Feel free to try this next Sunday. I’m all about work week prep, so this is what I did. [Yes, I ate the same thing all 5 days]
Pumpkin “Ricotta” Bakes [makes 5 breakfasts]
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 12 oz. aseptic box silken tofu
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup almond milk (or liquid/milk of choice)
- 4-5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour (certified GF)
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Mash tofu until it resembles a ricotta cheese like texture. Add in pumpkin and then mix the rest of the ingredients together too. Divide into five small glass bowls or ramekins (approx 1 cup each) that have been sprayed with non-stick. Microwave for 1.5 – 2 minutes or until it has fully cooked.
Notes:
This makes a very delicate pancake recipe as well (but if you’re looking to make pancakes instead, you might want to halve the amount of tofu). I made them without altering this recipe, but I let them cook almost entirely on one side and then flipped with caution.
I tried a vegan version without eggs, but it didn’t work as well. Feel free to try tweaking it for yourself though. Ground flax seeds worked better than chia, but nothing got as puffy as the egg version.
The range of maple syrup depends on your sweet tooth. I used 4 tbsp but that’s because I added fruit and other sweet toppings. It’s not overly sweet this way, but if you’re used to sugary things in the AM, go for 5 tbsp.
This recipe is wheat and gluten free as long as you use oat flour that’s certified GF. If you don’t have wheat or gluten allergies, feel free to try subbing 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour for the almond meal/brown rice/oat combo. I haven’t tried it myself though.
If you have soy sensitivities and want to swap out the tofu, I’d recommend trying 1 cup of pureed cashews instead. Again, I haven’t tried this version, so I can’t comment on how it will turn out.
Toppings ideas:
- yogurt (coconut, almond, greek, etc.)
- nut butter
- chopped fresh fruit (pears, bananas, etc.)
- applesauce
- vegan caramel
- coconut whipped cream
- pumpkin/apple butter
- granola
Yay! A week of healthy breakfasts done.
My prepping didn’t stop there though. I’m a fiend in the kitchen when I know I have busy weeks ahead…
Ignore the other stuff, the food prep is on the lower right side.
Beets, sweet potatoes x2, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts salad.
Kyle has a couple of business lunches & dinners this week (where food is provided), hence the high volume of roasted veggie prep (for me!).
Monday
K – work lunch
E – salad w cashew dressing*
K & E – miso sweet potatoes and chili
Tuesday
K – veggie burger w quinoa
E – leftover miso sweet potatoes with quinoa, chili, veggies w hummus
K – pasta w leftover creamy tofu marinara
E – butternut squash w creamy tofu marinara
Wednesday
K – leftover pasta
E – brussels sprouts salad*
K – work dinner
E – gardein breast w collard greens
Thursday
K & E – MD appt and lunch on campus (?)
K & E – baby portabello stroganoff w quinoa
Friday
K – leftover stroganoff
E – “cheese” & beets salad*, veggies w hummus, quinoa w miso sauce
K & E – burrito night (tempeh, refried beans, guac, salsa, tortillas)
*More on individual recipes later.
I really need to jump back on the meal planning/food prep bandwagon, I’ll have to do that this weekend! And how do you prep your beets? I’ve only cooked my own once and it was a purple mess…
Great post! I love seeing the variety of meals u come up with for the week. It is SO easy to get stuck in food ruts. Awesome blog post!
PS–May I make a blog post request? Sadly, I see SO many of my favorite veg*n bloggers (and in-person friends) suddenly fall victim to the Paleo craze. Can u write a blog about this? They blame the vegan diet (“too hungry, never satisfied, got skinny-fat, body ‘craved’ meat, need meat to gain muscle, had to turn paleo for my Crossfit Box, meat/fat made my health better”….etc).
I dont get it…how can meats, sat fats, low carb + high pro/fat diets, no legumes/grains be healthy? I unfortunately fell prey to it and my health got WORSE..IDK how people claim better health on it, especially if eating a well-balanced veg*n diet! 😕
I value your no-nonsense perspectives on all things health/life-related.
Thanks!
Your fridge is impressively clean and organized. I used to share a fridge with three other people and it was always chaos. Now the BF and I have a full-sized fridge all to ourselves and it is STILL always chaos. I don’t understand how this happens.
I’m the meal planning goddess, as soon as I get groceries everything is washed, packed in green bags, and allocated to a certain position in the fridge/cupboard. I hate having to wash all my greens and product for my fresh juice in the morning. It’s also nice to already have lettuce washed and chopped, so all I have to do is add other little additions for a salad. Right now I’m inspired to add roasted sweet potato and brussels sprouts!
I WISH I could be that organized with prepping things ahead. I do have a fairly good idea of meals for the week, and sometimes plan ahead from that.
Sometimes all planning ahead means to me is setting out my knife and cutting board and apples the night before, so I can just get right to juicing… 😉
enjoy the stroganoff!
Red: wow, u have a great system! How long do the washed veggies (especially the greens) last in the fridge? Mine seem to go bad so quickly, especially the baby lettuces that come in the plastic box. Baby spinach seems to have the longest fridge life, but even then, it never lasts to its “due date”
Whats ur method for washing and preserving ur produce? What produce do u tend to buy and how often do u need to restock per week?
Thanks for the tips!
I find you to be a meal prepping & planning Queen:).
I’m already having visions of an array of perfectly packed ,’exotic’ baby food purees on this blog, hehe. Your little boy is going to be perhaps the best fed baby ever!
