Menu Plan Monday

Late post from me today, but we have had a crazy day! I didn't post my menu last week because I was in Texas visiting my best friend. She is my oldest and dearest friend...I don't know how I would have gotten this far in my life without her. She's awesome. Anyway, not only did I have to develop my menu plan, but I'm working on one for her. :) Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday - Veggie paninis
Tuesday - Veggie curry
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Ratatouille on rolls
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Calzones with homemade sauce
Sunday - Lentil sloppy joes

Breakfast will be fruit, cereal, oatmeal, and granola.
Lunch will be leftovers, PB&J, smoothies, and raw oatmeal "cookie dough (sort of resembles cookie dough in taste, but does not have the fat and is rich in nutrients)".

We are pretty lean on meat this week. It's the end of the month, which means that we are at the end of the grocery budget. Vegetarian meals tend to be cheaper, so there will be lots of veggies, beans and lentils until the beginning of November. :)

For more menus, check out Orgjunkie.

Gluten-free Fruit Muffins

First things first...we are not gluten free in our house, but I love a yummy, healthier muffin option. About a month ago or so, I stumbled on this post at Love Veggies and Yoga (have you checked out Averie's blog? If you haven't, you must!). I loved that the recipe was super simple, took hardly any time, and yielded a product that would serve as a somewhat healthy snack for J throughout the day. This child takes after her momma. She is a hardcore grazer. Makes organized meal times pretty much non-existent, but I digress....

The problem I had with this recipe is that it called for brown and white sugar, neither of which I have in my house. I had to modify the recipe to adjust for what ingredients I had on hand. The last time I made these muffins, I quadrupled the recipe and added a 1/4 cup more buckwheat flour than I had in the past. I thought the texture of the muffins were better than the previous times I had made them. So, I will share the way I made them the last time.

Gluten-free Fruit Muffins
4 cups oats
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 cups maple syrup (this amount can be cut down if you want a less sweet muffin)
2 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil spread
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all of the above ingredients and let sit for about 10 minutes. The batter will thicken some as it sits. You want the consistency of pancake batter.

After 10 minutes, add 1/2 cup fruit. The first time I made these, I used blueberries because they were in season. Now we've switched to peaches. I bet you could use whatever kind of fruit you'd like and they would be delicious!

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen muffins. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Look at all that whole grain deliciousness! :)

And a closer look...yummy!!!!

I am working on omitting the olive oil spread to make them healthier, but we didn't have any applesauce on hand when I made these last. I bet you could sub at least half, if not all of the spread with applesauce and the texture would still turn out the same.

Hope you enjoy these! I know J does! :)

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

So, most of you already make bread, I bet. I wanted to share my recipe that I have tweaked and re-tweaked since we purchased our bread maker. I found it very hard to find a recipe that is 100% Whole Wheat. Most of them call for some amount of bread flour. I started getting annoyed with having to make sure I had two different types of flour and then we ended up cutting out all refined flours. So, Beth's Whole Wheat Bread was created. :)

3 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt
1-1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil spread
1 rounded Tbsp honey
1/2 cup almond milk (cow's, soy or rice milk would work too)
9 oz. warm water
1 1/4 tsp yeast

1. Put all ingredients in your bread pan as specified by your user's manual (my current one says dry ingredients first, my old one said liquids first).
2. Set on either a Whole Wheat Bread cycle or a 1 1/2 pound loaf with medium color crust.
3. Enjoy!

I put 1-1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil spread because the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 Tbsp, but I'm pretty sure I use closer to 1 Tbsp (I don't measure it). Either amount will work.

This recipe was revised from one that I found in my bread machine user's manual. When my daughter was born, it was important to make Whole Wheat Bread with no dairy products. I had a hard time figuring out the appropriate dry/wet ingredient mix to yield the light, fluffy bread I wanted. Finally, I got the mix just right and this is what the inside of the final product looks like:

Apparently I can't cut in a straight line, but it's delicious nonetheless. :) I hope that you enjoy the results! Please let me know if you try it.

Oh! P.S. If you have an abbreviated bread cycle on your machine (mine shortens the time from 5 hours to 3 hours), then use another tsp of yeast. I typically use that cycle, so I'm always putting in 2 1/4 tsp of yeast.

Happy bread making!!!

Menu Plan Monday

So, last week I had all intentions of posting a recipe for these gluten free muffins that my daughter loves. I went to take the picture and there was no battery left. Hmph. I do have a bread recipe to share though. I will either post it later today or tomorrow.

Here's what we are eating this week:

Monday - Yellow squash and tomatoes over whole wheat pasta
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Beef stew
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Not sure yet...my parents are coming in town and I have a feeling they will probably take us out for dinner.
Saturday - Calzones for my hubby, but I will be in TX!!!!!!
Sunday - Leftovers for hubby (still in TX :))

What's on your menu? Go to Orgjunkie to see many other menu plans.

Menu Plan Monday

Hi all! Once again, another couple of weeks has passed and I don't seem to know where it went. I apologize for my sporadic posts. I really am trying to make this a daily thing. I have many recipes to share with you! But, for now, here is my menu plan for the week:

Monday - Beef and bean burritos with homemade tortillas
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Chicken stir fry with greens and brown rice
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Calzones with homemade sauce
Saturday - Squash with tomatoes over whole wheat pasta
Sunday - Cajun lentils and rice

Breakfasts will be muffins, homemade granola, cereal and millet squares.
Lunches will be leftovers, smoothies, fruit with nut butter, and PB&J.

Head over to Orgjunkie and check out more meal plans.