My Plant-Based Family

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

Blog

May 1, 2017 Plant-Based Meal Plan

by 1 Comment

It’s officially May. For some of you, that means it’s finally spring, for others summer is practically here. I try to create a weekly plant-based meal plan that is appropriate for the current season but the weather has been so erratic that it’s impossible. I live near Phoenix where it’s hot but in northern Arizona it’s freezing! Friends and family across the country are experiencing crazy weather too.

This meal plan will have a little bit of everything. Soups for those of you who are cold, salads for those of you who are hot and everything in between.

In case you missed it, on Saturday I launched a new resource for you! The 7 Day Plant-Based Course is an easy, quick way for you to learn the basics of plant-based eating. Oh yeah, it’s also free. Sign up and get started today!

This weekly plant-based meal plan is everything you need to enjoy a plant-based diet.

This page contains affiliate links.

Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast Stir Fry or Instant Pot Oatmeal

Bean Burrito

Chickpea and Veggie Soup (adapting my Chickpea Noodle Soup recipe)

Tuesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Leftover Soup

Tofu Kabobs with Quinoa (recipe coming soon)

Wednesday

Strawberry Banana Muffins and fruit

Leftovers

Busy Night Pasta

Thursday

Breakfast Hash with fruit

Veggie Sandwich

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Friday (Cinco de Mayo)

Breakfast Tacos

Taco Salad

Enchilada Casserole

If the weather is warming up for you, you can get a copy of my Summer Plant-Based Meal Plan! It’s a full meal plan with shopping list and recipes! You’ll also get signed up for my once a week plant-based tips! The tips are delivered every Saturday morning, but only to people on my list!

Air Fryer Update

I’ve mentioned my new Air Fryer a few times. I’m still getting the hang of it. I’ve had some success and some failure. It happens. I just pre-ordered JL Fields new Vegan Air Fryer Book. It comes out in a month and is a great price right now on Amazon.

FREE 7 Day Plant-Based Course

by 1 Comment

I haven’t published any new recipes lately, but I’ve been working on something special for you! I created a FREE 7 Day Plant-Based Course to help people who are brand new to plant-based living.

Get the Free 7 Day Plant-Based Course

This new course is composed of 7 emails, one each day for 7 days, that teach you the basics of plant-based eating. The first day is What to Eat! Even if you only read that email you will know where to get started.

If you have been eating a plant-based diet for a while then you may not need this course, but there may still be things you would learn. Since the course is free, it’s a no-lose situation.

Who should take this Plant-Based Course

This course is basically plant-based living 101! It covers the basics! This course is for:

  • People considering adopting a plant-based diet.
  • People new to a plant-based diet.
  • People who don’t feel like they really have the hang of plant-based living.
  • Family members who want to be supportive of plant-based living but don’t understand what it’s all about.

What is in the Plant-Based Course

This course is designed to take less than 5 minutes every day. Most day’s you’ll spend about 2 minutes reading your daily email.

This course will cover:

  • What to Eat
  • What to Avoid
  • Cooking
  • Shopping
  • Planning and more

I wanted to present the lessons in such a way that you would be able to wake up each morning, read your daily email and say, “got it!”

There is no homework or tests but you can always reply to the emails to ask questions.

After the 7 Day Course, you’ll get a weekly email from me with plant-based tips. Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Free 7 Day Plant-Based course

Why This Course

I’ve already written a book, The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide: How to Cook, Shop, and Eat Well; and the Plant-Based Basics eCourse. The book is a quick and easy read and I recommend it for anyone wanting to learn a lot quickly. This free course is completely different from the Plant-Based Basics eCourse. That course is a deep dive into plant-based living and designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of plant-based living.

Both of those resources are excellent, but I wanted to provide a free resource that anyone could take, regardless of their budget and time commitments. This course is a great first step for anyone wanting to learn more about plant-based eating.

Do you need this course? Do you know someone who needs this course?

Just sign up here and get started today!

April 17, 2017 Plant-Based Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

Did you stay on track last week? Either way, use this plant-based meal plan to keep you moving in the right direction.

If you have a house full of Easter treats I recommend you get rid of them as soon as possible. If you are surrounded by junk food it will be harder to eat healthy.  If you get my Saturday morning emails you’ve already been encouraged to toss the junk. If not, sign up to get plant-based tips emailed to you each week.

This Plant-Based Meal plan has several tex-mex recipes and other family favorites. All completely vegan!

This page contains affiliate links.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Veggie Sandwich

Taco Salad

Tuesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Leftover Taco Salad

Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy and veggies

Wednesday

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Quinoa Lentil Salad

Lentil Tacos, Mexican Rice, and Black Beans

Thursday

Breakfast Hash with muffins and fruit

Bean and Rice Burritos

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Friday

Overnight Oats

Baked Potatoes and veggies

Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

I recently ordered an EZ Tofu Press so I can experiment with some tofu recipes. My boys love tofu but I rarely make it. I want to try cooking tofu in my Air Fryer.

Last week I made a tofu scramble in my Instant Pot and we loved it! I also experimented with Jack Fruit. We aren’t complete sold yet but I’ll try it again soon.

Have you tried anything new recently? 

