Along with the many other things going on here (cleanup from the natural disaster, taking on some new job responsibilities, getting Thadd ready to go back to school), there have also been some diet changes. So, the On the Menu will look a little different a few weeks a month: no dairy, no meat other than fish. Not eating meat really isn’t terribly problematic for us, as we don’t eat a ton of it anyway; but, the no cheese…that’s hard. I love cheese, yogurt, milk, sour cream. We also have a herd share, which means Thadd gets a whole bunch of milk on my off weeks.
That said, it’s doing what it’s supposed to, and the dairy sacrifice is worth it (besides, let’s be honest here, I’m not fooling anyone into thinking I don’t totally make up for it on the weeks I can have dairy, right?).
On the Menu
DINNERS
Sunday: Tofu and veggie kabobs over wild rice, with mango chutney. Twin Oaks tofu is the only tofu I eat. I don’t eat much soy, but their stuff is fabulous: non-GMO, organic, hand-made. And so very, very yummy. We had a weekend guest, not a lot of time to put something complicated together, and a grill. So, I marinaded the tofu in tandoori paste, which was also brushed over the veggies after they were kabobed. It was a really good, light summer dinner.
Monday: Black bean patties with mango salsa, with mixed vegetables. I’ve got a fabulous recipe for these that is totally vegan, easy, and versatile. This batch I did with a whole lot of Caribean Jerk type spices, and topped it with a salsa of mango, oranges, red onion, garlic, lime, avocado, and jalapeno. We used some extra veggies from last night as a side.
Tuesday: Cajun swai, served with sliced tomatoes and green beans. Thadd’s night to cook! We’ve got some tomatoes from the garden to use up, and green beans are in season.
Wednesday: Vegetable Chickpea Korma. A quick Indian dish with lots of fresh flavors, this takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare (unless you want rice for it, in which case it takes however long your rice cooker takes ). I’m putting it over greens, because rice is already on the menu once this week, as are rice noodles (possibly_.
Thursday: Thai Almond Noodle with Shrimp. Ideally, these will be made with cellophane noodles, but it’s possible they’ll be made with rice noodles, depending on what I can find. It’s almonds instead of peanuts because, as I mentioned a while back, I am apparently developing something of an intolerance to peanuts. Fortunately, I love almonds and they make a great Asian-style sauce.
Friday: Leftovers.
Saturday: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos. These are really easy to make (the beans will be done in the slow cooker earlier in the week), good protein and fiber, filling, and great even without the cheese or sour cream. There will, however, be avocado and fresh salsa!
I haven’t done breakfast and lunches in a while, but since the new diet has started, I’ve had a few questions about what I eat for these, so I’ll share this week. Unlike dinners, we don’t plan specific days for these meals.
LUNCHES: Leftovers, primarily. Tuna salad on greens. Egg salad on greens (I eat a lot of eggs these two weeks). Almond milk smoothies on hot days when I don’t feel like eating.
BREAKFASTS: Eggs with a variety of stuff (peppers, homemade mushroom pate’, onions, salsa, etc., in a variety of combination). Almond and/or coconut milk smoothies. Toast, on rare instance.
SNACKS: Roasted almonds, hard-boiled eggs, fresh popcorn in coconut oil w/various spices, fruit, hummus, raw veggies, seeds of all kinds. Probably some other stuff I am forgetting.
If you’re on a special diet, how do you cope? Do you plan your meals?
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