Tiffanie: this week's menu

The bread baking continues... I love the whole wheat variation of no-knead bread and keep making it. I've converted the six-year old... she now devours slices with margarine. Yay!

It's a short week, with family coming to stay for the holidays, which usually means eating out way more often.

My plans include:

• tofu broccoli stir fry, rice, roasted seaweed
• sweet potato hash with chard
• creole hoppin' jean with chips and pepper sauce and guac
• lentil soup, with bread

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Way late this week, but this is what we ate:

• Walnut spice sticky cake!
• black bean pumpkin posole stew, from Vegan Eats World, with lots of toppings
• lentil sloppy joes
• mapo tofu stew, rice, roasted seaweed, fennel orange salad
• tempeh meatballs and spaghetti

Tiffanie: this week's menu

The bread baking continues... last week I made 2 loaves of honey-oat bread, and 2 loaves of potato-oat bread. Still finishing off the last loaf. I need to try out some whole wheat recipes soon, perhaps pull the starter out of the fridge and make sourdough...

The plans this week include:

• spicy lentil soup with beets and delicata squash. I have all the stuff, save coconut milk, and it looks yummy! Bread and fennel orange salad, too.
• pasta night: spaghetti with sun dried tomatoes and garlic and pine nuts. Green/beet salad.
• tofu potato mushroom stew with miso gravy, cabbage salad, bread, maybe rice under...
• millet spinach polenta with sun dried tomato pesto, roasted sweet potato fries.
• English jacket potatoes with chili

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Rainy and cold weather! Warm food it is... plus, I've decided to start baking our everyday bread this winter. Sort of a meditation practice and a commitment to good eating and a way to share baking with the kids. I'll start with old friends like honey-oat loaves, and experiment with sourdough starter until I am happy with the results. Baking once per week to start, with one extra for experimentation or when I really need a loaf of no-knead bread around...

This week's plans include:

• cabbage snow pea tomato stir fry, rice, roasted seaweed, baked tofu.
• mushroom barley soup with bread
• brown curry with veggies and tofu, rice, salad.
• eggplant and bread crumbs with fettucine

I also need to roast a bunch of pears still, make more muesli or granola, and start trying out spiced candied nuts or maybe a pineapple upside down cake?

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, holiday weeks, how we love you. Especially since I'm only making holiday desserts this week and ordering Chinese food for the turkey day. The kids love our rare take-out meals, so everyone is happy.

My plans this week include:

• veggie soup, consisting of random CSA veggies... probably onion, garlic, carrot, celery tops, fresh beans (tongue of fire), potatoes, tomatoes, maybe a bit of orzo... and baguette.
• a new recipe (from Isa Does It): Belgian Beer and Seitan stew. I'm going to make the seitan from scratch, and serve it over colcannon (cabbage and mashed potatoes). Kind of an intensive meal, but I always drool at the thought of a beer stew with onions and mushrooms and chunks of stale bread and apples. 
• roasted cauliflower soba noodle bowl with tahini-miso sauce. So tasty. The kids will have regular pasta and some of the roasted cauliflower.
• pizza night, a kid request. They also request a sushi night and a taco night. Throw in a pasta night and half my week is planned out...
• I still want to try out a chicky tuna salad recipe for sandwiches, esp since I have so much celery on hand.
• many desserts. I have lots of pears that aren't very good for eating so they should be poached. I have ripe bananas for quickbread. I have ripe persimmons. I have a wee bit of silken tofu for a last batch of vegan blondies. I have tree ripened apples for baking into pies and galettes...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Last week of regular session (weekly) CSA deliveries! Now we switch to bi-weekly. Though I did sneak in an order for 10 lbs of tree ripened granny smith apples. They are excellent for desserts.

My plans this week include:

• tempeh shepherd's pie
• spaghetti and tempeh meatballs, with spicy tomato sauce
• broccoli cheddar soup (vegan)
• harira soup with chickpeas and eggplant
• chicky tuna salad (vegan, based on chickpeas and sunflower seeds) for sandwiches

I have too many lettuces in my fridge, so I may have to improvise some lunch salads, maybe nicoise-oriented...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

A bit lazy this week, so some easier meals.

The plans this week include:

• broccoli tofu stir fry, brown rice, roasted seaweed
• chana masala (chickpea tomato curry), rice, salad
• pizza night (homemade dough, individual pizzas)
• pasta night: linguine with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and pine nuts. Salad.
• shakshuka with eggs and feta (for my solo dinner night)
• creole hoppin' jean, with guac and chips and hot pepper sauce.

