I’m a busy bee this week, and not eating at home so much. However when I have my classes I’m packing lunch and dinner to take to work. I really like the leftover money from my check last week!

I’m still keeping with my breakfast/lunch theme of soup, muffin, and cookie. It actually made it fun to eat at work last week. In fact a friend just called me to go to lunch with her today and I’m actually disappointing I won’t be eating the lunch I made!

Muffin of the week: Apple Crumb Muffins – warning don’t do the stupid thing I did! I have been using olive oil in place of butter lately, so I poured my hot butter into the bowl with my egg without thinking. Yes, it became a scrambled egg – yuck!

Cookie of the week: Chocolate chip, pecan and coconut cookies – Cheryl asked for something like this and they turned out pretty good.

Lunch Soup of the week: Cauliflower Bisque – made without goat cheese this time. I added a little coconut creamer instead for a vegan soup.

Monday: Leftover bbq tofu pizza

Tuesday: Marinated Baked Tofu, asian style greens (add ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and a little sriracha chili sauce), mashed potatoes with gravy 

Wednesday: Metals class – pack leftovers to eat at work

Thursday: Spicy tempeh with broccoli and whole wheat pasta – from Veginomicon

Friday: Eat at Faith and Christy’s

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

Sunday: Pizza with salad (use up leftover veggies on the pizza)

Sorry for disappearing. Let’s just say too much money was spent and there was an eating out frenzy that’s made my budget look like the dog chewed it.

So here I go with the basics – menu planning. Over and over again it proves itself to be invaluable!

Fall is the perfect time to pull out the slow cooker if you haven’t used it in awhile. Take a look at a few of my favorites, and see if there are any you want to add to your menu plan this week.

I also recommend spinach salads for the week. Buying a large container of pre-washed baby spinach is a great investment. Not only does it keep longer than baby lettuce, when it’s at the end you can saute it, add to pasta sauces and even sneak some on sandwiches to add extra fiber and vitamins.

Monday: Minestrone and spinach salad (recipe near the bottom of linked post)

Tuesday: Refried Bean Tacos in blue corn shells with chorizo Spanish couscous over a romaine salad

Wednesday: Cauliflower curry potato curry with dahl over basmati brown rice and naan

Thursday: Grilled Pizza and salad

Friday: Pepper steak with steamed brown rice and wonton soup

Saturday: Chickenl-ess Parmigiano with vegan Cesar salad and garlic bread

Sunday: Clean out the fridge veggie soup made in the slow cooker and fresh bread recipe from sparkpeople

I’ve over extended myself this week, so we’ve been eating out a lot. So to make up for it, I have been eating soup for lunch everyday. So here’s another soup recipe.

This can be made in the slow cooker, but I did it stove top and it took less than 1 hour from start to finish. To make in the slow cooker, throw everything in the pot and cook for 8 – 10 hours. Adjust seasonings and add more water if needed before serving.

Vegan Chicken-less and Rice Soup

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups brown rice – pre-cooked (I used leftover rice I had)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbl Better than Bouillon – chickenless flavor
• 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
• a few dashes of Tabasco (garlic flavor if possible)
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence
  
• 1 Tbl Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. thyme
• pepper to taste
• at least 6 cups filtered water – add more to get the soup as ’soupy’ as you want

In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion when hot. Saute until onion is translucent, then add garlic and bell pepper and saute for a few minutes.

Add water and dissolve bouillon paste, then add all seasonings, rice, and drained beans. Add more water if you need to, and adjust seasonings to taste.

Because of the bouillon you shouldn’t need to add any additional salt. If you use no broth or a low sodium you may need to add some salt.

You know the drill, and I’m sure you’ve all heard the protests of “what’s that in my food?!” Picky little ones often grow up to be picky adults. And while I’m kid-less, I still hear about texture issues and fight the good veggie fight all the time. This one worked really good, she even asked to have it again.

This soup has green peppers, chickpeas, and butternut squash, but pureed it looks like plain old tomato soup – only with tons more flavor and nutrition. My picky eater loved it, but she didn’t see it before it was pureed. I would suggest not letting your picky eater see it either. Sometimes it’s better if they just don’t know.

