My Plant-Based Family

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

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Stir-Fry-Bleh!

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Stir-Fry never sounds good to me, but in the last 4 months of eating this way it has been awesome every time I’m made it. Truth be told, I am NOT a lover of vegetables. Shocking I know, what with this Plant-Based Diet and all. Even still, every time I made stir-fry it tasted amazing, as if God worked a miracle right there on my plate.

Until last night. The stir-fry was awful. I’m not sure what I did different but bleh, yuck, and more bleh!!! By popular vote stir-fry will not return to the Meal Plan for at least a few weeks.

Sometimes things just don’t turn out. Sometimes it happens several times in one week.

Take these muffins for example. The first time I made them they were good, but not quite sweet enough more my taste. They were perfect for my husband who, unlike me, isn’t cursed with a big honking sweet tooth.

The First Attempt

The second time I made them….what the???

Pitiful Second Attempt

They sank, were wet, and just plain pitiful. On the plus side they tasted great. I had hoped to use these for my 1 year old’s birthday, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Third Attempt

The next day I made these. Big difference. I finally realized what I did wrong. I left out 1 cup of flour. Genius I know. But I learned a lesson: when reading chicken scratch directions pay careful attention to detail. And, follow the recipe, I always want to tweak them.

See the Difference

The third attempt was good enough for a Birthday Celebration! And this is how we do it.

Birthday Cupcake
Adult version with Cherry Glaze
First Time Having Sugar
Sugar Rush

Enchilada Soup

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Back in the days before I transitioned to a plant-based diet I made a really savory Chicken Enchilada Soup. It was soooo good. People would come from miles around, OK my friend Sarah would drive a few miles to eat this soup. I love this soup!!!

Plant-Based gluten-free Enchilada Soup.

The problem was it contained a ton of not so healthy ingredients. I was determined to make it healthy without compromising the flavor. 

Enchilada Soup

This is especially good with crushed tortilla chips and nutritional yeast added to the individual bowl. If you like to use a faux sour cream add a dollop to your bowl. Try not to eat right out of the pot when you’re putting leftovers away. That is just bad manners. This made enough soup for maybe 6 bowls, but you will want seconds. Double (or triple) the recipe for a large family.  

This soup is very forgiving. If you are missing an ingredient go ahead and made it. I make it all the time but when I’m out of corn or green chilies it still tastes great. 

My husband kept going on and on about how great this soup is, how it reminds him of soup his mom made when he was a kid, how amazing I am; OK I threw that last part in there but it is not uncommon for him to say that. 

Enchilada Soup

Don’t  you just want to dive in that bowl and swim around? Well you would if you tasted it. 

If you love this soup be sure to try it’s grain-free counterpart, Taco Soup!

How to Make Enchilada Soup

Ingredients

  • 6 cups veggie broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cups cooked beans (I use 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned our fine)
  • 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • salt, pepper and nutrional yeast to taste (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring veggie broth to a simmer in a large pot.
  2. Add onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, corn and rice.
  3. Add tomato sauce and let simmer.
  4. Let this cook until onions are translucent and flavors have had a chance to meld. I like to let it simmer for an hour or so.
  5. Season with chili powder, cumin and any other seasonings.

Enchilada Soup

Enchilada Soup

Plant-Based gluten-free Enchilada Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 cups veggie broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cups cooked beans (I use 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned our fine)
  • 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • salt, pepper and nutritional yeast to taste (optional)

Instructions

    1. Bring veggie broth to a simmer in a large pot.
    2. Add onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, corn and rice.
    3. Add tomato sauce and let simmer.
    4. Let this cook until onions are translucent and flavors have had a chance to meld. I like to let it simmer for an hour or so.
    5. Season with chili powder, cumin and any other seasonings.

Did you make this recipe?

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

© Heather Mayes

Eat the Rainbow

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If you try to investigate a plant-based diet you will run across a lot of information. Basically it is eating food from plant sources most of the time. Dr. Pam Popper, of The Wellness Forum,  says if you choose to eat meat only have it 2 to 3 times per week, and make sure it is organic.

The Plant Based Dietitian's Food Guide Pyramid

I think it is easier to think about all of the food I can eat, as opposed to all of the food I can’t eat. I’m a fan of Julieanna Hever MS, RD a.k.a. the Plant-Based Dietitian; she developed her own Food Guide Pyramid that is pictured above. She often says to “eat the rainbow.”