I now have two spaghetti squash, one huge butternut, and one little delicata squash hanging out from my CSA boxes. The delicata will get roasted next time I do any roasting, with olive oil and maple syrup, but the others need a better focus...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Brr... it is finally autumn here. Mixing in more warming foods, plus the family favorites.

This week's menu includes:

• stewed cranberry beans with chard -- gotta use up CSA veggies. Probably not a dinner, more of a lunch for me.
• Pasta night: pasta with chickpeas (Pasta e Ceci). It is a tomato/chickpea/rosemary/garlic sort of sauce, with small pasta. Fennel/orange salad (fail last week, forgot to get the oranges)
• Pizza night: homemade crust, toppings of individual choice. Salad.
• leek potato soup, bread (time to start making no-knead bread!)
• red cabbage-sausage-apple-potato stew with red wine. More bread, and salad.
• lal dal, jasmine rice, asian cabbage slaw.

Last week's eggplant parm fettucine was very good, it's a keeper.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I aim to eat all the winter squash my CSA throws at me, which means not letting a week go by without eating some. Otherwise I end up with too many and then avoid them... The green kabocha squash were very good this week, with a chickpea rice pilaf. I tried a new method of cooking them; instead of halving them, I just washed them and poked them a few times, then baked in a pan of water (1/2 inch) at 400F until done. I was suspicious of what the seeds would do, but it was the easiest way to cook squash! I cut them in half and scooped out the soft innards, and used them as bowls for the pilaf on the first meal (I had two kabocha). The second meal, I peeled them (also very easy once cooked) and cut them into crescents next to the pilaf.

My plans this week include:

• potato leek soup, bread, salad
• taco night with chile-beer marinated tempeh, yellow rice
• lentils-rice-caramelized onions with spiced pita crisps, roasted delicata squash, edamame or green salad
• sloppy joes (lentil based), fennel-orange salad, roasted brussels sprouts
• eggplant and bread crumb fettuccine, salad

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I was out of town for a few weeks, making slow cooker meals on the beach and eating out a lot. But now it is really autumn and we all have to eat. 

My plans this week include:

• kabocha squash stuffed with brown rice and chickpea pilaf, roasted brussels sprouts. This recipe is from Clean Food; I've made it a few times and it is really satisfying and pretty easy to make. I have two small green kabocha to consume; they should be perfect for this.
• savory black bean soup, corn bread, guacamole. Trying out a recipe in Clean Food; it's a standard sort of black bean soup, with carrots and celery. I may add a few more ingredients, and it's going into the slow cooker, since I'm starting with dried beans.
• curried peanut sauce with tofu and kale, over brown rice. One of my favorites, even if I have to make a new batch of sauce (it makes enough for two dinners, so I freeze half for the next time).
• edamame salad. Dori posted this... it's edamame, black beans, corn, peppers, with your favorite dressing. Seems like a nice way to eat more beans. Going to try Vegan Lunch Box's Miracle Asian dressing on it, to see if I can get the kids to eat it.
• herbed white bean dip. A new recipe from Clean Food. It can also be a sandwich filling with greens and tomato. I'm imagining it hanging around as a snack or lunch item for a few days.
• sweet potato hash for my solo night.
• popcorn! 

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I borrowed a cookbook from the library and am trying out a few recipes. It's Vegan Eats World; the author co-wrote Veganomicon, one of my favorites.

Plans this week include:

• spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and tempeh meatballs. Green salad.
• pumpkin soup, bread (honey oat?), and white rice & black beans.
• veggie couscous. It will include green beans, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots.
• pumpkin black bean posole stew, cornbread, salad. Using a red kabocha here.
• an apple tart. The crust is based on olive oil, which sounds yummy to me.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Still burning through all my CSA veggies, so this week's menu is more fall-like. Despite the heat.

My plans include:

• golden curry with tofu and veggies (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes). Roasted seaweed, rice, corn on the cob.
• red wine braised red cabbage with apples and sausage. A nice easy one-pot meal. Green salad.
• lentil soup (uses up lots of celery!)
• white beans with escarole, some sort of marinated and fried tempeh, green salad.
• taco night
• snack plate night + leftovers
• if necessary, we can always do a spaghetti night.
• no-bake energy balls for snacking

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, the heat continues... I've got to get ahead of my CSA box somehow this week! I pickled all the beans last week, so that was new. I still haven't tasted them, but I'm hopeful they are edible. Canned pickled dilly beans, and romano beans with rosemary and lemon.

