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Meal Plan Monday: Is it Spring Yet?

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If you live somewhere cold and icy let me say, I am sorry. Today’s Plant-Based Meal Plan will help you out. Maybe you too are asking, “is it Spring yet? More likely you have other choice words about the weather. I wont brag about our weather today, it actually rained this weekend which pretty much freaks everyone in Arizona out. It’s not the apocalypse, it’s called rain, time to send the kids outside to play.

Yesterday I was freezing all day, I think it had to do with the fact that I grew up in North Texas and Southwest Oklahoma and it is FREEZING there. I took a look at their temps last night and my bones started to ache. A friend mentioned something about an earthquake which led me to a very disturbing/interesting website about earthquakes. Apparently there are earthquakes in Oklahoma all the time.

I digress.

I’m still cooking for cooler weather, for the most part so even if you are snowed in you can take some inspiration from this Meal Plan. A few weeks ago I wrote a Snowed In Meal Plan that might be helpful if you have a moderately stocked fridge and pantry and can’t (or don’t want to) leave the house.

Meal Plan Monday

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Warm breakfasts please!

Lunch

When I cold it is more difficult to eat raw veggies. I admire all of you raw foodies. Soups and stir fry’s are my favorite way to eat veggies when it’s not quite spring.

  • Leftover Stir Fry veggies on rice, noodles or potatoes
  • Leftover Soup
  • Veggie Noodle Soup
  • Black Bean Quesadillas loaded with onions, peppers and Faux Cheesy Sauce
  • Baked Potatoes topped with steamed broccoli and carrots

Dinner

I ask my husband what kinds of foods he wants to eat each week; this week he said, “soups and stuff in the crock pot.” That sounds good to me.

Do you still needing warm, comforting food? I’d love to hear what you are eating this week. Follow me on Instagram for more food pic’s.

Phoenix Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Recap Part 1

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Last week I was incredible blessed to attend the Phoenix Gluten and Allergen Free Expo. If you missed it don’t worry, there are 5 other stops throughout the year and the next one is in Chicago!

Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Highlights

Phoenix GFAFExpo

There were so many highlights I’ll need to spread them out over a couple of posts. I was on the “Blogger Team” for the expo which was a huge honor. I loved talking to brands, authors, other bloggers and people who attended. I met one lady who flew in from Colorado just to attend we swapped stories while waiting for a free chair massage from AFC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic Centers.

The Gluten and Allergen Free Expo was well-organized (and even color coded). The companies the left side (and with a red backdrop) were also made in a dedicated peanut free facility. Companies on the left (with the blue backdrop) could contain nuts. Each table had a “pop-up” sign that listed common allergens that could be found in their products. That was very helpful because I could tell after a quick glance if a product contained dairy and keep moving. There was also medical staff on site in case of injury or illness.

The expo is very family friendly but I chose not to bring my kids for three reasons:

  1. I was “working”
  2. My kids are crazy and I didn’t want to worry about them misbehaving (and driving me crazy)
  3. My 3 year old has a lot of food allergies and I knew he wouldn’t be able to eat most of the food there.

There were kids of all ages. I heard one mom tell here gluten-free son, “you can eat any thing here”. That really pulled at my heart-strings because I know how difficult it is when your kid can’t eat what everyone else eats.

Today I want to highlight some of the local (Phoenix) companies/brands who were at the Expo!

Celiac and the Beast

Many times when I would talk to people and mention I was a blogger they would say, “oh, you know Erica”. I can’t tell you how many times I heard this. It turned out they were talking about Erica Dermer, author of the book and blog Celiac and the Beast. Now I get all of the hype because she is FABULOUS! I bought her book (and you should too) and got it signed. It’s not only informative but hilarious. I also bought the Pink Cupcake Shirt! I missed Erica’s (yeah we are on a first name basis now, I’ll just pretend we are BFFs) presentation but she kindly posted it to YouTube, Gluten-Free 101: First Timer Mistakes.

Local Eateries

I also found a few local restaurants that have gluten-free options. Many of these are not plant-based or nut-free so research them for yourself before visiting them.

