to what we are eating. Today Savanna and I spent about 3 hours in the kitchen preparing foods for the week. I will try to post the recipes in the next few days, but in the meantime here is what we made today, and what we will be serving the rest of the week! (We learned many of these from our recent trip to the Raw Spirit Festival in Santa Barbara.)

Today we made Banana Quinoa Muffins, "Ranch" Dressing (cashew/avocado based), Buckwheat Crispies cereal with Hazelnut milk, Pistachio-Lime Hummus, Cashew Mock Chicken Salad, and Sun dried Tomatoes!

Banana Quinoa Muffins

Cashew "Mock Chicken" Salad

Cashew "Ranch"

Buckwheat Crispies with Hazelnut Milk

Marinated tomatoes (they will go into the dehydrator tomorrow and voila! Sun dried Tomatoes- Mmmm!)

As for the rest of the week, besides the above, we will make:

Monday: Nori Rolls filled with avocado, cucumber, cauliflower rice, and sprouts with Tamari dipping sauce

Tuesday: Spring Rolls filled with shredded carrot, jicama, sprouts, and sun dried tomatoes with a Chinese dipping sauce

Wednesday: Whole Wheat Blueberry pancakes and fruit salad

Thursday: Veggie burgers wrapped in lettuce leaves

Friday: Veggie sandwiches and salad

In addition to this we've been making some killer Green Smoothies lately. James and I started a 30 day green smoothie challenge 4 days ago. We are each going to drink a quart (32 oz) of green smoothie daily for one month- good stuff!

Breakfast Burritos

These are so good and replace any craving I ever have for scrambled egg burritos!

Ingredients (Makes about 6 burritos):

• 1 package of firm organic tofu (the "eggs")


• 1 diced bell pepper


• 1/2-1 diced small red onion


• 2-3 diced Roma tomatoes


• 1/2 can of mild green chilies


• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced


• Margarine or olive oil to coat the pan


• 6-7 pieces of Smart Bacon, fried in oil or margarine until crispy, and then crumbled into small pieces


• Spices to taste- I used a bit more garlic, sea salt, ground pepper, and a pinch of Turmeric to color the tofu yellow like eggs

*(And anything else you like in your breakfast burritos- diced mushrooms, hot sauce, the sky is the limit!)

I fry up the Smart Bacon first, crumble it, and put it to the side. The trick to making this fake bacon taste JUST like the real deal, is to fry it in oil or margarine. It will get crispy and greasy like real bacon. We figured this out by accident one time!

I learned another little trick when using tofu as an egg substitute. You don't want your eggs liquidy, so take the block of tofu out of the package and place on a plate. Put another plate on top and place a heavy item, like a large book, on top of the top plate. Leave it for about 10 minutes and it will squeeze out most of the liquid in the tofu. Drain the liquid in the bottom plate and you are good to go!

I like to put the oil or margarine in the pan and saute the onions, garlic, and bell pepper first for a few minutes. I learned something new about bell peppers. Green bell peppers are actually just unripe bell peppers and are really not good for people to eat. Since they aren't fully ripe, they are very hard to digest and do not contain the full nutrient content of the ripe yellow, red, and orange peppers! So, I used green because that's all I had on hand, but in the future, I will use yellow, red, or orange.

Next, crumble the tofu into the pan, and add the rest of the ingredients, stirring frequently. Turmeric is the key to making the tofu turn that egg-yellow color. Cook until heated through and veggies are as soft as you like them. Pour into a tortilla and top with avocado, fresh salsa, hot sauce, whatever. SO good!

*Let me just add that some of my recipes with processed "fake" soy meats or cheese, I consider to be more in the "splurging" or "occassional eating" category. We definitely don't use these products on a daily or even weekly basis. I believe that they are healthier than dairy or real meat, however, whenever a whole food is altered to look and taste like something else, be wary not to make it a staple!