My Plant-Based Family

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

Holly Yzquierdo

Back to (Batch Cooking) School Meal Plan

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This is Back to School Month at My Plant-Based Family so naturally we will be focusing on quick dinners, fun lunch box ideas and easy recipes. Your children may not be back at school yet but these tips and ideas will help you get prepared.

Back to School Month

Today’s Plant-Based Meal Plan will focus on dinners. I’m giving you a sneak peeking into the way my brain works when it comes to planning meals. Specifically I’m going to show you how I batch cook to make the rest of the week easy-peasy.

Meal Plan Monday

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Easy Crock Pot Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole is everyone’s favorite. I’ll Double the recipe.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup except I plan to add extra veggies like broccoli, carrots and celery along with some lentils.

Spaghetti (GF) and Lentil Marinara this recipe is used exclusively in my Custom Meal Plans. This is served with raw or steamed veggies.

Nachos with Unfired Black Beans and Quinoa-Lentil Taco’s.

Taco Potatoes using Quinoa-Lentil Taco’s.

Batch cooking a plant-based meal plan

What to Look For

Can you spot the trends in this Meal Plan? Which ingredients appear repeatedly?

  • Black Beans are used in the Mexican Casserole, Nachos and Taco Potatoes.
  • Lentils are used in the Soup, Lentil Marinara, Nachos and Taco Potatoes.
  • Potatoes are used in the Soup and the Taco Potatoes.
  • Quinoa is used in the Nachos and Taco Potatoes
  • Tomatoes are used in the Lentil Marinara, Nachos, and Taco Potatoes.

Using the same ingredients in multiple recipes is typical for me. It cuts down the grocery bill and the amount of time it takes me to cook. You see, I don’t start from scratch every day. I like to spend a few hours and get most of this food prepped.

How to Batch Cook the Meal Plan

Let’s take a look at how batch cooking works. This can be simplified even more if you use canned beans.

  1. Soak black beans overnight.
  2. Cook black beans, wash and bake potatoes, cook lentils and quinoa, and prep veggies. This all happens at the same time. The beans and potatoes take longest to cook so you would start them first. The quinoa and lentils don’t take long so you would start them next. Lastly wash and chop veggies to use in all of the recipe and for extra snacks throughout the week.
  3. Put ingredients for Potato Soup in the Crock Pot OR put them all in a large zip lock bag so it’s ready to dump in the Crock Pot.
  4. Once the beans are done you can make the Unfried Black Beans, Mexican Casserole and Taco Potatoes.

The End Result

Now each evening I only have to reheat dinner or do a little cooking. For example I prefer to cook the spaghetti for the Lentil Marinara right before we eat it. Pasta, especially gluten-free pasta isn’t as good reheated. I’ll also heat and assemble the nachos and Taco Potatoes right before eating. Most of the cooking is done for the week.

Remember to check out my Back to School with My Plant-Based Pinterest Board and last weeks Lunch Box Essentials post.

6 Ways to Eat Kale (even if you hate it)

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It seems like as soon as you announce you are moving toward a plant-based or vegan diet the world assumes you love kale. As if by default you become a card-carrying member of the “I Love Kale” fan club a.k.a. Kale Club; you even buy the t-shirt.

Do you want to hear a secret?

I don’t like kale. There I said it. I really don’t like raw kale. Gasp!

Do you love kale? Probably not! 6 Ways to Eat Kale Even if You Hate It!

 

I have discovered a few ways to eat kale that aren’t all that bad. Just in case you are like me, I wanted to share them with you. That way if you are ever cornered in an elevator with a Kale Club member you can speak convincingly on the subject. [Read more…] about 6 Ways to Eat Kale (even if you hate it)

Lunch Box Essentials

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Have you started your Back to School Countdown yet?

Today is our First Day of School! I said goodbye to my kindergartner today as he got on the school bus. He said he isn’t really a kindergartner until he does some kindergarten work.

