Vegan Meal Plan

 John and I on the trail at Blue Mounds State Park

I had a fun filled 4th of July and holiday week.  We took out the camper and spent some time at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, MN.  Our meals included classic American cookout cuisine which meant lots of grilled meat!   Sure it was yummy at the time but now I am feeling sluggish.  I recently saw the documentary Forks over Knives on Netflix and I was inspired to make a change this week and go vegan... at least for the week.  Being a vegan means that you go without any animal products and eat only a plant based diet.  No meat, dairy, or eggs. 

 

I posted on Facebook and asked my friends what their favorite vegan recipes were.  I formed the plan below by searching through all of there wonderful suggestions.  Making a meal plan for the whole week (whether it is vegan or not) can take time but it is not rocket science.  It will make a big dig difference on being able to stay on track with your diet. 

 

I usually make my weekly meal plans on Sundays, then do the shopping for the week so that Jack can help me in the store with the kids.  This week required quite a bit more planning and I wasn't able to get it all done yesterday so I am starting a day late.  Since today is already Monday and I just got back from the store... I am going to start on Tuesday and finish up next Monday.

 

Vegan Meal Plan

TUESDAY
Breakfast-  Mix 1 scoop of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology with 8 oz of water or almond milk.
Snack 1 -  One handful of almonds, dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa) and a banana
Lunch-   "'Tuna" Salad.'  (Recipe below)  I adapted this recipe from the book The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately  by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Snack 2 -  Luna Bar
Dinner- "Snobby Joes"  from the blog Post Punk Kitchen www.theppk.com

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast-   Mix 1 scoop of Chocolate Vegan Shakeology with 8 oz of cooled coffee.
Snack 1 -  Refried beans on one whole wheat tortilla with salsa
Lunch-  "African Stew"  (Recipe below)  Also adapted from the 30-day Vegan Challenge book.
Snack 2 - Hummus and veggies
Dinner - "Oven Braised Acorn Squash, Carrots, and Mushrooms over Spaghetti"  from www.veganmotherhubbard.com

THURSDAY
Breakfast-  Mix one scoop of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology with 1/2 Cup of mango chunks and 8 oz of coconut milk in a blender with ice.
Snack 1-  One handful of almonds with dark chocolate and a banana
Lunch- Leftovers and Vegan Morningstar burgers.  (I had a coupon for these)
Snack 2 -  Hummus and Veggies
Dinner- "Raise the Roof" Sweet Potato Lasagna"  from www.Engine2diet.com.

FRIDAY
Breakfast- One scoop of chocolate vegan Shakeology with a teaspoon of peanut butter mixed in the blender with 8 oz of almond milk.  (My Fav!)
Snack 1 - Refried beans on one whole wheat tortilla and salsa.
Lunch- "Roasted Chickpea Salad" found on the Oh She Glows blog.
Snack 2 - Luna Bar
Dinner - "Vegan Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza" also found on the vegan mother Hubbard blog.  I was not able to find a meat substitute for peperoni at my grocery store and I am also a little confused about the crust.  The package I bought says contains "trace amounts of egg and dairy."  John was crying so loudly in the store that at this point I just grabbed the package and threw it in the cart.  I figure trace amounts wouldn't matter for now and if I want to get more serious later I can.

SATURDAY
Breakfast- One scoop of Tropical Strawberry Shakeology blended with 8 oz of almond milk and a banana
Snack 1 -  Almonds and dark chocolate
Lunch -  "Hawaiian BBQ: Teriyaki Chickpeas"  from HappyHerbivore.com
Snack 2 - Luna bar
Dinner-  "Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas"  from Engine2diet.com

SUNDAY
Breakfast - one scoop of Chocolate vegan Shakeology with 1/2 cup of strawberries blended with 8 oz of almond milk and ice.
Snack 1 - refried beans on a whole wheat tortilla with salsa
Lunch - "Tagine of Moroccan Vegetables with Couscous" from Lifeisapalindrome.com
Snack 2 - Hummus and Veggies
Dinner -  "Alfredo" from OhSheGlows.com

MONDAY
Breakfast- Mix one scoop of Chocolate Vegan Shakology with 8 oz of water or almond milk.
Snack 1 - Refried Beans on one whole wheat tortilla with salsa
Lunch- " 'Tuna' Salad".  (Recipe below)  I adapted this recipe from the book The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately  by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Snack 2- Hummus and Veggies
Dinner- "Spaghetti Squash and Eggplant Marinara" from my friend Azia's blog: http://mamasgotabigbelly.blogspot.com/ Most of these recipes can be found on my pinterest page on the board titled vegan.

 

This is quite a bit more recipes than I normally make for one week.  For the sake of variety I thought it was important to make something new everyday.  Normally my family is big on leftovers to eat the next day.  This week if I have an over abundance of leftovers I plan on freezing them. I also plan on eating lots of salads and veggies from my CSA box this week including this recipe for a kale salad from Engine2diet.com

 

Do you have a favorite vegan recipe?  Follow along with me and this meal plan this week and let me know what you think.

 

African Stew

 

2 yellow onions

3 garlic cloves pressed

2 red bell peppers diced

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 C smooth or crunchy peanut butter

3 sweet potatoes peels and cut into 1/2 in cubes

two 15 oz cans kidney beans drained and rinsed

one 15 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cups vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Sautee onions and garlic with olive oil until soft.  Add bell peppers, cover and cook 5 min more.  Stir in the brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds more.

 

Stir in the peanut butter and distribute it evenly throughout. Add the sweet potatoes, kidney beans and tomatoes and stir to coat.  Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

"Tuna" Salad

 

2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup eggless mayonnaise

1 medium red bell pepper finely chopped

2 carrots finely chopped

2celery stocks finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 Cup walnut halves, chopped

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

 

Put the chickpeas in the food processor and grind them into small flakey pieces.  In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve as a salad or on a sandwich.