from I have always loved perusing the internet for new food sites to swoon over and knowing that I have this meal plan to work on each month has made the hunt even more fun for me. Besides flavor, I look for ease of preparation, diversity of ingredients, and color when I am hunting recipes to share. Who wants to eat a week's worth of brown meals? Not this girl! This week's meal plan is by far my best yet. Lots of fun flavors and bright colors, from some of my favorite meal inspiration spots on the internet. Let's dig in!
Monday
Asparagus & Leek Frittata from Tasty Yummies // Every week the most beautiful farm fresh eggs are delivered straight to my door so I'm always looking for new recipes to showcase them. As soon as I saw this fritatta, I knew it was destined for my dinner table. Asparagus and leeks are a match made in heaven and when you add Fontina and Parmesan cheese into the mix, well that takes this frittata from being delicious to downright decadent. I always reserve a heaping ¼ cup of the cooked veggies from the pan before adding the eggs and add them back on top with fresh herbs like basil and parsley after the fritatta comes out of the oven. It's not a must do, I just like the way it looks on the dinner table.
Tuesday
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Toasts from Aida Mollenkamp // Let me start by saying that this soup is going to blow your mind! Fresh squeezed orange juice and cinnamon set this soup apart from the rest. Since we are on a gluten-free diet I used gluten-free sandwich bread for my grilled cheese toasts.
Wednesday
Sweet Potato Burgers from What's Gaby Cooking // Just looking at this picture makes me wish I had another one of these sweet potato burgers! I pulsed crispy brown rice cereal a few times in the food processor as a gluten-free substitute for the panko--if you eat a gluten-free diet too, you'll want to add crispy brown rice cereal to the shopping list if your grocery store doesn't sell gluten-free panko. Serve these burgers with a side salad and your favorite chips.
Thursday
Vegan Paella With Smoked Tofu // This vegan paella may not be totally traditional, but I promise you what it lacks in authenticity it more than makes up for in flavor. I've replaced the classic Calasparra rice with short-grain brown rice to turn out a more healthful paella. Cubes of smoked tofu take the place of the traditional chorizo to keep things vegan, and a blend of peppers, carrot, fennel, and peas pack some good nutrition into this one-pan meal.
Friday
Lemon Gremolata Pizza from Oh My Veggies with Cauliflower Pizza Crust from Your Lighter Side // I must admit I was a little skeptical of lemons on pizza, but man was this good! I am a huge fan of cauliflower pizza crust because I can sneak more veggies into my kids' dinners. I served this pizza with salad.
Tips for This Week's Plan
- I added a bagged salad mix and salad dressing to the shopping list. A light salad rounds out the veggie burger and pizza dinners.
- Good news: the tomato soup freezes and reheats beautifully! So if you have leftovers, know that you can pop them in the freezer for later. (Or maybe you'll want to double the recipe!)
- I shared my tips for making the perfect fritatta on Potluck last year. If this is your first frittata rodeo, you might want to check it out!
- Leftover paella makes a great stuffing for bell peppers.
- Saffron threads aren't available at every grocery store and they can be a little pricey too! Feel free to leave them out of the paella--no worries, it will still be tasty.
Click here for a printable version of this week's meatless meal plan and shopping list, then click on the links above to print out each recipe. Now you're set for the week!
Cooking Jar and Happy Accidents says
Those recipes look so good, I wouldn't mind being a vegetarian! Lemon on pizza though is very different, never had it like that. I had no idea cauliflower could be made into a crust. Mashed yes, crust...woah!
Meg van der Kruik says
Ha! Yes cauliflower pizza crust blew my mind too. I didn't know about the lemons at first, but I assure you it is AMAZING:)
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness says
Wow, this meatless meal plan looks and sounds awesome!! I especially want to try the paella and sweet potato burgers. And tomato soup with grilled cheese always gets a thumbs up from me!
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay Nicole! So glad you are into this week's meal plan. It is seriously scrumptious!
Beth @ Tasty Yummies says
An amazing meal plan, I'd like to eat over at your house please 😉
Thanks again for including my frittata, I am in some amazing company here. xoxo
Meg van der Kruik says
Beth, you are more than welcome anytime! That frittata is amazing.
