Veganuary 2017

A slightly belated Happy New Year! 

I can't believe all the festivities are over and I'm back at work already!

This year, both Miss K (now aged 15) and I are attempting Veganuary. In case you don't know, Veganuary is a campaign in association with Viva! to encourage people to go vegan for January and "Eat delicious, healthy food, save lives and help the environment."

As a long-time vegetarian (myself) and a lifelong one (Miss K), I reckon we've done our bit to save more than a few farm animals' lives between us, however the dairy and egg industry does, of course, play on our minds from time to time. It's something which I don't often blog about, as I try not to be a 'preachy' type of vegetarian; I am married to an omnivore after all.

After a week of eating a vegan diet, I've only encountered a couple of obstacles. One is that you can't easily buy vegan cakes and I haven't had time for any baking...so guess what I've been craving? The second is eating out as a vegan; this seems to be incredibly difficult if you're a strict vegan but the Veganuary website has this covered for a variety of chain restaurants.

If you've recently discovered my blog, you might like to know that I try to avoid fussy recipes and fashionable 'out-there' ingredients, as I work full time and have a family to feed, who want wholesome, tasty but not weird, vegetarian meals. I don't have time to faff around for hours, or to knit my own quinoa, goji berry and spirulina brownies, but I do enjoy cooking.

Although not all of my recipes below are vegan, they are all budget friendly, relatively low in fat and can all be easily adapted (for example, if the recipe uses Quorn or cheese, simply swap for a vegan alternative.) I hope you enjoy them. Please let me know what you think, by leaving me a comment if you do try any of my recipes.

Veganuary meal plan - week 1

Veganuary meal plan - week 2

A cheap and lower-fat meal plan for Veganuary

For an amazing array of vegan recipes, take a look at the Veganuary recipe index.

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A mainly vegan meal plan for Veganuary - Week 2

Well done for making it through week one with me. You may have already seen my new recipe for Rice and Peas...this went down well with all the family. I won't, however, be blogging my Chickpea and Potato Patties recipe, as they fell apart and weren't very tasty! Here's my second weekly Veganuary meal plan. Some of the recipes featured are vegetarian, so you need to select the vegan options in each recipe.

Monday: Aloo parathas and tarka dal
Tuesday: Gigantes Plaki (Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce) with salad and pitta - double recipe to serve 4 as a main course
Wednesday: Shepherdess Pie with green vegetables - use vegan alternatives for mashed potato.
Thursday:Jambalaya
Friday: Sloppy Joes with corn on the cob and sweet potato chips/fries
Saturday: Spinach and Basil Tofu Cannelloni - recipe to follow
Sunday: Champignons et Légumes au Vin (Mushrooms & Vegetables in a Red Wine Sauce) with roasted potatoes and parsnips.

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A mainly vegan meal plan for Veganuary - Week 1

Here's this week's Veganuary meal plan. It's mainly vegan, but my family might want to top some of their dishes with a bit of cheese or add some Quorn. If you're going completely vegan, then select the egg and dairy-free options in each recipe.

Monday: Vegetarian chilli in tortilla bowls (check wrap ingredients)
Tuesday: Potato & chickpea patties with roasted vegetables
Wednesday: Mixed vegetable curry with rice and naan
Thursday: Parsnip & carrot soup with fresh bread
Friday: Rice & peas with jerk mushrooms (or jerk meat-free chicken-style pieces) 
Saturday: Spicy vegetable & bean burgers with sweet potato chips (shop-bought, frozen are fine!) and vegan coleslaw
Sunday: Pasta with Greek tomato sauce, vegan garlic bread and salad


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World Cup Vegetarian Meal Plan!

OK, this is a bit of a cash in on the World Cup, as I'm really not a football fan, but as Mr O has suggested that I cook different family meals for the different matches this week, I thought I may as well blog my meal plan!

• Monday: Portugal - piri piri mushroom & halloumi burgers with sweet potato wedges
• Tuesday: Mexico - vegetable and bean enchiladas with salad
• Wednesday: Spain pisto manchego with sauteed potatoes
• Thursday: Greece Quorn souvlaki with rice
• Friday: Italy pasta with anti-pasti pesto sauce
• Saturday: Iran kabab koobideh with rice (I'll admit, I cheated on this one and just added an Iranian version to my existing shami kebab recipe!)
• Sunday: USA sloppy Joes

I'm adding this meal plan to Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday linky.

