Last week’s low-carb menu went well, so I thought I’d post this week’s menu as well. My hope is that meal planning, even when the meals are very simple, will help me eat healthier, waste less food and be more organized in general.

The big meal I’m makiRed Beans & RIceng this week will be red beans and rice. Except I won’t be using rice, I’ll be using roasted cauliflower. I’ve been using roasted cauliflower as a replacement for rice for awhile now and it works really well. I’m not a big fan of “ricing” cauliflower because it tends to retain so much moisture that things get soggy. But roasting the florets with olive oil, salt and pepper until they’re crispy brings out their nutty flavor and gives them a nice texture.

I should point out that beans aren’t considered low carb. I’m just really craving Red Beans & Rice and I have the ingredients on hand, so I’m gonna make it.

As for last week’s recipes, the only one I know I’ll make again is the Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa. It’s crazy-flavorful and it’s even more delicious the next day for lunch. I left it off this week’s menu for variety’s sake, but it won’t be long before I make it again.

Beyond the Red Beans & Roasted Cauliflower, this week’s menu will be pretty simple. As we head into fall, I’m craving comfort food but it’s not quite cool enough to warrant a full-on fall menu. I will be using my crock pot at least once, however, so overall, my meals are getting heartier. Breakfasts are the same as last week–one egg, vegetarian sausage or other meat replacement, sour cream and salsa. I find that eating the same breakfast every day (until I’m sick of it and find another one) is a good way to simplify my eating life.

9/26
Lunch: Skillet with ground turkey, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli and mozzarella cheese.

Dinner: Red Beans & Roasted Cauliflower

9/27
Lunch: Skillet leftovers
Dinner: Fish & vegetable

9/28
Lunch: Red Beans & Roasted Cauliflower leftovers
Dinner: Cabbage Rolls

9/29
Lunch: Cabbage Rolls leftovers
Dinner: Fish or chicken & vegetable

9/30
Day trip; menu TBD

I’ve been giving lots of thought to transitioning to a more meat-free/vegan diet. I’ll be switching over to vegan cheese, sour cream and mayo as soon as I’ve finished what I have in my fridge. Trader Joe’s sells a delicious shredded cheese that tastes good and melts well and I enjoy Vegannaise as much as regular mayo, so that’s easy. I’ve never tried vegan sour cream so I might have to search for one I like–we’ll see.

I have no aspirations to become completely vegan but my goal is to eventually eat a mostly vegan diet. It’s unrealistic for me to switch over cold-turkey but doing it step-by-step is doable.

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