Monday Menu Planning – Week 13

Hey hey hey, it’s Monday! Even though Mondays can feel like a bit of a let down after the weekend, Mondays are a fresh start to a brand new week. Having a positive outlook can change Monday from a day you dread to a day you enjoy. That’s all I have for inspiration this Monday morning. It is still Monday after all 😜

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Monday Menu. I haven’t really posted much in general lately, but I’m trying to change that. Much of my time has preoccupied with homeschooling (no big surprise there). First grade is more indepth on many subjects than kindergarten (again, no big surprise), so it’s taking up more of my time. But we’re beginning to establish good routines and I’m trying to get back into the getting-up-early groove, so hopefully that will mean more blogging!

This Week’s Menu

Sweet Potato Chili (from If You Give A Blonde A Kitchen) – It’s the first week of October! The weather is finally starting to chill a bit (I was hoping it would a bit sooner, since we live a bit further north. Oh, well.). So, I’m feeling all the fall vibes. What says fall more than chili? This is one of our favorite chili recipes. In fact, my sweet potato hating kid loves it and has declared it’s the only way she’ll ever eat sweet potatoes. I do tend to alter the recipe a bit (cut down on the cocoa, add some oregano and tomato sauce), but it’s delicious as is. The best part? It’s a slow cooker recipe!

Warm Quinoa, Sweet Potato & Kale Salad (from Not Enough Cinnamon) – When I thought about buying a bag of sweet potatoes this week, I was trying to think what else I could make with them (not that I won’t just eat baked sweet potatoes too). This immediately came to mind. It’s absolutely delicious! Don’t be fooled by the fact it’s called a salad – it’s really not. I would say that quinoa is much more the base than the kale. And if you don’t have pomegranates (let’s face it, they’re pretty pricey), you can substitute craisins. Obviously there will be a textural difference, but the tart/sweet pop of flavor will still be there.

Zuppa Toscana Soup (from Ferns and Peonies) – When I decided to make chili, I thought of how else to use up sweet potatoes. And when I decided to make quinoa, sweet potato and kale salad, I thought of how else I could use up a bag of kale. That’s basically how my menu planning worked this week. Honestly, that’s a good way to menu plan, because then you end up spending less money and wasting less food (especially if you’re like me and don’t particularly like raw kale). If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, you might’ve tried their zuppa toscana soup. It’s delicious! It has sausage, potatoes and kale in a creamy soup base. Sadly, I thought I’d probably never eat it again. I was wrong! This recipe uses ground fennel to produce a very similar flavor to sausage. It’s terrific and probably one of our favorite soup recipes, so I’m excited to make it again. I added a can of coconut milk to make it creamy and some cannellini beans to add some protein.

Sesame Noodles with Wilted Greens (from Budget Bytes) – This recipe was also chosen in the interest of using up a bag of kale. Technically the recipe calls for spinach, but you can just as easily substitute kale. I’ve made this dish quite a few times before. It’s quick, easy and absolutely delicious. If you’re completely vegan, you can omit the fried egg on top. We do still eat eggs in our home, so we love the egg on the top. The gooey yolk just amplifies it.

Pumpkin Donuts (from Vegan Richa) – Since it’s feeling more like fall, I had to bake something pumpkin this week. I bought some donut pans last week (these ones if you’re interested) and I’m eager to try them out! I’ve enjoyed quite a few recipes from Vegan Richa in the past, but I haven’t tried out any of the baking ones. The idea of pumpkin donuts makes me want to jump up and down, especially after yesterday. I really wanted to get dessert from somewhere after we went out to lunch and I couldn’t find anywhere that offered any sort of dairy free baked goods (including grocery stores). It was so depressing. So I am just going to make my own!

That’s it for this week! I hope you find some delicious, cozy plant based recipes to try this week. Let me know in the comments below which ones sound good to you!

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