Here are a few of my previous vegetarian/vegan meal plans:

3 week summer meal plan

3 meals a day meal plan

Family budget meal planning tips

Lower fat meal plan

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Could you 'Live Below the Line'?

It's a shocking statistic that one in eight people (that's around 1.2 billion men, women and children) live below the poverty line, going hungry every day and living on less than £1 per day.

Concern Worldwide, a charity that works with the world’s poorest people to transform their lives, is joining the Live Below the Line campaign which starts next week. They hope to see people sign-up to live off £1 a day for up to 5 days & raise funds to tackle extreme poverty. Live Below the Line cannot and does not aim to recreate what it’s like to live in extreme poverty, however participants can gain an understanding of the kinds of tough decisions many people face globally, every day. The campaign presents a chance to bring food poverty and hunger, back onto the news and political agenda. 

Concern Worldwide hope that as many people as possible will challenge themselves to live on a £1 a day and pledge a donation or sponsorship, to help give people more than a lifeline - to give them a future and a means to provide for their families in the long term.

 

To raise awareness of the campaign, I've pledged to feed my family of 4 for £4 for one day...to include breakfast, lunch and dinner (see my meal plan below) and will be tweeting my #fridgie photo with the estimated value of the products in my fridge ( I must say I was shocked at how much my fridge contents were worth). .

From training community health volunteers to spot the first signs of malnutrition to challenging governments on the policies that keep whole communities hungry, we’re tackling hunger on every level. Concern support people to develop their own local and lasting solutions to hunger, through developing their knowledge, skills and incomes. We combine expert specialism with respect for local know-how to ensure that families can feed their children, not just today, but every day. 

You can find out more about this campaign and support Concern's work here. 

Feed a family of 4 for £4 (3 meals a day)

• Breakfast: home made bread 40p for 750g strong bread flour + 11p for a sachet of yeast, 1 litre carton of value orange juice 65p = £1.16
• Lunch: 2 tins of budget baked beans 2 x 24p, served on toast (left over bread from breakfast), 4 apples x 20p = £1.28
• Dinner: channa masala curry and rice - 250g budget long grain rice 10p,  budget tinned tomatoes 31p, 1 onion 8p, 1 clove of garlic 4p, ginger 10p, various spices (already in store cupboard) approx 20p, 1 tin of chickpeas 37p = £1.20
• Total cost: £3.64; the extra 36p went towards spreads for our bread at breakfast and drinks throughout the day.

I must say it was quite a challenge to feed the family a balanced and filling diet for just one day, let alone for ever. I managed to do this sticking to vegan meals with lots of carbs and pulses. This has certainly made me more aware of the worry and stress that many mums must feel in the developing world every day, in the struggle to feed their children.

28 April-2 May 2014 (campaign runs until 30th June). 
Take the challenge: £5 for 5 days for all your food & drink to end extreme poverty. Challenge yourself. Raise money. Join the movement. Sign up today. 

Integrity Statement
I am supporting this campaign and have not receive payment or incentives for this promotion.

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A cheap and lower-fat vegetarian/vegan meal plan for Veganuary

Happy New Year! I hope you've all had a good holiday and eaten plenty of great vegetarian/vegan food!

So, it's January again and after a couple of weeks of over-indulgence, I thought that rather than starting a diet-themed series of posts for the new year, I should just cut down on the cheese and dairy products in my recipes and embrace the essence of Veganuary. In case you don't know, Veganuary is a campaign in association with Viva! to encourage people to go vegan for January and "Eat delicious, healthy food, save lives and help the environment."

Whilst we won't go completely vegan for the month, as I know we won't all be able to stick to it (and as I have lots of non-vegan products to use up in my fridge and freezer), I will make a conscious effort to buy fewer products containing dairy and eggs and reduce the amounts I use in my cooking for the month, which I reckon will also make things cheaper. 

Although not all of the recipes below are vegan, they are all budget friendly, relatively low in fat and can all be easily adapted (for example, if the recipe uses Quorn or cheese, swap for a vegan alternative.) For a 31 day vegan meal plan, take a look at the official Veganuary menu.

