Yesterday I was the most productive I may have ever been. Got my weeklies cooked and 2 entrees! I think I love daylight savings time, at least in the fall when we get that ‘extra’ hour.

I’m obviously obsessed with orange veggies – especially pumpkin. Yum!

Muffin of the week: Fat Free Pumpkin Raisin Biscuits

Sweet of the week: Pumpkin Black Bottom Cupcakes

Lunch Soup of the week: Sweet Potato Chickpea Gumbo with Brown Rice

Monday: Vegetable Pot Pie

Tuesday: Slow cooker Polenta with marinara sauce

Wednesday: Wine-Braised Lentils with Garlic Sautéed Spinach

Thursday: Make up jewelry class – bring gumbo for dinner

Friday: Veggie burgers and Fries with broccoli slaw

Saturday: Veggie Chili with Cornbread

Sunday: Use leftovers in a soup or a pot pie

I love Halloween! It’s my favorite holiday. I always have a fancy Gothic dinner party – you can read more about this year’s here.  On the dinnerware blog there’s also tons about decorating and drink ideas for Halloween.

Muffin of the week: Pumpkin Muffins

Cookie of the week: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lunch Soup of the week: Cauliflower Tomato Soup made with leftovers from this recipe

Monday: Leftover veggie loaf coffins and spook-tacular potatoes from my Halloween dinner party

Tuesday: Wine-Braised Lentils with Garlic Sautéed Spinach

Wednesday: Dinner out with Faith and Christy

Thursday: Sweet Potato, Okra, and Chickpea Gumbo and cornbread

Friday: Jack-o-lantern quesidillas – filled with mashed potato mixed with Trader Joe’s edamame succotash and salsa

Saturday: Butternut Squash Sage Pasties, spinach salad with roasted beets

Sunday: Pizza with salad

We’ve been painting the kitchen cabinets and reorganizing everything in the kitchen.  So I’m going for quick and easy. Last week we ate out every night and my budget just can’t take it anymore!

Monday: Chicken-less Parmigiana with almond cheese over whole wheat angel hair pasta and sauteed zukes

Tuesday: Tofu with green beans and carrots in black bean sauce over steamed brown rice

Wednesday: Dinner out and Harry Potter!! (make fried rice for lunch though…)

Thursday: Taco salads with veggie chili, guacamole, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and almond cheese

Friday: Veggie burgers on the grill or quesadillas after Zumba class

Saturday: Pasta with mixed veggies in a white wine garlic sauce and Caesar salad

Sunday: Sloppy Lentils and steamed veggies -or- tacos with refried beans and guacamole

I survived my second 6am spinning class! Of course my behind is pretty sore and my quads (and legs) are still wiggly, but it’s worth it to meet my goals. I’m trying to take off a few pounds and get in shape. It can be a slow process, but I’m really working on keeping a positive attitude and eating fresh, healthy food really helps.

I got a csa style box of veggies from Tiny Farm  Saturday at the Durham Farmer’s Market and have tons of fresh heirloom tomatoes and green beans. I bought some cucumbers, lettuce, and tons of assorted berries to round out my week.

I made gazpacho and a chilled yellow beet soup as well for lunches. Salads topped with strawberries, blueberries, apples, nuts and herbs from the garden will be a welcome addition to lunches and dinners.  I may need to add in a cold bean or grain salad as well to round it my day out.

Monday: Tofu with green beans and carrots in black bean sauce over steamed brown rice

Tuesday: Taco salads with veggie chili, guacamole, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and almond cheese - topped with homemade pico de gallo

Wednesday: Fried brown rice with tons of veggies, portabella mushroom prepared pepper steak style

Thursday: Tunisian Sweet Potato Stew from fat free vegan made in the slow cooker served over whole wheat couscous

Friday: Veggie burgers on the grill with a side salad topped with fresh fruit and balsamic dressing

Saturday: Grilled polenta with veggies covered with a heirloom tomato pesto sauce with a Caesar salad and grilled corn on the cob

Sunday: Sloppy Lentils and steamed veggies -or- tacos with refried beans and guacamole

Nothing says summer has arrived like a chilled soup. When it’s so hot you’re sweating and the a/c is working as hard as it can, a chilled soup can make your whole day. Gazpacho is like a cool, liquid salad. It goes down easy, you don’t have to heat up the house to make it, and it cools you from the inside out. That’s my kind of hot weather dinner!

Watermelon Gazpacho

• 3 cups watermelon chucks, seeded with rind removed
• 2 cups heirloom tomato chunks
• ½ cucumber (peeled if it is not organic or is waxed)
• 1 small bell pepper (green is fine, but purple and yellow add a nice color)
• 1 small hot pepper of your choice, seeded with the ribs removed, and chopped
• 1 lime or lemon, juiced
• ½ – 1 cup filtered water
• 2 – 3 Tbs. olive oil (use less if you are cutting down on fat or calories)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbs. fresh basil (lemon or lime basil works great if you have some growing in your garden)
• Big handful of fresh mint leaves only – no stems (orange or lime mint is perfect)
• 2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Pepper to taste

If you hate hot foods you can leave this out completely or choose a mild variety like a banana pepper. If you like it hot I recommend the heirloom variety Bulgarian carrot pepper. Really any hot or mild pepper you like or just have lying around would work fine, but it needs to be fresh. Don’t forget to use gloves if it is an extremely hot variety so you don’t transfer the oil to your skin. It’s no fun to rub it in your eye!

