November Meal Plan, 2013

At the inspiration of Life in Grace, I decided to create a meal plan for the month.  Usually I create a plan for the week, and it turns out to be a bit stressful because I don't know what to make or I start to feel like we've been eating the same thing over and over.  Planning for the month was surprisingly fun and pushed me to be creative in what we'll be eating.  

 

We have been making a push to eat mostly vegetarian and as much unprocessed food as possible {it's important to us that we avoid hormone-laden meat, especially since we have a little one on the way}.

 

 

{Image found here - Wouldn't you just love to have a Thanksgiving table this beautiful!?!?}

 

Week 1

·         Monday, November 4 – Spicy Vegetable Soup, Baked Potatoes

·         Tuesday, November 5 – Out to eat {Mediterranean Café}

·         Wednesday, November 6 – Creamy Garlic Shells, Asparagus, Farmer’s Salad

·         Thursday, November 7 – Mexican Lasagna and Mexican Rice

·         Friday, November 8 – Dinner at church

·         Saturday, November 9 – Quinoa burgers, French fries, corn on the cob

·         Sunday, November 10 – {Grace’s Birthday Party}  Potato Soup, Crusty Bread

 

Week 2

 ·         Monday, November 11 – Sweet potatoes, Hoppin John, Green Beans

·         Tuesday, November 12 – {Take meal to the Li’s} Baked ziti, Asparagus, Crusty Bread, Pineapple Poke Cake

·         Wednesday, November 13 – Leftover Mexican Lasagna, Rice and Salad

·         Thursday, November 14 – {Family Dinner} Cheese Tortellini Soup, Chocolate cake

·         Friday, November 15 – Beef Stew, Egg noodles, Collard Greens or Salad and Incredible Edibles

·         Saturday, November 16 – {Anna’s Birthday Celebration} Homemade Pizza, Salad, Mike’s Apple Pie.  I hope you get to come over to try my hubs’ pie sometime.  It is really a special treat!

·         Sunday, November 17 – Roasted Veggie Wraps, Mexican Rice, Key Lime Pie

 

Week 3

 

·         Monday, November 18 – Lentil Dish

·         Tuesday, November 19 – Quiche and Farmer’s Salad

·         Wednesday November 20 – Lentil Wraps

·         Thursday, November 21 – Patty Melts

·         Friday, November 22 – Dinner with Complete Joy

·         Saturday, November 23 – Leftovers plus a Mixed Greens Salad with Pomegranate seeds and Gorgonzola

·         Sunday, November 24 – Spaghetti alla Carbonara or Marinara, Green veggie option

 

Week 4

·         Monday, November 25 – Homemade Pizza

·         Tuesday, November 26 –  Autumn Chopped Salad and Baked Potatoes

·         Wednesday, November 27 – Spicy Veggie Soup and Grilled cheese – I want something easy for today since it will be filled with cooking preparations for our big Thanksgiving meal.

·         Thursday, November 28 – Traditional Thanksgiving meal {still deciding our meal plan}

·         Friday, November 29 – Leftovers

·         Saturday, November 30 – Vegetarian Chili, Cornbread

·         Sunday, December 1 – Spicy Noodles

 

Let me know if you want recipes for anything without links.  I'm happy to share!  Would love to hear what you're eating these days.

 

Tasty Tuesday: Baked Couscous

When Mom and Dad were visiting a couple of weeks ago, Mom cooked dinner a couple of nights.  She's been trying to get me to try this dish for almost a year since I mentioned that hubs and I have been eating less meat.  It's been on my radar, but I just haven't gotten around to it.  Well, let me say it's delish!  {Sorry, I don't have any cool, step-by-step pictures to go along with the recipe}

Disclaimer: This recipe does not have specific measurements, so I apologize.  I'm usually a strict recipe follower {at least the first time around}.

Baked Couscous
1 cup Israeli couscous {this is the larger pearlized kind}
Broccoli chopped
Carrots chopped
Spoonful of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup grated parmesan 

Step 1:
Cook couscous according to the directions.

Step 2:
Chop broccoli and carrots and steam together for 3 minutes.  You still want your veggies to have some crunch to them as they are going to be baked.   I usually eyeball the amount of vegetables {well, the one time I made this dish} to use in this dish.  Special note: you can choose whatever veggie combination you like.  I happen to like broccoli and carrots together.  Plus, my mom said it's the best combo.

Step 3:
Mix together couscous, vegetables and remaining ingredients in a casserole dish {maybe an 8x8 pan}.  You want just enough mayo to wet ingredients.  I would rather skip the mayo bit but I haven't made this recipe enough to figure out what else to use.  Sprinkle top with parmesan.  

Step 4: 
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!