Vegetables

Mmm, vegetables. I mentioned that many nights we cook up a meat and a vegetable with enough for lunch leftovers. I plan ahead on the meats but only kind of plan ahead on the veggies. I think of what kind of side would go well with a particular main, then when we're at the store we get whatever looks good. My meal plan is usually on the back of my grocery list so I can consult it while we're shopping.

Aaron also stops at the produce market once or twice during the week on his way home for fresh produce. When I'm really on my game, I plan ahead for several weeks and buy all the non-perishable stuff at once, which saves us a lot of money because fewer trips to the grocery store means fewer impulse buys.

I do keep a list of vegetables with our favorite ways to prepare them so we don't get stuck in a veggie rut. It's a spreadsheet in google docs with all the veggies we eat in a column, and different ways to prepare them going across.

In this same document, I keep lists of recipes we want to try, our favorite recipes (grouped by type; main, side, baked goods), and meal plans. When we have a week that goes smoothly,  I try to record it so we could repeat it again next year. Eventually, I could have a whole years' worth of seasonal meal plans to consult.

I keep this in google docs so I can access it from home or work, and I have it 'shared' with Aaron so he can look it up too. He's made a couple meal plans for me when I've gotten too stressed out about making them 100% healthy, 100% favorites, 100% frugal, and started losing my sanity. Now I try to focus on making them easy, reasonably healthy, and appealing enough so Aaron isn't tempted to go out instead. When we are both working full time, 'good enough' is 100% perfect.

Here is my veggie list from A-Z:

artichoke
arugula
asparagus
beans
beet
bell pepper
broccoli
Brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrot
cauliflower
celery
chicory
cucumber
eggplant
endive
fava bean
fennel
green beans
jicama
kale
kohlrabi
leek
lentils
lettuce
okra
onion
parsnip
peas
pumpkin
radish
rhubarb
romaine
rutabaga
salsify
savoy
scallion
shallot
spinach
squash
squash, acorn
squash, butternut
sweet potato
swiss chard
tomato
turnip
wax beans
zucchini