Getting Ahead – Menu Planning Monday on Friday

You may not read this until Monday, but for once I’m actually planning my menu ahead of time (like I’m supposed to do), and shopping before the weekend. Yea me!

This week I’ve made dinner every night and brought my lunch everyday. It’s a big goal, but it feel nice to have met it.  I’m feeling better already! I also have a few entrees and soups in the freezer that I can pack as lunches, so no excuses for eating junk this week.

If I have good sweets in the house, I won’t go to places that will tempt me. I’m determined to lower my cholesterol in the next 3 months. Yes, I know fondue night may get  me, but I may also make a vegan version for me. Over the weekend I’ll have a fondue trial and see what makes the cut.

Soups for lunch and addition to dinners below:

• vegetable – clean out the fridge soup
• white bean cabbage
• chickenless and rice

To meet my cravings head on – healthier snacks:

• brownie oatmeal  cookies

Monday: Creamy pasta with chickenless strips, broccoli and bell pepper with ceasar salad

Tuesday: Vegan Dad’s Cajun Chickpea cakes with dirty rice

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Dublin Coddle with Vegan Sausages

Thursday: Veggie Enchiladas with dirty rice leftovers

Friday: Chickenless bbq sandwiches with french fries and cole slaw

Saturday: Dinner Club – 70’s theme fondue (vegan option) around the electric fireplace and Tom Collins

Sunday: leftover extravaganza or pepper steakless

Other veggie menus – get inspired:

• Uncommon Life
• Book of Yum
• Not Another Omnivore
• Say Yes to Salad
• Jumbleberry Jam
• Life is a Journey
• Organize This
• In My Box
• Margarets Musings
• Cooking Up a Family

Low Fat Veggie Menu Plan

I’m a naughty late menu planner this week. I just found out my cholesterol is high for the first time in my life. So hopefully this will motivate me to cook even healthier.  I am determined to lower it with exercise and diet. I have 3 months before I get tested again.

Monday: Veggie burgers and homemade low fat potato salad

Tuesday: Slow cooker lentil chard soup and fat free brownies

Wednesday: Heirloom bean chipotle mole chili

Thursday: Corn chowder, sloppy joes and vegan mac and cheese (variation of this)

Friday: Quesadilla, refried beans and brown rice

Saturday: Black eyed pea quinoa patties with mushroom sauce and steamed broccoli

Sunday: leftovers, and blueberry corn muffins

Not Skipping Veggie Menu Monday

Better late than never – right? Sorry I ducked out on y’all last week. I was sick, and this weekend I got sick again…arrgghh. 2 weeks ago I lost 3 pounds because I cooked all my food and went to the gym everyday. It seems like something always comes up right when I’m getting on track.

But never fear. Cheryl and I signed up for a 6 week class at the Y, so I will have to keep going. My goal is to lose at least 25 pounds by the summer. More would be nice, but slow and steady is more reasonable. So for once I am going to try and be reasonable.

So other than all the celebratory dinners out, my goal is to eat my own food 3 times a day. I have to get back into the habit of thinking ahead.

Monday: Chicken (not) fried boca burgers, low fat mashed potatoes with veg sausage gravy and carrots and green beans

Tuesday: eat out at Blu fro Cheryl’s bday

Wednesday: eat at Chubby’s after class, or bbq chicken-less on multigrain thinwich bun

Thursday: Slow cooker sloppy lentils – a combo of these 2 recipes sparkpeople and ppk – I want a low-sodium bean version with lots and lots of veggies (spinach, green pepper, mushroom)- and creamy broccoli soup

Friday: Slow cooker pinto bean picadillo

Saturday: Slow cooker enchiladas and left over picadillo

Sunday: leftover sloppy lentils or Indian food – maybe a veg soup too

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Not Another Omnivore
• Bel in Australia
• Book of Yum
• Jumbleberry Jam
• Maggie
• Libby
• Counting Sprinkles
• Half Pint Pixie
• Emily @ Making Dough
• Melissa @ The Vintage Homemaker

Quick and Easy Menu Monday

Ok, last week we joined the Y so we can do more than complain about how big our butts have gotten. I’ll have less time to make dinner until I get used to time-shifting all my chores around.

I still want us to eat healthy, have leftovers for lunch, so a weekly plan is even more needed this week. Next week I’ll do more slow cooker meals, so maybe it won’t feel like I’m cooking at all!

Monday: Veg Enchiladas with Cuban black beans on the side, and arugula salad

Tuesday: Trader Joe’s chicken-less bbq on whole wheat buns with butternut apple soup and baked beans

Wednesday: Slow cooker veggie stew with corn bread and salad

Thursday: Chicken-less and rice Spanish style with salad

Friday: go out or pasta in

Saturday: Leftover chicken-less and rice and veggie soup

Sunday: Samosa Baked potatoes with soup and salad

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Not Another Omnivore
• Practicing Thrift
• Life is a Journey
• Min/min
• Mulberry Spot
• Organize This
• Book of Yum

Getting Healthier Menu Planning Monday

I promise to have a more creative menu next week. I’m planning on joining the Y this week, so I want to have easy to make food to keep  me from going out after classes.

