Menu Plan Monday: January 28th

Good morning and welcome!

We are mostly vegetarian here, but this week we’re accepting the challenge and going meatless all week! That’s right…all vegetarian, all week long!

Our meal plan is fairly complete this week, including breakfasts and lunches. As usual, we will adjust as needed.

Visit the Org Junkie for more exciting meal plans. There are lots of them. Go and see!

Monday
Breakfast	Cereal, fruit & yogurt
Lunch	Sandwiches – almond butter & jam, grilled cheese – and green vegetables
Dinner	Vegetarian Lasagna, salad (cheese tortellini noodles for the preschooler who doesn’t eat sauce)
Tuesday
Breakfast	French toast
Lunch	Homemade macaroni & cheese, green vegetables
Dinner	Big pot of miso soup with noodles, tofu, egg & bok choy
Wednesday
Breakfast	Oatmeal with apple sauce, yogurt
Lunch	Beans & Rice, carrots
Dinner	Pierogies with cottage cheese; sauteed mushrooms & onions; green vegetable
Thursday
Breakfast	Omelettes, yogurt
Lunch	Chick Pea Nuggets,
Dinner	Three Vegetable Curry served with rice (subsititute squash for carrots)
Friday
Breakfast	Cold breakfast – cereal, yogurt, fruit
Lunch	Spinach Squares, noodles, green vegetable
Dinner	Vegetarian tacos, bean dip

Recipe Review: Chick Pea Burgers

On my other blog I talk a lot about my two children. One of the issues that has come up with them lately is food. Now what mother doesn’t have feeding issues with their children – too much, too little, the wrong stuff…you get the idea.

If you looked at our meal plan this week, one of the items on it was Chick Pea Burgers. This was a new recipe for me, so, as I always do with a new recipe, I tried to follow it as written. I did substitute green pepper for the red (didn’t have any red) and used a bit less chili powder.

Here’s the batter, after mixing:

Doesn’t look like that much, to be honest. However, I decided, instead of shaping it into burgers, to create small nuggets. And, since the batter was fairly thick, I thought about cutting these nuggets into shapes.

So I dug through my miscellaneous kitchen stuff drawer (you know you have one too), and pulled out some tiny cookie cutters. I patted the dough on a cutting board, used the cutters to cut out shapes, and fried them in a pan like in the recipe.

Here are the burgers frying up in a frying pan. I cooked them with a little bit of oil and some cooking spray.

As an alternative to frying, I also tried baking them in my toaster oven. I liked that much better (less labour intensive, more even cooking). I sprayed the toaster cookie sheet with cooking spray and then cooked them at 375 for 10 minutes per side. All toasters are different, so you would have to play with it to see.

Here are the nuggets, as I now call them, on a plate. (By the way, if you see these plates anywhere, could you let me know? They’ve been discontinued, and we want to get some more of the glasses that go with them, to replace the ones we have broken.)

Of course, the real test of a food being good or not comes after eating. Since my older son was at school, I had the younger one give them a try:

I think because of the shape he didn’t realize it was food at first, but once he did, his verdict was a resounding “mo! Mo! (more)”

The true test, however, comes with the preschool boy, who, lately, has stopped eating much of anything. We weren’t quite as successful with him – he took just one bite and then left the table to go play. Which is a regular occurrence for him, unfortunately.

Overall, I think the recipe was a partial success. I will try again with my older boy, who ate only noodles today. The younger one ate 7 nuggets, so I’d say he liked it!

Toy Review: Imagiplay Play Sets

Our most recent toy acquisition is the Imagiplay Arctic Expedition play set. I have to be honest, I was sceptical when I saw this, opting more for the zoo and safari sets (we got those too, but they are still in the toy cupboard). But I was pleasantly surprised when my son gravitated to this set:

He knew that it was an igloo, and I think that was the most fascinating part. He put the Inuit people on the sled, attached the dog (I showed him how, just once) and was pulling them around the table.

