I haven't been meal planning much this month since my mom is visiting. When she's here I get a break from cooking as we go out to dinner or over to her house (she lives here and in Hawaii). It's great because we get to try new places but it also means I don't grocery shop so the cupboards are bare and I am scraping together school snacks and lunches.
Also adding to the mix this week is that two of my mom's best girlfriends and visiting, it's my 40th birthday week, and we have a funeral to attend. There's too much going on this week for meal planning, but I'd love to know what you are cooking so I can resume my planning in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I have some fall recipes posted at my Cooking Mama column on Delish.com that I'd love for you to check out. If you don't see recipes here, you can always check over there for good stuff to cook. This week I'm sharing recipes for beef with red wine, steamed fish, and ravioli with butternut squash. A little something for everyone.
Lastly, as we approach the holidays, I am thinking of doing a month's-worth of vegan (or as close to vegan as possible) eating and dining. I received a copy of Tal Ronnen's new cookbook in the mail and I'm beyond inspired by the recipes and photos included in it. I accepted it out of curiosity, and frankly wasn't expecting to like it because you hear the words "Oprah cook" and think "gimmicky," but boy was I wrong. It's called The Conscious Cook and what I love about it (vegans close your eyes) is that many of the recipes seem really earthy and "meaty." He uses bold flavors and treats veggies as if they were heartier proteins (like meat), but still maintains their integrity. It's not gimmicky or preachy, and he even notes recipes that are good for people transitioning to veganism. It's just a good, solid cookbook that you should add to your library especially if you are an adventurous cook who loves veggies. I highly recommend it.*
Anyway, if you've been thinking of eating cleaner for the holidays let me know. I'd love to do the vegan challenge with friends.
I look forward to seeing your meal plans, especially now that it seems like fall is here for good.
*Note, I did receive the cookbook for free, but was not compensated in any way for this brief mention.