Back to School Month

We have been prepping for this day for weeks (and months in some ways). You know you have to buy school supplies, potentially get new clothes or shoes, and if your child has food allergies talk to the school about keeping your child safe.

Basic Lunch Box Essentials for elementary kids

I’ll be writing a lot about packing lunches this month but today I want to tell you about my Lunch Box Essentials!

1. Lunch Boxes

There are many different kinds of lunch boxes. I recommend you read some reviews to find out which lunch boxes are going to hold up for at least a year. Some lunch boxes may be insulated while others require an Insulated Bag or holder. We bought EasyLunchboxes 3-compartment Bento Lunch Box so you will being seeing these featured.

2. Small Containers and Dividers

Depending on the style of lunch box you use small containers to hold crackers, hummus, salsa or other foods may come in handy. I use “Mini-Dippers” and Silicone Baking Cups to keep food items separated.

3. Sunbutter and WOW Butter

Even though my kindergartner isn’t allergic to peanut butter our preschooler is. We won’t be serving peanut products. We buy SunButter Natural Sunflower Seed Spread and WOWBUTTER instead. My boys love it and you use it exactly like peanut butter. If your kids normally eat peanut butter give one of these a try. We use so much we normally buy SunButter 5 Pounds, (Pack of 2)
and WOWBUTTER 2 x 4.4 lbs from Amazon to save money but the regular sizes are available in many grocery stores.

4. Extras

I’ve bought a few extra’s too. Ice Packs will keep lunch items cold. Bento Food Picks may not be necessary but they will be fun and keep food together.

You can see more great Lunch Box Ideas by following me on Pinterest! Don’t forget! You can become a contributor of my Back to School with My Plant-Based Family Board!

This page contains affiliate links.

 

Quick and Easy Meal Plans for Back to School

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It’s Back to School month here at My Plant-Based Family! This month will focus on quick and easy meal plans. I recommend you double recipes so you can eat leftovers and save time cooking.

Back to School Month

In case you are just joining us all of the Meal Plans are plant-based meaning they do not contain animal products like meat or dairy, they are also allergy-friendly. Since food allergies vary widely it’s not possible to come up with an allergen-free menu. For each recipe that contains one of the Top 8 Allergens I’ll list substitutions that can be made. Most of my recipes are gluten and nut free although older recipes may container them.

I’ll be handling lunch ideas in a separate post so they won’t be included here.

Meal Plan for Back to School

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I like to keep it simple on school mornings so we will be eating easy foods. Here is a hint, you can prepare breakfast the night before for a quick “heat and eat”.

You can also follow my Plant-Based Breakfast Pinterest Board for more delicious breakfast ideas or see my Breakfast Page.

Dinner

Have you seen my latest Pinterest Board? The Back to School with My Plant-Based Family is a community board, meaning you can add your own pins. All you have to do is follow all of my board on Pinterest and send me your email address and I’ll send you an invite. It’s a great opportunity for bloggers to expand their reach but also fun for anyone.

Are you staring school soon? We start this week!

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Back to School Month

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August is Back to School Month at My Plant-Based Family! All of my kids will be in school this year (except the two who have already graduated)!

Back to School Month

My 3 year old will be in preschool 3 mornings a week and my 5 year old is staring kindergarten. I’m pretty sure that will be both the best and worst days of my life. Can you relate? I’m so excited for the new adventure my kids will be on, they are both ready and so am I.

In preparation we have been practicing lunch time. I prepare the boys lunch boxes and they have to open all of the containers themselves. It took a few days for them to get the hang of it. I bought EasyLunchboxes to use this year because the reviews were great. I bought two different lunch bags. This Insulated Lunch Bag may be a little on the small side but I linked that the strap was adjustable and it has an outside pocket. I also go this AllerMates Lunch Bag for my little guy with food allergies. He won’t have to take a lunch to school but we will provide the snack everyday. I plan to make his lunch so it’s ready when we get home from preschool.

