My Plant-Based Family

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

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Meal Plan Monday: Guest Post by Whitney of Bows, Boots & Blue

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During the month of July I welcome other bloggers to share their Meal Plans with you. Each Monday I’ll feature a guest post. 
 

plant-based meal plan

Today I’d like you to meet Whitney J. Weiss! She is a digital marketer and blogger at Bows, Boots & Blue. Whitney creates nut-free, plant-based recipes that are free from faux “food” products.

Despite being from Texas, I fully removed meat from my diet after experiencing an upset tummy. Through the years, I have discovered that the best way to feed my family and friends is by utilizing plants in a creative way that doesn’t necessarily “take the place” of meat. I strive to highlight vegetables in my cooking and have no formal training, so it’s something anyone can do even with limited tools and limited kitchen space. I have found some of my most obstinate eaters asking for my recipes, so I must be doing something right. I hope you enjoy my original recipes!

burrito bowl over quinoa

Breakfast:

  • Chilled morning quinoa bowl: avocado, quinoa, wilted spinach, red bell peppers or slightly spicy red peppers
  • Homemade granola
  • Steel cut oatmeal with seasonal fruit (currently, I’m eating my way through California peaches-unbelievable this time of year!)
  • Morning shake: blended spinach, kale, blueberries, strawberries, & rice milk

Curried Cauliflower Couscous salad

Lunch: I mostly rotate salad options, which I prep on Sundays, but every once in a while I crave sandwiches!

vegan butternut squash burger

Snacks: At my last office, they knew where the bag of carrots in the refrigerator belonged.

vegan purple kale pesto with gluten free pasta and squash

Dinner:

  • I love a quick taco dish- and sometimes throw it over quinoa instead of tortillas. Gobble up my drunken asparagus & oyster mushroom tacos.
  • I can’t get enough of summer squash! This purple kale pesto pasta bowl is hard to beat.
  • Bibimbap is a great, quick way to create a hearty plant-based meal with loads of flavor. (this recipe contains egg but it is optional and can be removed)
  • Do you have a butternut squash or sweet potato lying around? It will make for some great vegan butternut squash burger patties. Make extra quinoa and serve it over quinoa instead of buns!
  • My farrotto is a whole grain, vegan version of risotto that uses pureed squash instead of cream or butter! Leftover squash from burger night is perfect for this dish.

Bows Boots BlueWhitney J. Weiss is a digital marketer and blogger at Bows, Boots, & Blue. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Her expertise is in all aspects of search engine optimization, paid search, social media marketing, copywriting, copy editing, and blogging. Whitney has extensive experience creating digital campaigns and developing brand recognition from the concept up for travel technology, hotel brands, and lifestyle clients. In her spare time, she enjoys creating vegetarian recipes alongside her dog, Jules!

Overnight Chia Porridge

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When we learned that half of our household had a sensitivity to oats our oatmeal consumption went way down. For a while we replaced that with toast and cereal but both were much more expensive that oats, especially since we had to buy gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free versions. That is when we embraced Overnight Chia Porridge.

Vegan and Gluten-free overnight Chia Porridge

I’m no stranger to chia seeds and I’m not talking about chia pets. We’ve been eating chia seeds regularly since the beginning of our plant-based journey. In fact, in our house we call them “sprinkles” and I keep them in a little shaker bottle. My boys get sprinkles on almost everything they eat. When they hear other kids talking about sprinkles they will chime in because they eat sprinkles too. (yes, I have lots of evil tricks like this)

Vegan and Gluten-free overnight Chia Porridge

Overnight Chia Porridge

Ingredients

Do

  1. Pour seeds into a jar with a leak-proof lid.
  2. Pour milk over seeds, tighten lid and give it a good shake.
  3. Wait about 15-20 minutes then give jar another good shake.
  4. Store overnight in the refrigerator.

Serve

The chia (and hemp seeds) will absorb the milk and you’ll be left with a full jar of firm porridge. I typically use a few tablespoons of porridge and mix it with grains and fruit.

This post contains affiliate links.

Calling all Plant-Based Bloggers…I want your Meal Plans

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Last July I asked bloggers to submit their meal plans to be featured on My Plant-Based Family. I’m doing it again this year!

mealplansubmissions

Who Can Submit?

Anyone with a blog, website, Facebook, Google+ or other community.

Why Participate?

The internet is a big place. There is a good chance that some of my readers have never heard of your community. This is a great way to increase your exposure and pick up new readers.  Those who participated last year are still getting clicks from their guest post.

Interested?

For more information read this document that covers all of the details.

Update: Only 1 spot left for July 21st publication date.

ebook

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (Gluten-Free and Vegan)

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Having food allergies completely changes the way you celebrate holidays. I don’t know about you but food is usually at the center of our celebrations. My favorite recipes that had been made for years and years are no longer an option.

