MY LOW CALORIE MENU
M- Black Bean soup
T- quinoa vegetable salad
W- Minestrone Soup
T- Chili
F- Barley w/sesame broccoli
S- Avocado veggie wrap
S- Fajita vegetables and quinoa
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday -Hummus wraps, carrots, yogurt
Tuesday – bagel w/cream cheese, trail mix, apple
Wednesday – PB&J, granola bar, apple
Thursday – EnergyBites, apple, yogurt
Friday – Mac & cheese, cucumbers, apple
Saturday – Egg salad, veggies & dip
Sunday – leftovers
Dinners
Monday – Sauerkraut and dumplings w/veggie hot dogs
Tuesday – Dirty Rice
Wednesday – Chili and cornbread
Thursday – Lentil burgers, baked squash, brussel sprouts
Friday – Pizza, veggies & dip
Saturday- Veggie and bean Enchiladas
Sunday – Breakfast for dinner
The new addition to the weekly menu is my new low-calorie lunches!
MY LOW CALORIE MENU
M- Mushroom & spinach on Flatbread
T- avocado veggie wrap
W-Lentil Soup & salad
T- Split pea Soup
F- Baked Potato
S- Barley w/sesame broccoli
S- leftovers
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday -Hummus spinach wrap, oranges, granola bar
Tuesday – bagel w/cream cheese, cantaloupe , trail mix
Wednesday – Salad w/chickpeas, crackers, gogurt
Thursday – Mac & Cheese, carrots, trail mix
Friday – Cheese & Crackers, carrots & hummus, yogurt
Saturday – Egg salad, veggies & dip
Sunday – leftovers
Dinners
Monday – Vegan sushi rolls, miso soup
Tuesday – spaghetti w/ “meat” balls
Wednesday – split pea soup
Thursday – Falafel salad w/ homemade croutons
Friday – Bean & veggie Shepards Pie
Saturday- Quinoa & Black Beans w/ Kale Chips
Sunday – Wheatberry Bean Minestone
Vegetarian crock pot recipes are a favorite of mine. I love to throw everything into a pot and not have to think about dinner until 6pm. These vegetarian beans are hearty enough for a meat eater and offer a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. My kids love them in a bowl with cheese and sour cream! They taste a thousand times better than the canned variety!
Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans
Dry pinto beans 1lb.
1 small onion diced
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic (minced) or garlic powder
2 TBS franks red hot (optional)
Place beans in crockpot and cover with water and soak for at least 8-12 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse beans and place back into the crockpot. Cover with water, add all other ingredients and set to High for 6-8 hours. Mash beans with a potato masher when they begin to soften and cook until thickened.
Use in burritos, fajitas, on top of taco salad, or just in a bowl with cheese and sour cream! Beans are vegan without toppings!
The new addition to the weekly menu is my new low-calorie lunches!
MY LOW CALORIE MENU
M-mushrooms & spinach on toast
T- veggie wrap
W-lentil burger with mushrooms
T- avocado, bean & tomato salad
S- mushroom barley salad
S- quinoa salad
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday -Hummus spinach wrap, cucumbers, gogurt, fruit
Tuesday – english muffin pizzas, orange, carrots
Wednesday – PB&J, orange, gogurt
Thursday – Vegetarian Crockpot Refried Beans, green peppers, crackers
Friday – Cucumber tortilla wraps, carrots, orange
Saturday – Egg salad, carrots & ranch
Sunday – leftovers
Dinners
Monday – Lentil Burgers, Oven baked squash, baked potatoes
Tuesday – Sundried tomato & pine nut pasta
Wednesday – Fajitas w/ crockpot refried beans, salad
Thursday – Salisbury steak, green beans, mashed potatoes
Friday – Tacos, salad
Saturday- Vegetable Stew with dumplings
Sunday – Black Bean soup
The new addition to the weekly menu is my new low-calorie lunches!
MY LOW CALORIE MENU
M-spicy black eyed peas
T- cucumber chickpea salad, crackers
W-black bean soup and wasabi cucumber salad
T-spinach protein smoothie
F- Wheatberries with Mushrooms & spinach
S-Hummus veggie wrap
S- Leftover Pizza
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday – baked beans and hot dogs, apple, granola bar
Tuesday – Hummus Wraps, apple, gogurt
Wednesday – peanut butter energy balls, orange, gogurt
Thursday – Salad with egg, orange
Friday – PB&J, applesauce, crackers
Saturday – Egg salad, green beans
Sunday – leftovers
Dinners
Monday – Lentil Burgers, Oven baked squash, kale chips
Tuesday – Black Bean Soup, crackers
Wednesday – Pasta Bake, salads
Thursday – Saurkraut & dumplings with veggie hot dogs
Friday – Breakfast for dinner
Saturday- Pizza, salads
One of my daughters favorite things is when I make a new meal, and even more so, when SHE gets to name the new meal. Don’t ask me why they are extreme, I thought they were more lovely, but the flavors are different from our normal, so maybe this is a bit extreme for her. She loved it, my son, not so much. I still haven’t figured out his taste buds, or if he just likes to be difficult. This is the kid who will devour sushi, puts mustard on his french fries and likes hot sauce, but this did not please him.