Slow Cooker Picky Eater’s Soup

• 2 cups butternut squash, can be precooked, frozen, or raw (peeled and seeded of course)
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas
• 1 14 oz can organic crushed tomatoes (diced or stewed works fine too)
• 1 cups bell pepper strips
• 1 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbl. Better than Bouillon
• 5 cups filtered water (or use veg broth and leave out the bouillon)
• 1 Tbl. port wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms (optional – use any little bits of leftover veggies you have)
• 1 tsp. marjoram
• 1 Tbl. Trader Joe’s Pasta Seasoning Blend (it’s a mix of Onion, Garlic, Basil, Lemon Peel, Paprika, Fennel, Oregano, Black Pepper, Ginger, Thyme and Lemon Oil)
  or Italian seasoning blend

Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 6 – 10 hours.  Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor before serving. You may need to add more filtered water to get it to the consistency that you like. Serve with oyster crackers.

I keep little baggies of leftover veggies in the freezer. This soup is perfect to add those to, or the little bits in the fridge that aren’t enough for a proper side dish. Yummy and frugal – my dream has come true!

It’s slow cooker Thursday!
See other great recipes at Diary of a SAHM

I’m not much of a super bowl person. In fact I can’t think of any sports that I want to sit down and watch. Don’t be mad though, I’m fine with the rest of the world hanging at super bowl parties while I’m shopping, or dining in peace and quiet.

I’ve recommitted myself to eating healthy and losing some weight, so pizza out isn’t on my plan, but making it at home is. A thin whole wheat crust from Whole Foods, low fat cheese (if any), and tons of veggies makes a pizza that is actually good for you.

BBQ Tofu Veggie Pizza

• 1 Whole Wheat pre-cooked pizza crust
• 1/2 recipe slow cooker bbq tofu (recipe below)
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup pineapple, chopped
• 1 cup bell peppers, sliced
• 1/4 bbq sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (sub soy cheese or leave off)

Preheat oven to 350. Spread bbq sauce on crust and pile on the veggies, tofu and top with a sprinkling of cheese if you’d like. Cook on oven rack until cheese is melted. Veggies will still be a little crunchy and full of vitamins.

Slow Cooker BBQ Tofu

Press the tofu to get it firmer. To do this slice into fourths and wrap it in a towel (paper or dish towel) and sit a heavy pan on it for 15 – 20 minutes to press out the water. Unwrap and dice tofu. Put 1 cup of bbq sauce (I used Whole Foods citrus chipolte bbq sauce.) in slow cooker and mix in tofu. Cook on low 4 – 8 hours.

Use  on pizza, in subs, or add to chili for extra protein.

I love soup and I can be lazy. So it should come as no surprise how easy it is to make this soup. I had a bag of 16 bean mix and was craving something more texturally adventurous than split pea soup.

For a long time I avoided buying the 16 bean mix because it always say ham flavoring. Well it’s like raman noodles, the ham flavoring is in a sealed package and can easily be tossed out. I’m not so sure you would want powdered ham flavoring even if you did eat meat, but that may just be me.

If you have the time and/or patience, saute the onion, garlic and green pepper before you put it in the slow cooker. You can even do this as late as 1 hour before serving.

Slow Cooker Cajun 16 Bean Soup

• 1 package 16 bean mix (or 16 oz. your own mix of beans that you have on hand)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 6 – 8 cups Filtered water

• 1 heaping Tbl Better than Bouillon Not-Chicken Flavor
• 1 Tbl Cajun Seasoning Blend – no or low sodium if possible (make your own with these recipes)
• 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke
• 1 tsp. Garlic Tabasco (It’ s not as hot as the regular one, so you can use more)
• 2 Large carrots cut into half moons
• 1 12 oz can Muir Glenn fire roasted crushed tomatoes (you can also use diced if you prefer)

• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Onion, minced
• 1 Bell pepper, diced

The night before you want to have this for dinner, add first 3 ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on low over night.

You could also get all Martha Stewart and prepare the rest of the ingredients to add in the morning . If you do this, try to saute the last 3 ingredients. Add the rest of the ingridents into a bowl, cover and put in the fridge.

Wake up, smell the beans cooking, and remember that you have to add some more stuff so you can have dinner later. Empty your premade bowl of stuff into the slow cooker with the cooking beans. (Or prepare them now, and then add…)

Add more water if seems low, or you would like a thinner soup. Leave on low all day (8 – 12 hours). Eat with lightly toasted hunk of whole grain bread and congratulate yourself for eating so healthy!

It’s slow cooker Thursday, so make sure to check out more recipes at Diary of a stay at home Mom.

Another super simple recipe that everyone loves. I made it for my New Year’s Eve party, and I’m looking forward to my leftovers lunch tomorrow too!