The plans this week include:

• cauliflower mushroom pot pie, fennel orange salad. Uses up the rest of the HUGE head of cauliflower that arrived last week, and one head of fennel.
• polenta with sauteed chard and toasted pumpkin seeds, spicy tortilla soup. Uses up a big bunch of chard, and the spicy tortilla soup was a big hit with the adults last week so I'm making it again.
• BBQ tempeh and peppers, green salad. Another winner from last week, and it uses up more peppers from the box. And lettuce and tomatoes!
• pasta night: more of the delicious spaghetti with garlic and pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes, salad. I am in love with this simple pasta dish. And I will use up more lettuce.
• baked potatoes and snack plate night. I want to try this recipe for English jacket potatoes. And the kids love snack plates. Probably will add broccoli to the mix somehow...
• baked oatmeal (forgot to do this last week).
• make more muesli. I love muesli these days. It is perfect for life with children: it gets better the longer it sits in milk on the table while I deal with child emergencies.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Still in summer mode, trying to get through the CSA box...

The plans include:

• white bean and tomato salad, potato frittata and nachos (depending on one's opinion of eggs)
• golden spanish rice, tortilla soup, tacos with fried mushrooms
• spaghetti with garlic, pine nuts, and sun dried tomatoes. Green salad.
• cozy hummus bowl (i.e. rice, lettuce, sprouts, hummus, etc.)
• BBQ tempeh and peppers in pita, for lunch
• possibly a breakfast dinner of pancakes, hash browns, etc.
• a steel cut baked oatmeal recipe, veganized.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Mostly tried-and-true recipes, plus one new stew. And lots of salad. I have too much lettuce, thank you CSA.

The plans are:

• lentil sloppy joes on brioche buns. Salad.
• Millet spinach polenta with sun dried tomato pesto. Roasted sweet potatoes, braised romano beans.
• tempeh meatballs and tomato sauce with spaghetti. Salad or roasted cauliflower.
• Dilly stew with rosemary dumplings. It is a vegan take on chicken stew with dumplings. Lots of carrots, celery, potatoes, and navy beans, plus steamed dumplings and dill. Salad on the side.
• dilly green beans; dill came in the CSA box and a friend gave me green beans, so I'd better try out dilly green beans. I hear so much about them...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I rediscovered the joys of homemade focaccia with caramelized onions on top, so it's all about the soup this week.

Plans include:

• golden curry to use up veggies and tofu
• white bean and escarole soup, with focaccia
• minestrone soup (to use up veggies), with focaccia
• curried peanut sauce bowl of tofu and rice and kale
• summer squash with baked eggs (for my solo night)
• going out for ramen at Orenchi!

I'm hosting some kids for lunch this week, so we'll make pizza together, too.

If I have enough zucchini, I'll make chocolate and zucchini bread. So decadent and delicious!

Tiffanie: this week's menu

The hot continues, but we persevere...

My plans include:

• creole hoppin' jean, with chips and guac, plus braised romano beans with chard and leeks and garlic.
• mushroom and cauliflower pot pie with olive biscuit crust. Salad?
• vegan ramen attempt #1. Trying out a grilled ramen recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen. It looks very edible.
• posole verde (vegan) with mushrooms. An old favorite, and spur of the moment, as I saw both tomatillos and the poblano peppers at the grocery store this week. I'll probably use the slow cooker, despite using canned hominy and beans; the flavor is just so good with the slow cooking.
• breakfast for dinner, as the kids love pancakes and I love home fries.
• snack plate! Such a big hit with the kids.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Last week was apparently too boring to write about? I made lentil-rice-caramelized onions with spiced pita crisps, broccoli tofu stir fry, bok choy and chickpea saute with cashews, and spaghetti with tempeh meat balls. Also a snack plate night, which included leftover fried spaghetti and a cold green bean salad.

But this week! I made plans!

• millet spinach polenta with sun dried tomato pesto. Roasted sweet potatoes.
• chili (the kind with zucchini and mole sauce) and cornbread. Smoothies?
• lal dal with basmati rice, greens.
• pasta night. Maybe the garlic-sun dried tomato-pine nut variety, I miss that one.
• sweet potato hash
• snack plate/leftover night

This might be the week I finally try out a vegan pineapple upside down cake. I suspect the sweetness will make it good for kids.

I still like the muesli I made, it's almost gone, so I'll try a cherry-hazelnut recipe next.

Discovered the boy loves dry roasted almonds, hooray! He was not a fan of raw almonds, and I'm coming around; the raw ones make my mouth a little itchy. And we both love ones covered in dark chocolate and salt and sugar.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, it is hot and I am lazy. And trying to get the kids to eat what I eat at dinner. I did have good luck last night with brown curry (from the box) with tofu and veggies over jasmine rice. The girl actually ate the rice and the tofu!

