Back to Meal Planning and (Almost) No Cook Vegetable Curry

It’s the beginning of a new quarter, so it’s back to work and preschool. That means busy mornings, making lunches, and less time to make dinner. I therefore decided that it was time to get back to meal planning. Instead of planning meals for each day of the week, I just planned easy-to-make meals with ingredients that keep a few days in the fridge. That way I can make what I feel like each night. Here is what I wrote down on Sunday morning before I went shopping:
Meals for the week:

•  Vegetable Curry, brown rice, and naan (this turned out to be Monday’s dinner)
• Quesadillas with Greek yogurt, salsa, & avocados and arugula salad
• (Almost) homemade potato and brie pizza (I bought whole wheat pizza dough at Trader Joe’s) & mixed salad
• Homemade organic chicken strips, baked sweet potato fries, and mache salad
• Salmon, rice, and spinach salad with avocado

The vegetable curry was super easy and very tasty. Plus, there are enough leftovers for several lunches!
Vegetable Curry
Ingredients

• Olive oil (to coat the bottom of the pot; I used my Misto spray bottle to use less oil)
• 1 small butternut squash, cut into small cubes
• 1 onion, cubed
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 9 small fingerling potatoes, diced
• Half a package of frozen peas
• Trader Joe’s Curry simmer sauce
• 2 frozen garlic cubes
• 2 frozen cilantro cubes
• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• Cilantro, chopped

Super Easy Directions

1. Heat some olive oil in a pot (I sprayed my pot with my Misto bottle).
2. Add the onions and sauté a few minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash, carrots, and potatoes and sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the Curry simmer sauce and the frozen garlic and cilantro cubes  to the pot and lower the heat. Simmer the vegetables until they are done, about 15 minutes.
5. Take the pot off the heat and add the frozen peas.
6. Stir in the Greek yogurt and top with chopped, fresh cilantro.

Serve with brown rice and naan. (I used the Trader Joe’s naan that’s available in the frozen aisle).


Questions: Do you plan meals? If so, do you have any tricks? I have been planning meals on and off for years now. Last year I got tired of planning meals and found it too restricting. By not planning meals for a specific night, I am excited again about meal planning as it feels more like I can choose what to make. Plus, I usually make enough so that there are leftovers, and I LOVE leftovers. Do you like Indian food? If so, what’s your favorite Indian dish?
Be well,
Andrea