Xxx
I’m very impressed with your organization! Now that Seth and I are married and living together, I am finding it a tad difficult to transition to cooking for two. Definitely using a few of your ideas for meals this week!
You’re such an impressive prepper! I really need to get better at it…I spend waaaaay too long cooking different things throughout the week. Those riccotta bakes look awesome– where have you been getting silken tofu? My Whole Foods doesn’t carry it anymore! So sad 🙁
Im not gonna lie. Im newer to this blog and absolutely love it. The selfish part of me is worried that she will be to busy with baby boy to post! My kids are older but I wouldnt even mind baby posts 🙂
are you going to do a post on how you’ve been dealing with constipation during your pregnancy? I know you said that water and fiber weren’t cutting it, so I was wondering what else you have been doing to help that.
Those miso sweet potatos are sooo good! I took them to a staff potluck and then brought home a few to have in my lunch this week. Such a good combo!
All the food looks so good Elise! But question-I’m all about meal planning and I try to do it as much as possible…but what happens if you get to Thursday and the meal you planned for is something you are NOT in the mood for? Are you economical and eat it anyway?
most of the time yes, we will stick to the plan. sometimes i dont feel in the mood but once its in front of me i change my tune. every once in a while ill switch things around in the week based on food cravings/preferences, but i hate wasting food, so ill make sure i eventually make the planned meal. the good thing about food prepping is it makes it hard to say no to an already ready meal. but i will say, having a well stocked fridge and pantry saves me often. so many times i just want my go-to hippie bowl of quinoa and carrots and seitan. those are things i always have.
im not sure i have enough to say on it to do a whole post. but ill address it in the near future since youre interested.
sad for your whole foods 🙁
you can order them online for cheap cheap cheap though (try amazon).
sarah – thats gotta be the best compliment ive ever received. as long as my boy is happy, ill be happy.
stacey – ill do my best!! good to know baby posts will be welcomed though 🙂
good luck!
im with bee. mine dont stay fresh if i wash them right away. i keep spinach, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes on hand at all times. but i never pre-wash or cut them or anything. whatever extra veg i buy (broccoli, etc.) i dont touch until im going to use it. the only things i prep in bulk ahead of time are roasted veggies, squash, potatoes. tips??
omg stacy, ive been trying so hard to stay away from a rant on that very subject. ugh. paleo. i think i should probably not go down that road…
i just chop them and roast them like I would any other veggie (ie butternut squash). tossed in olive oil and roasted at 375 for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size and amount). i remove the ends only (leaving the rest of the outer skin). im not sure if others remove the outside part but oh well. no red stained hands for me.
Pingback: The week’s recap
Hi Elise,
I’m new to the low FODMAP diet and am wondering how you are going with yours? I notice that some of your posts have you eating whole wheat, lentils, brussel sprouts and other things that are we are told to stay away from. Does this mean that through your challenges you’ve worked out that these foods don’t affect you?
Thanks,
Shirley
Ahhh This makes my organizational OCD happy! 🙂
hi shirley,
i just posted this, which i think will answer a lot of your questions:
http://fodmapsdiet.com/2012/11/12/my-definition-of-low/
Thanks Elise! Explains a lot. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable in sharing. It gives me hope that I’m not going to have to totally restrict all of these foods from my diet. I was bewildered because eating these foods never used to cause a problem!
not at all. i simply wish i had more concrete answers to be helpful.
Hi Elise,
I just found your blog when I was browsing Pinterest and am super excited to become a regular reader and try many of your recipes. This food prep post inspires me to be more consistent about my planning. I am usually pretty good at making my work food the night before, but this week, I have been slacking (tired from traveling for Thanksgiving) and today is my fourth day eating a PBJ for lunch (lame). I should start making food on the weekends – how long does it usually take you to prep everything for the week? And I’m curious, do you work every day or are you on an on-week/off-week schedule?
hi suzan – im glad you found me too!! its so hard to get motivated again after the holidays…luckily we have a ton of leftovers or it may be daily pb&js around here too.
i work 3 12 hour shifts a week. they totally vary. usually i work two in a row and then have a day or two off before the next shift(s). i also typically alternate weekends. so basically i map out my work schedule ahead of time, compare it to my husbands work schedule, and plan meals accordingly. if i have a few work days in a row (or just a bunch of busy days), ill try to get things all ready in advance. not including grocery shopping, this can sometimes take me several hours. however if i have in between days off, i will only prep for the immediate meals and leave the next set of days’ meals to get ready for those in between days off. does this make sense? its kinda hard to write out here, but when i put the weekly meal plan on paper it becomes much more clear. i remind myself with to-do things on my days off (like make bulk quinoa, make cornbread, make salad dressing, roast potatoes, soak beans, etc.)
here’s another good post for you too: http://www.hungryhungryhippie.com/a-rough-week/
(because sometimes i leave it a little more loose and flexible if our schedule is potentially variable)
hope that helps!
That makes complete sense – thanks for the info! 12 hour shifts would be intense – all the more reason to fuel your body well and come prepared!
I just work the good old 8-5 grind Mo- Fr, but I love feeling healthy throughout the week and always work out during lunch and then sometimes after work also. I am excited for you to be a mom and make sure your child is well-nourished and creates good habits – so many people don’t understand how important food is in a small child’s (and fetus’!!!) development.
Rock on 🙂