My Plant-Based Family

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

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Lunch Box Check In

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I thought it was time I check in with a lunch box update! When school started last fall I posted lunch box recipes, tips, and even back to school meal plans, it was basically a two month event.

I’ve gotten a lot more lax about what I pack in my kids lunch boxes since then. Their lunches are always vegan and my little guy always has an allergy-friendly lunch box but I need more convenience these days. When school started our schedule was so different. I had a lot of extra time then, now I need easy items that are safe for my sons allergies.

snack and lunch

 

So Different

My 5 year old barely eats anything, he would skip lunch all together if I let him. My 4 year old eats everything. My boys are completely different with what they can (and will) eat. I’m constantly searching for things that make them both happy. I pack a minimum of 10 lunches per week (and 10 snacks per week).

The photo above is the 4 year old’s snack (on the left) and lunch (on the right). The mystery item in the lunch box is black eyed peas in case you are wondering. Everything is gluten-free!

They each get a main dish which may be half a sandwich, a rice-based casserole or sometimes a baked sweet potato. They each get fruit, typically apple slices, cuties, or blueberries depending on the season. Lastly, I like to pack something with a little crunch, this is their treat. My go-to crunchy snack has been Quaker Popped in the Apple Cinnamon flavor.

I found them in Walmart, I’ve been buying a lot of great gluten-free items there lately. I can pass them off as snack or dessert which makes my job easier.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Walmart, AMP, and Sverve. All opinions are my own.

My Dinner Meal Plan for the week

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I didn’t get much batch cooking done this weekend so this week I’ll mostly stick to easy meals, especially the first few days of the week. Veggie Pad Thai is always a favorite at our house. It is different every time because I use whatever I have on hand. This weeks version will be especially good because I have more veggies than usual to work with.

I also have a new recipe for you. I’ve been making oil-free fried rice since before I was plant-based. I’ve made it so long didn’t even think about sharing it so this week I finally will. It’s not fancy or exotic, it’s simple and delicious.

This week our breakfasts will mostly be cereal but I just bought Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats and I have a membership to Amazon Prime
so I’ll have those in two days. I plan to try them in my Instant Pot for the first time. Yes, I get excited about this kind of stuff.

We will enjoy leftovers for lunches. My husband always takes his lunch to work and one of his co-workers was admiring it every day, so he started to share. Occasionally he takes two lunches now, one for him and one for his buddy.

With that in mind, check out my plant-based dinner meal plan for the week!

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Veggie Pad Thai

Oil-Free Fried Rice Recipe Coming Soon (I’ll try to post some teasers on Instagram tonight.)

Potato Kale Soup

White Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Homemade Pizza using a recipe from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

What are you eating this week?

This post contains affiliate links.

Potato Kale Soup

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Potato Kale Soup (Vegan, Gluten-free)

If you want to typically turn your nose up at kale then this is the soup for you. This Potato Kale Soup is easy and delicious. Using frozen, chopped kale is part of the secret that makes it so good (and easy).

I’m including instructions for making this soup on the stove, in the Crock Pot AND in the Instant Pot!

Potato Kale Soup Vegan and Gluten-Free

Potato Kale Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs of potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces (peeling is optional)
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced
  • 1 10 oz bag of frozen kale
  • 1/3 cup dry veggie broth mix (or bullion) (you can add more if needed)
  • Enough water to “just” cover everything

Note: This soup can be made on the stove, in the Crock Pot or in the Instant Pot.

Do

1. Place all of the veggies into the pot. Sprinkle in Dry Veggie Broth Mix or use your favorite broth or bullion.

2. Cover with water and give it a good stir.

3. Cook covered.

Stove Top version: Cook over medium heat for about 30 minute. The time will vary depending on how large the veggies are.

Crock Pot version: Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Instant Pot version: Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button, for 10 minutes on high pressure. Then allow the soup to natural release for another 5 minutes and the release the remainder of the pressure.

Serve

This would be great as a starter leading up to a meal but we usually just eat it on it’s own. If you are a baker I recommend making a nice crusty bread to go with it.

