Day 2: Minestrone Soup and Meatloaf with Wild Rice and Brussel Sprouts

Lunch: Minestrone Soup

You can find the recipe for Minestrone Soup here. We also toasted some Ezekiel bread to dip in it.

Dinner: Meatloaf 

You can find this recipe from The Engine 2 Diet.

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
10 ounces firm tofu, drained
1/4  cup walnuts, finely chopped
12 oz vegetarian meat, I used temphe bacon
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
3 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. each thyme, sage, and rosemary
Ketchup to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a loaf pan. Saute the celery, onion, and garlic on high heat in a sprayed skillet for 5 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and cool. Mash the tofu in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked mixture and remaining ingredients, and combine well. Spoon the mixture into a loaf pan. Top with a layer of ketchup. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Brussel Sprouts:

1 lb of Brussel Sprouts
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. maple syrup

Rinse and cut Brussel Sprouts in half and put in a large mixing bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic powder and stir. Place flat side down on baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way through, until they are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Wild Rice:

3 1/4 cups water
2 cups long grain wild rice mix

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice mix, cover the pan, reduce heat, and simmer for 50 minutes.

2. Remove pan from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Enjoy! 😍

Day 1: TuNO Fish Wraps with Israel Quinoa Salad and Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna

Here is what's on the menu for DAY 1:

Breakfast: For the next 10 days I will either eat oatmeal with fruit, a little maple syrup sprinkled with cinnamon or Ezekiel bread with apple butter. 

Lunch: I made TuNo Fish Wraps in Ezekiel tortillas. The recipe can be found here. I also paired it with Israel Quinoa Salad from Forks Over Knives The Cookbook. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (from 1-2 medium tomatoes)

1 inely chopped medium cucumber (from about 1 medium cucumber)

1 finely red bell pepper (you can roast it if you want, I did not)

1 tbsp. finely chopped basil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain. Bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa, cumin, and turmeric, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.

2. While the quinoa cools, combine the tomato, cucumber, red pepper, basil, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir in the cooled quinoa and season with salt and pepper. Yum!

Dinner: For dinner I am making the Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna from Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn. Recipe can be found here. I substituted the beans for a block of tofu though. 

10 Day Challenge!

I usually eat pretty healthy, but I am upping my game for the next 10 days and going completely Whole Food Plant-Based No Oil (WFPBNO). Another family member, including my husband, are also joining me to keep each other accountable. I have made a menu for the next 10 days and this is the first time I've actually meal prepped. I'm really hoping I will continue doing so, because though it takes more time in the beginning, I love not having to stress about what to make each day for lunch and dinner.

Here are the rule for our challenge according to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn:

1. Do not eat meat.

2. Do not eat chicken, even white meat.

3. Do not eat fish.

4. Do not eat any dairy products. That means no skim milk, no nonfat yogurt, no sherbet, and no cheese at all.

5. Do not eat eggs. That includes egg whites and even egg substitutes that contain egg whites.

6. Do not use any oil at all. Not even virgin olive oil or canola oil.

7. Use only whole-grain products. That means no white flour products. Be sure the list of ingredients uses a phrase like "whole wheat" or "whole grain." Avoid semolina and wheat flour, which are actually white. Use brown rice.

8. Do not drink fruit juice. (It is fine to eat fruit, or to use small amounts of fruit juice in recipes or to flavor beverages.

9. Do not eat any nuts (although if you have no heart disease, you can occasionally have walnuts.) For this challenge we will be eating very little cashews and walnuts.

10. Do not eat avocados. For this challenge we will eat two meals with avocado, but in very small amounts. 

11. Do not eat coconut.

12. Eat soy products cautiously. Many are highly processes and high in fat. Use "light" tofu. Avoid soy cheese, which almost always contains oil and casein. For this challenge we will eat two meals with tofu. 

13. Read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell with Thomas M. Campbell II


My goals are to add more delicious go-to meals in with our other regulars and to cut processed food out of my diet.

10 days of delicious, plant-based food, let's get started!