My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

Holly Yzquierdo

Plant-Based Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

Can you believe there is only one month left of this year? Soon, your evenings will be full of holiday parties and events. You’ll probably find yourself eating out more than you should. It’s a good idea to create a plant-based meal plan so that you plan to stay on track!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

This time of year, many of us tend to over indulge in treats. I’ve been pulling one of my kid-friendly strategies to make sure all of us eat more veggies. As much as 30 minutes before dinner, I’ll chop up some veggies and set out a dip. You’d be surprised how many people come to the kitchen once they smell food. When they see veggies and dip on the counter they don’t even think about having a little snack, they dig in!

Veggies and Hummus

The key is having veggies they like. We tend to have carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers as our main three. Depending on what else we have, we may add celery, tomatoes, mushrooms and more! You can see all of my favorite dips and dressings and choose one your family will love.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

We knew we wanted to have easy breakfasts and lunches ready so we made both over the weekend! We made a big batch of Instant Pot Breakfast Rice! It’s so nice to have on cool mornings and a great change from our typical oatmeal. 

Since we are having rice for breakfast we decided not to make the One Pot Broccoli and Rice this week. Instead we made a big pot of Hearty Veggie Soup! We love this soup! I’ve heard from some many of you who love it too!

Plant-Based Breakfast

As mentioned we have Instant Pot Breakfast Rice ready to go. This time I added some pumpkin pie spice for a little different twist. 

I have some bananas that are almost perfect for being made into Banana Bread! I plan to make them into muffins instead of a loaf for easy on the go breakfasts and snacks.

Plant-Based Lunch

In addition to the Hearty Veggie Soup, we will enjoy other leftovers from dinner. We will probably have plenty of leftover beans and goulash this week that will make for delicious lunches!

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Chickpea Noodle Soup is a quick and easy soup if you use canned chickpeas. Pick your favorite type of pasta, long spaghetti noodles or short macaroni noodles all work well.

Tuesday: Bean Burritos are something the whole family enjoys. Thankfully making Instant Pot Refried Beans is easy-peasy! Plus, we love leftover beans for Plant-Based Nachos or Tostadas.

Wednesday: Plant-Based Goulash is perfect this time of year. I’ll probably make it in my Instant Pot but I have a stove top version too. This hearty meal makes great leftovers too.

Thursday: Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry is great with rice but I may sub some Asian noodles instead! 

Friday: Baked Potatoes and steamed veggies topped with Brown Gravy is 100% comfort food. I cook my potatoes in the Instant Pot so it’s super easy. 

What are you eating this week? Follow my Instagram Stories and I’ll show you what we are eating this week!

Chocolate Banana Bread

by 2 Comments

For years I’ve been using the same recipe for banana bread! We love it! The only change we ever made was to add chocolate chips! I love it with chocolate chips but my husband prefers it plain. One of my sons has a sweet tooth like me so we doubled down and made Double Chocolate Banana Bread! 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This recipe is just as easy at the original, it only has two extra ingredients, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I should probably mention straight away that I always use dairy-free chocolate chips. Enjoy Life Foods are my favorite because they are allergy-friendly and come in different varieties from mini chips, chocolate chunks, and dark chocolate.

You can use whichever brand you love!

Chocolate Banana Bread

This Double Chocolate Banana Bread is perfect for chocolate lovers! It’s oil-free except for whatever oil could be in the chocolate chips. I’ll admit, chocolate chips are not a health food. We don’t have them all the time but they really elevate and add a decadent flare to oil-free desserts.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla then mix well.
  4. Add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix again.
  5. Add half the optional nuts and chocolate chips into the batter. 
  6. Pour into a sprayed loaf pan. Then top with the remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
  7. Cook for 40 minutes, then test every 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  8. Remove from pan once cool.

I enjoy this Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe with a glass of rice milk. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Yield: 12 slices

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This decadent Double Chocolate Banana Bread is perfect for parties or potlucks! The chocolate lovers in your house will love this plant-based recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or raw sugar (I’ve used agave with a good result also)
  • 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 Tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips 
  • 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla then mix well.
  4. Add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix again.
  5. Add half the optional nuts and chocolate chips into the batter. 
  6. Pour into a sprayed loaf pan. Then top with the remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
  7. Cook for 40 minutes, then test every 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  8. Remove from pan once cool.

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Dessert

Plant-Based Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

I’ve been sick but I’m finally getting better. This week’s Plant-Based Meal Plan includes our new favorite soup, pasta, and a new recipe!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

This page contains affiliate links. 

My husband and I worked together to get some meals ready for the week! We made his favorite One Pot Broccoli Rice Casserole that he takes every day to work for lunch. A couple of his coworkers have sampled it and love it too. 

Next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and I have family coming to visit so I won’t be sharing a meal plan. If you’ve signed up for my weekly emails, you’ll find out my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-Based Breakfast

In addition to our favorite Instant Pot Oatmeal, Breakfast Cookies are planned for this week. We also have cuties, blueberries, strawberries, apples and bananas to go with our breakfasts.

