I’ve moved my kitchen, literally and figuratively this month. I’m back in the U.S after living 6 months in Baja, Mexico so I’ll be creating and cooking from my Nevada kitchen. I moved my blog back from My Baja Kitchen to What’s For Dinner Doc for many reasons. I don’t need an expensive independent blog because I kept deleting all of the paid and affiliate ads on my site out of sheer annoyance. I made $1.99 once at Amazon. I’m a failure at blogging for profit. 🙃 Besides, I don’t want my blog to feel like a job, so I’m ok with failure.

What’s on your mind Doc? (Yes, I’m talking to myself)

I’ve been thinking about the differences between eating in the U.S. and rural Mexico and how that effects my pocketbook and my waistline.

Cost: wow, sticker shock. I go from spending $70-80 a week for food in Baja to $200-300 per week in the U.S. (Directly related to how many times I hit Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods)

Choices: You can buy anything that you can afford in the U.S. Prime cuts of meat, fish from anywhere in the world, exotic fruits and vegetables in and out of season, pre-made sauces, great wines, frozen meals, cuisine from almost every culture, desserts and breads and CALORIES GALORE! These are luxuries for sure and they can translate into unexpected weight gain. I’m usually five pounds, at least, heavier when I return to Mexico.

It’s too easy for me to make fast and bad choices in the U.S.

Which is why I’m making a commitment to stick to a Flexitarian diet which includes more vegan and vegetarian meals with occasional chicken and fish. Research shows that making even small changes to your diet for example, limiting red meats and processed meats and replacing them with plant proteins increases longevity and vitality. This really isn’t a huge change for me but I am reducing my meat consumption by at least a third.

Here’s this week’s menu. I’m borrowing a few recipes from My Baja Kitchen and a few from the Internet for inspiration.

Zucchini and Quinoa Patties with yogurt, cilantro garlic sauce. Substitute grated zucchini for the Swiss chard.

Zucchini, sun dried tomato, olive and feta pasta. Sauté zucchini chunks with garlic and sun dried tomatoes in olive oil. Toss with any hot pasta, any pitted olives and a small amount of feta cheese. Season with black pepper.

Walnut Vegan Chorizo tacos,  pile these high with pineapple or mango salsa, lettuce and pickled onions.

Swordfish in white wine and basil. Sauté garlic in butter and olive oil, add a cup of dry white wine and a handful of sliced fresh basil. Simmer and reduce by half. Add swordfish and cook until opaque. Serve with the pan sauce and steamed greens.

Baked sweet potatoes are great with prepared or homemade vegan chili.

Quiche, here’s a basic recipe with cottage cheese. Add steamed broccoli pieces or spinach and onions and a small amount of cheddar. I use Trader Joe’s pie crust made with coconut oil. It is vegan but doesn’t flake as well as shortening versions. Of course you can make crustless quiche but the crust is my favorite part.

I still have my Pinterest Boards with lots of recipe ideas.  Try my Vegetarian/ Vegan Dinner Ideas. or Vegan / Vegetarian Mexican Recipes.