Beverly says
I'm so excited about a second week of "OhMyVeggies" meal planning! As I perused the grocery list, I wondered about the quantities of certain ingredients. So, I had to check all the recipes to see whether I had enough of certain items already on hand. It might be helpful, if the amounts required were included in the grocery list. For example, the tomato paste: I still have some from a recipe for the past week, of which I only used two tablespoons, so do not need to buy another whole can if a recipe calls for less than the amount remaining. What do you think, Kiersten? 🙂
Beverly says
I'm sorry...to whom should I be addressing my comments? Kiersten, or Meg? I looked down below and saw Kiersten's name, but above, it says, Meg.
Beverly says
P.S. The aroncini is baking in the oven...mmm...it smells so good! Can hardly wait to taste it!
Kiersten Frase says
That's a good point. I've been including amounts for items that can be bought in bulk, but I can start including the amounts for other ingredients too. 🙂
JulieD says
I love soup that freezes easily!! Love love love! I have been doing it a lot more lately. 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Julie, I do too!!! This soup quickly rose up to become one of my most requested dinners. I love having a few batches in the freezer ready for when I don't really feel like cooking a whole meal. Did I mention that it smells AMAZING when it is cooking?!
Joanne says
I so look forward to these meal plans every week! They're so inspiring. And I just happened to make that tomato soup a few weeks ago. The OJ and cinnamon were so fun.
Meg van der Kruik says
Joanne I am so glad that you liked the soup too! Aida really knocked it out of the park with the special additions in the soup.
Sean Roulston says
Wow, that food looks delicious!
What equipment do you use to take the photos of your food :)?
I'm also big on meal planning, it helps my wife and I stay on track...we've recently gone gluten free and realized that having a plan is the only way to be successful.
Thanks for your post:)
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks so much Sean! I am so glad that you find the meal plans helpful:) If you ever have any gluten free substitution questions I am happy to help. I use a Cannon EOS 60D for my photographs.
Erica says
Please don't ever stop putting these meals plans together! You've made my life so much easier, and my family can't stop raving about the food we've been eating. As an added bonus, my grocery bill has also dropped significantly. Love it!
Meg van der Kruik says
Erica, we are all so happy that these meal plans are working for you and that your family loves them too!
Michelle M says
I've been following this plan so far this week and the tomato soup tonight was incredible!
I only bought one 14oz can of diced tomatoes but I had a can of "chili ready diced tomatoes" in my cupboard so I used that too. My food processor was broken so I couldn't blend the soup but it didn't matter because it tasted SOOOOOOO amazing! I actually liked the chunkiness of the soup. I will DEFINITELY be making this again <3
Meg van der Kruik says
Michelle, that is SO awesome! I am glad you really liked the soup and now I don't know why I have never tried it chunky. Now I know what must happen next week at my house;)
Beverly says
Oh my goodness! The asparagus frittata and braised potatoes were awesome on Tuesday evening! Last night one of my daughters made dinner, so the tomato soup and sweet potato burgers will be prepared this evening. I do have a question, just to make sure, about the sweet potato burger recipe: When it says "1 [1/2] cup of Panko crumbs", that means ONE CUP PLUS ONE-HALF CUP OF CRUMBS, right? Not, one (half-cup)?
Thanks! Hope you can respond before I begin making these in a few hours. 🙂 If not...I'll just try a half-cup at a time and see how it "feels".
Have a lovely day!
Kiersten Frase says
In case Meg doesn't have a chance to respond today, I do think that it should be 1 *and* 1/2 cup, not 1 half cup. 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Woo ladies, so sorry! I have been in and out of town all week celebrating the holiday. I am so glad Kiersten could help you and yes it is 1 & 1/2 cups:)
Claire says
Those sweet potato burgers were probably the best veggie burgers I have ever had! Thanks for sharing.
Claire
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay Claire!! I agree they are simply amazing.
Jackie says
I would LOVE the Vegan Paella recipe but Beard and Bonnet seems to be offline 🙁 Will you share?
Meg van der Kruik says
Hey Jackie, I just emailed the recipe to you. So sorry for the frustration of B&B being down, but I am really glad you left a comment here so we could get the recipe to you. Hopefully my host will have it back up and running soon!