Monday Menu Planning – Week 1

If you’re anything like me, you’re always searching for new recipes. I found this to be especially true when I started a plant based diet (read more about that here). So I thought it would be helpful (and fun!) to share my weekly plant based menu with you!

Small disclaimer, we really love different ethnic foods. I am the kind of person who can’t eat the same things over and over again. My idea of repeating meals is at least a month in between the times I make it. I am constantly looking up new recipes and trying new things. As a result, we try (and end up loving!) a lot of different ethnic foods. If that’s not your thing, never fear! I’m sure there’s at least one or two recipes each week that will interest you.

So whether you’re a plant based eater, into Meatless Mondays or just want to try something new, I hope you’ll enjoy some of the recipes I’m sharing!

Aloo Gobi – Aloo Gobi is an Indian dish comprised of cauliflower and potatoes, spiced with garam masala and turmeric. We love this dish! I tend to leave out the jalapeño, because even a little bit of spiciness doesn’t sit well with Claire. We serve it over brown basmati rice.

Buddha Bowl – The best part of this meal is how customizable it is! You can use any type of grain, any type of greens and any type of veggies you want. We usually use brown rice, spring mix, roasted chickpeas (but we prefer this recipe) and the dressing. Roasted chickpeas are amazing even as a snack. They’re so crunchy and yummy! Just a tip, double the recipe, because it only serves two.

Moroccan Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Veggies – This is a new recipe. I usually end up with at least one new recipe a week. We’re a huge fan of Moroccan food – something we had never tried until we started eating plant based food. I’ll update you and let you know how we like it.

Spicy Black Bean Soup – Even though warmer weather is (finally!) here, I’m still making one type of soup. I’m almost entirely souped out (because that’s definitely a legitimate term, right?), but I discovered so many amazing soup recipes over the winter that I wasn’t quite ready to give up soup entirely. Even though spicy is in the title, I can assure you this soup is not spicy. It does have jalapeños in it, but I remove the seeds and ribs, so there’s not really any spice. If you’re concerned, you could always leave out the jalapeños. On the flip side, if you want it to be spicy, leave the seeds and ribs in. I would recommend using less liquid than the recipe calls for if you prefer a thicker soup.

That’s all for this week. Normally, I plan 6 meals, but we have a lot going on this week, so I’m not sure I’ll have time to cook as much. I typically only plan dinners, because we eat leftovers for lunch and breakfast is comprised of either cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, eggs or fruit.

Which one of these recipes intrigue you? Do you ever do meatless Monday? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. As always, please keep comments respectful.