Monday: Quinoa Vegetable Soup (made from stray veggies in the fridge) and leftover fondue in a casserole (steamed veggies and fondue mixed together and topped with leftover bread crumbs)

Tuesday:  Mushroom goat cheese quesadilla with Spanish rice (vegan goat cheese recipe)

Wednesday: Pop’s (eat out)

Thursday: Slow Cooker Lentil Spinach Soup with Cornbread

Friday: Soup, veggie bbq burgers with sweet potato fries

Saturday:  Veggie lo mein

Sunday:  Indian

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Not Another Omnivore
• Say Yes to Salad
• My Journey to Health and Happiness
• Margaret’s Musings
• Money Funk
• Practicing Thrift
• The Thrifty Soaper
• Organize This
• Book of Yum

I’m Really Tired Vegetarian Menu Monday

I got almost no sleep last night. It must have been the excitement of my new cheesy electric fireplace or the fondue I made to go along with it! So this week will be super simple food since I can’t bare to think of doing much today. I’m at work, but my heart is at home in my cozy bed snoozing the day away.

Monday: Chicken-less Parmigiana

Tuesday:  Veggie burgers and baked sweet potato fries (and regular fries too)

Wednesday: Go out for Tofu and Black Bean sauce

Thursday: Slow Cooker Lentil Spinach Soup with Cornbread

Friday: Mexican – Quesadillas or Burritos

Saturday:  Indian – (from pouches with brown rice)

Sunday:  Slow Cooked Ziti Casserole (yes, again)

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Not Another Omnivore
• Say Yes to Salad
• Counting Sprinkles
• The Thrifty Soaper
• Organize This
• Book of Yum
• Cooking Up a Family
• Jumbleberry Jam
• Pick, Cook, and Brew

Going to Eat Healthy Menu Planning Monday

Last week we had too many obligations to eat out, so this week I’m actually looking forward to eating in. I’m working on staying on the healthy side of things, so I can eat things at home that either I can’t get out or can fix healthier versions of. Wish me luck!

Monday:  Green with Envy Noodles or make a soup with my green with envy veggies from Trader Joe’s — bake butternut squash for tomorrow’s dinner

Tuesday:   Butternut Squash Risotto with sauteed oyster mushrooms

Wednesday: Potato Soup and Hot Dogs with veggie chili

Thursday: Veggie burgers and baked sweet potato fries (and regular fries too)

Friday: Bean soup and cornbread

Saturday:  Clean out the fridge soup or stew – recipe will follow! and Cauliflower Gratin With Goat Cheese Topping

Sunday:  Slow Cooked Ziti Casserole and Cesar Salad (thanks to Thrifty Soaper for this idea!)

Check out more menu’s here:

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Jumbleberry Jam
• min/min
• Book of Yum
• The Thrifty Soaper
• Not Another Omnivore
• Organize This
• Say Yes to Salad

Menu Planning Day

This week should be easy because I’m going out to dinner a couple of times. January is a big month for bdays in my circle of friends.

Monday:  Dinner with Faith and Christy

Tuesday: Seared Tofu with with Green Beans and Asian Coconut Sauce

Wednesday: Dinner out with Jenny

Thursday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Not-Meat Balls and Cesar Salad

Friday:  Sandwiches and sweet potato fries

Saturday:  A variation on Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with Pears and Blueberry Jus – using tofu

Sunday: Indian – to be decided

Check out more menu’s here:

Other Veg Menus (leave a link in the comments if I missed you):

• Book of Yum
• Not Another Omnivore
• 5 Weeks to Organization!
• Meant to Be
• In My Box
• Belinda Moore
• Min/Min
• Counting Sprinkles
• My Journey to Health and Happiness

Using What I Already Have Menu Monday

I have extra carrots, cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower in the fridge. Also plenty of beans, grains and pasta in the pantry. I want to make a big effort this month to get our food budget down, and I don’t want to waste any of these yummy leftovers. So I’ll be concentrating on what I have in the pantry and freezer.

So this week is a mix of old and new dishes with all of them showing up in lunches as well. What are you guys making this week?

Monday: Veggie meatloaf with sun dried tomatoes, leftover green bean casserole, and creamed peas

Tuesday: go out to eat at Watts Grocery

Wednesday: Cauliflower Chezy Soup with spinach rice

Thursday: Veggie fried rice and steamed dumplings

Friday: Broccoli Lentil Soup with Roasted Pepper Coulis with leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Saturday: Black bean soup and cheese quesadillas

Sunday: Shepard’s Pie made with leftover meatloaf, potatoes and veggies

Check out more menu’s here:

More Veggie Menus:

• min/min
• Mom Must Write
• Feeling Frugal
• Belinda Moore
• 5 Weeks to Organization!
• Book of Yum
• Feeling Frugal

Should there be a Veggie Menu Monday?

If there is an interest I’ll work to make it happen. I’d love to have a veggie haven and see all the veggie menus without sorting through all the rest. I would want us to post on organizing junkie’s website as well – I am not trying to take anything away from her site.

I think it’s nice for the meat eaters to have a few veggie recipes to choose from and we can get ideas from the meat eaters. But sometimes I just want to copy someones week instead of looking and thinking of my own – some Mondays are just that hard!