This post is to share some updates from last month with all of you and also my once-a-month weekly vegan meal plan. I’ve been missing in action in the online world for a few months now. I am trying to find a balance between the online and offline engagements. Right now I’m heavily tipped towards the offline world. I’ve been busy with gardening, cooking, crafting, traveling, and meeting family and friends.
One of the clichés that I find myself saying quite often is Time Flies! It surely does. It feels like just yesterday when we came to Houston and now it’s already been 3 months. Can’t believe we are almost halfway through August already! Do you sometimes feel that that?
I started sharing monthly updates with the weekly meal plan since last month. I feel it’s a beautiful way to connect to you all. To let you in a little more into my world. I would love to hear back from you with your feedback on whether or not I should do this.
If you would like to skip the monthly updates, click here to jump to the meal plan directly. There you can also download the pdf of the complete 7-day vegetarian meal plan with the grocery list.
Mindfulness and Food | Volunteering in Schools
I continued with volunteering at the summer school. My objective has been to introduce kids to mindfulness and develop a deeper connection to food and its sources. One o the games that I really loved playing with kids was “Thank the Farmer”. We took turns to think about everyone and everything responsible for the food that we are eating. From parents to shopkeepers, to farmers, to sunlight and rain — we had a huge list of people and nature to thank for :-).
We did a lot of harvesting before summer heat builds up and made fresh basil pesto in a mortar-pestle for everybody.
Qabool Hai — A family wedding!
Weddings are such joyous times. I feel they are an excuse for many friends and family get-togethers. Last month we traveled to NJ for a cousin’s wedding. The dancing, the dressing up, the jokes, the laughter… lots of happy memories created. The wedding itself was a beautiful blend of Indian, Pakistani, and American cultures and first-of-a-kind for me.
A full house!
Our shipment arrived last month and from living out of two suitcases, cooking with just 2 pots, we are now a full kitchen and a full house 🙂 The frames are up, the clothes are hanged, the books are displayed and the kitchen cabinets are full. Remember this empty floor picture I shared when we had just moved in? 🙂
With a full kitchen, meal planning is even better as now I have any and every utensil I may need. The wooden cutting board and the big knife, big sieve to make poha, the pressure cooker for the beans, the right pot, and the right pan. You know what I mean!
Below is this month’s 7-day vegan meal plan.
7-day vegan meal plan with recipe links
You can download the meal plan with a complete grocery list and prep notes here.
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | SNACKS (for in-between meals) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MONDAY | Blueberry Pancakes (use flax eggs instead of egg in the recipe) | Hummus and Avocado Wrap | Cauliflower Scramble Chickpeas Curry Bajra Roti | Vegetable Sticks with Hummus |
| TUESDAY | 2 slices Banana Bread 1 cup Almond Milk and Fresh fruit | leftovers from dinner | Mushroom & Garlic Spaghetti | Date bars Fresh fruits |
| WEDNESDAY | Banana Oatmeal Smoothie and fruits | Quinoa Stir-fry | Coconut Curry Potato, Brown Rice, Steamed Green Beans, and Raw Salad | Banana Bread |
| THURSDAY | Granola with Almond milk and berries | leftovers from dinner | Sweet Potato & Peas stir-fry Lentil curry Paratha | Crispy Kale Chips & Fresh Berries |
| FRIDAY | Hazelnut Chocolate Oatmeal | Roti/ tortilla wraps with leftover Sweet Potato & Peas Sabzi | Tomato Basil Pasta | Bread slices with nut butter or Hummus |
| SATURDAY | BRUNCH Soya Mince stuffed flat-bread (Baida Roti) with coconut yogurt raita | Soya Mince veg-fry, Yellow Lentils, Rice | Date bars/ Banana Bread Fresh fruits & nuts | |
| SUNDAY | BRUNCH Tofu Scramble (Tofu Bhurji) with toasted bread | Eat Out | Anything you wish (Chips/ cookies/ date bars/ fruits/ nuts...) |
A few notes:
- The mushroom spaghetti I made is slightly different from the recipe on the blog. I used gluten-free brown rice spaghetti noodles and also added a little coconut and almond cream to the mushroom sauté for added creaminess. No cheese was added.
- Spreads like hummus and chutneys can be made over the weekend and kept in the fridge for the whole week.
- Same with other snack items like date bars, banana bread, and kale chips — make over the weekend and keep for the week.
- You can access all the meal plans here.
Connect with me
If you try this meal plan or any of the recipes here a try, I would really love to know. Tag your picture with #weekendkitchen on Instagram or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and/or Pinterest.
Or join our newest (and a little slow) journey into Recipe Videos.
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