My adoration of Mexican food has been greatly documented here! We enjoy it a few times a week, except last week. I had purchased a meal plan from Happy Herbivore as an experiment. I love her recipes and her cooking style is very similar to mine so I thought I’d give it a try.
Happy Herbivore Meal Plan Review
I knew going in that there was no Mexican food, she actually lists many of the recipes so you know what you are getting before you purchase it. The Happy Herbivore Meal Plans include a calendar with each meal planned out, a complete shopping list, and instructions for every recipe. It is very easy to follow. There are individual and family meal plans available for a low price.
What I liked
I thought the $5 price was reasonable, especially for busy people who don’t have time to sit and plan. The shopping was easy because everything was on the list. We were able to try new things we wouldn’t have picked on our own. The meal plan is mostly gluten and soy free but can easily be adapted and gives instructions for those substitutions. As already mentioned these plans are very easy to follow and takes most of the work out of preparing for dinner, of course you still have to shop and cook.
What I didn’t like
We had a few problems with the meal plan. First, it was too much food for us. I don’t cook a new dish for every meal. Second, I also spent about twice as much as I typically would. That really surprised me, I think it is because I bought wraps/crackers that I wouldn’t normally buy often. Also, the list included produce that was more expensive than I would typically choose, like frozen mango. Third, some of the recipes just weren’t our thing. If you follow me on Facebook, you heard that we had a bad experience with the Red Lentil Dal, BLECK! My kids weren’t very receptive to most of the dinner recipes, we gave them small amounts to try then ended up making them something else.
The Verdict
To be fair, we still have a lot of those groceries left because I didn’t follow the meal plan exactly. You could pick and choose which recipes work for your family. This weeks meal plan has plenty of Mexican food. I think the Happy Herbivore Meal Plans are a good idea for a lot of people, especially if you are open to trying a lot of different types of recipes and wanting to maintain a low calorie diet. If you are new to plant-based eating and want a no fuss plan for eating healthy then give these a try.
– – –
Our Meal Plan
This week I’ll be getting back to normal, sort of. This is Healthy Cravings week so my cooking schedule will be a little different. On the plus side, it is a potluck so I don’t have to do all of the cooking. I’ve had smaller than normal RSVPs so I think the potluck part is a little intimidating for some.
You’ll notice that I don’t plan all of our meals. I try to cook large enough amounts that we have leftovers and my kids will often eat sandwiches for lunch. Sometimes I pull out a variety of raw veggies and salad dressing and we call that a meal. This work for our family better than a highly structured plan.
Breakfast
I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in the mornings so we will likely eat:
- Oatmeal (I’m working on some new summer worthy combinations)
- Fruity Quinoa
- Nut Butter and Apple Slice Toast
- Breakfast Tacos
Lunch
We often eat leftovers for lunch, most of these dishes are easily built with leftover ingredients.
- Veggie Wraps with greens, bell peppers, sliced carrots, and cucumbers
- Black Bean and Quinoa Bowl with avocado
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Taco Salad
Snacks
We regularly have morning and afternoon snacks depending on our schedule. I try to focus on fruit and veggies most of the time. The kids love anything they can dip.
Dinner
- Spicy Black Bean Sliders
- Quinoa Tabbouleh
- Avocado Grillers with Spicy Black Beans and Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Layered Mexican Taco Casserole made with Unfried Beans, Mexican Rice, Quinoa-Lentil “Taco Meat,” tortillas, Creamy Avocado Dip, fresh salsa and tortillas. I may add Faux Cheese Sauce between the layers too.
- Garden Veggie Pasta Salad