I'm fascinated with snack plates after seeing this post. So Fridays will be snack plate day all summer. The kids are excited! I'm going to try some goat cheese; I think it should bypass my milk issues.

I am also going to try muesli after reading this. And I will probably try to make almond milk.

My plans this week include:

• another curried peanut sauce tofu bowl, for tonight, cause I have leftover sauce on hand and some chard to use up.
• nacho night
• pasta night -- homemade tomato sauce, maybe some greens and olives and capers. Salad.
• roasted cauliflower soba bowl. The kids like this one a bit, cause of the soba and cauliflower. I think this carrot salad.
• sweet potato hash night with eggs
• snack plate night: various crackers, hummus, dried fruits and nuts, pickles, olives, goat cheese, honey, chocolate, jams, etc.
• lentils, rice, and caramelized onions with spiced pita crisps. Surprisingly good for summer (except for the long oven time) since you can eat it lukewarm.

Tiffanie: recap of last three week's meals

I've been sick for about two weeks, and I guess I missed a week before that... so here's what I wrote down on scraps of paper about my meal plans!

The plans were:

• pineapple tofu fried rice
• taco night
• pasta night of sun dried tomato pine nut garlic deliciousness
• homemade pizza
• curried peanut sauce tofu kale bowl

Then:

• pasta with tempeh meatballs and sauce
• burrito night with tortilla soup
• lentils with spinach and Field Roast sausages, slaw salad
• chana masala
• I'm pretty sure we ordered in pizza this week

Then:

• snobby joes (lentil based), salad
• spaghetti with sun dried tomatoes/garlic/pine nuts, salad
• homemade pizza
• curried peanut tofu bowl
• lots of zucchini-banana muffins
• tabbouleh and hummus for me (no one else likes parsley)

bernadette: what we ate

I haven't posted in forever because I haven't been meal planning very well. We've had more pasta than I care to admit so I'm trying to get on track.

• teriyaki chicken with steamed rice and roasted cauliflower
• longinisa (a type of Filipino sausage), gyoza, steamed rice, roasted caulifower, and edamame
• shrimp tacos with mango cole slaw and roasted corn on the cob, mango for dessert
• chicken cilantro burgers and sweet potato fries
• chicken tinola (chicken and ginger soup with papaya) with steamed rice
• slow cooker black bean and beef chili 

Tomorrow is a leftover night. Friday is a picnic dinner. And I'll hopefully have the next few meals planned by Saturday. 

Also, I made a huge batch of iced coffee. It was easy. I'm addicted. Bye, bye Starbucks.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

It's hot! And the husband is sick, so I'm making him some garlic tomato soup to kill all the germs.

My plans include:

• cajun hoppin' jean, cause it's yummy and easy and we both love it. We eat it with chips and guac and hot sauce and roasted sweet potatoes and maybe something green.
• curried peanut sauce tofu and kale bowl. Cause we're vegan. And it is really really good. Also I have a bunch of kale to use up.
• tempeh meatballs and spaghetti. New recipe, I usually make beanballs, but this sounds interesting. It includes pasta, so the kids are happy.
• mushroom potato tofu stew with miso gravy. An old favorite from Isa, so very good as leftovers. Brussels sprouts on the side.
• no-bake energy balls (peanut butter, oats, honey, coconut, chia, etc)
• quick pickled beets for salads
• vegan blondies cause I need more temptation
• fermented mustard, if I can find some seeds... maybe a trip to Penzeys is in order
• smoothies all over the place, and popcorn. The kids like both, and popcorn is a whole grain. :-)

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I didn't get around to writing this up, but this was the plan, and it was all tasty. :-)

• spaghetti with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and pine nuts. A delicious and easy dish! Toasted pine nuts; about a head of garlic, pressed and toasted in 3 Tbsp olive oil; 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped; some pepper and salt and parsley, all tossed and gobbled up. Well, not by the kids, they don't love such intense flavors yet.
• snobby joes: lentil based sloppy joes. Love this recipe from Veganomicon. Fennel and orange salad.
• broccoli tofu stir fry, rice, roasted seaweed. One kid ate the broccoli, the other one ate the tofu... I ate it all.
• curried split pea soup, spiced indian basmati rice, fennel and orange salad. The salad is a repeat whenever I have fennel on hand, as it is my favorite way to eat fennel. And the CSA keeps giving it to me... The rice is a new recipe, and it was quite good. Lots of spices in it, plus onions and raisins and grated carrot. It starts with sautéing chopped almonds in oil, so those are especially delicious.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

It's heating up again! I'm focusing on kid-friendly meals this week, hoping to start a slippery slope of the kids eating whatever I put on the table. One can hope!

