Fruits and Veggies Monday: Two Kinds of Prepping! ;)

Happy Monday once again!  As usual it is time for another round to support @lenasveganliving and our own healthy plates with #fruitsandveggiesmonday!  This wonderful contest has been going on for quite a while now, but it continues to grow and get better each week.  I have gotten in the habit of sharing a little piece of my weekly meal prep, but today I have another kind of preparation to share.  We have started seedlings for the garden!

I just can't wait to see what we can get growing this year!  I told @dksart he needs to do some documentation since he is in charge of most of this phase of the preparations. ;)  We usually get at least a few things that always do well--zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant and herbs.  I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for tomatoes this year!

Hopefully in a few months I'll be able to share some of our bounty for my Monday posts, but until then I'll give you a little taste of one of our meals for this week.  I have been craving some jackfruit, so I finally made it to the international market to grab a few cans.  In hindsight I probably should have grabbed a few extra for next time  since this batch will be gone in no time. ;)

I may eventually come up with my own recipe, but this week I went with a tried and true jackfruit carnitas recipe I had found a while back.  I made this for a 4th of July get-together last year and almost had some of the omnivores fooled into thinking it was meat!  Everyone thought it was delicious.

I did add a few cups of cooked navy beans to add a little protein to our meals and make them stretch even further.  The black rice and homemade slaw balanced everything out for a filling and nutritious meal.

And of course I put together more bowls for the week.  It's not prepping if you don't make extra!  I love looking forward to a nice bright meal for lunches or dinners.  As usual, it is a great way to make sure you are getting plenty of whole foods into your daily dietary intake.  I do like knowing how far my food is going to spread for the week, as well.  If I just leave it all in big containers it doesn't always help me know if I have enough for the week or if I need to freeze some after making too much.

The slaw was just shredded red cabbage, carrots, pineapple, minced jalapeno, cilantro and my favorite combo of lime juice, pineapple white balsamic and some dried coriander.  Simple yet so fresh and delicious!  I had to laugh a little that I got right up and started to make it, so when I looked at the clock it wasn't even 8:30 am yet.  It was a rainy Sunday, so no better place to be than keeping it bright in the kitchen with beautiful foods!

I hope everyone else has an equally bright and healthy week!