cabbage

Not Marvelous Monday (although today was pretty awesome)…but, Meatless Monday!

I woke up early yesterday morning and got my meals all planned out for the week. With the chill in the air, I was ready for some autumn recipes!

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My meals have been lacking in the greens and veggies this past week, so I stocked up!

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This morning, I headed to the gym for a workout. My trainer actually got a promotion so I started with a new trainer today. It was a good workout, but I could definitely tell that I am not fully recovered from last week’s illness. Even more reason to be eating lots of vitamins and veggies!

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After my workout, I swung by Whole Foods to pick up a probiotic (Good Belly is my favorite and I am hoping that it will get my stomach back under control). My store just opened a smoothie bar and I happily sucked down a Caribbean Green post-workout drink on my way back home.

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While the BOY clicked away on his computer, I got started on fall soup. It was exciting to pull out my soup pot again!

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This recipe is chock full of veggies, beans, and lentils complete with kale and cabbage.

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Perfect to keep you warm on those chilly fall days!

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Unfortunately, this pictures doesn’t do the soup justice because we rushed out of the house this afternoon to head downtown to meet with a photographer for our wedding. I am confident that his photos will be much better looking than mine : )

Combined with this Autumn Chopped Salad, it’s going to be an exciting week of fall eats!

What is your favorite soup recipe?

What do you eat for Meatless Monday?

Meal Planning 10/05/14

Sunday: Buffalo Turkey Chili

Monday: Out to Eat

Tuesday: Sweet Potato Bar (with chicken and broccoli)

Wednesday: BBQ Pork and Veggies

Thursday: Leftovers

Lentil, Bean, and Kale Soup (aka Autumn Soup)

Slightly adapted from Glow Kitchen

Ingredients

1 bunch kale leaves

1 can (15-1/2 ounces) black eyed peas, rinsed

¼ cup red lentils

¼ cup green lentils

1 medium onion, diced

3 small carrots, diced

1/2 cabbage, chopped

2 garlic cloves, whole (or chopped)

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

28 ounces canned crushed tomato

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 -3 cups water (or veggie stock)

Directions

Sauté the diced onions, carrots, cabbage, and red pepper with garlic cloves in olive oil until they start becoming soft. Chop kale leaves and add them to the pan. Sauté another 5 minutes. The kale leaves will lose their volume. Next add tomato paste, mashing it with a spatula to disperse throughout. Once evenly combined, add the crushed tomatoes, lentils, and beans. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, cumin, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce.

Add water/veggie stock so that there is a 2-inch difference between the top of the water and the top of the mixture. Bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer cooking for 50-60 minutes until carrot and kale leafs are soft enough to eat.

Serve warm with crusty bread or freeze for later.

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Well, it’s only taken me to February 18th to get back into the swing of Meal Planning. And it’s taken me until Wednesday to get this post out to you (mostly because yesterday’s post was all about marathon registration stress). But, better late than never…right?! The BOY has jumped on board the 2013 get healthy bandwagon. He has always been a big help with meal planning, but we have some noticeable differences in our taste preferences. To help me out and give me some suggestions for meals, he went through a few of my favorite cookbooks and ear marked some recipes to try.

Which is exactly where I started. Although the BOY and I eat a variety of cuisines, I don’t always know how to cook ethnic foods at home.

But this week, I spiced things up a bit…

Monday: Curried Veggie Burgers from Pinch of Yum

Tuesday: Veggie Rich Asian Chicken Stew (recipe below)

Wednesday: Chicken Tacos (made by the BOY)

Thursday: Sleeping at Mom and Dad’s

The Game Plan…

Make Tuesday’s dinner Monday in the crockpot.

Then whip up the veggie burgers for Monday’s dinner hoping for leftovers for lunch this week (which I got).

Isn’t this a colorful looking stew???

The veggies, seasoning, and broth go into the crockpot first.

With a half our to go, you add the chicken (or tofu if you prefer). Could this be any easier?!

The BOY was upset with how watery our dinner was. Once I explained that it was a soup, he seemed a little more on board…ha ha!

Per the title, this soup is definitely veggie rich and I LOVED the flavor and texture of the cabbage.

Although it doesn’t have a super strong flavor, so you could possibly add some soy sauce to taste. I really enjoyed the mild flavored soup with a touch of sea salt. It is the perfect heart warming dinner for these frozen nights!

Veggie Rich Asian Chicken Stew

From The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth

Ingredients

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 ribs celery, sliced on the diagonal

1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned

1 1/2 ups thinly sliced Napa cabbage

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

1 can (8 ounces) bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained

6 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp low sodium tamari

1 tbsp mirin

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

scallions and black sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, cabbage, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, broth, ginger, garlic, tamari, and mirin in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, until all of the the vegetables are tender.

Add the chicken (and tofu if using) for the last half hour of cooking time. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

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