Easy to prepare meals centered around foundational foods. These meals ideas will help you build a food routine around a successful day of healthy eating.

I have included base recipe templates for creating your own healthy soups and savory casseroles. You can use the example veggies or substitute your favorites.

Basic Foundational Food (BFF) MENU

Breakfast: 

• Cooked or Raw Oatmeal with water or plant milk, 

• With fruit- apples, berries, or bananas.

• Sweeteners-  applesauce. Maple syrup, 100% fruit preserves, apple butter

• Potatoes-crispy air fried with seasoning or steamed potato 

  • optional: broth or water saute onions and peppers on low heat until transclucent

  • try different oil free condiments- mustards, ketchup, BBQ , teriyaki, hot sauce etc…

• Whole grain Cereal with plant milk, fresh fruit

  • Cheerios, corn flakes, Chex, corn/bran/wheat flakes, mini wheats,etc

  • with apples, berries or bananas

Lunch: 

• Vegetable soup*  with Wasa crackers or whole wheat matzo crackers

• Whole grain bread Sandwich- Vegetables & beans or hummus.

  • Ex, carrot chips and spinach on hummus bread or a chickpea salad sandwich) 

• Burritoes/Wrap- Vegetables & beans or hummus

  • rice and beans and spinach in a wrap, topped with salsa

• Grain & Bean Salad bowl  

  • crispy tofu or soybeans, grains, and greens with mandarin oranges, roasted red peppers and 321 dressing*

Dinner: 

• Steamed Rice,vegetable,  with herbs, seasonings, condiments

• Steamed Potatoes,vegetable, with herbs, seasonings, condiments

• Hearty Casserole* with or without beans (good reheat item)

• Mashed potato bowl- top with your veggies and your favorite gravy- onion, tomato, mushroom, brown gravy,etc 

Snack/Dessert:

• Fresh Fruit

• Cereal

• Leftovers

• See cravings section for more options

Recipes:

*321 dressing for salad,potatoes, rice

3 T balsamic vinegar

2 T  mustard  (yellow, dijon, spicy brown, honey)

1 T maple syrup  optional

Combine ingredients in a jar that has a screw -on lid.  Shake and pour. Keep Refrigerated..

*Basic Hearty Veggie Soup.

1 C dry Lentils

1 C pearled Barley (or white rice, if gluten free)  (optional)

1 can Tomato with zucchini or, diced tomatoes (optional)

6 C Water or Veggie Broth

1/2cup or more Favorite Vegetables, small or diced  (corn, carrot, potato,)

1tsp Favorite Seasonings (Herbs de Provence, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper..etc)

Add lentils and barley or rice. Add prepared vegetables.. Add water. Add tomato sauce. Season to taste. 

Instant Pot: Cook High pressure, 8 min.  (30min if using brown rice). Natural Release. Add greens like spinach to wilt, if desired.  Stir and Enjoy!

Stovetop: 1. Boil 6 cups of water (or broth) in 8qt stockpot. 2.Add lentils and barley, and seasonings, reduce heat to low. 3. Add raw veggies that need softening,now. example: carrots, onion 4. Cook on low for 20 minutes. 5. Add canned, frozen, or precooked veggies or wilting greens, like spinach, now. 6. Cook 10 min more.

>Note: I keep a soup base of 1 bag each: Red Lentils, Brown/green Lentils and Barley. Stored in my pantry. I use 1-2 cups lentil/barley mix with 6-8 cups liquid depending if I want thick soup (6 C) or thin (8 C) soup, or skip lentils/barley for thinner soup.<<<<

Variations: 

Minestrone:omit hot sauce. add 1 Cup of orzo or other shape Whole grain pasta, 2 small cans tomato sauce  (1 cup) and 1 T Italian seasoning

Chili: use only 4 cups water, add 1 cans of diced tomato, 1 can Rotel, chilli seasoning, optional: 1 can beans

Shepards Soup: Add 1 Cup diced potato or sweet potato,  1 bag frozen Corn, carrots, peas, green beans mix, 1 T crushed dried rosemary, black pepper

Potato-corn Chowder Ranch Soup: replace veggies and seasonings with: Add 1 T dill,1 tsp black pepper, 1 can creamed corn, 1 can corn and 1C diced celery, 2C diced potatoes, 4 C water, Puree in Blender for smooth texture.

