My Plant-Based Family

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

Holly Yzquierdo

Pumpkin Bread

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I know, it’s that time of year where pumpkin starts to take over. I stood my ground as long as I could but I am not immune to the pumpkin fever that is sweeping the land. Once I gave myself over to the unrelenting force of the pumpkin the only real questions is: What to make?

I thought about all kinds of pumpkin infested recipes, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin granola, but I finally decided on good ol’ fashioned Pumpkin Bread.

I ran into a little hiccup when I grabbed all of my baking supplies. I was out of whole wheat pastry flour so I subbed organic stone ground whole wheat flour and unbleached all purpose flour. I think you could use whole wheat pastry flour with good results.

Ingredients

  • 1 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 c all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 ground cloves
  • 2 c pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 c applesauce
  • 1/2 c maple syrup (agave or date syrup would work too)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 walnuts (optional)

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients together except nuts.
  3. In a medium bowl mix together all wet ingredients.
  4. Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until mixed.
  5. Stir in nuts if using.
  6. Scoop batter into loaf pan.
  7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until done.
  8. Let cool 20 minutes then remove from pan and place on cooling rack until completely cook.
  9. Slice after it is completely cool.

Serve

This is perfect for dessert or as an accompaniment to warm cup of coffee or chai. It is not really sweet, if you’re looking for a sweeter bread add more maple syrup or raw sugar. This would also be good with a glaze on top if you are serving it for dessert. I’ll probably be eating this for breakfast tomorrow too. If you’re a chocolate fanatic like me you could add vegan chocolate chips, you can never go wrong with chocolate!

Party Worthy Parfait

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Welcome back to day 2 of the Vegan Month of Food, a.k.a The Vegan MoFo. Today I’m setting my sights on the parfait.

Making parfait’s are super easy if you have kids they can help or make their own. If you own a large glass bowl or trifle dish they can make a perfect center piece for a party or make these in individual glasses like I did. These are healthy enough for an on the go breakfast but tasty enough for dessert too.

Parfait

Ingredients

  • Vegan yogurt (I use coconut, almond or soy milk yogurt)
  • Diced fruit of your choice (apples, berries, or bananas)
  • Granola
  • Nuts and/or seeds
  • Vegan chocolate chips (hey I’m not judging)

Do

  1. Layer granola, yogurt, nuts/sees, then fruit.
  2. Repeat step 1 two to three times to fill your container.
  3. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Serve

This was a big hit at my Healthy Cravings group served as a dessert. We ate the leftovers for breakfast and lunch for a few days after. A few of my favorite variations include Cinnamon granola with diced apples, Almond granola with mixed berries, granola with vegan chocolate chips and bananas. I like to top this with chia seeds right before serving. My son thinks they are sprinkles! 🙂

This recipe is kid friendly, omni friendly, and gluten-free if you use gluten-free granola.

What is your favorite parfait combination?

The V Word

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Virgin

Vasectomy

Vulcher (this one is from my 3 year old)

No I’m talking about the word Vegan!

I was afraid to use this word for a long time. Growing up in rural Texas and Oklahoma definitely played a role in my ideas of this V word. It was always used negatively. This last weekend I visited my dad in Texas. We went to a quaint little bistro, there were less than 10 things on the menu and they all contained meat or dairy. I asked for a veggie sandwich with avocado, no meat, no dairy. The lady looked at me like my boobs were on backwards. The sandwich was delicious by the way.

I usually use the term “Plant-Based” to describe my diet. Primarily because that is how it was introduced to me. I first eliminated meat and dairy for my health. After that I became much more compassionate toward animals but that never would have happened if it wouldn’t have been for my Plant-Based mentor Eileen trying to help me regain my health. Additionally, when I tell someone I’m Plant-Based they look at me crazy and say what’s that. When I tell someone I’m vegan they just look at me crazy before running away. 🙂

This month I’m going to change all of that. I signed up to participate in the Vegan Month of Food a.k.a. the Vegan MoFo. I know how it sounds but don’t worry it is harmless. My husband has had an unending string of jokes since I told him I signed up. You may be wondering what to expect. Well I still plan to write about plant-based/vegan eating, recipes, and tips that make life easier for me. I’ll just be posting those things more often. I’d been in a bit of a slump with posting, you can thank our busy schedule for that. 🙂 Many of my recipes are gluten-free and kid friendly but sometimes I have to bring on the whole wheat and live it up!

So welcome to any new readers who found me through the Vegan MoFo. I hope you’ll stick around. 🙂 We are a pretty easy going bunch around here. If you are a regular reader get ready for a busy month. I hope you enjoy it!

