I’ve been pretty lucky that I haven’t had major aversions (or cravings, really) during any of my pregnancies. But during Doodle’s pregnancy, and the first part of this pregnancy is not turning out to be much different. And while I’m lucky my kids are pretty good veggie eaters, I figure it never hurts to give them extra so I pack them in wherever I can!
And while I haven’t been cooking as much as usual throughout my first trimester and morning sickness phase, I have managed to cook up a few things, some of which already are or are sure to become family regular favorites. A lot of the recipes use winter/root vegetables (because that’s what we’ve been getting in our produce box!) and they tend to be sweeter (because that’s what I want right now!) but I tried to pick recipes that use similar ingredients to make shopping easier!
So if you need help with planning a veggie packed meal plan for the week, I’ve got you covered! Here’s 7 dinner recipes (plus a bonus breakfast), all stuffed full of vegetable goodness. You can also download/print the week of Veggiefull dinners including all the recipes and a handy shopping list!
1. Sausage and Beet Balsamic Pasta
This has been a family favorite for some time. I used to make it with broccoli but tried it with beets when I had them one time and hubby liked it a lot better so I’ve been doing beets ever since!
2. Pumpkin Risotto with Apple Maple Chicken
This is another favorite I discovered one Halloween. I fell in love with a pumpkin pasta at our local fancy Italian restaurant in our village in Dublin and tired so many times to recreate it without success, but THIS is nearly as yummy!
3. Borscht
It doesn’t get more veggieFull than Borscht, that’s for sure! Not always the girls’ favorite, but Doodle LOVES it!
4. Sloppy Joes
I’m sure sloppy joes seem odd in a round up of VeggieFull dinners BUT, they can be as veggieFull as you want to make them by simply adding more onions and peppers. And of course, adding extra veg on the side doesn’t help either (I went with my pregnancy favorite fried okra).
5. Chicken and Rice
This might be the easiest recipe on the list. Minimal prep (other than chopping the vegetables if you use fresh but frozen will work, too!), throw them in a pot a let it cook.
6. Shepherd’s Pie
Another family favorite and a nod to our time in Ireland. Nothing makes me happier than a liitle warm Shepherd’s Pie!
7. Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Bacon Sauce
This was a new thing for me, I’ve never made any kind of pasta before but this was sooo good, especially with the maple bacon accompanying it! Add a nice little side salad and it’s even more VeggieFull (and you might feel less guilty!)
BONUS: Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pancakes
I used the leftover squash puree from when I made Pumpkin Risotto once and these were tooooo good. Everyone ate them up!
Don’t forget, you can download the full recipes and shopping list or a week of Veggiefull dinners