Spinato’s Pizzeria is a local company that I’ve heard friends rave about. They have been in business for close to 40 years and recently began serving gluten-free sandwiches and pizza. I’ve never eaten there but I hope to soon!

Jewel’s Bakery and Cafe is a dedicated gluten-free bakery and cafe but they are not plant-based. They had samples of their creations at the expo and one was vegan. If you are looking for something special call ahead and see what they have that will suit your dietary preferences.

Gluten Free Creations is a dedicated  gluten-free bakery that offers a wide range of gluten-free baked goods including breads, donuts, cupcakes, bagels, specialty cakes and more. Many of their baked goods are also nut-free and vegan but I encourage you to ask before you buy or order.

Household Needs

Lady Bug Pest Control is a local company that uses natural and organic products to help control or eliminate pests. I’ve been wanting to find an eco-friendly pest control company so I’m going to have them come over and take a look at my home. I know that some bugs are good but others  aren’t safe for my kids (or our garden).

Support

I didn’t realize there were so many support groups in my area. Even if you are not in the Phoenix area you may be able to find similar groups in your town. If not, start one yourself. These groups offer local support and activities.

Arizona Food Allergy Alliance

R.O.C.K. Raising Our Celiac Kids

Celiac Disease Foundation (Phoenix Chapter)

Stay tuned for more Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Highlights. I can’t wait to share some of my exciting finds which will include pasta, chocolate, oats, tamari, bread and more!

Meal Plan Monday: Gluten-Free Expo

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This past weekend I attended the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Phoenix. It was a great experience and I have tons of new products to try. I’ll be sharing more about that this week. Many of my favorite brands were there like Enjoy Life Foods but I found plenty of new products to covet like Red Apple Lipstick.

Meal Plan Monday

Plant-Based Gluten-Free Meal Plan

Breakfast

I loaded up on one of my favorite cereals this weekend at the expo so we will eat cereal most days with a few other things added in.

  • Pro-Teen Crunch Cereal
  • Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
  • Chia and Oat Cereal
  • Granola
  • Leftover Soup (I’ve been eating leftover soups and casseroles for breakfast a lot lately)

Lunch

I’m hoping for lots of leftovers and wraps this week.

  • Veggie Wraps
  • Sunbutter and banana wrap
  • Leftover soup
  • Quinoa and Bean Burrito
  • Baked Potatoes with Steamed Broccoli and Steamed Asparagus

Dinner

I have a feeling I wont want to cook much this week so I’ll use my crock pot when I can.

I have loads of fun gluten-free snacks to try. I’ll share more about them later this week.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

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Do you want to know two words that make me swoon? Well I can think of several words but the two I’m referring to are cilantro and lime! I love them both but paired together they can take any dish to a new level. I’ve used the lime juice in the plastic lime and frozen cilantro and it was good but nothing compares to using fresh limes and fresh cilantro.

cilantro lime quinoa

I think the biggest reason is the fresh lime zest. My favorite zester is the Better Zester, it has a zest “catcher” that also measures the amount of zest. I’ve scraped off with zest off with a knife but my zester makes it much easier. I have more recipes coming that use a zester as well, here is a hint: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Lemon, Cake. I don’t want to be too obvious. 🙂

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 3 1/2 cups of water (you may need a little more, have 4 cups available)
  • 2 limes (you’ll use about 1 Tbsp zest and 1/4 cup lime juice)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro

Do

  1. Rinse your quinoa well then cook it in a pot with 3 1/2 cups of water over medium heat. Cover with a lid.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking zest limes then squeeze the juice into a cup or bowl. You will want to remove any seeds the squeeze out. Also chop cilantro, I prefer to use only the leaves because I don’t like using the stems. Set all of this (zest, juice, cilantro) to the side.
  3. After about 15 minutes check on the quinoa. When it is mostly done and all of the water has been absorbed pour the lime juice, zest and cilantro into the pot (add salt if desired) and stir well. Cover with the lid and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Use more water if needed.

Serve

I love Cilantro Lime Quinoa with Unfried Black Beans and fresh salsa but you can use your imagination. If you think the quinoa is drying out too fast feel free to use more water, I thought it soaked up the lime juice better by using less. This recipe is difficult to mess up.

