I like a good challenge. Especially when it’s around getting people to eat more vegetables. So in an attempt to get our friend to eat a few more vegetables, Lindsay and I invited a couple of boys over for dinner, and whipped up a healthy-ish dinner for them.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s Wednesday, and this is what I’ve been eating!
Breakfast
A smoothie with a side of trail mix breakfast cookies
I’ve been using frozen spinach in my smoothies, because it’s way cheaper than fresh. You still can’t taste it, and I’m still getting the benefits of the greens. I call that a win-win.
Lunch
I brought a whole wheat pita from home, and I planned on stuffing it with hummus and veggies, but I was happily surprised to find tabbouleh salad in the cafeteria!
I also added in some cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. It was filling and delicious! I love the flavors in salads like this.
For a grain-free tabbouleh recipe, try this one!
Dinner
Ah the dinner.Making a vegetarian dinner for a bunch of non-vegetarians isn’t easy. We wanted to make something hearty and filling, so they wouldn’t miss the meat. I also didn’t think it was a good idea to attempt any kind of s0y-meat product, because… people get weird about that. We got our inspiration from this recipe, but ended up changing it up a bit, partly because I don’t have a grill!
Whole Wheat Pasta & Roasted Vegetables
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti noodles
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 vine tomatoes
- 3 bell peppers
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 crown of broccoli
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Salt, pepper, oregano, basil, & parsley
Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and rub with a clove of garlic. Slice your tomatoes and bell peppers into large pieces, cover with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes or until beginning to brown on the bottom. Chop the broccoli and put in a sauce pan, with enough water to cover it. Bring to a slight boil and cook until just tender. In another pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions. The hardest part is getting all three of these things to be done at the same time, but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Drain the pasta, and add in 1 tbsp olive oil. Serve the pasta topped with all the vegetables, a little parmesan cheese, and all your spices. Easy-peasy.
After we were full of pasta and veggies, we decided the night was calling for some fro-yo, so we walked over to sweet frog, and I consumed this delicious monster:
I went with chocolate & cake batter flavors with as many toppings as I could cram into the cup. (For more random/cliche instagrams, you should follow me.)
So. Delicious.
Great post
It’s gotten hot here so I think I’m going to make a summer salad with tomato, olives and mozzarella, can’t wait!
I am definitely going to check out that grain-free tabbouleh recipe! I don’t think I have ever had tabbouleh!
It’s easy to make and it’s super healthy! It’s crazy how much cauliflower can taste like a grain!
mmm… froyo. Can I just have that for dinner? hmmm…
Yummy all around, especially the fro yo at the end
! Dinner tonight is going to be a savory crepe..probably goat cheese, grilled chicken, mushrooms, zucchini, and caramelised onions!
Ohhhh yum!!!!! Goat cheese would make that amazing!
Why is fro yo soooooooooooooooo good?!?! P.S. Brittany and I were thinkin’ about trying out Tio Pablo once I get back from the beach next week, I’ve been wanting to go there for a while now, let me know if you’re up for it too!!
I’m up for it if she isn’t.
Hey now, you KNOW I’m up for it!!! I
yummm! it’s a plan then
Mmmm I love sweet frog!!!
Yum! It all looks good
P.S. Can I be a royal pain and ask you to re-subscribe to my blog? I know you used to be, but now that I’ve switched hosting and everything, you won’t be getting the updated posts unless you actually re-subscribe (just don’t want you to miss out on anything 
)
I’m glad you told me!!! I swear, the technical stuff gets way more complicated than it should be!
That dinner looks delish and would actually be perfect to make for my dad this weekend. I always try to reiterate how ‘easy’ it is to be a vegetarian, but he never buys it. A dish like this may just sway him, lol. And I agree with everyone else, that fro-yo looks delish!
i am always down for a solid fro yo trip..looks amazing!
Can I seriously just have everything in this post?! It all looks so dang tasty!
Come on over my dear! I’ll make you anything you please
Hey lady! I love trying to sway people’s attitudes on vegetarian (and vegan) cooking. I often find th best thing is to do exactly what you did: keep it simple.
[Of course, I have yet to get my timing down in the kitchen when serving a meal to people...maybe I need more practice?]
PS Why have I never thought about using frozen spinach in smoothies???
Oh. Wait. Maybe because I never make smoothies….but if I DID…
Also. Who are these boys? Are any of them suitable for me?
Hahahaha Oh my gosh first of all, yes use frozen because it’s WAY cheaper and it gives it an even better texture. Secondly, if you don’t’ make smoothies then just come over and I’ll make you one
Thirdly, one of the guys was single! (He actually went to UVA… so maybe you know each other. HAHA)
Pasta is always a good non-veggie friendly meal.
