Sunday, February 2, 2014

Menu Plan --Transitioning to VB6


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The Whole30 went well. Really well. I am thrilled I did it. But, I have to say, it is quite the transition from a meat and veggie centered diet (W30, Paleo) to one built around veggies and grains (VB6).

But, we must.

I am so glad Mark Bittman wrote Vegan Before 6:00. Not only does he lay out the world-view behind it (argued for much more extensively in Food Matters) but he includes the principles and 28 days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. (There is a really nice account of someone's experience with the VB6 food protocol at The Kitchn.)

As the title suggests, breakfast and lunch are meat, dairy, and egg free. At dinner, he says, "anything goes" but the dinners in VB6 are quite light on the meat. Although it is allowed after 6pm, "Meat is a treat." We will work up to that, eventually, I'm sure.

The numbers in brackets are the hours I am working this week. I try to make new dishes and dishes which require longer cooking times on my days off. The only exception is crock-pot cooking--or something I can make ahead of time and then tell the kids to pop in the oven for me when they get home from school (like Friday's Beer Braised Cross Rib Roast).

On Sale:
Chicken Drumsticks  $2.89/lb (6.37/kg)
Chicken Thighs  $2.99/lb (6.59/kg)
Pork Loin Centre Cut Roast  $4.49/lb (9.90/kg)
Cross Rib Roast  $3.99/lb (8.80/kg)

So, here we are.

Breakfast
I will do my best to return to my beloved porridge oats with apples, raisins and nuts for extra flavour and satiety. I may also look up savoury oatmeal. I don't really want all that sweetness for breakfast anymore. It's only been two days and I miss my veggie egg scrambles already!

Lunch
 My husband and I need to take our lunch every day we work. I will make up these three recipes the night before we need them and they should last each of us two days. Each recipe makes four servings.

Chickpea Ratatouille (Bittman, VB6, p. 167)

Easiest Veggie Soup (Bittman, VB6, p. 160)

Greens and Beans Soup (Bittman, VB6, p. 164)

Dinner
Here is where I go back to my old tricks. I am just not ready to treat meat as a condiment--and I doubt my family is either! So, for this week, at least, we will be eating our usual meat and veggies.

Monday: (10-6)
Roasted Chicken thighs stuffed with garlic and onion. Spaghetti squash, yam and turnip fries, steamed broccoli

Tuesday: (off)
Cabbage, Sauerkraut and Pork Chops. (Bittman, VB6, p. 227)

Wednesday: (7-3)
Easy Chicken drumsticks on Roots

Thursday: (7-3)
European Pork, apples and cabbage on cauliflower "rice." (Joulwen, Well Fed, p. 36)

Friday: (10-7)
Beer Braised Cross rib roast, roasted beets, salad

Saturday:
Garlic Pork Roast w/roasted sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli

Sunday:
Pan cooked Grated Veggies and Crunchy Fish. (Bittman, Food Matters, p. 248)

Yes, our dinners are light on the "whole grains." I am still quite nervous about incorporating them back into my diet. My weight loss goal this month is to maintain the 12 pounds I lost in January.


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