This post is shared at Plant-Based Potluck Party Link Up

Birthday Week Meal Plan

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We’ve been celebrating, two of our kids had birthday’s this week. Unfortunately we’ve been a little under the weather too. I contemplated skipping the Meal Plan this week but a few of you spoke up saying you’d miss it. I waited until tonight to post it so I could show you a few pictures from our celebration.

I’ve been making a lot of new recipes lately but I don’t have much time to work on staging, photographing and editing so I’ve only been sharing them with people who come to my local events or those who buy a Custom Meal Plan. Don’t worry, many of them will get added eventually and others are being set aside for my next book.

birthdayAny time I ask my son to smile he does something like this. It pretty much captures his intense awesomeness. He asked for a cake with zebra stripes and angry bird candles and a #5 candle that we could set on fire. I am to please.

 

Birthday Week Meal Plan

The person with the birthday always gets to pick the menu on birthdays. My pantry got cleaned out this weekend and my fridge is fully stocked with fruit and veggies. It’s gonna be a good week.

Breakfast

Lunch

  • Bean and Grain Bowl
  • Veggie and Hummus Wrap
  • Bean Burritos made with Unfried Black Beans and Cilantro Lime Quinoa
  • Sunbutter Sandwiches with fruit
  • Baked Potatoes with Veggies

Dinner

In the last two months we have celebrated 5 birthdays in our immediate family (although one of our son’s doesn’t live with us anymore). We now have a break from birthdays but I’ve been working on several different gluten-free and vegan cake recipes. I think I’ll keep at it, besides I like cake, win-win.

Plant-Based Valentine’s Day Meal Ideas

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Valentine’s Day Meal Ideas are saturating every form of social media. I wasn’t planning on sharing any ideas but I realized some of you may need a little push in the right direction if you are avoiding meat, dairy, or allergens like wheat or nuts. I don’t plan to do anything special for my family, I’m hoping for a date night instead.

valentines day

Plant-Based Valentine’s Day Meal Ideas

1. Breakfast for Dinner!

Heart-Shaped pancakes with cherries and chocolate chips. Your kids will love this idea and never forget it. I use a Gluten-Free Mix by Maple Grove Farms that I find at Target or Walmart. For the life of me I can’t make good GF pancakes without a mix.

2. Go Italian

I’ve always associated Valentine’s Day with Italian food, it probably goes back to Lady and the Tramp’s iconic meatball scene. Thankfully, I have several recipes to choose from, some are more kid friendly than others. My Gluten-Free Lasagna is a crowd-pleaser; it is husband, kid, and teenager approved. My teen even thought there was cheese in it. (Insert evil laugh here.)

If you are feeding toddlers you may want to go with the Pizza Pasta using small noodles for small hands.

Since it’s for Valentine’s Day try to pick veggies your kids will like best. For my youngest that is broccoli!

3. Steak and Potatoes

Portobello Steaks and Potatoes can take you back to the feel of your omni days without the meat. If your Valentine likes mushrooms this is a great meal. I recommend making either a baked potato or Dirty Mashed Potatoes and steaming asparagus.

4. Picnic at the Park

If you have small kids but would still like to catch a moment with your Valentine try having a picnic at the park. Yes, your kids will be there but they will probably be busy stealing another kids toy or pulling someones hair. Make CHICKpea salad sandwiches and easy finger foods to enjoy. On a side note the weather is in the 70s this week where I live, don’t hate me.

5. Dinner and a Movie at Home

Find a fun movie to rent and order take out or make an easy Crock Pot meal. I love my Easy Crock Pot Mexican Casserole because it comes together in minutes and I only have to wash the Crock Pot. I really dislike doing dishes. Later you can watch your movie as you snack on popcorn.

If you have kids make a Pop Corn Bar with melted Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips, sprinkles, cinnamon, nutritional yeast, crushed candies or other favorite snacks.

6. Don’t Forget Dessert

You need dessert on Valentine’s Day. I think dessert is waaaay more important than the other food. If you are going for the classic V Day dessert you need to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Just melt Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips then dip your strawberries in the melted chocolate, refrigerate them until you are ready for dessert. You could also make Brownies or a Fresh Fruit Parfait.

What are your Valentine’s Day Meal Plans?