Week 1
Spiced carrot and parsnip soup (no cream) with home made bread
Pasta with spicy pepper, aubergine and tomato sauce
Enchiladas (no cheese or use vegan cheese) with salad

Vegetarian Jambalaya 
Lentil and pesto veggie burgers with home made potato wedges and baked beans (use vegan pesto)
Pasta with Greek tomato sauce
Chickpea curry with chapattis

Week 2
Spaghetti Bolognese
Vegetable curry with rice
Pisto manchego (no egg) with jacket potato and salad
Reggae Reggae chickpea wraps 
Quorn souvlaki with potatoes (use vegan meat-free pieces)
Vegetable biryrani with dal
Turkish vegetable stew with cous cous or quinoa 

...and some vegan cakes and desserts 
(ok these aren't low fat, but we all need a treat some times!)
Apple cake
Bread pudding
Chocolate microwave mug cake
Chocolate orange cupcakes
Chocolate tiffin
Fairy cakes/cupcakes
Fruity flapjacks

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Vegetarian Christmas on a budget

Well, it's less than two weeks until the big day, so you've probably bought and wrapped your pressies and ordered your food shopping. Or if you're like me...maybe not! If money is tight this year, I've got a few hints and tips to help you save money before and after Christmas without scrimping too much...

Gifts and decorations
Good, old fashioned paper chains and snow flakes are fun to make with the kids, look pretty in a fashionable, vintage way and cost next to nothing. Older children can make some beautiful felt decorations, which are pretty enough to give away as gifts. Cinnamon and apple sauce decorations are also lovely to make and smell gorgeous.

Make cards for your nearest and dearest, such as these pretty teabag folded Christmas tree cards, instead of buying them, using cheap card and paper from pound stores.

If you can't afford to buy presents for anyone other than close family and friends, but would like to give others a 'little something', make some home made hamper treats. Wrap in cellophane or cover jam jar lids with pretty material, and the gifts will look far more expensive than they really are. Fill cheap, pretty mugs with home made truffles or pound store stationary and wrap in cellophane for another budget friendly gift. 

Christmas Dinner
Whether you're vegetarian, vegan or just thinking about cooking a veggie Christmas dinner, you're already well on your way to saving a packet. According to The Guardian, the average price for a UK family Christmas dinner is a whopping £129.47 (a huge 14% increase on last year!). Of that, the turkey costs around £17. Swap the turkey for a nut roast and you save instantly! Smoked salmon is also very expensive this year, so swap that for goat's cheese tarts, or maybe a vegetarian pate with Melba toast and the savings start to mount.

Make a meal plan for the whole of Christmas week so you know what to buy in and so you don't waste money on things you really don't need. Think about breakfasts and lunches, snacks and puddings, as well as main meals.

Do your grocery shopping online through My Supermarket which automatically finds the cheapest store for you to shop with, depending on which items you need. Then send your trolley to your preferred retailer and book your Christmas week slot ASAP. You can always amend the items you need before your shopping is delivered, but try not to be tempted by too many 'special offers'. Alternatively, try Aldi, which is usually cheaper than the major supermarkets, although their vegetarian chilled and frozen food ranges are limited. You might also like to check out Approved Food for end-of-line and out-of-date products which often includes premium brands and some luxury foods well below RRP.

Although supermarket 3 for £5 deals sound good value, when you realise how many canapes you can make with a pack of puff pastry, a bit of cheese and a few vegetables, you might think again. So, make some of your buffet foods for Christmas and New Year in advance and freeze until needed. Make your own dips on the day too/night before...they're really easy, so even the kids can help.

Left overs
Don't through away Christmas dinner leftovers. Save all of your left over Christmas dinner vegetables (including roast potatoes,parsnips, sprouts etc.) and gravy in air tight container and pop in the fridge or freezer until needed. Fry a chopped leek or onion in a little oil, then add the diced, left over cooked and raw vegetables and some extra stock (I use 1 litre of stock in a soup to feed 4 people) and simmer for around 20 minutes, then blend to make a delicious soup. 

Sliced, cold nut roast tastes great on Boxing Day with salads, a batch of home made chips (fries) and pickles. You can also use it up as a pate in sandwiches or on crackers if you're peckish later on!

Food between Christmas and New Year
After you've used up all the Christmas left overs, go super-budget and use store cupboard standbys for a few days. That way, you should be able to afford to put on a good spread for New Year's Eve/New Year's Day without blowing the budget.

For some more veggie Christmas meal ideas, please take a look at the Vegetarian Society Christmas Menu. 

