I am thoroughly enjoying my new way of eating. A plant based meal plan is pretty frugal, since it costs less to eat loads of vegetables and a few pulses than it does to buy lots of meat and dairy.
Having said that, I am still eating some meat and dairy. However, I am using them more as a garnish, rather than making them the star of the show. My only issue is that if I eat too much fibre (and you can eat too much!), it kicks off my IBS. So I need a good balance.
Meal planning itself helps you to save money, so if you are looking to save money on your groceries I would urge you to do that. Whatever you plan to eat, meal planning means you use up what you have and don’t buy a ton of stuff that will just go to waste.
Here is our plant based meal plan for the week.
Frugal plant based meal plan
Sunday
Pasta and pesto with stir fried peppers and mushrooms, with a green salad. I was planning to use whole wheat pasta, but in view of what I said about too much fibre, I will stick with the white stuff.
Monday
Nigel Slater’s chestnut casserole, although I will leave out the parsnips and swede and use potatoes and carrots instead. This is one I have made several times, and it’s really tasty. I never bother with the pomegranate seeds and usually not the porcini mushrooms either, but it’s still lovely!
We will mop up the juices with some bread from the freezer.
Tuesday
Chick pea kofta flatbreads. This is actually a Simply Cook mix that has been kicking around a while, so I will use it up.
If you fancy a free trial box from Simply Cook, click here. I will get a freebie too, just so you know.
Wednesday
Mushroom and cashew nut stir fry with noodles. I chuck in cabbage, carrots, celery, peppers and whatever other suitable veg we have. However, I cook the mushrooms separately and leave them very chunky, as this way their flavour doesn’t get lost in the mix. The cashews are toasted and sprinkle on top. Yum.
Thursday
Just me for dinner tonight, so I shall make sure Mr Shoestring doesn’t scoff all the stir fry so there are some leftovers for me!
I almost always have leftovers for lunch throughout the week, but will save this for dinner instead.
Friday
Easy Friday night dinner. A large salad with humous, olives, cornichons and some of this yummy looking zucchini bread. I will make mine with white flour, rather than wholewheat.
Saturday
Tonight I will try this vegan jambalaya recipe, using white rice rather than the brown I have been eating. Keeping the fibre a little lower. I will also leave out the butter beans, which I like but are not easily digestible for me! Instead I will sprinkle over some cheese to add protein.
Let’s see how I get on with this week’s plant based meal plan, that’s just a little lower in fibre. What are you eating this week? I would love to hear in the comments.
I am joining in with Katy Kicker’s meal planning linky. Check out her meal plan this week too. You can see more of my favourite food ideas and recipes here.
Katy Stevens says
You always have such lovely ideas for your meals!
Hope your week goes well x
Kim Carberry says
I could easily eat plant based but I don’t think my family would have it. They do like plenty of meat.
Your meals look and sound delicious especially the mushroom and cashew nut stir fry. That is something I would have never of thought of making until now. x
Sarah - Mud Cakes and Wine says
Wow what lovely meals you have we are eating much less meat but our dairy is very much enjoyed. All your meals sound so tasty x
Kim Cooper says
I could eat some plant based meal but not all the time and i don’t think my family would. Sound decent though.
Have a good week x