Weekly Menus

I've decided to start posting my weekly meal plans to hopefully inspire others to eat healthier as well. I am sure most people think, "What the HECK do vegans eat?", and I want to show them.  It isn't all salad and tofu!  And there is a lot of variety...although admittedly I will gravitate towards my favorites frequently (for ease of cooking, because I know the recipes by heart, because I like them and because they are usually pretty inexpensive). 

I can't imagine how people grocery shop without meal planning.  How do they know what to eat for dinner?  This is how I have always done it and can't imagine doing otherwise!

First, these are only dinners. Here is how I work other meals:

For breakfast every morning I have 1 cup of instant oats in the microwave with 2 cups of water.  I then add sliced up fruit, ground flaxseed, cinnamon and some non dairy milk. I do this because it is healthy, filling, cheap (I buy my oats in the bulk bins at Whole Foods), quick and ultimately really good for my milk supply.  My only beverage is water with the occasional herbal tea (although many are unsafe for nursing...I can NOT wait to have Breathe Deep tea again!). 

My snacks are fruit, air popped popcorn with nutritional yeast sprinkled on (a flaky cheese tasting product sold in the bulk bins at Whole Foods that is a great natural source of B12), veggies with hummus, dates dipped in almond butter, or Ezekial bread (freezer section of almost all groceries) toasted with avocado slices and then cholula drizzled on.

My lunches are just dinner leftovers!

OK, so here is this week's meal plan:

Saturday:  Hawaiian chickpea teriyaki over brown rice with a side of kale baked in different herbs/spices (Happy Herbivore cookbook)

Sunday:  Veggie Lo Mein (Forks over Knives cookbook) with baked marinated tofu (Appetite for Reduction cookbook)

Monday:  Copycat Whole Foods California Quinoa Salad

Tuesday:  Moroccan Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas with a side of whatever leafy greens are on sale (Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook)

Wednesday:  Pasta con Broccoli (Appetite for Reduction cookbook)

Thursday:  Brown rice, chickpeas, frozen spinach and vegan gravy mixed together (Thursdays I need quick and healthy because of swim class-I know this sounds so bland and gross but it is easy peasy and the gravy is awesome...I got it from a Happy Herbivore meal plan-it is one of my favorite quick meals).

Friday:  Black beans and rice with a side of whatever leafy greens are on sale (cuban style with both-Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

If you are on instagram, follow me @a16343 to see my pictures of our dinners!

Tip:  Did you know that you can buy brown rice super cheap in the bulk bins at whole foods, make a big batch one day and then portion it in containers and freeze it for quick use during the week?  This saves us SO much time and we already have rice ready to add to every meal!  No more waiting 45 minutes for rice to cook or using white rice to save time!