*Savory Oven Casseroles: 

Buffalo Cauliflower wing Casserole

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 can Cannellini beans, drained

1 Cup brown rice, uncooked

1 onion, diced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 C frozen corn or carrots

1 cauliflower cut in bite size bits 

Or

1 bag of riced cauliflower

(optional peas, carrots etc)

Line 9x13 baking dish with beans and sprinkle with rice. Layer veggies on top. Make sauce.

Sauce:

2 C water

2 C unsweetened plant milk

1T onion powder

1T garlic powder

1T minced onion

½ C Frank’s Hot sauce

Add ingredients to a medium pot on stove. Bring to a boil. 

Add cornstarch slurry.  Reduce heat to medium.

cornstarch slurry >>2 teaspoons corn starch + ¼ C water, shake/mixed well<<

 whisk in,

Cook 2 more min or until boiled. Take off heat. Let cool. Carefully pour over Beans-Rice-Veggie mix in 9x12Casserole pan

Sprinkle with optional breadcrumbs or nutritional yeast.
Bake @ 400F, 60 min/1 hour. Let sit for 10 min.

Variations:

Curry: add 2 T curry spice, diced sweet potato and peas, 1/4c nutritional yeast

Italian: Add 2 T Italian Seasoning, replace hot sauce with tomato sauce, garlic, 

Asian: replace veggies with bagged coleslaw mix or canned water chestnuts, +bamboo shoots +bean sprouts.  Replace hot sauce with ⅓ C soy sauce or liquid aminos, if gluten free.replace plant milk with vegetable broth.

Dine in or take out…

Eating out:

• Vegan Sushi

• Steamed Rice and Veggies

• Baked potato, baked sweet potato, rice and beans- request no butter sour cream or added oil

• Steamed veggies-request no butter or oil

• Salad, -bring your own 321 dressing*

• Tomato pie -tomato no cheese pizza, plain, or with veggies like onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives, broccoli, etc.

• Whole grain pasta with marinara

• Beans, rice, salsa

• Veggie sandwich on whole grain bread with hummus

• Burrito bowl or Salas bowl with rice, beans, tofu

• miso soup

Look at “sides”  on menus. When I am not sure what to order- I order salad, rice, baked or mashed potato and a side veggie because at least I know there is some nutrition there. It’s easy to eat and keeps my meals starch centered.

Starch based prepared products for easy meals options:

• Frozen rice, frozen corn, other frozen veg without sauces

• Frozen or canned Veggies, including Asian veggies or veg mixes. Read labels.

• Canned beans

• Whole grain Pasta - rice noodles, quinoa, etc.

• Bob’s Red Mill Potato Flakes -Just add water and spices for creamy smooth mashed potatoes.

• McDougall Soups and Ramen in cups.

• Veggie Broth- I look for no sodium broth.Microwave with rice noodles and frozen veggies

• Whole grain cereal and Plant Milk : Cheerios, corn Chex, Rice Chex, Corn flakes, bran, Look for whole grain in ingredient list.

• Microwave potato or sweet potato-I use a wet paper towel or microwaveable potato bag to make it fluffy

• Oatmeal- prepare with water

• Veggies in plastic cups, convenient for travel or other reasons.

• Hummus

• Fruit -frozen, cups, pouches,cans, applesauce, apple butter, 100% preserves

• Rice Cakes, rice crackers, rice noodles

• Wasa whole grain crackers or Whole Wheat Matzo

• Corn tortillas

• Whole grain breads- Ezekial Bread, English muffins in frozen section. Dave’s Killer Bread