My plans include:

• taco night, with mushrooms and tortilla soup
• pasta with arugula, smashed olives, and garlic. Salad and bread?
• pancakes, roasted herbed potatoes, veg bacon, baking soda biscuits, smoothies.
• saucy black beans, rice, chips, guac, roasted cauliflower and sweet potato, leftover tortilla soup
• sweet potato hash and eggs

I'm finishing off a flat of strawberries, and I wanted to make a strawberry coconut bread pudding, but the stale chunks of bread ingredient is hard to come by. I may have to try another week. I might try a vegan pineapple upside down cake instead...

I still haven't made those vegan muffin pan omelets, so perhaps that will be part of pancake night.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Going back to some old favorites, and trying to figure out lunches now that I'm cutting way back on dairy. And also eat LOTS of salad, as I've got about three heads to polish off before Weds.

My plans include:

• broccoli tofu stir fry, rice, roasted seaweed.
• harira soup with chickpeas and eggplant, olive oil bread, salad.
• pasta + sauce + beanballs + fresh basil, roasted cauliflower/zucchini/sweet potato, salad.
• hoppin' jean, chips, avocado.
• sweet potato hash + kale + eggs.
• perhaps a new cake? Vegan pineapple upside down cake...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, it is going to be hot this week! So I'm keeping the cooking times short.

My plans include:

• taco night
• mapo tofu, brown rice, roasted seaweed, green salad. Smoothies?
• pineapple tofu fried rice
• homemade sushi (avocado, cucumber, sweet potato), miso soup
• cold french lentil salad, a mess of roasted veggies (cauliflower, mushrooms, eggplant, onions) and roasted wild rice/brown rice, plus pine nuts.
• sweet potato hash, cause it never ever gets old.
• those vegan mini omelets I never made last week (was sick all week, so the meal plan went sideways)
• fennel orange salad -- TJs taught me this one. Chop up fennel, mix in a drained can of mandarin orange segments (chop them lightly), add some white balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. It is my favorite way to eat fennel now.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Feeling lazy this week, so I'm adding some "nights" to encourage the kids to build a meal they enjoy. Instead of demanding cheese quesadillas at every turn.

My plans include:

• nacho night. Trying out a new vegan quesa blanco recipe, and we'll do black beans and guac and lettuce and scallions and fried mushrooms.
• vegan sloppy joes.  It's a lentil base... maybe the kids will eat it? I dunno, but I'm craving some more messy tomatoey meals. Butter lettuce salad.
• peanut noodles, baked tofu, cabbage slaw... a reliable favorite.
• pasta night: I have a bunch of homemade tomato sauce left over from last week, so I want to make it into a puttanesca with lots of olives and capers. 
• sweet potato hash with eggs for my solo night, since I never get tired of this with variations.
• chipotle sausage hash -- still a backup meal. It's a potato and sausage hash, with a tahini miso gravy. Sounds good to me! Maybe with pancakes or waffles?
• mini omelets. A new recipe, vegan, using tofu and chickpea flour as the base. Seems like a fun way to build wraps or sandwiches for lunch.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

This menu starts earlier than most, on Saturday, due to when I grocery shopped this weekend.

Plans include:

• bok choy and chickpea saute with toasted cashews, over jasmine rice. Roasted seaweed, baked tofu, and sliced cucumbers.
• potato leek soup with no-knead bread.
• pasta with lots of greens (chard and beet greens) and Field Roast sausages
• peanut curry tofu bowl with kale. Cause I love this dish so much...
• cajun hoppin' jean with avocados and chips.
• possibly some sushi?

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, the CSA box is trying to overwhelm me! I have a head-sized celeriac to use up somehow... and I still have to buy more kale this week (I eat a lot of kale?).

Anyways, some easy meals this week:

• a leftovers and salad night tonight... I'm thinking butter lettuce, baked potato chunks, garlic fried oyster mushrooms, hard boiled egg, some maple-mustard tempeh chunks, half an artichoke, lots of mustardy-olive oil dressing, beet sauerkraut, olives... I made millet-spinach polenta last night, so I'll split the last square, fried, with sun dried tomato pesto on it. The kids will eat any of the above they like, plus pasta and veggie hot dogs. :-)
• spaghetti and beanballs with spicy slurpy tomato sauce. Love this meal! Also more green salad. So much lettuce to eat this week...
• roasty soba bowl with cauliflower and lentils and tahini. I love big bowls of tastiness. The roasted cauliflower and soba will be loved by the children, the rest will be avoided.
• maple tempeh bowl; found the recipe on the Kitchn. Sounds good!
• Cheddarly Broccoli Soup (a new Isa recipe). Not usually my thing, but I have hopes the kids might enjoy it. And I'll bake a no-knead bread boule, which everyone will devour.
• Chipotle Sausage Hash (Isa again). This is a back-up recipe. It's fast and sounds tasty to me at least... I can always add pancakes and call it breakfast-for-dinner.
• Shakshuka with poached eggs (for my solo night. Also known as the I-stuff-my-face-with-deliciousness night.). This is a spicy tomato sauce with lots of spices. Great with bread to soak up the juices.
• If I have extra tomato sauce from the pasta night, I'll make a quick puttanesca for myself for lunch. Maybe I can fry the whole mess? I seem to remember fried spaghetti being delicious when I was a kid.
• Spicy Lentil Wraps for lunch. Seems tasty and healthy.
• I have plans for peach-raspberry crumble for a dessert, too. I should get some coconut ice cream to go with it...