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Winter vegetarian meal planner

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I thought it was about time I blogged another seasonal vegetarian meal plan and this time I decided to combine some of my own warming winter recipes with a round-up of dishes from some of my favourite vegetarian blogs. Most of these meals are cheap and simple to make, using readily-available ingredients.

Do you like my cute magnetic meal planning board by the way? I bought it from Poundland, but unfortunately the magnets are so weak, it drops off the fridge every time I open the door!

Week 1
Tomato soup with basil gnocchi dumplings (Veg Hot Pot)
Veggie sausages (ready-made), baked beans and mashed potatoes
Penne Puttanesca (Meatless Mediterranean)
Cauliflower and broccoli cheese bake (plus 2.4)
Reggae Reggae chickpeas with rice
Turkish vegetable casserole with cous cous
Cheese and lentil loaf with roast potatoes, gravy and seasonal vegetables (Life is Delicious)

Week 2
Minestrone soup with home made bread (The Full Fridge)

Aloo Gobi (potato and cauliflower curry) with chapatis (Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen)
Vegetarian meatballs (ready-made) with tomato sauce and pasta

Mushroom and spinach risotto (Tinned Tomatoes)

Roasted vegetable lasagne
Butternut squash and chickpea stew with rice (The Vegetarian Experience)
Veggie roast dinner with seasonal vegetables and Yorkshire pudding

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Cheap and cheerful vegetarian/vegan meals for students

It's back to school this week after a lovely summer holiday... 

My mind has been on university rather than school for some reason, even though my children are still a good few years away from going to college; maybe because I've been reminiscing with old friends and Mr O about the time, many years ago, that we got our 'A' level exam results and started to prepare to go off out into the big wide world. 

Unfortunately I didn't quite get the results I needed to get into my first choice polytechnic university (ahem, slight social-life/study balance issue there!) but after some panic driven phone calls, I secured a place on a decent course at my fifth choice poly uni, managed to find a place in the local halls of residence and was looking forward to the start of my days as a student.

Being a pretty good cook even back in those days, I found I had some bargaining power in the communal kitchen, as I could cook. I wasn't vegetarian then, but was well on my way, so meat-free meals featured strongly, especially as they were cheap to make; I soon found that if I offered to cook, I could spend less money on food (by pooling our food budgets) and get the washing up done by someone else...not a bad trade off eh?

If you want to save money and impress others with your culinary skills, you can find a week's worth of meal ideas on my vegetarian budget/student meal planner, and even more student meals and tips below.  I can't really call some of them recipes but they are all quick and easy to make, use basic ingredients, and will save you money which you can spend on your social life instead (and books, of course!)

Top tips

• Combine food budgets with one or more friends/room mates.
• Look out for special offers on tinned, fresh and frozen fruit and veg.
• Look for reduced products which are near their sell by date.
• Base meals around cheap carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes), dried or tinned pulses (peas, beans and lentils) and seasonal fruit and veg.
• Forget about brand-names, even if your mum swears by them!
• Shop at budget supermarkets or buy own label/budget foods from larger supermarkets.
• Use up leftovers in another meal, don't throw them away (unless out of date). Most meals can be frozen for a month or kept in the fridge for a couple of days.
• Follow these guidelines if reheating cooked rice, unless you want a dose of food poisoning! 
• Use cheap herbs and spices  (e.g. mixed herbs, mild chilli powder, hot chilli sauce and garam masala) to pep up boring meals.
• Use packet/dried mixes for burgers and sausages and own-brand meat-free products (if you like them).
• Plan your main meals each week, as that will reduce the amount of food you buy and waste. Try Netmums and Money Saving Expert for more meal planning tips.
• Be creative!

Quick meals
These quick, cheap and easy meals will all serve 2 hungry students (or one person for two meals.) It might sound strange, but a lot of my camping food ideas would make great student meals too.

