This weekend, we’re spending time in South Carolina, visiting family…and I’m bringing them some plant-based goodness! Our third niece, Charlie, was born almost 2 months ago and what better way to visit and help out then meal prepping delicious, plant-based meals for a family that now has zero time for much other than babies!

I decided to test out some recipes for the 2nd week of my #eatplants challenge – today we went shopping for the following (and then later, we went to Low Tide Brewery):

• Cauliflower & Spinach Manicotti
• Spicy Broccoli & Garlic over Thai Noodles with lentil & mushroom wontons
• Lentil Loaf with roasted sweet potato
• For lunch I cooked the farro bowls from week 1 (but left out the butternut squash, as the grocery store in South Carolina didn’t have any).

Here are the ingredients for these meals (assuming you have some things from week 1):

• 3 sweet potatoes
• Tub o Spinach
• 2 onions (white)
• 1 can of tomato paste
• Balsamic vinegar (don’t buy any special if you have it)
• Bag of green lentils
• Steel cut oats
• Button Mushrooms
• Rice noodles (Brown Rice if you’d like)
• 2 heads of broccoli
• Head of garlic (if you don’t have any left over from last week)
• Head of Cauliflower
• Package of manicotti
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• Wonton wrappers
• Spicy chili & garlic sauce

Today, I made the lentil loaf for my sister & brother & law to eat sometime next week. I’ll post the rest of the recipes tomorrow – after I make them!

Lentil Loaf 

1. Mince whole onion. Saute in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 5 minutes (with salt & pepper).
2. Cut mushrooms into little pieces, then add to the pan with the onions. Take 3 cups of spinach and add to the pan. Cook until spinach has begun to wilt a bit. Turn off heat.
3. Cube the 3 sweet potatoes. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt & pepper and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.
4. Cook 2 cups of lentils – in 4 cups of water.
5. Put 1/2 cup of steel cut oats to blender. Pulse for 10 times or so.
6. Add 2 cups of cooked lentils to cuisine art (or blender). Blend.
7. Take the mixture of oats & lentils and add the spinach, onion mixture into a bowl. Add with an additional 2 cups of cooked lentils, mix together.
8. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Stuff the lentil mixture into the pan.
9. In a separate bowl mix tomato paste, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, 2 cloves of minced garlic, salt pepper for the glaze.
10. Top the loaf with the tomato glaze. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes – cover the loaf with tin foil, remove for the last 10 minutes.

Hope you’re all enjoying the #eatplants challenge….any questions!? Let me know how you’re doing!

Enjoy!