Weekly Menu for 7/29/2012 - 8/4/2012

July 29, 2012 - August 4, 2012

Day	Menu Item	Shopping
Sunday	Cecily's French Lentil Casserole	White Wine Thyme Bay Leaves Herbs de Provence Red, Green or French Lentils Swiss Chard (Spinach or other Greens) Carrots Leek Walnuts 3 cloves Garlic
Monday	Mexican Casserole Vegan	Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)* 1 can Chopped Tomatoes with Green Chiles 1 can Black Beans 1 Red Pepper 1 Orange Pepper 1 Onion Cumin Vegan Shredded Cheddar Cheese 1 Small Jar Salsa
Tuesday	Potato Spinach Casserole Vegan	Lemon Juice 1 15-ounce can coconut milk 1 lb Frozen Potatoes (your choice of style) 1 8-ounce Frozen Spinach
Wednesday	Polenta Casserole Vegan	2-3 Bell Peppers Zucchini Onion Soy Sauce** Kale (Spinach or Other Greens) Pasta Sauce Cornmeal Nutritional Yeast
Thursday	Mushroom Pasta Casserole Vegan	1 Medium Yellow Onion Celery 10 oz White Button Mushrooms Soy Sauce** Vegetable Broth Lemon Juice 1 can Chickpeas Potato Chips or Bread Crumbs   Fusilli Pasta***
Friday	Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans Vegan	4 large or 6 medium Sweet Potatoes Orange Juice Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar Nutmeg Powder Cinnamon Powder Brown Sugar Pecans
Saturday	Cheesy Broccoli & Rice Casserole Vegan	Brown Rice Vegetable Stock Soy Sauce** Nutritional Yeast Lemon Juice Onion 2 Cloves Garlic Broccoli Florets

You will also need:

Vegetable Oil, Vanilla Extract, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Dill, Onion Powder, Oregano, Basil, Salad, Salad Dressing, Olive Oil, Mayonnaise, Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, Gluten-Free Bread, Butter or Margarine, Milk of your choice

*You can find Gluten-Free TVP - Textured Vegetable Protein in health food grocery stores but sometimes in the major chain grocery stores.
** Liquid Aminos or be sure to find gluten-free soy sauce vegan and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
*** Gluten-Free Pastas can be found in most grocery stores either mixed in with the other pasta selection or in a specific Gluten-Free area.

This week is all about Casserole dishes that can be served as sides or main dishes.

These recipes provide great week-night meals for your family but they are also perfect for entertaining or special occasions.  If you or anyone has a special dietary need, these recipes are also easily adapted to Vegan, Gluten-Free, or Vegetarian.  An example of changing out ingredients in a meal to make it Vegan is to use soy or another nut milk, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, vegan mayonnaise, or vegan Parmesan cheese.

Another note: When purchasing canned goods, try to get organic and low sodium whenever possible.

At the end of the week, or sometime during, please sound off about this week's menu.  Did you enjoy the websites?  How were the recipes?  Were they easy to follow and the ingredients easy to find?  Did you have quite a bit of the ingredients already on hand?

Did you find cooking different meals having similar items easier?  Were you able to prepare multiple meals at once?

What would you like to see on future menus?

P.S.,  Please share your family's favorite quick and easy meal.

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