• Pizza  - make up a budget pizza base or plain scone mix. Flatten onto a greased baking tray. Top with tomato puree, mixed herbs, grated cheese and any toppings you have (choose from onion, pepper, mushrooms, tinned pineapple, olives, tinned sweetcorn etc.) Cook at 200C/Gas 6 for 10-15 mins.
• Pasta or rice with chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce  - Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tin budget chopped tomatoes, ½ tin budget chickpeas, a grated carrot/sliced mushrooms/chopped red pepper, 1 tsp chilli powder or garam masala. Simmer for 15 minutes, meanwhile cook the pasta or rice.
• Baked bean curry -  Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic and 2 tsp curry powder/paste. Add a tin of economy baked beans and heat through. Serve with boiled rice.
• Pisto Manchego
• Lentil spag-bol - Follow recipe but swap the chickpeas for 50g dried red lentils and 100ml water (reduce the amount of water and add a glug of red wine if there's any going!) Swap the chilli powder for 1 tsp mixed herbs. Simmer for around 20 minutes.
• Make and cook veggie burgers/sausages from a packet mix, serve in budget pittas with budget coleslaw/salad, or serve with mashed potatoes, vegetables and veggie gravy.
• Root vegetable soup - Fry 1 chopped onion in a drop of oil, add 2 chopped carrots, 1 potato, 1 parsnip and a handful of dried red lentils. Cover with 500-750ml veg stock made with a veg stock cube and boiling water. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Mash or blend, if you don't like chunks in your soup. Serve with bread.
• Savoury pancakes - Use a budget pancake/batter mix to make pancakes. Fill with roasted veg and grated cheese, veggie chilli, or cheese and baked beans.
• Baked beans/tinned spaghetti/scrambled eggs/cheese on toast.
• Potato pancakes - Mix left over mashed potato with 1-2 eggs and 1-2 tbsp plain flour. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
• Lentil hash - Fry ½ an onion in a drop of oil, with a clove of garlic, 1-2 tsp mild chilli powder and a pinch of mixed herbs. Add a diced carrot/sweet potato, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 50g of dried red lentils and about 200ml water. Cook until soft (about 15 mins), adding more water if needed. Spoon lentil mixture over a pack of economy tortilla chips and top with a handful of grated cheese/vegan cheese. Pop under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbling. 
• Pasta bake - Cook 150g budget pasta for 8-10 minutes and drain. Meanwhile fry ½ chopped onion in a drop of oil, and add any other veg you have handy (eg: chopped carrot, parsnip, leek, cauliflower), a crushed clove of garlic and a good pinch of dried herbs. Add 100ml of veggie gravy (made with granules) and 100ml of cider to the pan and bring to the boil, while stirring. Simmer for 5-10 minutes (with pan lid on) until the veg are just cooked and the sauce has thickened. Pour the sauce over the pasta, mix and tip into an oven-proof dish. Top with some fresh breadcrumbs and grated cheese/vegan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 190C/Gas 5.
• Veggie sausage and baked bean pasta
• Cheap veggie chilli - Fry 1 small chopped onion in a drop of vegetable oil, add 1 crushed clove garlic, 1 tsp mild chilli powder, 1 small chopped chilli, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tin budget chopped tomatoes, 25g dried red lentils, ½ tin budget kidney beans . Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve with baked/jacket spuds or boiled rice.
• Quesadillas - put a tortilla wrap into a frying pan. Add any left over veggie chilli or refried beans and some grated mozzarella/cheddar cheese/vegan cheese. Top with another wrap. Turn over and heat through.
• Hawaiian Quesadillas 
• Mexican rice burritos 
• Hot dogs - Buy budget bread rolls and veggie hot dogs. Fry 1 sliced onion in a little butter or oil, until soft. Cook hot dogs. Serve hot dogs in rolls with the fried onions and a squirt of mustard or ketchup. 
• Rice and peas

You can find more quick and cheap meal ideas (including veggie curry/chilli, garlic mushrooms, spicy rice, veggie sausage stew, frittata, pesto spaghetti, and noodles with stir-fried vegetables), and a list of basic cooking equipment you might need here. 

Find a basic student shopping list here.

..oh, and just in case you're interested, yes I did get my degree (in both science and socialising!) Pin It

Summer Vegetarian Meal Plan

Here's my latest meal plan for summer vegetarian family food - some of these recipes include eggs and dairy products but most are easily veganised. Use the delicious seasonal vegetables around at the moment to cut down on cost, and refrigerate or freeze left-overs for lunches. Use up any remaining vegetables in the casserole/pasta bake at the end of the week.

See my 3 meals a day vegetarian meal plan for quick and easy breakfast and lunch ideas.

Week 1
Monday: Veggie Sloppy Joes with salad and sweet potato chips

Tuesday: Aubergine and cheese bake with pasta

Wednesday: Vegetarian chorizo sausages in wraps with salad

Thursday: Pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce.
Friday: Pesto and antipasti tart with new potatoes and seasonal veg.

