Quinoa, Gyoza, and Other Weird Vegetarian Ideas...

My spring/summer menu plan is finally completed (now that spring is over, of course).  But hopefully, it may be something worth using next year as well.  I have loved menu planning since our early years of marriage, but have found using a monthly/seasonal menu plan to be even more beneficial in this time of my life.  Being a vegetarian, I'm already viewed as a little weird, so why not add to that weirdness by adding things like quinoa (pronouced "keen-wha") and gyoza (what I learned to make in 8th grade Home Ec class)  I tried to lessen our carb intake, since that's the easy option when eating vegetarian, but not necessarily the healthiest.  I may try to substitute lentils instead of quinoa on some Mondays for the cost issue.  We've tried some of these recipes, while others are still a guessing game.  Some (esp the salad ones) may have to be accompanied by Annie's Mac n Cheese for the sake of my non-salad lovers.

Monday - Quinoa
1.  Quinoa, Black Beans, and Corn Tacos
2.  Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
3.  One Pan Mexican Quinoa
4.  Sesame Ginger Quinoa Salad

Tuesday - Fish
1.  Salmon Cakes
2.  Tuna Lunch Bites
3.  Baked Salmon with Garlic & Dijon
4.  Fish Tacos

Wednesday - Beans
1.  Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
2.  Black Bean Soup
3.  Tempeh Chili with corn chips
4.  Bean & Cheese Burritos






Thursday - Salads
1.  Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad
2.  Quick Asian Noodle Salad
3.  Broccoli, Tomato, & Tortellini Salad
4.  Easy Greek Salad

Friday - Family Favorites
1.  Chipotle Black Bean Burger
2.  Pizza (homemade or take-out)
3.  Japanese (gyoza, edamame, yakisoba)
4.  Hot Dogs, cole slaw, chili

Saturday & Sunday - Whatever...
1.  Spinach Quiche
2.  Waffles & smoothies
3.  Grilled Sandwiches
4.  Baked Potatoes

For the days when I just want to throw the menu out the window, there is always take-out pizza!  Mommy's life-saver!

Day 20 - Grocery Budgeting

Believe it or not, I watched for the first time last night, the show, Extreme Couponing.  Several years ago, I considered myself to be quite the couponer, and even taught a couple of classes.  I wasn’t a shelf clearer or cereal hoarder, but we always had a good enough stock pile to provide for our family.  Then, I had baby #3 and started homeschooling.  So for the past year at least, I’ve done very little couponing due to lack of time, stress, and our desire to eat more wholesome foods.  I have many friends who have even more children, homeschool or work full-time, and are still able to coupon.  I would love to start incorporating it more into our budget again because I know the benefits are worth it.

Over this last year, I’ve read of different moms who are able to provide healthy food for their families without breaking the bank.  They budget a certain amount per month, plan a menu that allows them to stay within that budget, and shop accordingly.  This has not been as easy as they make it look.  We budget $335 in our budget for groceries (this includes toiletries and paper goods), but it’s often closer to $375 - $400 when the month is over.  When I couponed, it was easier to keep it closer to $300.  

We are a primarily vegetarian family (my hubbie eats meats when we eat out), which saves us from having to buy meat.  We do purchase fish to eat once a week, but sometimes it is just canned tuna.  We try to eat as much organic as possible.  We’ve bought organic milk for a few years (due to medical reasons for our girls), and have slowly tried to transition to organic yogurt, hormone-free cheese, free-range eggs, etc.  Obviously when we eat away from home, we are not so choosy.  Right now, I primarily shop at Aldi, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter.  My desire is to one day have my shopping list taken directly from my menu to help me shop less during the month.  One thing that has helped us to stay closer to our budgeted amount is to take out cash at the beginning of the month.  By allotting myself only a certain amount when I go the grocery store helps me to not splurge as much as when I just pull out a card to swipe.  

Here are a few examples of healthy grocery budgeting:

• Keeper of the Home – “What I would feed my family on a monthly          budget of $250”

• Poorganic – “Grocery budget for one actual month”

• Passionate Homemaking – “A peak at our real food budget”

Day 17 - Freedom in Freezer Cooking

Even with a menu plan, there are days when I still can’t think of what to fix for supper, and when the girls ask me what is for breakfast, cereal is the only answer I can give.  I have read about freezer meals for years.  I’ve even tried to do freezer meals by myself and with others.  It’s a lot of work that is supposed to save me time in the long run.  I go through phases.  But it’s always worth another shot, especially with the plethora of resources out there.  