Mince the cucumber, green pepper, basil, mint, and cilantro and set aside. Puree everything else in a blender or food processor until relatively smooth. Add in the minced veggies and herbs. Stir with a spoon to mix everything together.

(To make a smooth soup place everything but the cilantro in a blender or food processor, and puree the heck out of it. You will still have specks of tomato, cucumber, and green pepper skins to add a little texture and color. You can keep blending it until it is a smooth as you want it.)

Before serving take a final taste and decide if you need to adjust the salt and pepper, or add any more herbs or lime juice. Once it’s the way you like it, put it in the fridge to chill for an hour or so.

Garnish with the chopped cilantro, and a few sprigs of fresh mint. It will be a beautiful refreshing treat!

Since I’m actually going to the gym I need to plan quick and easy food for Tuesday and Thursday.  I ate at home more last week, but hope to up it even more this week.

Breakfasts will be vanilla yogurt covered with berries and even more fruit (maybe a whole wheat English muffin as well). Lunches will be wraps with hummus or veggie blt filling. I’m also planning on grabbing a few things from the freezer to fill out lunch. I ate some yummy chicken-less and stars soup today. It’s nice to have something I liked the first time!

Monday: Creamy, Lemony Asparagus and Veggie Whole Wheat Spaghetti with balsamic marinated heirloom tomatoes over arugula from tiny farm

Tuesday: Potato Kale Enchiladas with cheater canned re-fried beans on the side (made in the slow cooker and freeze some for next month)

Wednesday: Big cooked veggie salad – roasted beets, sweet potatoes, green beans roasted in the slow cooker with fresh herbs and served over lettuce and couscous

Thursday: Kalmata Olive Flat bread pizzas (make on the grill?)

Friday: Grilled Veggie burgers or portabellos  with tots and any left over veggies

Saturday: Asst. chilled salads: potato pesto green bean salad, black eyed pea salad, tofu peanut noodles

Sunday: leftovers – probably enchiladas and tacos

I’m so excited that it’s June. We have no trips planned, so I can have a little rest and relaxation at home. It’s also an opportunity for me to work on my budget and getting in shape.

Monday: Mock crab cakes with veggie rice

Tuesday: Sweet potato black bean cakes over cilantro lime rice over salad greens with  corn chips

Wednesday:  Baked Potatoes topped with cheesy vegetables

Thursday:  Quesadillas

Friday:  Veggie burgers on the grill with salad – with sangria or gin and tonics

Saturday:   Pineapple fried rice with Vegan Dad’s Balsamic BBQ Tofu or Maple Bourbon Tofu

Sunday: Riblets and Tots

Menu planning in advance, so my vacation won’t interfere with some healthy eating. I have a friend coming into town over the weekend, so eating then will be a little more spur of the moment. This way I’ll at least have an alternative plan in case we stay at the house.

Monday: Beef-less and Broccoli Stir fry with Brown Rice

Tuesday: Black bean cakes with cilantro tomato salsa over salad greens with baked blue corn chips and some pre-made soup in my pantry

Wednesday: Riblets and Tots – a no veggie wed just for Cheryl!

Thursday:  Pasta with veggies and marinara sauce and a Cesar salad (cook up big batch brown rice for sat)

Friday:  Chick’n pot pie with more veggies than anyone ever thought possible with a whole wheat pastry crust

Saturday:   Pineapple fried rice with Vegan Dad’s Balsamic BBQ Tofu or Maple Bourbon Tofu

Sunday: Grilled polenta topped with a grilled veggie pureed sauce

Monday: Hot dogs, burgers and all the fixings

Menu planning really is the way to go. I ate so much better last week and it didn’t take that much time to cook things up after work. I prefer to crock pot and hope to be back on that road by the end of the month. We also got a gas grill at a huge discount, so I want to get my veggie grill on too! There is a burner, so my plan is to cook on it once the weather gets truely hot.

I bought some whole wheat panko bread crumbs and will post the recipe later if all goes well with my baked tofu shake and bake idea. Greens were all the rage at the farmers market. I over bought perhaps a little too much, but they all looked so good. At least it’ll fuel some nutritious dense recipe experimentation.

Romaine salads and assorted pasta dishes will make lunch this week, with oat bran, flax, banana-zucchinni-pecan muffins made with stevia for breakfast.  So I’m starting off the week on the rigth foot. Also keeping track of my food again on sparkpeople. If you’re looking to get on track give it a try – it’s completely free. You can sign up and be my friend – I’m vegWriter there.

Marla and Dee’s wedding is this weekend and they are veg too, so I’m hoping for some good , easy eating for my weekend!

Monday: Baked southern tofu (fake shake and bake!) with steamed carrots, garlic balsamic broccoli rabe,  and mashed potatoes  — (make asparagus goat cheese pasta for tues lunch and zucchini oat bran muffins)

Tuesday: Roasted beet, goat cheese and arugula salad;  Veggie dogs with kale/beet greens cole slaw and potato salad — (make spicy peanut noodles  lunch)

Wednesday: Vegan Dad’s Cajun Chickpea cakes on a whole wheat bun with left over cole slaw, and steamed broccoli and not cheese sauce – cook any leftover greens for lunch

Thursday: Leftovers or chick’n bbq sandwiches with tator tots

Friday: Cook out at Marla’s wedding site

Saturday: Marla’s reception

Sunday: Unknown – traveling back from GA