Tiffanie: this week's menu

My plans this week:

• burrito night, with mushrooms and sauteed chard, plus regular fixings
• roasted tomato basil soup. Thinking of trying some stuffed peppers, with a rice and hummus filling I read about. Also garlic bread. Green salad.
• mapo tofu, rice, onion pancakes, chinese cabbage salad.
• a fried potato, onion, and pepper mess. French toast (vegan) for the less discerning small people.
• biscuits and gravy (vegan style, with tempeh sausage crumbles). Fruit, or maybe a smoothie.

What are you making this week?

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I've been slacking due to illness, but here I am again!

Plans for this week:

• broccoli tofu stir fry, with rice and onion pancakes
• potato and kale enchiladas with pepitas
• kale and tofu scramble with chipotle jam sauce, probably over rice with roasted sweet potatoes
• spaghetti and beanballs, green and tomato salad

Last week I made a carrot ginger soup, which had oats and miso in it. Really tasty. I've been thinking of making a pureed soup during the winter to have on hand for snacks -- just microwave a mug of it! I always get so many winter squashes from my CSA, and the occasional carrot or potato soup would add variety.

I also made a new granola/muesli mix -- oats, millet (soaked first), pistachios, coconut flakes, raisins (or cranberries), maple syrup/honey, coconut oil, and salt. Everything but the dried fruit is mixed together (the sweetener and oil are heated first), then baked at 325 until golden. It's attractive (love those millet grains!), and potentially gluten free.

The enchiladas I'm making this week are a lot of work, but they do last at least two meals, and I miss eating them. They're vegan, but packed with flavor and texture. You make a spicy tomato sauce first, steam the kale, boil the potatoes and make a lime flavored chunky mashed potatoes. Then you assemble everything (the toasted pumpkin seeds are in there somewhere). Delicious!

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I've been sick, so last week was pretty boring. This week I'm trying to use what I have in the fridge and garden, and I'm mostly using the Clean Food cookbook.

My plans:

• a bean barley chard soup; our CSA box this week had a bag of fresh beans, either cranberry or Tongues of Fire. We have lots of chard in the backyard garden, so I'll pick enough leaves to add to the soup. Might add some zucchini, too. Roasted cauliflower on the side.
• a carrot ginger soup. I have some hope that the kids will like this. Either cornbread or grilled cheese pesto sandwiches on the side. Probably both, as soups tend to be for two meals.
• a walnut lentil loaf. Going full vegan here. It's a good recipe that I've made before, sort of like a meatloaf. Has lots of veggies and good things in it, and a tasty sauce on the top. This will last at least two meals. Roasted sweet potatoes would be good, also cabbage salad, tomato salad, green salad...

This takes me though Thursday night, which is all I'm planning for this week. Going camping on Friday! I may also make some baked tofu this week, perhaps with the carrot ginger soup. 

I need to figure out what to take on the camping trip for a vegan and three vegetarians that is easy and reheatable...

Tiffanie: healthy snacks reference

I'm a big fan of Culinate, and they have a useful article about healthy snacks for the whole family.

Do you do all of these already? Popcorn fell off my radar while the kids were little, but I could bring that back now. I've never done the sweet potato halves as a snack, so I'll have to try that. Cups of pureed soups are awesome, I'm glad it's easing into autumn and I can start making soups every week. I love making bread and soup for meals a couple times a week.

Lisa: Taste of Summer

Wow, summer flew by. Here's a glimpse of what we've been eating. I love all of the fresh, bright colors of summer fruits and vegetables. Salads and wraps became standard fare for a stretch, and I got to try some interesting desserts at picnics. Finally, we grew some of our own produce and indulged in some icy homemade treats.

Romaine salad with carrots, heirloom tomatoes, strawberries,
yellow bell pepper, slivered almonds, carrots and grapes.

Chicken lettuce wraps with salsa and yellow bell peppers,
sugar snap peas on the side

Ricotta and spinach ravioli with marinara,
steamed broccoli, roasted red and yellow beats with goat cheese
par-baked french bread baked just in time for dinner

Grilled salmon (sorry, I mangled it taking it off the serving plate),
Japanese rice with furikake (seaweed and sesame seasoning),
caprese of heirloom tomatoes, mini mozzarella, basil,
green beans goma ae (sesame-soy dressing),
and strawberries

Spinach and jack cheese crepe

I did not make these, but tried them at a picnic:
chocolate-peanut butter-rice crisp bars
with graham cracker crust

My cousin made these:
"Watermelon" Rice Krispies treats
with chocolate chip "seeds"
Made in a round pan and cut in wedges

Massive blackberry!

Watermelon growing in our yard. We later harvested several.
Tasty, but had a tough time figuring out
when they were ripe.

Cantaloupes growing in our yard

Blackberries and strawberries
picked at a local farm

Kale-berry-banana smoothie
popsicle in shape of ladybug