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, it's a busy week ahead! Two long day-trips to plan picnics for, plus the usual dinners. The kids are bottom-less pits, thanks to the growing and the pool time.

My plans for this week include:

• sweet potato hash with eggs, and possible tacos. Pulling this into Sunday for the whole family, as I've got a bunch of beet greens to use up in the hash, plus it is delicious. I'll probably eat it again on Thursday, unless I dig up the recipe for the spicy tomato sauce with baked eggs... mmm.
• Down-Home Curry with Broccoli and Tofu. Trying out a new Isa recipe. We love curry and veggies, so it should go down well.
• Lentil-a-roni. Another Isa recipe. Maybe the kids will like it? It'll be good leftovers regardless. We took the kids to an Italian restaurant for the first time (not sure how we managed to wait this long) and they loved the kid pasta with cheese. So much that they ate two orders apiece. And now the five year old has renamed the restaurant "The Famous Pasta Restaurant" because "it's the best". We'll be going back! Oh, the real name is Mio Vicino, and it is very good.
• Bok Choy with Chickpeas and Cashews... hoping to throw this together after the longer day trip. I'm guessing the kids will eat pasta instead... so far they just eat roasted nori and rice on this meal.
• mustard maple tempeh, for lunch sandwich wraps on picnics.
• tabbouleh salad, or at least a variant. I'm not buying tomatoes yet, but I think it'll be a couscous salad with cucumbers and parsley, at least. :-) Or maybe sprouted quinoa...
• peach raspberry crumble. It's healthier than a cake, right? Maybe.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Missed a couple of weeks there... kept forgetting to come and type this all in!

So, this week's plan includes:

• chili and cornbread and guacamole and green salad.
• Chinese takeout (grandparents are visiting)
• curried peanut sauce with tofu and kale and rice
• pasta with rapini and sausages and artichokes
• sweet potato hash

The CSA box comes on Wednesday, so I'll improvise off of that for Friday.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

The Spring CSA season has started up, so I'm back to weekly veggie boxes and the challenges in keeping up with them. I definitely became lazy over the winter, with only biweekly deliveries.

My plans this week include:

• Red Wine Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Sausage... a nice recipe find from my CSA newsletter. The box had a gorgeous medium red cabbage, so it'll go in here. I put in practically every variation to make it a very hearty meal.
• millet and spinach polenta with sun dried tomato pesto and roasted sweet potatoes. This recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance. I love it; it is packed with flavor and is a great way to use up ugly spinach (got a big bunch from the box). The kids are on the fence about this one... they like the crispy polenta edges, don't like the pesto, and always love the sweet potatoes.
• Rice and lentils and caramelized onions with spiced pita crisps. This one comes from Veganomicon. It's a delicious unattractive dish. Since it'll be cooler and rainy this week, it'll be perfect. I have green cabbage from the box, so I'll make a cabbage slaw, or maybe a fennel and orange salad (I finally learned that if you chop up the fennel pretty finely, it tastes way better in salad).
• the usual sweet potato hash with eggs night.
• I'm making curried couscous salad today (Barefoot Contessa recipe) for a potluck, so I should have leftovers to enjoy this week, too.
• the boy would like to learn how to make madeleine cookies, so I bought some butter and we'll try out a couple of recipes. Should be tasty fun.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Plans this week include:

• mapo tofu, rice, roasted seaweed, scallion pancakes. I meant to make cabbage salad, but I forgot.
• cajun hoppin' jean (rice-tomato-rice-spices dish), corn chips, pepper sauce, guac.
• harira soup with chickpeas and angelhair pasta, no-knead bread.
• sweet potato veggie hash with eggs for no-daddy night.
• pizza night.

The spring season of the CSA is starting up this week, so we'll see what I get for later meals in the week. I still have many turnips, so I may make a curry stew with them.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Going for easy last minute meals, especially now that the weather is so warm.