Back to School

I hope you’ll join me this month as I bring Easy Meal Plans, Lunch Box Ideas, New Recipes and More Back to School fun! I really want to make YOU a part of the fun. I set up a Back to School with My Plant-Based Family Board on Pinterest. This is your formal invitation to be a part of this community board and contribute all of your favorite Back to School ideas and tips.

To be a contributor you must follow all of my boards on Pinterest and send me your email address so I can invite you. You can leave it as a comment here or send me an email. I look forward to collaborating with you. I may even choose some of your ideas to feature!

So do you have kids in school? When do they start?

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The Elimination Diet Workbook GIVEAWAY

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Yesterday I wrote about allergies, intolerances and sensitivities. There is often confusion, dare I say frustration and misunderstanding when it comes to this world. Yes, those living with food allergies (and intolerances) often feel like they are in their own world that doesn’t make sense to those on outside.

food allergies food intolerances and food sensitivitiesBecause we live in that world I am always on the lookout for information and products that make living with food allergies easier. When I find things I like I try to tell you about it. I spend way too much time reading books, researching lunch boxes and medical ID bracelets along with lots of other items. If you find good stuff feel free to email me about it.

One of my recent discoveries is The Elimination Diet Workbook: A Personal Approach to Determining Your Food Allergies by Maggie Moon. I was given a free copy to review and a copy to giveaway.

The Elimination Diet Workbook

This Book Is Not For

This book is not for someone who has experienced anaphylaxis or children! It does not cure food allergies but it can help you understand which foods may be making you sick. The author strongly encourages people to seek medical guidance and use this to supplement information from their doctor.

Allergies and Intolerances

I learned a lot about food allergies from this book. It goes into a lot of detail on the common food allergies (think big 8 plus nickel, corn, banana/latex) and food intolerances that I wasn’t really familiar with like sulfites, benzoates, tartrazine, monosodium glutamate, lactose, and others. Each item discussed is written as a stand-alone section (within a chapter) explaining the allergen and how and where you would come into contact with it, what typical reactions could look like, how to diagnose an allergy or intolerance, and how to get the nutrients you could be missing after eliminating the offending food.

The Elimination Diet

The book walks you through how to prepare for an elimination diet and helps you determine what type of elimination diet is right for you. It’s important not to rush the process. As you eliminate foods then later add them back in you should be able to get a clear picture of which foods are causing problems.

For example, I noticed when I would eat Italian food I would feel bad. Headaches, achy joints, and other random symptoms. I assumed I had a problem with wheat, after all my son had a known wheat allergy. I later learned that I have an intolerance to basil (among other things). Since I would eat wheat pasta and basil together I blamed the wheat without thinking about the basil. By eliminating wheat and still experiencing the same symptoms I can deduce that wheat wasn’t the problem.

Meal Plans and Recipes

This book stresses the importance of meal planning. You know I completely agree the Meal Planning is important and everyone can benefit from it.

They try to make it easy for you by including meal plans (and recipes) you can follow but they include a lot of meat and would not work for us. Since I’m a Meal Planning Extraordinaire (self-proclaimed) I can create a Meal Plan that would work for me but you may need a little help if you are a meal planning novice.

Helpful Tips and Worksheets

There is also a lot of helpful information to help you avoid foods that make you sick. For example, if you need to avoid corn this book has two pages of foods that may contain corn including cough drops, luncheon meats, spaghetti sauce, etc.

The Elimination Diet Workbook takes a lot of the guess-work out of navigating an elimination diet to discover food allergies. I think it is a great first step for those who have experience chronic systems with no known cause.

Win a Copy

You can win a free copy of The Elimination Diet Workbook: A Personal Approach to Determining Your Food Allergies by entering this Rafflecopter Giveaway. This is open to residents in US and Canada. The winner will be notified by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am not a medical professional and do not give medical advice. Seek help from a medical professional if you are ill.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book to review. This page may contain affiliate links.