Saturday: Veggie burger/veggie sausage in a bread roll with a trio of salads.

Sunday: Stuffed mushrooms with cous cous.

Week 2

Monday: Falafels with salad, pitta bread and tzatziki dip.

Tuesday: Minced Quorn with spicy rice.

Wednesday: Roasted vegetables with halloumi, in wraps.

Thursday: Pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce.
Friday: Lentil and pesto burgers with corn on the cob and cheesy potato wedges.

Saturday: Vegetarian barbecue.

Sunday: Turkish vegetable casserole with cous cous.

Week 3
Monday: Potato Masala Parathas with salad.

Tuesday: Squash, lentil and sweet potato salad with cous cous. 

Wednesday: Hummus with pitta bread and crudités.

Thursday: Paneer and pepper fajitas 
Friday:  Veggie mince shammi kebabs with pilau rice

Saturday: Aubergine and cheese bake with salad and garlic bread.

Sunday: Butternut squash, sweet potato and goats cheese pasta bake.

See my other meal plans here: low budget vegetarian meal plan,  2 week vegetarian meal plan.

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Turkish Vegetable Casserole

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If you have a glut of home grown or locally produced vegetables, use them up in this tasty Middle-Eastern vegan stew. You can substitute just about any alternative vegetables, so long as they are cut up into even-sized pieces.
If there's any left over, eat it cold for lunch the next day, or use to top a home made pizza.

• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 2 courgettes/zucchini, diced
• ½ butternut squash/2-3 carrots/1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, sliced or diced
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
• 200 ml water or vegetable stock
• 1-2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
• 1-2 tsp paprika/smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• ½ tsp cinnamon or allspice powder
• ½ a fresh chilli, chopped finely (optional)
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oil in a casserole dish at 200C/190C fan/Gas 6.
Add the onions, peppers, courgettes and squash and coat in the oil.
Return to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, garlic, herbs and spices. 
Return to the oven for a further hour or so, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and the vegetables are soft and lightly browned.
Serve with rice, flat bread or cous cous.

Alternative: Add a tin of drained chickpeas for extra protein.
Slow cooker/crock pot method: Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker (reduce the water/stock to 100ml) and stir well. Cook on medium for 6-8 hours.

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Vegetarian sandwiches and packed lunch ideas

I take a packed lunch to work most days and my kids take a packed lunch to school. Quite frankly, we're all getting a bit bored with our sandwich fillings!

Of course if you're veggie, you'd better like cheese, as the most common sandwich option in your average cafe or pub will be a Cheddar cheese sandwich with tomato, onion, pickle or coleslaw. If they use a good tasty or mature cheese you might be onto a winner, but a sandwich made with sliced white bread and mild Cheddar cheese is about as boring and bland as you can get.

I think you need to use a good bread to make a great sandwich, so either make your own, buy a good rustic loaf or even opt for a decent wholemeal sliced loaf (I like Hovis wholemeal granary). If you're a fan of 'real' bread, you might be interested in joining the Real Bread Campaign.

I've compiled the following ideas for vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, paninis and wraps, in the hope that this inspires me to make some of them for myself and my girls.

Cold Sandwiches
Here are some filling ideas for the humble cold sandwich...use thicker, rustic breads for the wetter fillings, especially if they will be sitting around for a while before lunchtime:

• Ploughman's - mature Cheddar, salad and Branston-type pickle.
• Wensleydale/Brie/Goat's cheese and cranberry sauce.
• Cheese and colesalw
• Quorn/meat-free slices, sliced pickles and salad.
• Cold, sliced veggie sausage with tomato chutney.
• Cold veggie BLT.
• Hummus and cucumber.
• Cold nut roast or veggie pate.
• Cold roasted vegetables with olive paste.
• Marmite with or without cheese. 
• Egg mayo/egg salad.
• Peanut butter - plain or with sliced banana/chocolate hazelnut spread/jam
• Thick cut heirloom tomatoes topped with mango-pomegranate guacamole, roasted garlic aioli, radish sprouts and thinly sliced dill pickle.
• Greek salad - cream some feta cheese with a drop of plain/Greek yogurt, sprinkle with oregano. Spread onto bread. Top with a salad made from diced tomato, cucumber and olives and pepper.
• Vegetarian coronation 'chicken'
• Sweet options - jam, chocolate hazelnut spread, marmalade.

Hot Sandwiches
Here are some ideas for the slightly more sophisticated toasted sandwich, panini, pitta or wrap...