Slow Cooker Vegan Lentil Parsnip Soup

• 2 cups French Lentils
• 6 cups Filtered Water
• 1/2 Onion, minced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbl. Better than Bouillon no chicken flavor
• 2 Parsnips, minced
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 2 tsp. Thyme, dried
• 2 tsp. Tarragon, dried
• Salt and Pepper to taste – add right before serving

Optional Step: In a saute pan add 1 tsp. olive oil and cook onions until translucent over medium-low heat, add garlic and saute 1 minute more. You can skip this step and put raw onion and garlic straight into the slow cooker if you’re running short on time. Sauteing as a nice mellow flavor if you have the chance to do it.

Throw everything except salt and pepper into the crockpot and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.  Add salt and pepper before serving.

I just had the nicest New Year’s Eve dinner party. 8 of our friends came over for a dinner of lentil soup, spinach salad, and Gimme Lean Sausage and mushroom ragu over baked polenta. It turned out well enough for me to pass the recipe on to you. Plus I promised a recipe this week and I want to start the year off right.

Happy New Year to all of you – I wish you only the best this year!

Vegan Sausage Mushroom Ragu

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package Gimme Lean Sausage
• 2- 28 oz cans of organic crushed tomatoes with basil
• 16 oz crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 2 large portabella mushrooms, chopped
• extra basil to taste (I used 1 ice cube of basil that I froze from the summer)
• 1 Tbl. Italian seasoning
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 2 – 3 Tbl red wine (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent and add garlic.

In a very large pot add tomatoes and turn heat to medium. Add onions and garlic from skillet. Add chopped mushrooms and cover.

In the same skillet that you cooked the onions, now cook the package of Gimme Lean. Chop it with a large spatula as you cook to break it up into sausage crumbles. Once it begins to brown add to tomato mixture.

Simmer covered for 1 – 3 hours on the stove. You could use a slow cooker and cook it all day if you prefer.

Add water if the sauce becomes too thick, but it is a thick chunky sauce. Serve over pasta, polenta, or use in a lasagna.

I was doing too little blogging last week and going to too many required holiday functions. In most cases the food was less than stellar and the company was not making me feel very merry. I’m not much on enforced work fun, it can be worse than dining with your least favorite relatives.

But starting today I’m on vacation for a week. So that’s got me singing holiday songs and craving some home cooked food. This is the first Christmas that it’ll be just the two of us. And rather than feeling let down about it – I’m ecstatic! I can catch up on some writing (about 10 articles), knit some bday presents (4 Jan bdays – ack), and get into an exercise routine.

No, I’m not trying to do much on my vacation…ok maybe I am – only time will tell.

Merry relaxing Christmas to you!!

Monday: Roasted Acorn Squash Risotto and Cesar Salad

Tuesday:  Steamed Chinese dumplings and Thai carrot stir fry over jasmine rice

Wednesday:   Cesar Salad and Hazelnut Ravioli and chocolate torte

Thursday: Tofurky with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, vodka lemon carrots – hazelnut pumpkin pie

Friday: Tofurky Gumbo – my first time a variation based on this recipe (more leftover tofurky recipe links here)

Saturday: paninis from various leftovers and sweet potato fries

Sunday: Roasted cauliflower soup, meatball whole wheat spagetti

Check out more menu’s here:

I love me some winter squash! The last Acorn squash recipe I posted was cooked in the slow cooker. I did this one in the oven, but you could also cook it in the slow cooker if you prefer.

I wanted to try using Boca burger in it because I’m trying to use up some I have in the freezer. It would be great with your leftover homemade burger or not-meat loaf as well. I also bought stuffing mix, but you could certainly make your own or use leftover stuffing from another meal.

Be aware that most stuffing mixes have chicken broth in them. The mixes my Whole Foods is carrying this year are not vegetarian. In years past they were. So read your labels carefully. I ended up getting mine at the local co-op instead. Just one more reason not to buy mainstream!

Vegan Acorn Squash filled with Boca Bread Stuffing – serves 4

• 2 medium size acorn squash
• 1 bag stuffing prepared using instructions on the bag
• 4 vegan Boca burgers
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut squash in half (be very careful), scrape out the seeds and stringy parts. Use a rectangle casserole dish that can fit them all in, add about 1 inch of water to the dish, and set the acorn squash in it cut side up.

You can spray a little olive or canola oil on the cut sides of the squash if you want, but it’s fine without it.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and cook the burgers. Once they are soft enough to cut with a spatula, chop them up small while cooking them. Add garlic powder, sage, liquid smoke, and fennel seeds. Cook until the crumbled burgers become a little crispy.

Add bread stuffing to the skillet and mix thoroughly. Stuff into squash and cover pan with aluminum foil (or an oven safe cover) and cook for 1 hour.