Gratituesday: A Weekend with My Dad

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Last Friday I hopped on a plane without my husband or kids, flew to Texas, and spent a weekend with my Dad and little brother. I had a great time and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to hang out with them.

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Here is a picture of me (without makeup) and my dad (also without makeup). 😉

I had a truly relaxing weekend. My dad and I spent a few hours Saturday walking around “the Square” downtown going in and out of great little shops. I loved visiting an old jail museum too. It was educational and fun, I think I could have spent half a day in there. I also got to sit down a lot. Normally I have to jump up every few minutes to intervene before disaster happens.

Since I moved to Arizona in 2006 I haven’t spent more that a few hours a year with my dad and brother. I was very blessed to have the opportunity to visit them. Here are a few more pictures from my trip, I took them with my phone so they aren’t great but maybe they will give you an idea of the Square.

What are you thankful for this week?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Meal Plan Monday: A Basic Meal Plan

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Some weeks I don’t want to think too much. This is one of those weeks. I spent the weekend out of town (I had a great time) and I’m not ready for a new week. The problem is if I don’t make a meal plan we eat junk and fast food for waaaaaaaay too many meals. Also when I don’t have a plan I don’t always have all of the ingredients I need and I end up running to the store then buy everything that looks good and spend a lot of money. So this week I’m going to make a pretty basic plan based on what I have in my fridge and freezer.

Meal Plan

Breakfast is easy. The usual suspects include oatmeal, Breakfast Quinoa, Breakfast Rice, Toast with nut butter and fruit, baked sweet potatoes, and sometimes pancakes or a Breakfast Stir Fry. For my breakfast ideas check out this post.

Lunch is also pretty easy. We eat leftovers a lot, my husband almost always takes leftovers to work. We also eat sandwiches, baked potatoes, veggie wraps with hummus and bean and grain bowls.

Snacks are usually fruit although sometimes smoothies make an appearance too. I also like raw veggies with hummus. My sons love hummus so this is a popular snack. If I had an early lunch sometimes I’ll even have a sandwich for snack, I know I’m an animal.

Dinner is where I put most of the meal prep effort. My husband has requested rice, lentils, black-eyed peas, and quinoa so I’ll be working those in, except the black-eyed peas which I don’t care for. Those he can take to work. 🙂 I’ thinking of trying my hand at making Bean Burgers again, maybe lentil and quinoa burgers. The Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole is always a big hit. I may add some new veggies to it this week. Also Quinoa Tacos or Quinoa Taco Salads with avocados and salsa. I’ll probably end the week with a Stir Fry so I can use up any veggies that need to be used. I think this plan will adequately use the rice, lentils and quinoa my husband requested.  Getting “buy-in” from your husband is a good thing. 🙂

The good news about this meal plan is that the rice, lentils, black-eyed peas and quinoa can all be made ahead of time so you can throw everything together quickly after work. Since I was out of town this weekend I’ll do most of these one afternoon for fast and easy meals the rest of the week. I’m also hoping to do a little baking sometime this week. If I do I’ll be sure to post pictures on Facebook.

What about you? What are you eating this week?

A Few of My Favorite Blogs

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I love reading blogs. My list of favorite blog’s is always evolving. I don’t have to agree with everything aspect of their blog to enjoy it just as I’m sure some people read my blog who don’t care about some of the things I write about. Most of the blogs I read are about plant-based eating but I also read some that are about saving money or spending time with family. I’m sure I’ll forget to mention a few of my favorites so feel free to add them in the comments.

  • Nutty Alternatives is written by Kelly, they are corn, wheat, soy and sugar free.
  • My Daily Bread Crumbs is a blog I’ve just found but totally love. Katie is just beginning a plant-based journey.
  • Vedged Out is another new blog but I’ve been following Somer for a while when she wrote at Good Clean Food.
  • Blissful Britt is a fun blog I’ve been reading for a while, she post about running and eating vegetarian.

I’ve previously posted other blogs I like to read. The blogs I’m about to mention and I go way back, some as far back as January, I know, a long time right.

  • An Unrefined Vegan real food, whole food, without added fats. Her baking skills make me green with envy.
  • In Pursuit of More is written by Shira who strives to live with less but still has some of the most amazing pictures and delicious food.
  • Veggie Grettie has great product reviews and recipes, many are gluten-free.
  • Vegan Bloggers Unite  is hosted by Lidia at Air Eater  and is a great place to find other blogs.
  • Jason and the Veganauts I don’t really know what to say about Jason, you’ll just need to read it for yourself. You’ll be glad you did!
  • Emily Cooks Vegan is an amazing young lady from London. I always read her blog with an English accent.

I know I’m leaving people out and I’m sorry. Leave a comment with links to your favorite blog so no one misses out on the awesomeness. 🙂