I’m pretty handy around the kitchen and don’t mind adapting recipes to make them oil-free, vegan, diary-free, egg-free, nut-free, etc. but I don’t always have the time. Sometimes I just want an easier way out.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie that is vegan and gluten-free

I discovered Wholly Wholesome and their Gluten-Free Pie Crust that is also Vegan and Kosher along with being dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, corn-free and casein-free.

Using this pre-made pie crust I baked TWO pies, Apple and Strawberry-Rhubarb. Next time I’ll make my favorite, Chocolate.

apple pie

I’ve always loved wheat pie crust. My Memaw would always bake extra crust just for me. Unfortunately, that old-fashioned pie crust is not safe for my family. Even before we changed to a plant-based diet and discovered our new world of food allergies I rarely made it. Rolling out pie crust is messy. I would have to clear and clean my whole counter, my friends know how rare this is, then make a huge mess on it with dough. Yes, I prefer the ease of pre-made crusts.

I have made a few pies with gluten-free crusts over the years but they don’t stay together as well as wheat-based dough. I would have preferred the prepared crust to be a little thicker. I slightly under-baked the first pie but I corrected it for the second pie. My husband wasn’t as impressed with the gluten-free crust.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie that is vegan and gluten-free

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

Pie Filling

  • 1 pre-made Whole Wholesome Gluten-Free Pie Crust (or a crust of your choice)
  • 2 cups sliced rhubarb
  • 3 cups strawberries, halved
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp Tapioca Flour (should have used more or added corn starch)
  • 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Pie Topping

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 400° and set the frozen pie crust on the counter to thaw.
  2. In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients for the pie filling together.
  3. After the pie crust has thawed for 10 minutes poke holes in the bottom of the crust.
  4. Pour fruit filling in the crust. Don’t overfill. (I overfilled)
  5. For topping, put all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender, I used my Blendtec Blender and pushed the “batter setting”.
  6. Carefully spoon topping over pie. Crimp pie crust if desired, I used a fork.
  7. Cover the top of the pie with a “foil tent” then put the pie in the oven.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to 350° for 40 minutes.
  9. Carefully remove the foil then and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  10. Remove pie from oven and allow it to cool

This pie was delicious. Despite the long list of steps it is really easy to make. It did make a big mess in the bottom of my oven which is why I recommend you don’t over fill and maybe add a little more flour.

This pie is perfect for a Forth of July Picnic or barbecue!

FTC Disclaimer: I received free pie crust from Wholly Wholesome. All opinions are my own. 
This post contains affiliate links.

Guest Post at Beauty Through Imperfection

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4 Easy Ways to Help a Food Allergy MommaI recently shared an open letter about our recently flight with my peanut allergic son. Food allergies are huge part of our life. If you or someone you love has food allergies you know how it touches every part of your life.

Today I’m honored to be a guest at Beauty Through Imperfection and share a little more about life as a food allergy momma. I would be thrilled if you would click over and read it. I’m also sharing tips that will help YOU help food allergy momma’s in your neighborhood.

If you are a food allergy momma feel free to leave your top tips in the comments.

Meal Plan Monday: Summer Meal Routine

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Does your cooking style change in the summer? I like simple all year-long but in the summer I DO NOT want to spend time in the kitchen and I pretty much refuse to turn on the oven. I’ll occasionally make an exception, but rarely.

I also take advantage of batch cooking. For example I’ll cook a large pot of quinoa without any seasoning to be used for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I double batch of Mexican Rice will find its way into burritos, salads and as a side dish. The Crock Pot comes in handy for beans to be used in most meals.

Meal Plan Monday! Vegan and gluten-free Meal plans!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I’ve been embracing chia seeds at breakfast but most days are cold cereal. I’ll often sprinkle chia on whatever we are eating.

  • Chia porridge with maple syrup and fruit.
  • Toast with WOW Butter and apple slices.
  • Cereal and rice milk
  • Breakfast Rice with raisins and diced apples
  • Breakfast Quinoa with blueberries and chia seeds

Lunch

Batch cooking saves lunch time every day. Most of the time I don’t even reheat the food because my kids like leftovers cold.

Dinner

I’m all about ease and keeping the house cool these days. Most of these dishes are quickly mixed together for a meal. I cook large batches of foods, like Mexican Rice, to use in multiple dishes throughout the week.

My kids are eating lots of fruit and some veggies for snacks. The top picks this week are apples, blueberries, grapes, nectarines, apricots, cherries, plums, bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots.

My kids are allowed to eat fruit almost any time. If they still have a meal on the table they may have to eat it first but raw fruit and veggies between meals is the norm. We don’t often have chips, crackers, or other processed foods available.

What do meals look like in your house during the summer?