ROUND THREE of the 5 day meal challenge

ROUND 3 OF THE 5 DAY DINNER MEAL CHALLENGE WITH MAMA EATS PLANTS

This has grown to be one of my favorite traditions and I am always so honored to collaborate with the amazing and talented foodie Amanda or as the Instagram and blog community knows her as Mama Eats Plants! If you have no idea what I am talking about here is the First challenge and the Second challenge.

A quick run down is that Amanda and I mapped out 5 meals and one sweet treat to make on a Monday through Friday. The best part is that we all make them together each night! We will be cooking our meals each night and sharing them in our stories and we would love it if you joined in! The next best thing to having an actual community dinner with all of us is to create the community in our own personal kitchens and sharing how we’ve made them together! In order for all of us to see it, you can hashtag #yayforearthchallenge !

If you don’t have time this week, don’t worry! This is a very loose schedule- what we really aim for is to offer these recipes and have you make them comfortably at any time. We provide a grocery list and you can either follow along with us each day or you can make any of these on your own time. We have also created this list to be plant based and gluten free however we know everyone has different diets and lifestyles so feel free to bend the recipes to your liking!

Here is the meal schedule and the link to the recipes and below that is the grocery list below for all the ingredients you need for this challenge!

MEAL SCHEDULE

MONDAY 1/14: Caesar salad with parm
TUESDAY 1/15: Mushroom-walnut bolognese
WEDNESDAY 1/16: Quinoa, kale, and roasted cauliflower bowl
THURSDAY 1/17: Winter minestrone with parsley pesto
FRIDAY 1/18: Roasted broccoli pasta with white beans and lemon

Anytime: Yummy Muesli (optional) (LINK TO RECIPE COMING SOON!)

GROCERY LIST

produce:

crimini mushrooms x 8-10
onions x 2 yellow
leek x 1 small
zucchini x 1
carrot x 2 large
celery x 1 bunch
red bell pepper x 1
garlic x 1 head
shallot x 1 small
lacinato/tuscan kale x 2 bunches
greens of choice for soup (chard, kale, spinach, etc) x 1 bunch
romaine lettuce x 1 head
broccoli x 2 heads OR 2 bunches broccolini
cauliflower x 1 head
parsley x 2 bunches
lemons x 4
yukon gold or red potatoes x 2 medium

pantry:

1 jar of Raos marinara ( or any type of your fav marinara)
canned tomatoes x 1
1 box of spaghetti pasta ( I used Jovial Gf pasta)
1 box shaped pasta (fusilli, farfalle, conchiglie, whatever shape you like)
quinoa, any type, x 1 cup (can sub another grain if you prefer)
4 TBSP gluten free flour (any type of flour is okay)
spices : salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chile flakes
olive oil /  coconut oil
almonds x 1 cup
walnuts x 2 cups
cashews x 1/2 cups
hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, OR pine nuts x 1/4 cup
vegan mayo (I have Sir Kensington) x 1 jar
capers x 1 jar
chickpeas x 1 can
Worcestershire sauce gf/vegan
cannellini/white beans x 2 cans (or about 1.5 cups dried beans if cooking your own)
dijon mustard
nutritional yeast
vegetable broth x 4 cups/1 liter

Overnight Muesli ingredients: 
2 cup gluten free oats (or regular if you want!)
pumpkin seeds
dates
slivered almonds
dried fruit (blueberries, mango, etc…)
cinnamon
vanilla extract
nut milk
maple syrup or honey

Toppings and mix in ideas for muesli (all optional):
peanut butter
fresh fruit (banana, apple, pear etc…)
pumpkin puree or apple butter

VEGAN MUSHROOM WALNUT BOLOGNESE

Ive never been good at food photography but trust me this is bomb AF

VEGAN MUSHROOM WALNUT BOLOGNESE

I was surprised with how easy this meal is and how delicious it is too! Its super nutrient dense and tons of veggies in it paired with that pasta for a perfect dinner balance.

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 halved crimini mushrooms 
1.5  cups walnuts 
1 jar of Raos marinara ( or any type of your fav marinara)
1 box of spaghetti pasta ( I used Jovial Gf pasta) 
4 TBSP gluten free flour (any type of flour is okay) 
1 diced red onion 
1 diced zucchini 
1 diced carrot 
2 stalks chopped celery
1 diced red pepper 
salt and spices
Olive oil 
Toppings: Vegan parm (Click here for how to make it)

this is how mine looked after blending -as long as its not totally blended you are good to go!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Caramelize onions with 3 TBSP olive oil, salt to taste, 1 tsp paprika and 1 TBSP maple syrup, brown sugar, or local honey. Stir often.

2. After onions are translucent and slightly brown (about 8 minutes), add in all the diced veggies - zucchini, carrot, red pepper, celery and let cook. 

3. While waiting for the veggies to cook, put mushrooms, walnuts, salt, flour, and 1 TBSP olive oil in food processor. Note: Only blend until resembling ground meat — do not blend all the way for the love of god! (note: One time I tried to use the vitamix and it was a fail and a success at the same time!  It blended the bottom quarter till watery smooth so I had to take the rest out and chop it and then mix them all up together. It works but make sure you don’t blend it all that way. 

4. In a pot, heat up water for noodles. Add noodles when water is boiling

5. Put the mushroom walnut mix from the processor in a big sauté pan with 3 TBSP olive oil and let cook while stirring occasionally - about 10 minutes. 

6. By now veggies should be soft and sautéed - add them to the mushroom walnut mix and then stir in the marinara and let all simmer together.

7. When noodles are ready, drain and plate! Its ready! Add your mushroom bolognese on top of noodles and then top with the nut part! ENJOY!