Yesterday morning was a busy day in our house. After lunch I was thinking about what I had eaten that day

  • Coffee
  • Peanut butter and jelly (all fruit) sandwich on 9 grain bread
  • Black bean and brown rice burrito on a whole wheat tortilla.
  • A butter bean cookie

None of these foods are bad for me but I’m missing some color here. Almost everything I ate was brown. I’m sure I’m missing some very important antioxidants. I think I’ll dive into that bowl of strawberries I have sitting in the refrigerator. I had already planned broccoli and spinach for dinner. Carrots and red bell peppers dipped in hummus are an easy snack.

Broccoli and Spinach with Pasta

This isn’t about perfection and I will not obsess about my food color. “Eating the Rainbow” is just one tool to help add variety to your diet.

If your like me and not always loving eating your greens it is very easy to hide them in a smoothie.

Tropical Smoothie with Hidden Greens

This smoothie has kale, parsley, bananas, blue berries, cherries, mango, pineapple, and orange juice. It was yummy, filling, and full of colors.

Are you eating your colors?

Meal Plan Monday

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Pasta with Broccoli

I have tried menu planning in the past. Typically, I’d do well for a month or two then fall off the wagon. Before eating a plant based diet, I would plan the menu based on what meat was on sale or stocked in my freezer. In my old way of thinking meat made the meal.

Now I have to get much more creative. I buy in bulk and right now I have humongous amounts of spinach and broccoli; OK I usually have lots of spinach and broccoli. I also have a lot of cooked beans and grains. If I waited until Monday night to decide and prepare dinner we would eat cereal. By having some things pre-made I can make a hot, fresh meal; even when my kids are screaming and hanging on to my legs as I move about the kitchen.

This week’s Meal Plan

Breakfast is usually oatmeal, toast, cereal or leftover pancakes.

Snack can be leftovers, fresh fruit, or smoothies. Cookies and muffins also make a regular appearance.

Lunch is typically leftovers or sometimes a sandwich or a wrap. My favorite lunch is throwing together leftover grains, beans, and seasonings or salsa.

Dinner

Monday: Pasta with Broccoli and Spinach, I’ll make a sauce but I never know what kind it will be until I’m done.

Tuesday: Enchilada Soup

Wednesday: Stir Fry

Thursday: Black Bean Burgers, potatoes, and green beans

Friday: Dinner Out!

My menu plan is not set in stone, in fact there is a good chance the the black bean burgers will be cut altogether.

I don’t plan the weekend meals unless we have something special going on. I usually make pancakes on Sunday morning and we eat leftovers all weekend. I like to cook large batches of beans and grains to get ready for the new week.

Have you planned your menu for the week?

 

Be Encouraged

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Soon you will discover that not very recipe you attempt will turn out well. Last night I attempted Black Bean Burgers. They were OK, but not great. We ate them but they were lacking. We have three leftover burgers that will get eaten, but they were not the spicy sensation I had planned. Oh well.

I’ll try them again. Eventually.

Maybe you want to eat healthier but keep finding yourself in the drive thru. Be encouraged. Life style changes take time, it is very hard to change the way you live over night. Maybe you need to start with smaller changes like eating healthier versions of what you already like.

We have a favorite family recipe for Banana Bread. It is very tasty and full of butter, white flour, white sugar, and a splash of milk. Last year I started slowly tweaking the recipe. I’d use honey instead of sugar, or half white flour and half wheat. Monday I made Banana Bread and decided to change everything I could to make them as healthy as possible. Do you know what happened? They were AMAZING. In fact, I almost didn’t get a picture because we were eating it so fast. I had planned to take them to some “regular” people to see if they would like them but I never did. Now there is only a few pieces left and I’m hoarding them. 

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Ingredients
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or raw sugar
  • 3 extra ripe bananas
  • 1 Tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
Do
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, (you could use honey instead for non-vegan option). Mix with wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla. I used a hand held mixer to mix but I spoon would do too. Try to smash the bananas as much as possible and mix well.
  4.  Add baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix well.
  5. Pour into a greased pan, I use a bunt pan for best results.
  6. Cook for 40 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean. Using a loaf pan will require a longer baking time. When making muffins with this recipe they are usually done in 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve

For best results to not eat this the same day you bake it. Resist, trust me it is for the best. This banana bread will be super moist if you leave it alone. Once the bread has cooled wrap it up and store until tomorrow. On the second day, enjoy! I’ve also made this with chocolate chips and it is yummy! If you made muffins they will be a little dry bust still tasty.

Is there something you want to hear about? Let me know!