He loved the animals, and even pulled the polar bear and another seal from the zoo set to keep together.

Their toys are made from plantation-grown, chemical-free rubberwood (according to the company website) and the quality looks good so far. The pieces are chunky without too many tiny details (that could break in little hands!) and just the right size.

Imagiplay is proud of their toys, and the even talk about their manufacturing process right on their website. While the toys are still made overseas (Sri Lanka, Vietnam and some carefully selected factories in China the company is open and honest about their process and their products. Very refreshing!

I would strongly recommend this and the other playsets that they offer. We have opened the zoo set but when we opened this one, the zoo set was pushed aside. I am sure it will be picked up later!

We are in no way affiliated with the company, but we are very impressed with their products and business practices!

Menu Plan Monday: January 21

Good morning and welcome!  Our “mostly vegetarian” meal planning is going well.  The Nanny isn’t completely won over (she’s a big meat fan, as are most Filipinas, I’ve learned) but those are the breaks!

Our meal plan is fairly complete this week, including breakfasts and lunches.  As usual, we will adjust as needed.

Visit the Org Junkie for more exciting meal plans.  There are lots of them.  Go and see!

Monday
Breakfast	Omelettes with vegetables (chopped very small), yogurt
Lunch	Homemade macaroni & cheese, green vegetable (raw or cooked)
Dinner	Japanese Broccoli Noodles with Bok Choy & Tofu
Tuesday
Breakfast	Pancakes prepared with sweet potato puree
Lunch	Chick Pea burgers, noodles, green vegetable
Dinner	Cauliflower Lentil Soup, Baked chicken breast, farfel with mushrooms or mashed potatoes, green salad
Wednesday
Breakfast	Cereal, toast or muffins, fruit, yogurt
Lunch	Grilled Cheese sandwiches, green vegetable (raw or cooked)
Dinner	Homemade Pizza (whole wheat crust), green salad
Thursday
Breakfast	Scrambled eggs or Omelettes with vegetables (chopped very small), yogurt
Lunch	Fishies (baked fish sticks), green vegetable
Dinner	Crockpot black bean & corn chilli served over basmati rice
Friday
Breakfast	Baked Oatmeal (prepared in advance) with berries
Lunch	Tofu nuggets, noodles, green vegetable
Dinner	Something with meat or fish – Our Friday night Shabbat dinner with relatives

Happy Cooking!

Crockpot Chili, Vegetarian Style

Black Bean and Corn Chili

Here’s a nice recipe I got from an Internet friend. I have modified it a little bit, but it still retains it’s essence. I don’t make it spicy (I have two kids, after all) and we serve it over basmati rice. Leftovers are mixed with rice for a nice lunch the next day.

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups veggie broth
1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn
1 (15 ounce) can kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1-2 T Italian herbs or oregano
1-2 t (or more to taste) chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper (I leave it out)

Combine everything in your crock pot and cook on HIGH for the first hour. Turn the temperature down to LOW, and cook 7 more hours.

Makes 10 servings

Menu Plan Monday: January 14th

This week’s menu plan is still in progress.  We were overloaded with birthday parties and craziness all weekend (my baby started walking) so I didn’t get a chance to comb through my recipes.  I’ll update it later today.  If you want to see other meal plans, visit The Org Junkie to check out other people’s plans. Really. Go there.

Monday:

Lunch: Homemade macaroni & cheese, green vegetable, fruit
Dinner: Wraps with mock meat, grilled veggies & onions; corn & bean salsa (We didn’t get to eat them last week); Green salad

Tuesday:

Lunch: Meatless Loaves, noodles & green vegetables (kids)
Dinner: Nanny’s choice!  Something with chicken and rice most likely

Wednesday:

Lunch:
Dinner:

Thursday:

Lunch: Spinach Square, noodles, fresh fruit (kids)
Dinner: Pierogies with mushrooms & onions, green salad

Friday:

Lunch:
Dinner: Vegetarian tacos, black bean dip, spanish rice

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Menu Plan Monday: January 7th

If you want to see other meal plans, visit The Org Junkie to check out other people’s plans. Really. Go there.