This week's plans include:

• curried peanut sauce bowl (knocked over from last week). So yummy. Lots of rice, tofu, and kale.
• broccoli tofu stir fry. A big hit with the kids, they eat it all.
• pasta night: spicy slurpy sauce (an Isa recipe), beanballs, greens, some Field Roast sausage for the kids since they don't like beanballs, steamed artichokes.
• pizza night. Did this last week with homemade dough and lots of olives. Was easy and fun for everyone. Lots of leftovers to use up for this, plus I need to make some tofu ricotta.
• sweet potato hash and eggs (for the night without the strict vegan)
• taco night with mushrooms.
• sushi night -- mostly an excuse to eat lots of seaweed, rice, and avocados. So much cheaper than taking my rapacious children to a restaurant.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Early this week! Mostly because I'm going shopping today instead of tomorrow. Do you shop more than once a week? I used to, when the kids were in school, but now that we're all together all the time, I prefer to go alone on the weekend.

My plans this week include:

• taco night, with mushrooms and chard
• spaghetti and beanballs, raw kale salad
• massur dal and carrot soup, bread, white bean and escarole (kind of a side-stew). I just love escarole and white beans together.
• pizza night
• vegan beef stew. This is a new recipe from Isa; it has vegan sausages in it, so the kids might like it. They're very fond of the Field Roast Italian sausages. It's full of red wine, potatoes, carrots, etc., so I'm excited. I miss a good beef stew.
• curried peanut sauce bowl. One of my favorite new recipes from Isa -- lots of brown rice, fried tofu cubes, steamed kale, and scrumptious curried peanut sauce over it all. I know it sounds very healthy and vegan, but the flavors!

This meal plan seems to be inspired by the winter storms we've had this week, but next week will be warm and sunny. I expect I'll welcome my allergies, since all the trees are turning green very quickly.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

A bit late getting to this, but it was planned!

Meals this week:

• a weekend pasta night
• cajun hoppin' jean, with guac and chips and beer-chili marinated baked tempeh
• potato tofu mushroom stew with miso gravy, over rice. Greens on the side.
• cauliflower mushroom pot pie with olive biscuit top.
• angel hair pasta with seared brussel spouts, olives, and walnuts (had this last night, very tasty). From Isa's new cookbook.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Last week went mostly as planned, except for the fava bean dish being pushed to today (Sunday). I'm slow cooking the fava beans now, and marinating the tempeh in soy sauce, olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and an excessive amount of fresh thyme. It smells amazing.

Plans for this week include:

• the above lemon-thyme fava beans with mushrooms, plus garlicky thyme tempeh. And maybe mustard greens or wild rice.
• creamy potato leek soup. Venturing away from Julia Child's awesome recipe to try Isa's. It has cashews in it! Also making no-knead bread, I miss it.
• hearty beany chili (also from Isa). It looks solid, has lentils to make it extra hearty. Also cornbread muffins.
• taco night, with mushrooms and whatever else is on hand.
• chickpea cutlets with mustard caper gravy, mashed potatoes, greens or broccoli.

I have ever so many turnips from my CSA box to use... the winter session is over after next week, then a month off before the spring session starts, so I'll have time to use them. I'm thinking of trying some stews/curries.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

More Isa recipes! I tried the curried peanut sauce bowl with tofu, and it was soooo good. Brown rice, with steamed greens (kale or chard are good) and fried cubed tofu, drizzled all over with a curried peanut sauce that is amazing. The kids did not like it, but I am making it again this week for me.

My plans this week include:

• taco night
• split pea soup with bread
• spaghetti and beanballs, green salad
• lemon-garlic fava beans and mushrooms. Also garlicky thyme tempeh. I ended up buying dried fava beans (seemed cheaper than buying canned) so I'm going to use the slow cooker to make a double batch and freeze the rest.
• curried peanut sauce bowl, this time with kale (used chard last time).

Tiffanie: this week's menu

Oh, it feels cold this week! California-cold, you know. :-)

My plans this week include:

• breakfast-for-dinner of pancakes, hash browns, eggs
• cajun hoppin' jean with chips and guac and salad
• soup, probably minestrone, and bread. Tempted to have split pea...
• taco night
• olive-lentil burgers, roasted sweet potato fries, greens
• maybe a turnip/potato/carrot curry stew? Sounds good to me right now.

Going out tonight for some birthday dinner with the family, yay! And I have two chocolate cake rounds in the oven right now for a big cake later.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

The Isa Does It journey continues!