• Goats cheese, rocket and onion chutney or cranberry sauce.
• Mozzarella, veggie pesto and rocket/sliced tomato.
• Cheese/vegan cheese, tomato, onion and basil.
• Roasted vegetables (home made or use anti-pasti) with sliced olives and a balsamic dressing.
• Sun-dried tomato paste and feta cheese.
• Falafel and salad drizzled with tzatziki.
• Hot veggie BLT.
• Veggie bacon, mushroom and cheese/vegan cheese.
• Veggie sausage/burger, salad/fried onions/sliced mushrooms and ketchup.
• Grilled flat mushroom with peri peri marinade and a slice of halloumi cheese (a la Nando's).
• Garlic mushrooms.
• Veggie pizza filling - tomato purée/sun dried tomato paste mixed with diced and roasted onion, pepper, sweetcorn, mushroom, courgette/zucchini (grated cheese - optional) .
• Cheese/vegan cheese and baked beans
• Refried beans, salsa and grated cheddar. 
• Hawaiian - veggie bacon, pineapple and cheese/vegan cheese.
• Chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced banana/strawberries

Any more ideas? Comment below with your favourite veggie/vegan sandwich filling and I'll add them to my list.

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The 3 meals a day vegetarian meal planner

Meal planning is a great way to save time and money. Looking back through my blog recipes, I've realised that most of them are for dinners and cakes rather than whole days, so I've tried to rectify that with my contribution to Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday - a week's worth of vegetarian and vegan family meal options.

Breakfasts

My kids love breakfast. They've always eaten breakfast and would be quite happy to go along with the motto of 'breakfast like a king and dine like a pauper'. On an average day, they'll polish off a couple of items from this list, plus a drink of fruit juice or smoothie.

• Cereal with or without milk
• Toast/crumpet/mini pancake/croissant
• Portion of fresh fruit
• Fruit or plain yogurt/dairy free alternative
• Full vegetarian cooked breakfast with veggie sausage/veggie bacon slice/hash brown/egg/baked beans
• Cinnamon rolls or brioche
• Flapjack or cereal bar

Lunches
Both kids eat a packed lunch at school, which usually consists of 5 items selected from this list:

• Sandwich/crackers/wrap/plain scone - filled with cheese/Quorn slice/butter/jam/fruit spread/chocolate spread/cream cheese/golden syrup etc (more ideas here.)
• 1 piece of fresh fruit or or a portion of dried fruit.
• 1 carton of pure fruit juice
• 1 small pot/tube of fruit yogurt/dairy free dessert
• 1 piece of home made cake/flapjack/packet of crisps/biscuit bar/cereal bar

Dinners

I almost always cook an evening meal from scratch, with the addition of some meat substitutes, such as Quorn once or twice a week. I try and include at least two of our 5 a day portions in each meal. Our favourite family meals are:

• Quorn sausage casserole with roast potatoes or mash
• Pasta with tomato sauce
• Fajitas/wraps
• Vegetable soup with fresh bread
• Roasted vegetables with halloumi
• Vegetarian chilli with jacket potato or rice
• Quorn pilaf

Other meal planners: 2 week meal planner; Budget meal planner Pin It

Two week vegetarian family meal planner

I'm fairly new to meal planning, and have only really got into it in the last couple of years. This coincided with me going back to employed work in the big wide world (rather than self employed and working from home, as I used to be!), which meant that I needed to be more organised. 
I've already done a low budget vegetarian meal planner, but decided to make this a more regular feature, which I'll update as I add new recipes. Hope you like it!

Week 1

Monday: Pepper and paneer fajitas
Tuesday: Macaroni cheese with salad
Wednesday: Chickpea curry with extra vegetables and rice
Thursday: Quorn & vegetable pilaf
Friday: Shepherdess pie with broccoli

Saturday: Spinach & cheese cannelloni with vegetables

Sunday: Veggie sausages with mash, peas/sweetcorn and gravy

Week 2

Monday: Vegetable soup with cheese scones

Tuesday: Roasted vegetables with halloumi served in pitta bread or wraps

Wednesday: Jacket potatoes with cheese, baked beans and salad

Thursday: Spaghetti with tomato and vegetable sauce
Friday: Thai green vegetable curry with rice
Saturday: Homemade pizza with salad
Sunday: Vegetarian roast dinner with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy.

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