My goal is not to spend an entire Saturday cooking up a storm and filling my freezer full.  But instead, I hope to freeze a few breakfast items and snacks that I can pull out in a pinch, and a couple times a week, doubling a pasta dish or soup while cooking supper, so that I’ll have extras for busy days.  Simple… I hope.  

Here are a few of the many resources I’ve found through Pinterest & other favorite blogs (note:  most of them are vegetarian):

o A Frugal Simple Life – lots of recipes!  I’m excited about trying the Popeye Pie & Meatless Tamale Pie

o Once a Month Cooking – one of the most well known freezer blogs with several different options

o Good Cheap Eats – 31 days of freezer cooking & she’s also written a book, Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook

o Money Saving Mom – Lunchbox freezer friendly cooking

I'm always looking for more vegetarian freezer meal ideas, so pass them this way if you have a favorite!

Day 8 - Meal Planning

Today is the perfect day for a nap.  Cold and rainy with an afternoon at home breeds the perfect recipe for a sweatshirt, blanket, and couch combo.  But that was yesterday’s agenda, so this afternoon I am instead stretched out in my recliner with my brown mug of coffee and Pandora playing softly beside me.  Almost as good as a nap...  I was planning on touching on a different topic today, but I wasn’t ready yet.  So I skipped to my next topic… meal planning.

One of the most stressful parts of the day can be deciding what to what fix for supper.  My husband’s solution to this is to simply go out to eat.  In order to avoid our budget going out the roof, a monthly meal plan is essential!  I have done weekly meal planning for years.  I used to gather all my cookbooks, spend an hour or two pouring over them, and make a meal plan and grocery list for the upcoming week.  This worked well in the past, but then I discovered making two meal plans for the year and rotating the meals through a month at time.  This is a meal plan… meaning it doesn’t always happen, but without a plan it is sure to never happen.  

Here is a glimpse of our fall menu (vegetarian/pescatarian) :

Breakfast:

Monday- Cereal or muffins, fruit

Tuesday- Eggs, toast or grits, fruit 

Wednesday – Green smoothie,  muffin or bread

Thursday – Eggs, toast or grits, fruit

Friday – Green Smoothie, muffin or bread

Saturday - Pancakes or French toast, fruit

Sunday – Muffins or waffles (frozen)

Lunch:

- Sandwiches, fruit, veggies

- Yogurt with berries

- Quesadillas or crack wraps

- Mac N Cheese

- Fun Nuggets

Supper:

Mondays – Italian/Ethnic

1. Baked Spaghetti

2. Pesto Lasagna

3. Stir Fry w/rice & veggies or Fried Rice

4. Spinach Spaghetti

Tuesdays – Main Dish Salads/Legumes

1. Quinoa Salad, Tilapia, & Spinach Bake

2. Taco Salad

3. Savory Fall Stew

4. Tempeh Chili & Cornbread

Wednesdays – Sandwiches

1. Cheese & Bean Quesadillas 

2. BBQ Tuna Sandwiches

3. Tuna Cheesies

4. Eat at church

Thursdays – Soups

1. Wild Rice Soup

2. Broccoli & Cheese Soup

3. Mexican Corn Soup

4. Cream of Tomato Basil Soup

Fridays – Special Dinner Night

1. Homemade (or delivery) Pizza (twice a month)

2. Hamburgers, baked beans, cole slaw

3. Date Night

Saturdays & Sundays

- Leftovers 

- Nachos 

- Baked Potatoes 

- Breakfast or Waffles

- Cheesy Wild Rice Casserole

- Stuffed Peppers

Meals for others…

- Creamy Chicken and Noodles, green bean casserole

- Minestrone Soup

- Piggies in a blanket, oven fries, coleslaw

- Broccoli Casserole & Corn Bake

How this works for our family:

At the beginning of each month, I take out a blank calendar and literally fill in the month with these meals.  By having themes for each day, it helps me to be deliberate in making sure we get in enough protein each week.  This may seem boring, but as a home school mom of three, routine is essential in keeping my sanity, the budget down, and well-rounded meals on the table as much as possible.  Another goal is to produce a main monthly grocery list from these meals.  (This is still a goal in the works.)  In my homemaking binder, I have all the recipes that go along with my menu for the season, so I’m not having to waste time looking through cookbooks or Pinterest to find the right recipe.  I really hope that this will help spend more meals at home and less time wondering what to fix for supper.  

Here are a few more resources:

o Keeper of the Home (her seasonal plan)

o Resources & recipes for meal planning

o Passionate Homemaking (her winter meal plan)