Whole food recipes?

[brbmake]

I dont know if this is the right area as I am fairly new to MDC, but I am looking for some good whole food recipes.

My mother raised me on everything boxed and prepackaged. I have always had issues with my weight and eating for comfort. We have really changed our ways in the last year, including becoming vegetarian. I am trying to change my thinking on food from comfort to simply fuel for my body so I can live my life healthy. In doing so I find I am having a hard time finding recipes that are just simple, basic, healthy meals. I want stuff that is basically stuff like lentils, dried beans, quinoa, veggies, ect. I am not even looking for food tht blows me out of the water in taste. If you can say "It's not bad" that is good enough for me.

I just want it to meet all requirements of a healthy balanced meal, that is 'relatively' easy to make. I am a SAHM, so I do have more time, but I am hoping to go back t school in the fall, so 'relatively' easy. I am also trying to not break the bank, in fact, I would love if our grocery budget went down. We spend about $200/week for a family of 5. I shop mostly at Target and at Sprouts (like a Whole Foods or Trader Joes). I also dont want any crazy ingredients that cant be bought at one of those 2 places. If you have website links that would be awesome to multiple recipes, or if you have your own to share I would love to hear them. I am allergic to eggplant and walnuts.

Thanks in advance and let me know if this isnt the right place!

[Sayward]

I'm vegan but I'm sure your family would enjoy these cheap, easy recipes:

Lentil Soup (triple or quadruple the recipe and freeze it in batches - super easy "oh-no-we-have-nothing-to-eat" meal)

Shepherds Pie

Wherein I Break Down The Basics Of Burritos (burritos are the perfect food!)

Hummus - All You Ever Needed To Know

Hummus - New And Creative Delicious Applications

Winter Squash 2 Ways

How To Make Veggie Stock From Scratch

Hope that helps!

[russsk]

I love 101cookbooks.com. She has a lot of really simple recipes that are so versatile, you can easily make them a number of different ways. She really changed my ideas about cooking and eating, that were ingrained in me from childhood.

[caiesmommy]

We're MOSTLY vegan, dh and dc eat eggs but were dairy free(except for my occasional chocolate slip)

Start by saving your scraps for homemade broth. Less sodium then store bought and well a ton cheaper. Not to mention it makes everything taste great

We eat pretty much all whole foods. Here's a list of dinners we do

-black beans w tomatoes, corn,onions, garlic and spices on quinoa
-Taco salads-taco bowls w homemade refried beans and taco fixings inside
-Taco lasagna-tortilas layered with refried beans, onions, garlic, corn, and tomato sauce
-chickpea stir fry- mix of in season produce stir fried with lemon and fresh herbs on rice or millet or quinoa
-last night we had lentil loaf with wasabi green onion mashed potatoes and a homemade mushroom gravy. We had it with sliced veggies
-Lunch was soup w homemade broth, the stalks of kale and peas pureed into it, then leftover chickpeas, a chopped potato, carrot and peas floating in it
-chickpea potato curry is a fave here
-you could also sprout your beans for bases of salads

HTH

[Ahimsa]

I highly recommend The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook by Cathe Olson. It is filled with simple whole food vegetarian recipes that are easily adaptable. If I am at a loss for what to cook, I can open the book, and, almost always, find something to make with stuff I usually have around. Or, I can easily adapt the recipes to what I have on hand. I have also used the book to plan out weekly recipes, and stay within my food budget.

[Ianthe]

Originally Posted by Ahimsa

I highly recommend The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook by Cathe Olson. It is filled with simple whole food vegetarian recipes that are easily adaptable. If I am at a loss for what to cook, I can open the book, and, almost always, find something to make with stuff I usually have around. Or, I can easily adapt the recipes to what I have on hand. I have also used the book to plan out weekly recipes, and stay within my food budget.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks.

[mamaUK]

Lentil and Lemon soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
5 oz red lentil
1 x 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 pint water
1 veg stock cube
2 tsp tomato puree
1/2 tbsp dried oregano (if you have it, mixed herbs will be fine)
little salt and pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

fry onion and garlic gently until soft in olive oil. Chuck in rinsed lentils and everything else apart from lemon juice, bring to boil and simmer with lid on for 15 to 20 minutes. Blend. add lemon juice. add a little water if too thick.

I can't tell you how many times we have made this soup, hundreds? The children absolutely love it and infact won't eat any other soup. Also super quick and extremely cheap. let me know if you make it. I have several other recipes for you if you get on with this one. I have been a vegie all my life!

[calebsmommy25]

Oh my...How I love this thread!!! I don't have time to contribute now, but will later when I get home!


Sayward--Lentil soup in the freezer is normally our "oh no we have nothing to eat" meal too! It made me giggle when I read it because that feeling that strikes you when your like crap, I haven't gone grocery shopping, everyone is hungry and I don't know what I have...then it dawns on me! We always have soup in the freezer! Make a quick loaf of bread, scrounge up some extra greens and your good to go!

[jessaroo]

Check your library for cookbooks by Cristina Pirello. She has written several books centered around whole foods.