Monday, January 7, 2013

Greek for a Week! ( Weekly menu plan & freezer cooking )

Greek Freezer Cooking - Bulgur Pilaf
Would you like to have a whole week of vegan, Greek meals in your freezer?

It's quick and easy to do!

And, if perchance you aren't Greek, and would rather space these meals out rather than eating Greek for the whole week, try incorporating them into a Vertical Meal Plan

If you don't usually eat vegan, this may well be one of the most frugal week of menus you've ever eaten! : )

Each Meal is served with Salad & Bread
Greek Freezer Cooking - Peas & Artichokes

with the exception of the Bulgur - where the veggies
are eaten on top of the pilaf.

Each of these meals may be made separately by using the Single Batch Yachni Recipe.
There's a shopping list at the bottom for your convenience.
Here's the Week's Menu:

Sunday:
Bulgur Pilaf ( Pourgouri )



Monday:
Greek Peas & Artichokes Yachni
Tuesday:
Greek Bean Soup ( Fasolia Yachni )

Greek Freezer Cooking - Greek Bean Soup
Wednesday:
Greek Okra & Tomato Stew ( Bamies Yachni )
Thursday:
Greek Chickpea Stew ( Revythia )
Friday:
 Greek Giant Beans ( Gigantes ) 
Saturday:
Greek Stuffed Veggies ( Gemista )


To Make the recipes for your freezer:
Cook Two Batches of Yachni Sauce 
Greek Freezer cooking - Greek Chickpea Stew
Then, Measure out ingredients for these menus directly into your freezer containers, and pop in the freezer. These are slow-cooker meals that will be ready to thaw & pop in the slow cooker on the day they will be eaten.
Monday:
Greek Peas & Artichokes Yachni
Tuesday:
Greek Bean Soup ( Fasolia Yachni )
Wednesday:
Greek Okra & Tomato Stew ( Bamies Yachni )
Friday:
Greek Giant Beans ( Gigantes )


Then, Measure out the sauce for this meal. It is another slow cooker meal that can be assembled directly into the slow cooker on Thursday Morning. Just combine your dry chickpeas, sauce, celery & water in the pot ( or in the evening, you can add some celery or spinach a couple hours before serving)
Thursday:
Greek Chickpea Stew ( Revythia )

That leaves Sunday's & Saturday's meals.
For Sunday's meal, it can be prepared ahead or on the day it is eaten - either way it takes about 20 minutes to make - once the sauce is ready, it takes about the same time as a boxed dinner!

 For Saturday's meal, the filling may be made ahead, by cooking the rice, toasting the almonds and assembling the filling for the freezer. On Saturday, you simply cut the tops out of the peppers and pull out the seeds, fill them with the thawed filling, and pop them in the Slow Cooker or Cooking pot to cook them : )















Shopping List for Greek Week

4 (#10) cans Chopped Tomatoes, or 28 (15 oz) cans
4 (12oz) Bags Frozen Onions (or 8 large fresh Onions)
8 Bay Leaves
2 (6oz) cans tomato Paste
1 Package Bulgur (2 cups)
3 oz Broken Spaghetti or Vermicelli
2 Pounds Frozen Green Peas
1 can ( or 1 12oz bag frozen) Artichoke Hearts
2 (12oz) bags Frozen Mirepoix Mix (or 1 cup each, Onion, Celery, Carrot)
3 Cans Great Northern Beans (or 4 1/2 cups home prepared with liquid)
3 (12oz) bags frozen Okra (whole, cut, or a combination)
1 Pound Dried Chickpeas
4 Ribs Celery
5 Cans Butter Beans
6 Bell Peppers
Slivered Almonds to Toast  (1/2 cup)

Greek Freezer cooking - Stuffed Veggies
Chopped Fresh Veggies to serve with Bulgur
 Salad Fixings for 6 days
Bread to serve with meals
Seasonal Fruit of your choice for Desserts

And, check your pantry for these staples:
Dried Parsley
Jar of Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Cumin
Cinnamon

This is being shared on 
Menu Plan Mondays
http://frugallysustainable.com/
Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party
Healthy Vegan Friday
Serenity Saturday
No Ordinary Homestead
Rounding Up Favorite Meatless Meals

Food on Friday - Mediterranean





 










      
     

6 comments:

  1. Ah... A kindred soul... I am so glad we found each other at OrgJunkie.com!

    I am following a recipe by Caldwell Esselston, Jr. to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease (book by same name). You'll probably be seeing some of your recipes appearing in my menu plan in future weeks! I will be tweaking to not include olives, artichokes, and oils, plus I only eat breads which are whole grain and contain no oil, such as Ezekiel Bread.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad we found each other, too!

    I LOVE Dr. Esselstyn! He took his own time to call me (no charge) when my Mom was dying and discuss if there were any options to help her. He has a good heart - in more ways than one!

    I'd be honored if you use my recipes. I'd appreciate a link to my blog when you do - I believe all the recipes on this page already have a no-oil option. And the artichokes are the oil-free kind (frozen or canned, not marinated). If you cannot use them because of price, potatoes are a good, traditional substitute, but aren't freezer friendly. And, I often use capers in place of olives, when I'm watching fat extra closely - they're a good substitute : )

    For whole grain, oil free bread (check my post on whole wheat Naan). I use the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipe, and it costs about 40cents a pound : ) Fun, easy to make, - win-win! I do love white bread too - but try to eat whole wheat a good portion of the time.

    Great to have you here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVE your blog! Near Vegan, here, too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi. I recently stumbled upon your blog and really love the convenience and affordability of your recipes and bulk cooking. I was glancing through some of your bulk cooking posts and noticed the green peas and artichokes yachni link isn't working. I'd love to make this soon! Many thanks! --Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for visiting & thanks for letting me know about the broken link. I think I have it fixed now & it should work for you (it works for me now). I'd love to hear how you like the recipes when you get a chance to try them! : )

      Delete

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