Cake batter fro yo is my fave. I’m currently on strike with froyo because of the sugar (in the ridiclous amount of toppings I add). Sigh.
He literally walked in and said “Ohhh yeah I forgot pasta was vegetarian! I was thinking we were just going to eat like, oranges and green beans or something!”
Delicious and healthy…Love it! I’m just about to follow you on instagram
I’m @MsLoveNiki on there.
http://www.LoveNiki.com
I’m totally going to find you! Ha!
Your lunch sounds perfect right now! I love pita bread and actually made some whole-wheat pita bread from scratch the other day. I say it turned out decent. Now I’m just ready to stuff it in every way possible!
And I love pasta dishes like that. Simple and soo satisfying! And that fro-yo…drool…you def know how to top it!!
Woah I’m impressed!!! Did you post the recipe?! I’d love to try making my own!
that meal sounds awesome. I’m not a vegetarian but I could eat that right up. Your fro-yo looks so packed! So cliche. Love it. hahaha.
Haha even if it wasn’t clche in the instagram world, I’m pretty sure 30% of my own pictures are of fro-yo
I love CakeBatter flavored frozen yogurt, but they rarely offer it at my local spot. Always so excited when they do. I’m not making dinner tonight (yay!), going out for thai food instead. Hoping to bring home enough leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner as well!
Cake batter is the BEST! Although red velvet cake is a close second
Thai food makes perfect leftovers!!!
I’m pretty sure my daughter’s love language is fro-yo. She’d adore you!
Congrats on the successful cooking for the carnivores. Dinner here tonight are chickpea pumpkin seed burgers from Let Them Eat Vegan and some pasta for the kids. They don’t do chickpea burgers, especially with seeds.
Tabouli is freaking awesome is anything!
xo Emilie @ Hungry Delights
Yum yum!! Great job on the awesome dinner for the guys. I need to go back to one vegetarian meal a week like I use to do in order to get more veggies in the hubster and kids diets. They eat veggies pretty well but all are meat eaters!
Yum I love the pasta …. And so good to get people to try new things, especially vegetables ! Dinner tonight is a home-made turkey lasagna.
I love getting people to eat vegetarian or vegan stuff and seeing their faces when they realise how nice it is! That looks fab and I’m going to check out the tabbouleh; I’ve never had it.
I used to love pittas before I was coeliac; they’re amazing toasted
And I meant to say, great idea to use frozen spinach in smoohies!
I don’t know if I have ultra sensitive taste buds, but I can totally taste frozen spinach when I add it to my smoothies. Maybe the brand I buy is slightly pre-cooked and that’s why. Anyhow, I’ve been looking for easy peasy vegetarian pasta recipies and yours seems to fit the bill perfectly . Thanks for sharing
It might also depend on your blender!t vita mix can pretty much demolish it so it’s really smooth. Maybe frozen gets kind of chunky in other blenders?
so i wanted to tell you that yesterday i made a variation of your trail mix salad and it was really great and such a good variation on my normal lunch. i took spinach and added granola, blueberries, feta, and balsamic vinegar. delicious!
Oh awesome!! Don’t you just love the textures?! I bet the blueberries and feta made it even better!!
It looks like a great dinner- I hope the guys liked it! I agree- probably best to stay away from fake meats with people who are a bit suspicious of vegetarians
I had halloumi salad for dinner last night- and it was actually warm and sunny enough to eat it outside- hurrah!!
Dinner outside always tastes better!!
Dinner this week has been lots of farmers market produce salads (toms, cucs) covered in fresh basil! With a little turkey or cottage cheese on the side for protein.
All of your food looks amazing as always!
Yumm! I’ve never thought of using frozen spinach in smoothies. That is a GREAT idea!
It’s so much cheaper! And I actually like the texture better!
I love using frozen spinach for most any spinach-requiring recipe (except, you know, fresh spinach salads). It is SO cheap–by the time you cook (or blend) a regular fresh bag, you have such a tiny pile of spinach left. Frozen comes pre-shrunk
And I don’t know what I’m making for dinner yet–Time to scour blogs for inspiration!
That pasta looks so yummy! As does the froyo
I hadn’t considered using frozen spinach in the smoothies! What a great idea! I need to try that!
YUM! I want that lunch! Sounds like a delicious day to me!
Those trail-mix breakfast cookies are pretty similar to my banookies. I love them – they are a perfect pick up for long hours of learning or working!
Frozen spinach in smoothies!! Why haven’t I thought of that?! Genius! Trying it ASAP!
It’s so much cheaper than fresh spinach, and honestly, I like the texture better for a smoothie!