My Plant-Based Family

Eating Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet recipes, On a Budget.

Archives for September 2012

September’s Healthy Cravings Meal Plan

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On Monday’s I typically post my meal plan for the week but I’m not going to do that this week. I have no idea what we are eating this week other that leftovers that are in my fridge. I’m not worried though we wont starve. If you feel lost without my Meal Plan you can read previous meal plans to help you get through the week. 🙂

You may remember this summer I hosted my first Food Demo. It was a success but has now morphed into a new group called Healthy Cravings. Our first meeting is this Thursday so I thought it would be fun to share the menu ahead of time. In these meetings I hope to introduce a plant-based diet and encourage ladies toward healthier living even if they are not yet ready to take the plant-based plunge.

For this first meeting the focus will be to Eat More Veggies! Each month I’ll have a different focus and a seasonally appropriate menu. October will be soups and chili, and November will be Thanksgiving. It is still really hot (I know I mention that every day) so I don’t want to heat the house up before everyone comes over.

Healthy Cravings Menu

Salads

  • Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • Kale Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing
  • Garden Salad with a variety of dressings
  • Creamy Basil Pasta Salad

Comfort Corner

  • Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole
  • “Cheesy” Broccoli Baked Potato Bake
  • Lentil Ragu and Pasta

Desserts

  • Granola Bars
  • Fruit and Granola Parfait
  • I’m still deciding on some other desserts

So what do you think? I’m so excited! I’m also very thankful that my friend Steffi is bringing the Creamy Basil Pasta Salad and the Lentil Ragu. Isn’t that awesome! I have 18 people RSVP’d so far and a grocery list a mile long.

Meal Plan Monday: September is Here

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Well it is finally September but that doesn’t mean crisp autumn days here in Arizona. A lot of my friends are ready for cooler weather complete with fall wreaths on their front doors. I’m welcoming September by buying a new pair of jeans and a denim jacket! Oh and by making my favorite, Minestrone Soup! To0 bad it is still well over 100°F on most days. Until it cools off we will just turn up the air conditioning, grab a big quilt, and watch Christmas movies with warm cup of coffee.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be Steel Cut Oats, Breakfast Quinoa, toast with almond butter and sliced apples, baked sweet potatoes and an occasional bowl of cereal.

Lunches will be leftovers; right now I have leftover lentil tacos, plain lentils, Mexican Rice, Taco Quinoa, and plain quinoa. We will also have sandwiches, wraps, salads, and combinations of everything mixed together.

Snacks will be hummus with veggies, fruit, smoothies, I like a quick PB&J sometimes too.

Dinner

Monday: Leftover Mexican food

Tuesday: Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole (My family’s favorite! They request this each week.)

Wednesday: Baked Potatoes topped with steamed veggies and lentils

Thursday: Minestrone Soup

Friday: Kale Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing (I want to try this, it’s from the new Forks Over Knives Cookbook)

I’m looking forward to some good food this week. We have family favorites, quick and easy fare, a new recipe to try. Next week is my 2nd Food Demo which I’m re-branding as a women’s healthy living group now called Healthy Cravings. It is a plant-based group but not everyone knows that yet. I just teased them with the idea of eliminating disease and losing weight. 🙂

Have a great week friends!