Plant-Based Lunch

My newest recipe, my Hearty Veggie Soup will make up most of my lunches! I love this soup and I’ve had a lot of good feedback that many of you love it too! One lady told me it was her first plant-based meal! Over the weekend, I made it in the Instant Pot! I’ll update the recipe soon with Instant Pot instructions but if you can’t wait, just dump it all in the Instant Pot and cook it for 5 minutes. It will take a long time to come up to pressure and then come down after it’s done cooking, but it’ll be worth it. 

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Green Chili, Cilantro and Lime Soup is so good! My kids don’t like it, they think it’s spicy, but I love it. It’s more of a grown up meal, more for us!

Tuesday: Pizza Pasta, raw veggies, homemade oil-free hummus, and some kind of bread. We’ve been loving Banza Pasta lately! It’s gluten-free and made from chickpeas! 

Wednesday: Texas-Style Chili and Baked Potatoes are perfect for fall. We are expecting a rainy day so this will be perfect.

Thursday: Lentil Tacos with Instant Pot Refried Beans and Mexican Rice will be a little more work than I like to do mid week but it will be worth it. Tacos are always worth it!

Friday: Leftover taco night!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This week I plan to share a new take on an old family recipe! I’ve made it before but never shared the recipe because it seemed more festive to share during the holidays. Stay tuned for my Double Chocolate Banana Bread! Perfect for potlucks and gift giving!

Hearty Veggie Soup

by 11 Comments

As soon as the weather shifted to fall I started making this soup. I’ve always been a fan of simmering all my favorite veggies in a big pot on the stove. I love stealing tastes here and there. This Hearty Veggie Soup took a bit more work.

Hearty Veggie Soup

This page contains affiliate links. 

One day after watching Game Changers on Netflix, my husband and I started talking about our weekly meal plan. We both really wanted a soup but we have different favorites. I like tomato flavored soups like my Taco Soup and he is a fan of the veggie broth flavored soups like the Chickpea and Rice Soup.

You could picture us across the table negotiating all the ingredients in the soup but it wasn’t that dramatic. We’d both offer suggestions for ingredients and veto other ingredients. Finally this soup emerged victorious. 

Hearty Veggie Soup

We started making it every weekend! It makes about 6-7 servings so it’s perfect for a weekend cooking session. After chopping the veggies it’s pretty hands off. I set it to simmer then go about my business. 

Even though this soup is plant-based, it somehow reminds me of the beef stew I ate as a kid. Crazy huh?

You can use your favorite veggie broth. I’ve used this veggie broth from Amazon with great results. I typically use my Veggie Broth Mix. I’ll usually add a little extra, ok sometimes I double it. 

Hearty Veggie Soup

This soup uses mostly fresh ingredients, I use frozen green beans and canned tomatoes and beans. The chopping doesn’t take too long but you could probably substitute a bag of frozen mixed veggies if you were short on time. I haven’t tried it because I always have fresh potatoes, carrots, onion and broccoli at my house.  

Hearty Veggie Soup

Hearty Veggie Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 peeled and diced potatoes (about 5-6 cups)
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 crown broccoli, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 8 cups of water or broth (if using water, add veggie broth mix)

Do

  1. Begin to saute the onions and garlic. Add a little water if needed. This makes the house smell glorious!
  2. Add the carrots and celery. Then dump in the potatoes, green beans, and broccoli.
  3. Cover the veggie with water  or veggie broth, I use about 8 cups of water and add 8-10 tablespoons of my Veggie Broth Mix.
  4. Pour in the diced tomatoes and black beans.
  5. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until all the veggies are soft.

Yield: 6

Hearty Veggie Soup

Hearty Veggie Soup

This Hearty Veggie Soup is an easy plant-based recipe your family will love. Beans, potatoes and broccoli plus more veggie goodness.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 peeled and diced potatoes (about 5-6 cups)
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 crown broccoli, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 8 cups of water or broth (if using water, add veggie broth mix)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Begin to saute the onions and garlic. Add a little water if needed. This makes the house smell glorious!
  2. Add the carrots and celery. Then dump in the potatoes, green beans, and broccoli.
  3. Cover the veggie with water  or veggie broth, I use about 8 cups of water and add 8-10 tablespoons of my Veggie Broth Mix.
  4. Pour in the diced tomatoes and black beans.
  5. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until all the veggies are soft.
  6. Salt and pepper if desired.

Notes

If you are using water I highly recommend you use my Veggie Broth Mix. It's delicious and gives you more control over the ingredients. Dry Veggie Broth Mix

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

Category: Soups, Stews, & Chili
Did you notice something missing from this recipe? I’ve made this so many times but the time I decide to take photos I forgot the green beans. I’ll take new pictures later but trust me, you don’t want to wait that long.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

This weekend we did a Costco run. We’ve stocked up on a few of our favorites. We also did some batch cooking. We’ve got several meals in the fridge and ready to go for the week. This week’s plant-based meal plan contains soups, casseroles, smoothies and more.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

For the last three weeks I’ve been making a new soup. We have fallen in love with it. I decided that I should probably share it. I’ll publish the recipe this week! I’m also planning to make pumpkin bread and smoothies. We don’t do a lot of smoothies, especially this time of year, but my 10 year old has requested them so I’m going to oblige. 