Monday:

Dinner: Homemade Pizza using frozen whole wheat pizza dough with lots of veggies & salad

Tuesday:

Lunch: Homemade macaroni & cheese, green vegetable, fruit

Dinner: Baked fish, couscous with broccoli & chick peas

Wednesday:

Lunch: Spinach Square, noodles, fresh fruit (kids)

Dinner: Wraps with mock meat, grilled veggies & onions; corn & bean salsa

Thursday:

Lunch: Meatless Loaves, rice & green vegetables (kids)

Dinner: Pierogies with mushrooms & onions, green salad

Friday:

Lunch: Leftover pierogies, green vegetable, fresh fruit

Dinner: Unknown.  Usually dinner with the mothersisterinlaw.

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

New Year, new priorities?

The new year is a time for retrospection and introspection for many, and a time to look forward.  There are a few things in the works on this blog, and I’d like to offer a preview.

Our family follows a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle.  We are not pure vegetarians, and we do still eat meat (chicken & fish, mostly) several time each week.  I will be offering weekly menus for those who would like to reduce their meat intake, or are just looking for some help with cooking for their family.  These menus will include recipes.  Most will be quick and relatively easy, and all will be balanced and suitable for families with children. The menu will be posted for Mondays.

We will also be taking requests!  That’s right.  Do you have an event to plan?  A special meal to make?  A cooking conundrum?  Send me your questions, and I will answer them as best as I can.  Questions should be related to feeding your family (children included), and should related to our predominantly vegetarian lifestyle.  You can email your questions (please! Please!) to urbanmummy at gmail dot com.

Another feature you will find will deal with education.  I have 2 young children, and am embarking on a journey of their education.  While the older one does go to preschool (and the younger one will next year, my goodness), we still do some homeschooling and educational activities here at home, and I would like to document our journey.

It’s going to be a good year here.  Please be sure and join us!

Meal Plan Monday: December 3rd

I am starting to dread this! I mean, I like cooking, but I’m so busy these days, it’s stressing me out. Then again, once it’s done, I do feel better, so I will continue. I’m not quite finished yet, but will get there soon. Honest.

If you want to see other meal plans, visit The Org Junkie to check out other people’s plans. Really. Go there.

Monday:

Lunch: Homemade macaroni & cheese (kids)
Sandwiches on mini pitas (adults)

Dinner: Sweet potato & black bean chili served with rice.
Salad

Tuesday

Lunch: Meatless Loaves, rice & green vegetables (kids)

Dinner: Vegetable pasta of some sort
Wednesday:

Lunch: Spinach Square, noodles, fresh fruit (kids)

Dinner: Family Chanukah party! Cold cuts, latkes (regular and sweet potato), salad

Thursday: .
Friday: .
Saturday:

WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU THIS WEEK?

Chick Pea Curry

Tonight I am making Chick Pea curry for dinner.  I’ve modified a recipe from the book Thai Vegetarian Cooking and it’s very yummy!  I always use extra soy milk so it’s nice and saucy.  I like a lot of sauce on my rice, so this works for me!  The original recipe used coconut milk, but it’s very high in fat, and we are trying to cut back around here.

As is usual with my recipes, amounts are always suggested.

Heat a little bit of oil (or cooking spray), and add:
1-2 tsp chopped garlic (or 1-2 cloves, minced)
1-2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (freshly ground is best, of course)

Saute briefly.   Add:

1.5 cups soy milk (more if you like your curry to have lots of liquid)

Stir well.

Add:

1 Tbsp curry powder (or more if you like a stronger flavour)
2-3 potatoes cut into small cubes
1 large or 2 small cans of chick peas
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp basil
2 Tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp sugar

Let the liquid boil, then simmer until the potatoes and chick peas are cooked.  (Less then 1 hour)

Serve over basmati rice.