Also note, I don’t measure spices ever. I’m a dash and taste kind of girl (or dash and sniff if it’s dairy based), so taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
EXTREME Sweet Potato Lasagna Rolls (as named by my daughter)
Filling:
2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed ( I did mine in the microwave)
1/2 can black beans
1 medium onion
3 cups fresh spinach
dash paprika
dash garlic powder
dash ginger powder
salt & pepper
White Sauce:
2 cups milk
2 Tbs butter or margarine
2 Tbs flour
dash of:
cinnamon
garlic powder
paprika
ginger powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sriracha (optional) I didn’t put it in for the kids, but hubby loved it!
Mozzarella cheese
Lasagna noodles
Directions:
Cook about 8-10 lasagna noodles
Filling:
Sautee onions under low heat until soft, add spinach and cook until wilted. Mix mashed sweet potatoes, black beans, sauteed spinach and onions, paprika, garlic, ginger and salt and pepper.
Sauce:
Melt butter and add flour. Whisk in milk and the rest of the seasonings. Cook on low until thickened.
Spread filling onto lasagna noodles. Spread a little bit of the sauce on top of the filling and roll up the lasagna noodle. Continue to do this with all of the lasagna noodles. Place in oiled baking dish and pour the rest of the sauce over the top, put 1/2 cup or more mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 400 for about 20-30 minutes.
We started a new tradition this year, Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas child distributes shoeboxes filled with small fun and needed items to children in other countries. I’ve been hearing about it for a couple of years and asked my kids if they wanted to do it this year. They loved the idea, so we went into my sales and couponing stash and started filling boxes. I also gave them $5 each to spend at the dollar store for items to go in their shoeboxes.
It was a great opportunity to speak to both of them again about how blessed we are to have the freedom that we do, and how thankful we are that we have enough and that we can give to others. They truly are amazing kids and I love seeing how excited they are about giving.
More information about Operation Christmas Child visit www.samaritanspurse.org. This is the “official drop off week” and there are churches all around the country collecting boxes. I had 2 churches within a 5 mile radius of where I live.
Happy Giving!
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday – PB&J, apples, fig bars
Tuesday – Hummus Wraps, gogurts, apples, peanuts
Wednesday – Pizza Rolls, carrots and ranch, graham crackers
Thursday – Cheese, crackers, peanuts, apples
Friday – Muffins, apples, cheese stick, gogurt
Saturday – Egg salad, green beans
Sunday – leftovers
Dinners
Monday – Chickpea casserole (like tuna noodle)
Tuesday – Sesame noodles with tofu
Wednesday – Black Bean soup
Thursday – Lentil burgers, baked french fries, brussel sprouts
Friday – Sundried tomato (from garden) and spinach pasta with walnuts
Saturday- Quinoa and black bean Stuffed Acorn Squash, peas
Sunday – Sweet potato Lasagna roll ups, succotash
The garden is all cleaned up for the year. In the far raised beds I planted some fall veggies. Broccoli Raab, baby Pak choi, lettuce, garlic and carrots. In the bed on the right I will be planting my asparagus in the spring! My Swiss chard is still going strong and I’m still using green onions and pulled the final peppers, jalapenos and green tomatoes today.
My new FREE compost bin is full and ready to go! My husband screwed together 3 pallets and voila!
My totals for the year (I know I didn’t count everything)
Green Beans (1 gallon bags): 10
Tomatoes: 75+
Cantaloupe: 4
Cucumbers: 25
Zucchini: 20
Eggplant: 10
Okra: 40
Butternut Squash: 20
Acorn Squash: 15
Peppers: 30
Jalapenos: I stopped counting at 50
Green onions: 20 plants
Swiss Chard: picked from end of june on….tons.
Brussell Sprouts: none, the bugs got the best of them, but it was educational to see how they grow.
Snap Peas: 40
Lima Beans: a few cups
I’d love to get a scale to weigh everything next year! Over all I was pleased with the garden this summer. It was hot and most things did very well. Each year I feel more prepared.
Some things I learned:
Lima Beans are a pain to unshell, and they don’t taste much better than the frozen ones.
Okra is super easy to grow, and my daughter loves to eat it!
You can never have too many green beans.
You CAN have too many tomatoes.
Pickled green tomatoes are delicious!
KIDS LUNCHES
Monday – Bagel with cream cheese, gogurts, applesauce
Tuesday – PB & J, grapes, gogurts
Wednesday – Mac & Cheese, apple, granola bar
Thursday – Cheese, crackers, almonds, apples, carrots, grapes
Friday – pizza rolls, pears, carrots & hummus
Saturday – Eggs & salad
Sunday – grilled cheese and soup
Dinners
Monday – White bean and swiss chard stew with dumplings
Tuesday – Taco salad
Wednesday – Crock pot bean burritos, with fajita peppers
Thursday – Lentil burgers, baked green tomatoes, baked cauliflower
Friday – Wheat Berry Lentil Soup
Saturday – Swiss chard chick pea red pepper pasta
Sunday – Big salads with egg and homemade croutons.