Plant-Based Breakfast

Instant Pot Breakfast Rice is one of those hearty breakfasts that we don’t make often enough. Instant Pot Oatmeal is another favorite. I really want to make my Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats but since we’ve been on a warm breakfast kick, I’ll probably just add the peanut butter and bananas to my hot oatmeal. 

Plant-Based Lunch

We will eat leftovers most days for lunch. I also made my One Pot Broccoli Rice Casserole on Sunday. I almost forgot to make it but my husband loves taking it to work so I cooked it while making dinner. 

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Instant Pot Minestrone Soup is exceptionally good. If you are looking for a new soup to try, put this one on your list. The stove top version is just as good!

Tuesday: Veggie Pad Thai is going to be perfect for this busy day. Last time I made it, I chopped up a second batch of veggies and put them in the freezer. I’ll be able to get home from work and start cooking without taking the time to chop the veggies.

Wednesday: Taco Soup will always be a favorite. I started making a version of his before we went plant-based and easily converted it to a plant-based recipe. We’ve been eating this version for 8 years!

Thursday: Portobello Fajitas with Mexican Rice and Beans is planned but if we have a lot of leftovers we will skip it and have it next week. 

Friday: Veggie Burgers and Oven Baked Fries

Do you shop at Costco? We have a lot of broccoli and spinach to eat! I’d love to hear your must haves from Costco!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

by 4 Comments

Have you watched the new movie Game Changers? It’s on Netflix and talks about how some of the strongest and fastest athletes thrive on a plant-based diet. If you haven’t watched it, you should! If you are looking for plant-based recipes, check out this week’s plant-based meal plan!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Each week I create a plant-based meal plan full of our favorite recipes. Depending on leftovers and our schedule, some times all of the recipes don’t get made. That’s ok. This isn’t a contest to make the most food, just a plan to eat well. Sometimes we don’t need an actual recipe, we will grab a few odds and ends like fresh veggies for salad and leftover baked potatoes and make an easy meal.

Plant-Based Breakfast

The last couple of weeks we’ve cooked Sweet Potatoes in our Instant Pot for quick and easy breakfasts. Most of the time I’ll make a few on the weekend or evening and we will enjoy them during the week. 

Instant Pot Oatmeal is another favorite. Yes, we use our Instant Pot a lot but have non Instant Pot versions of most of our recipes too. I also have leftover Tofu Scramble. It tastes great wrapped in tortillas for a Breakfast Burrito.

Plant-Based Lunch

In addition to our Sweet Potatoes, we also have some Baked Potatoes ready to go. We actually cook them at the same time and eat them throughout the week.

My Lentil Quinoa Salad is a really hearty salad that features lentils and quinoa (sometimes I’ll use rice) and greens with tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion. I love this salad. It’s both hearty and fresh! Use your favorite dressing, lemon juice or hummus.

Leftover soup is another great lunch choice. We like to cook enough soup to have leftovers, either for dinner or lunch the next day.

Plant-Based Dinner

I know that everyone is busy. When I first started eating plant-based, I was a stay-at-home mom with two little kids at home. I had time to slow cook beans and experiment with recipes. That’s when I started this blog.

Now I work, keep this blog going, have two big kids, one with complex medical needs. I don’t have a lot of time to cook, but we still have to eat. I maximize recipes when I can and make things as easy as possible. That’s why my fridge is ready with cooked potatoes, lots of veggies, and usually, a soup or two. 

Monday: “Beefy” Lentil Stew is a hearty, yet easy stew to make. I usually make it in my Instant Pot but you could easily make it stove top. I almost always have lentils in the pantry and all these veggies in my kitchen! 

Tuesday: Plant-Based Goulash is a really good recipe, especially if you live in cooler temperatures. My Instant Pot Goulash has been getting a lot of buzz too! I’ve been working on my corn bread muffin recipe but I don’t have it published to share yet, hopefully soon!

Wednesday: Broccoli Potato Soup is one of our favorites! It’s crazy easy to make, either in the Instant Pot or on the stove. The hardest part is chopping veggies. I’ve even been adding beans lately to give it more bulk, guess what…still amazing.

Thursday: Mexican Casserole is too good not to make. Especially when you love Tex-Mex as much as we do. It also makes great leftover burritos. I’ll probably stick to my Instant Pot version but I have lots of different recipes so you can make it in the oven, slow cooker or on the stove. 

Friday: I’m still deciding between Veggie Pad Thai which is super quick and easy and my Green Chili Cilantro and Lime Soup that is super flavorful and filling. I’ll wait until the end of the week to decide! I can’t go wrong with either.

What will you be eating this week? Are you using an Instant Pot? Last time I polled my readers they wanted more Instant Pot recipes which is why I usually like to post my Instant Pot version. What about you?

Also, don’t forget to watch Game Changers on Netflix!