My plans this week include:

• eggplant and bread crumb fettuccine, green salad. 
• spinach and black bean burrito bowl, corn chips
• white beans in sherry-bread crumb gravy, sauteed greens, mashed potatoes
• lentils and rice with caramelized onions with spiced pita crisps
• sweet potato hash with veggies

I've been exploring the sweets section in the cookbook. The chai snickerdoodles are a huge hit, and I was happy to see the chocolate chunk cherry mini loaves in there. They are fantastic reheated, sort of a molten chocolate cake. The maple bran blueberry muffin is good, but I need to use a different maple flavoring, mine was too strong. Today I tried the giant oatmeal raisin cookies; they are the chewy sweet variety. Nice with tea!

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I'm still trying out my new Isa cookbook!

This week's plans include;

• taco night
• sushi night (just avocado/fried sweet potatoes, plus some miso soup)
• Harira soup, plus olive oil bread and salad. The soup is Moroccan, I think, and has eggplant and tomatoes and chickpeas and angel hair pasta... it seems very hearty and tasty.
• Mapo tofu, brown rice, cabbage slaw, onion pancakes (possibly home made)
• pesto cauliflower linguine with breaded tofu, salad
• mustard tempeh wraps (more of a lunch thing)

Lots of tofu this week, guess I'm just in the mood for it. Or lazy...

Oh, and I found frozen cherries, so I'm going to make the delicious chocolate cherry mini loaves!

Deadra: Cooking for 5!

Okay it's still for 4, kinda, but now with the added help of a really small person!
It's really a good thing that I like to cook, or it would be really daunting to get back in the kitchen after having had a baby!
So far I've found that it's best to make things that can simmer and have no particular end point time wise, something that doesn't need to be babysat, or have finicky timings.  I've found this includes:
stew, soup, chili, long simmering sauces and bread.  Yeah I've made bread!  I tried my hand at no knead bread and it's so forgiving!  And it's delicious!
I've also made a bunch of miso soups, kimchi soup and mac and cheese.  These aren't long simmering, but they're quick and easy, which works well too.
I managed to make the bulk of Christmas dinner too, which just required  a little preplanning, and spatchcocking the bird, which allowed it to cook super fast.  I had some help with baby holding, so that make cooking easy.  We had our standard Christmas dinner of a bird, a lot of stuffing, gravy, yorkshires and cranberry sauce.  I also made apple pie and Christmas pudding with a creme anglais.  (We set the pudding on fire, intentionally, it was fun and delicious!  Also if you care, vodka will not ignite unless you heat it up first.)
Right after Christmas we had some house guests, so I made a few meals for 8, but that worked out because there were lots of baby holders, so I was able to indulge my inner Martha Stewart and cook it up.
On the weekends I indulge my inner Betty Crocker when Adam can hold a baby so I can bake it up.  I've kept us stocked in muffins, cakes and cookies.  It's been nice to indulge my kitchen goddess, even post baby.  The kitchen is my happy place and even though I might leave it a disaster (I have to baby-hold too!) it does soothe my soul and leave me feeling like I can do this parenting 3 small children thing.
Now to figure out laundry....  I propose throw it all out and start over.

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I've got a new cookbook, Isa Does It! So I'm trying out recipes this week.

My plans include:

• taco night, with some roasted butternut squash and kale and mushrooms.
• sushi night with yakisoba (with shiitake and broccoli)
• a soba bowl, with roasted cauliflower and sprouts and miso tahini sauce
• soup and bread... probably a simple vegetable soup with tiny pasta, possibly a cabbage potato soup. Or both. Olive oil bread recipe to try out...
• tofu wrap with edamame hummus and sprouts
• sweet potato hash with random veggies and eggs
• pasta + Field Roast sausages + tomato pasta sauce
• a bran blueberry muffin

The kids and I are discussing having three regular food nights each week: taco, sushi, and pizza. They like building their own food, and each food type is welcomed by the kids. The prep time is pretty minimal for me (mostly cooking rice and making pizza dough), and we can do different toppings/fillings as the seasons change. Seems like a good way to get them more involved with prepping dinner and eating more veggies.

Do any of you have regular scheduled themed dinners each week?

Tiffanie: this week's menu

I missed a few weeks of recording my weekly menu, but I'm still on task for actually doing the planning. It really removes a layer of stress from cooking daily.

This week I'm not entirely sure of the entire menu yet... I'm getting a new cookbook in the mail on Tuesday, so I want to reserve some time to try out new ideas.

I do know that we'll be having:

• bok choy and chickpea saute with cashews, rice, baked tofu, smoothies.
• pineapple fried rice with tofu

I have some excellent mushroom barley soup leftovers, a bit of chili leftovers, and a large cabbage that may become colcannon...