Menu Plan Monday:: 04 Nov

So we recently started menu planning (and actually sticking with it!), so I figured I'd start sharing them! Generally I'll plan out one meal for each dinner. However, we're flexible- if we notice an abundance of leftovers, or we're just tired/busy one night, we'll nix the originally planned meal and instead have leftovers or a super easy 10-minute dinner of some sort.

Here is our menu plan from the past week! We tried a few new things and were pleasantly surprised! These recipes are all vegetarian (my carnivorous hubby had some crock pot meat with his meals) and are gluten-free, or I adapted them to be GF :) I added comments about what I did differently, if anything, when I made these... enjoy!

• scrambled egg beaters with shredded cheese
• Greek yogurt & apple slices
• Refrigerator Maple Blueberry Oatmeal
• Change Ups: substituted 1 1/2 tsp agave syrup for the maple syrup, used whole milk, upped the blueberries since I use a larger container, added some nuts upon consumption :) I also started doubling the recipe so its a more substantial meal.

• leftovers
• pasta
• salad
• ... anything quick I can throw together during the baby's nap!

.: Sunday :.
Broccoli Cheese & Rice Casserole
Notes... This is a new go-to recipe for us! Pretty easy to throw together and yummy! We plan on trying different cheeses to see if we can get an even better flavor. Also plan to add some cauliflower next time!
Change Ups...

• doubled the broccoli, which I also chopped up so you'd get bits of broccoli in every bite!
• upped the parm to ~1/2c.
• used GF flour
• substituted paprika for the mustard
• we too used brown rice

.: Monday :.
Black Bean Burgers

Notes... This is a staple in our family's "Fav Recipes." Easy to whip together, nutritious, and you can add toppings or spices to tailor this to your own family's likings!! You can see how I switched things up a bit below- I usually try something new with the spices every time!

Change Ups...

• substituted 1 whole chopped green onion (green and white parts) instead of the pureed onion
• used 2 cans of black beans, rinsed
• used GF flour (I've also used cornstarch instead)
• used Ezekiel bread (ran out of GF bread)
• used garlic powder instead of fresh (we were on a time crunch!)
• added ~1 tsp smoked paprika (we LOVE us some paprika in the SK household)
• added 1/4 tsp dried oregano

.: Tuesday :.
Quinoa Veggie Mac N Cheese

Notes... This is pretty similar to the Broccoli & Cheese Rice Casserole from Sunday. DH liked this quinoa version better, but I preferred the Rice version. Might try and combine the two next time!!

Change Ups... 

• used ~3c. broccoli & cauliflower for our "veggie," which I also chopped up so you'd get bits of veggie in every bite! 
• added Adobo seasoning
• used whole milk instead of soy/non-fat
• skipped the optional items and toppings

.: Wednesday :.
Smashed Cauliflower
leftover Quinoa Veggie Mac N Cheese
Baked Potato Fans

Notes... Being a vegetarian, I often create meals out of a few side dishes- tonight was one of those nights! I'll be posting the cauliflower recipe in the near future, so stay tuned ;)

Change Ups (to Baked Potato Fans)...

• left the skins on the potatoes, just took the eyes out
• poked holes in potatoes with a fork, then just popped them in the microwave on "potato" setting, no added water
• sprinkled potatoes with salt along with the olive oil before baking

.: Thursday :.
Leftovers
Green Monster Smoothies

Notes... The green monster smoothie ended up being Baby E's first food that she really enjoyed!! Go figure, but at least she's getting her leafy greens, hehe. 

.: Friday :.
Red Beans and Rice
Green Monster Smoothies
Notes... I'll get ya the link to the red beans & rice when DH gets home (he made them!).


.: Saturday :.
Leftovers



{linking up here...}
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Gluten Free Weds @ Gluten Free Homemaker
EOA Link Up @ Deep Roots At Home