Weekly plan, 1/25

Monday: Leftover pizza with mangoes and broccoli

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner! Broccoli, onion, tomato, and cheddar egg strata with orange wedges and fresh homemade peasant bread (broccoli from the freezer, onion from the pantry, eggs from our dairy, buy tomato, cheddar, and oranges) (vegetarian)

Wednesday: Tofu stir fry with broccoli, onions, and mushrooms, served over brown rice with a side of orange wedges (with broccoli from freezer, and onion and rice from the pantry. Buy tofu, mushrooms, and oranges) (vegetarian)

Thursday: Beef and eggplant pie with apricot and arugula salad and wilted chard (beef from freezer, onion from pantry, and the other half of the tomato sauce jar I used last week, and some of the cheddar from last night. Buy eggplant, mushrooms, mozzarella, arugula, apricots, and chard)

Friday: Family game night, so time for some finger foods! Grilled cheese, cauliflowerets, and pear spears (homemade bread from Tuesday, cheeese from fridge, buy cauliflower and pear) (vegetarian)

Saturday: Leftover stir fry (vegetarian again)

Sunday: Cheese tortellini with cannellini beans, mushrooms and mustard greens, and a side of mangos (with the mushrooms left from Thursday. Buy frozen organic tortellini, cannellini beans, and mustard greens) (vegetarian)

From the dairy: Two 2% milks, eggs

Shopping list: For dinners I need to buy tomato, cheddar, and oranges; tofu, mushrooms, and oranges; eggplant, mushrooms, mozzarella, arugula, apricots, and chard; cauliflower and pear; and frozen organic tortellini, cannellini beans, and mustard greens. For lunches I need some organic mac n cheese, celery, raisins, and Greek yogurt. For breakfasts we'll need some juice, and I always pick up extra fruits, this time I'm looking for apples and bananas, and maybe a kiwi or two.

When is spring again?

Crockpot Minestroni

I've made this one before, and the original recipe I found calls it Italian Vegetable Soup, but I like the sound of Crockpot Minestroni better, and I've played with both the method and the ingredients so I think I've earned the right to rename it. This meal is great on so many levels: it's vegetarian, it's quick, it's easy, and it makes great leftovers. Plus, it won't break the bank; I made it using bags of 365 label frozen organic veggies, cans of Eden organic beans (Eden is one of the few companies that does not use BPA in can linings, by the way), 365 label organic vegetable juice, and homemade organic vegetable stock (the 365 label organic stocks won't break the bank either). All together the meal cost about $20 and will provide at least two full meals for the three of us (we'll eat it for two dinners and there will be some left for lunches). I served it with homemade roasted garlic and rosemary Italian wheat bread.

Crockpot Minestroni

Ingredients
  ● 1  12- oz. package frozen cut green beans
  ● 1 12-oz. package frozen cauliflower (mine had carrots, too)
  ● 4-5  cups diced tomatoes
  ● 1  cup chopped onion
  ● 1+  cup chopped celery
  ● 1  cup regular barley
  ● 2  cloves garlic, minced
  ● basil, oregano, rosemary, and ground black pepper to taste
  ● 4  cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  ● 2-1/2  cups reduced-sodium vegetable juice
  ● 4 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  ● Finely shredded Parmesean cheese (optional)

Directions
1. In your slow cooker or crockpot, place frozen green beans, cauliflower, tomatoes, onion, celery, barley, garlic, beans, and seasonings. Add vegetable broth and vegetable juice and stir to combine well. Add more vegetable juice as needed to bring liquid to desired level.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat for 6 to 8 hours. Top servings with Parmesean cheese.

Weekly plan, 1/19

Monday: Beef with broccoli stir fry and oranges (beef from freezer, most sauces and rice from pantry, buy vegetables, rice vinegar, and oranges)

Tuesday: crockpot minestroni soup and pears (crockpot, vegetarian)(Use vegetable stock from freezer, and cheese from fridge; buy frozen vegetables, dried beans, vegetable juice, and pears)

Wednesday: Leftover stir fry, more oranges

Thursday: Leftover minestroni with cinnamon apples

Friday: Homemade pizza topped with feta cheese and banana peppers, with swiss chard and mangoes on the side (use flour, oil, sauce, and banana peppers from pantry, and cheeses from fridge, buy chard and mangoes)

Saturday: Leftover pizza

Sunday: Dinner with family—it's my birthday!

