Wait, did I just say vegan??

After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives and concurrently reading The China Study, I’ve decided to drastically cut back on my animal intake. Somehow Tyler jumped on the bandwagon too and we’ve been changing our eating habits. Or in other words, the Jones household is taking on a whole foods, plant-based diet. We’re not vegan. We’ve got eggs in our fridge, goldfish crackers in our cupboard, and a stockpile of chicken stock. We’ve just decided to drastically cut back on some things.

For breakfast and lunch, Tyler is on his own. His bowl of frosted mini spooners (or was it oatmeal squares this morning?) and milk for breakfast isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He eats leftovers or pb&j for lunch, along with a yogurt, string cheese, and goldfish crackers.

For breakfast and lunch, I eat with Jack. We make oatmeal and fruit most mornings, or I’ll have cheerios and soymilk if I’m not feeling the oatmeal.  For lunch, we mix things up. Sometimes it’s pb&j or leftovers. Or salad. Yesterday we made “fajitas” (I sauteed bell pepper, carrots and onions and rolled them into whole wheat tortillas). Yum.

For dinner, Tyler has agreed to eat what I make, with one condition: “it MUST taste good.” I am also on a $50/week grocery budget, which surprisingly has been easier than ever! Here are the meals we have made so far:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas (would DEFINITELY make these again – I have one friend that told me she makes these every week!)

Broccoli “Cheese” Pasta Bake (Great, but needs more flavor. Maybe it’s because I used soymilk instead of almond milk? I’ll have to tweak it a little bit or substitute it with this sauce instead. We’d make it again. Tyler took the leftovers for lunch two days in a row!)

Black Bean and Millet Stuffed Bell Peppers (Yummy, but again, needed more flavor. Up the spice content on this one and make sure you toast the millet beforehand! We’d make them again.)

Chocolate Chip Banana Brownies (SO GOOD! They are so low in fat you don’t feel guilty eating them, and they are fudgy and moist. Not necessarily a brownie texture, but definitely hits that sweet spot if you’ve been craving chocolate!)

Roasted Root Vegetable Candy (I ate these for “dessert” last night. Vegetables for dessert??)

Black Bean Cocoa Quinoa (Hated this. I ended up dumping it I was so revolted by the flavors. Cinnamon and cocoa is not a great combo for me.)

Zucchini Bread Muffins (FANTASTIC. I am so happy I made a double batch!!)

Sweet Potato Stew (Loved this, recommended it to my sister, and her family loved it as well!)

Veggie Stir Fry with Tofu and Brown Rice (Marinate your tofu in 1 T. lemon juice, 3 T. soy sauce, 1 T. honey and fry up in a pan. Toss 1 T. hoisin sauce, 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. minced ginger, 2 t. minced garlic, 2 T. lemon juice and 1 T. honey with your veggies and stir fry. Serve over brown rice. Definitely a keeper.)

Baked Potatoes (No real recipe here, but toppings could include roasted broccoli…mmmm)

Tonight is a leftovers night. Turns out our food is so filling we eat a lot less of it! (Or do we eat more and our recipes are just larger? Hmm.) I’ll keep you all posted when I come across more recipes.

As for now, got 2 zucchini? Go make those zucchini muffins (double the recipe). They are to die for. (No, really. Even Jack gobbles them right up!)