April 10, 2017 Plant-Based Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

This week, our plant-based meal plan will include many of our favorite recipes. Veggie Pad Thai is an all time favorite and it’s so easy. I try to keep the noodles and a bag of frozen veggies on hand at all times so I can easily throw it together.

A delicious plant-based meal plan the whole family will love.

This page contains affiliate links.

To save time, I’ll do a little batch cooking. If you are new around here, that means I’ll cook some of the ingredients in large batches to use in multiple meals.

For example, we plan to have oatmeal several days this week. I’ll cook a big batch of steel cut oats in my Instant Pot to use throughout the week. Several recipes call for Chickpeas which I buy in bulk from Amazon. These are my favorite!  If you haven’t already, try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial to take advantage of free shipping!

Baked Potatoes are another good option for batch cooking. I enjoy them more when they are freshly cooked but they are still good reheated.

We will often eat our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal (see my Ultimate Oatmeal Guide for recipes and more oatmeal ideas)

Baked Potatoes

Veggie Pad Thai

Tuesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Leftover Pad Thai

Chickpea Nuggets and Fries in my new Air Fryer!

Wednesday

Breakfast Hash and fresh fruit

Veggie Sandwich with Jalapeno Hummus and veggies

Chickpea Quinoa Stir Fry

Thursday

Baked Sweet Potato

Leftover Stir Fry

Taco Soup

Friday

Instant Pot Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon

leftover soup and baked potatoes

Mexican Casserole in the Crock Pot

What are you eating this week? If you have an Air Fryer let me know your favorite things to cook!

Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan

by 1 Comment

It’s a new week, we got a new meal plan and I’m feeling so much better. Thank you to everyone who sent messages of encouragement when I was sick! You are the best!

Unlike most Monday’s, I don’t have any food prepped. We usually spend time each weekend grocery shopping, planning and doing a little cooking. This isn’t one of those weeks but I’ll rely on my favorite easy recipes to get us through the week.

I ran into Sprout’s to pick up a few necessities like apples, oranges, and potatoes.

This week, we have a plant-based meal plan that is full of starch! Dr. McDougall would be proud!

This page contains affiliate links.

I also bought a new toy, I mean appliance. Last week I mentioned wanting to purchase an air fryer. I asked around and went with the GoWise USA Air Fryer. I chose the 5.8 quart so I could cook bigger portions. I’ll let you know what we think about it after we use it a few times.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast Hash (I want to try it in my Air Fryer!)

Baked Potatoes with green beans

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice with avocado

Tuesday

Instant Pot Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon

Veggie Sandwich

Potato and Kale Soup

Wednesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

leftover soup

Veggie Pad Thai

Thursday

Breakfast Stir Fry

Beans and Rice with salsa

Veggie Burgers, Fries and Fruit Salad (because I can hardly wait to try fries in my new Air Fryer)

Friday

Breakfast Quinoa

Leftovers

Instant Pot Lentil and Rice recipe from Kathy Hester’s latest cookbook!

Speaking of cookbooks. Richa Hingle’s newest book is available for pre-order. It won’t be out until September but I know it’s going to be good! Do yourself a favor and pre-order today so you don’t miss the great price!

I’ll probably buy JL Field’s Vegan Air Fryer cookbook soon. I’m going to give it a try on my own but if I run into trouble or need more ideas I’ll order it. I’m a big fan of JL and know her recipes will make the family happy. If you’ve read it let me know what you think.

What are you eating this week? If you make any of my recipes take a photo and share it to my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see what you are making!

Plant-Based Meal Plan for March 27, 2017

by 3 Comments

Last weekend, I created a lovely meal plan, then I woke up Monday with a stomach bug. I spent the rest of the week not eating from my plan. I was sick for a few days, then my stomach was too sensitive for a few days after that. I’m finally back to normal and plan to eat well this week.

I plan to keep things pretty basic this week. I’m not quite ready for complicated meals. Besides, I find it easier to follow a meal plan if it is “plain” foods.

This week will also wrap up our month long accountability group. You can still join in but we aren’t “officially” doing another challenge yet. I’m working on a few ideas though.

A Plant-Based meal Plan for Spring that the whole family will love.

This page contains affiliate links.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Toast with fresh fruit

Baked Potatoes

“Cheesy” Broccoli and Rice Casserole in the Crock Pot

Tuesday

Instant Pot Oatmeal

Veggies with hummus

Potato Soup in the Crock Pot

Wednesday

Overnight Oats

leftovers

Mexican Rice and Unfried Black Beans

Thursday

Breakfast Rice

Baked Potatoes

Busy Night Pasta

Friday

Strawberry Banana Muffins or Banana Bread

leftovers

Chickpea and Rice Soup

I’m planning a good mix of Crock Pot and Instant Pot recipes this week. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Air Fryers. Apparently, you get crispy veggies without using oil. If you’ve used an air fryer let me know what you think and what brand you prefer. 

If you need some sweet treats I have a few recommendations! Try these Double Chocolate Donuts (they are made with Brownie Bite mix),  No-Bake Bites, or Brownies. Wow, I guess I have chocolate on the brain. Banana Pudding Ice Cream is a great non-chocolate version.