Meal Plan (day before) Monday.

So, I had a serious craving for cottage pie. Why? Who the hell knows. It's insane given that we're in the middle of a serious heatwave. 100 degree weather anyone? Yeah. But, cottage pie is what I wanted so cottage pie is what I made.

Monday
Lunch: Leftover cottage pie, grapes, homemade graham crackers and banana bites.
Dinner: Pasta with olive oil, grape tomatoes, fresh basil and red pepper

Tuesday
Lunch: Fruit salad, pb & j pocket and sweet potato chips
Dinner: Taco rice and green salad

Wednesday
Lunch: Leftover cottage pie, grapes and rice pudding
Dinner: Tostada bowl

Thursday
Lunch: Pb & banana sandwich, grape tomatoes and nectarine slices
Dinner: Ramen, cucumber salad and orange wedges

Friday
Lunch: cucumber salad, potato dumplings and grapes
Dinner: Tacos

So, how does one make veggie cottage pie? Well, I'll tell you.

In a large pan, saute one minced swede, one minced turnip and a couple of minced carrots. Once softened, stir in some veggie crumbles. Add a ladle or so of hot stock (or water, if so inclined). Let this simmer a minute. Then, take a can of Heinz Vegetarian Baked Beans and puree them. Mix in some vegan Worcestershire sauce, and whatever herbs and spices you like (cinnamon, oregano, cumin and thyme are my favorites). Pour this over the veggie mixture. Give it a good stir and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add in a "whack" of tomato paste. Simmer another few minutes. Pour this mixture into a baking tray, top with mashed potatoes. Score the mashed potatoes and then brush with a little melted vegan margarine. Pop into the oven for a couple of minutes until the mashed potatoes get lovely little golden-brown bits.

Wait a few minutes to consume, or be a daredevil and shovel the molten cottage pie goodness into your mouth straight away. Either way is good.

Oh, and what's a banana bite you may be wondering? It's a banana sliced in half, spread with nutella, and then cut into bite sized pieces which are individually wrapped and frozen. Yum!

Love, or fear of the cold?

It's been too hot to cook so I've been surviving on toast and various salads. As I've posted my salad method before, I don't think it's necessary to go into that. I will say that recently a friend shared an AMAZING and super delicious recipe for a vegan potato salad made with avocado dressing. The original recipe is from Vegan Brunch. Give it a try if you go in for silky textured potato salad.

Today is considerably cooler than the past several weeks have been so I am spending the day in the kitchen. I am making a couple loaves of bread, a bean soup (in the crock pot, it's not that chilly outside!), spicy lentils and a big pot of my current favorite red sauce. Last time I made it I used some for pasta, and ended up eating the rest with a loaf of bread. What? It's sort of soup-like. Oh just shut up. You only wish you were clever enough to think of eating it this way yourself.

My food budget is pretty spare this month due to some major expenses, so I'll largely be living off what's currently in my pantry, fridge and freezer. Not a lot of "fresh" this month beyond what I have on hand, grows in my minuscule herb garden, grows in my friend's gardens or on neighborhood trees.

Accordingly, Meal Plan Monday this week is going to look a little different.

I am making three base items, and I'll be eating a week of meals based on those three bases.

17 Bean Soup will be eaten as is, and also mashed up, spiced up and served over jacket potatoes.

Spicy Lentils will be eaten with rice, doused liberally with hot sauce and other spices and served in tortillas and also mixed with barbecue sauce and served "sloppy joe" style.

My Favorite Red Sauce will be eaten over pasta and also thinned out with red wine and mushroom stock and baked with vegetables as a sort of ratatouille.

Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it isn't tasty.