This may be the easiest soup you’ll ever make. There is only one measurement involved and a little cutting. Everyone in my family loved it. This is my favorite way to eat kale.

0 Reasons I bought an Instant Pot

If you aren’t sure what an Instant Pot is be sure to check out 10 Reasons I Bought an Instant Pot!

This page contains affiliate links.

Meal Plan Monday is Back!

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The 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse is now over, except for a few people who started late. It’s been replaced with a “self-paced” eCourse. I can now return to my normal schedule. Part of that is bringing back Meal Plan Monday!

Let’s hop to it! I’ve already did some batch cooking last night, yes during the Super Bowl. I have breakfast rice, brown rice, lentils and leftover Veggie Pad Thai to work with.

Meal Plan Monday

For breakfast I made a giant batch of Breakfast Rice (with apples and blueberries) in my Instant Pot. We will nosh on that throughout the week. Lunches will be leftovers and Bean and Grain bowls for the grown ups. I pack lunches for my kids.

Dinner Meal Plan

Leftover Veggie Pad Thai

Lentil-Quinoa Salad (made with rice instead of quinoa)

Lentil Tacos with Mexican Rice

Cheesy Broccoli and Brown Rice Casserole (Crock Pot)

Minestrone Soup with a giant salad

Did you create a Meal Plan yet this week? What are you eating? 

For more inspiration check out my Meal Planning archives!

 

Chick’n Sliders with Sweet and Tangy Slaw

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gardein . The opinions and text are all mine.

You know me, I’m all about whole food, plant-based eating but sometimes I need quick and easy. Sometimes I need food that “fits in” with the crowd. Sometimes I want food that tastes like it came from one of my old favorite restaurants.

Gardein Chick'n Sliders

I just discovered Gardein™ Chick’n Sliders. I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised, they tasted great, like a chicken sandwich but they are deliciously meat-free!

The sliders are effortless to make. I wanted to fancy them up by making sweet potato fries and Sweet and Tangy Slaw. The Super Bowl is taking place in Arizona this year and it’s less than a week away; I’ve found the main dish for our menu!

Gardein Chick'n Sliders with Sweet and Tangy Slaw

Gardein Chick’n Sliders with Sweet and Tangy Slaw

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg Gardein Chick’n Sliders
  • 1 cup shredded green cabbage
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
  • 1/2 cup vegan mayo
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • salt and pepper to taste

Do

  1. Leave the Gardein Chick’n Sliders in the freezer until ready to use.
  2. Place all of the veggies in a bowl, add the liquid and mix well.
  3. Allow the slaw to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
  4. Prepare the Gardein Chick’n Sliders according to the package directions (only 2 minutes in the microwave).
  5. Add the slaw to the slider and top with the bun.

Serve

The slaw can be made a day or two ahead of time and so you can put these together at the last-minute. This is perfect for a game day dinner when you are surrounded by people eating meat.

Sweet and Tangy Slaw

Inspired by Chef. Created by You.

If you would like to try Gardein Chick’n Slider or another Gardein product get your $1.00 coupon on their website! I’d never tried these before but we loved them. The sliders contain gluten so my little guy didn’t have them but they also have several gluten-free options.

You can follow Gardein on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram or the Gardein website.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gardein. The opinions and text are all mine. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

Gluten Free Quaker Popped

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I love trying new products. I’m always looking for the next great thing. When I find a product that is safe for my son (who is gluten-free) and delicious I jump on it.

quaker popped

Both of my boys take their lunch and a snack to school each day. I like to provide them at least one thing with a little crunch to it.

Quaker Popped 1

Quaker Popped

I recently went to Walmart and they were having a gluten-free event. Most of the time when stores have an event with samples I have to avoid it because my little guy will want to try foods that aren’t safe for him. This time I discovered Quaker Popped. We chose the Apple Cinnamon flavor because it was also dairy-free. They are little rice cakes that fit into little hands without a big mess.

quaker popped

My boys were thrilled with these crunchy little treats. I bought the big bag for less than $3!

To find some of the other great gluten-free brands at Walmart visit the Gluten-Free for Less page.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Walmart, AMP, and Sverve. All opinions are my own.