From the dairy: Two 2% milks

Shopping list: For dinners I need to buy brocoli, sugar snap peas, and rice vinegar; frozen carrots, cauliflower, and beans, dried cannelini beans, and vegetable juice. I need lots of fruit this week, so I'm thinking a bag of organic apples, a handful of organic kiwis, a bag of organic blueberries (for making breakfast smoothies), and a bag of conventional oranges, and handful of conventional mangoes, and a bunch of conventional bananas (since those are lower on the list for pesticide concerns). I also need cereal and orange juice for the mornings, and some celery for ants on a log lunches (fun!).

Happy week!

Creamy tortellini soup

I love crock pot recipes, so I jumped for this one from our Healthy Cooking magazine. In the end it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, although it wasn't a train wreck, and there are some things I will do next time that I think will fix it. I don't normally post recipes until I've played with them and feel happy with the results, but there were a lot of requests for this one, so I make note of those things I would change in the recipe following. Let me know what you think!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes            
Cooking Time: 6 to 7 hours (on low)

Ingredients:
  ● 1  1.8- ounce envelope white sauce mix (I made my own with 2T butter, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups milk.  See note)
  ● 4  cups water (I used only 2)
  ● 14 ounces vegetable broth
  ● 1-1/2  cups sliced mushrooms
  ● 1/2  cup chopped onion
  ● 3  cloves garlic, minced
  ● 1  tsp. dried basil
  ● 1/4  tsp. salt
  ● 1/8  tsp. cayenne pepper
  ● 30 ounces rehydrated cannellini beans (can substitute canned, but add them later)
  ● 1  7- to 8-ounce package dried cheese tortellini (I used 22oz. frozen, organic)
  ● 1  12- ounce can evaporated milk (see note)
  ● 6  cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
  ● Ground black pepper (optional)
  ● Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Original directions: Place dry white sauce mix in slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper. To make my own white sauce I melted 2T butter, stirred in 1/4 cup flour, then blended in two cups of milk and 2 cups of warm water.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3-4 hours. Add rehydrated cannellini beans and cook for 2 more hours (if using canned beans, add them with the tortellini).

3. Stir in tortellini and cook for 1 more hour.

4. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach and cook until heated through (careful not to overcook the spinach! I left mine in while I cut a few mangoes, and it was more wilted than I would have liked). Sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Two Notes for next time:
First, I've never bought a packet of white sauce mix, and don't plan on ever doing so, but when I made my own this time I did all the the work right in the crock pot and the sauce turned out a bit lumpy. In the future I think I will actually make a quick microwave white sauce and then pour it into the crock pot, already heated on low, before adding the additional ingredients.

Second, In our opinion the soup was way too sweet. Next time I plan to either cut the evaporated milk in half, or skip it all together, adding more vegetable broth to make up the liquid content.



Weekly plan, 1/11

Monday: Leftover burritos with kale chips (vegetarian)

Tuesday: Tofu stir fry with broccoli and carrots over brown rice (vegetarian) and oranges (use oranges and tofu from fridge, buy brocolli, carrots, garlic, green onions)

Wednesday: Creamy tortellini soup (slow cooker, vegetarian), wilted chard, and mango (use veggie broth and tortellini in freezer, beans from cupboard, buy whipping cream, mushrooms, spinach, parmesan cheese)

Thursday: Leftover stir fry, more oranges

Friday: Breakfast for dinner! Eggs, turkey bacon, fresh bread, grapefruits (Make bread from existing ingredients, buy eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese and grapefruits)

Saturday: Makeover shrimp and grits with collard greens, sweet potato "fries", and pomegranate (uses sweet potatoes and grits from cupboard; uses up leftover ingredients from earlier in the week including green onions, mushrooms, whipping cream, bacon, cheeses, and garlic; uses chicken broth and uncooked shrimp from freezer; buy collard greens and pomegranate)

Sunday: Leftovers

From the dairy: Two 2% milks, One heavy whipping cream, 1 dozen eggs

Shopping list: For dinners I need to buy brocolli, carrots, garlic, green onions, mushrooms, spinach, parmesan cheese, eggs, turkey bacon, cheddar cheese, grapefruit, collard greens and pomegranate. For lunches I'll need apples and maybe celery. For breakfast we'll need orange juice and cereal.

Happy week!