My Plant-Based Family

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

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Personal Gifts and Books

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Gift Guides

The week of Gift Guides continues, if you’ve missed any you will want to check them out. On Monday I showed you how your gift can change a life through World Vision, Tuesday we all dreamed big and looked at expensive gifts, then Wednesday we got a little more realistic and looked at inexpensive (but awesome) kitchen gear.

Today I want to talk about personal gifts and books. The gifts I mention today are perfect for a company or group party where you need to bring a gift. Most of them would be an awesome part of a gift basket. I love gift baskets myself and will give you suggestions of what you can use to make a gift basket even better. If you aren’t a gift basket giver these would also work in a stocking.

I have to start with the great gift sets from North Coast Organics. I know I talk about NCO a lot. No, I’m not paid by the company but I’ve never been let down by their products or customer service and when I find a company I love I can’t help but talk about them.

NCOgiftboxessmall

North Coast Organics has three different gift boxes available this year but hurry and order because supplies are limited.


No Bull Beauty: Cutting Through The Crap would make a great addition to the North Coast Organics products. This book holds nothing back as it teaches you what you should and should not be using on your skin. It discusses common skin conditions, natural beauty and skin care, toxins, bogus beauty claims and much more.

You can also find loads of cruelty-free skin and beauty products at the Vegan Cuts Marketplace. It should be called Stocking Stuffer Central. I love the Relogy and Fanciful Fox products. Pictured above is their New York Care Pack or check out their Beauty Box subscription, I love mine!


The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a follow up to the best seller, not completely updated and it even has a chapter on gluten-free baking. It gives me hope that I can become a baker. Buy this for the aspiring baker in your life and include a pizza stone, pizza peel and a loaf pan or two.


Vegan Desserts in Jars: Adorably Delicious Pies, Cakes, Puddings, and Much More is a cute and fun book that makes vegan desserts irresistible. This book would be perfect with an assortment of canning jars.

What am I missing today? Can your recommend the perfect gift to add to the Gift Guides?

**This gift guide contains affiliate links. If you purchase something using my link I may make a small percentage at  no additional cost to you.

Handy Kitchen Gear

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Gift Guides

Welcome to Day 3 of My Plant-Based Family’s Holiday Gift Guide. Monday we looked at World Vision and how you can give a gift that will change a life. I encourage you to consider World Vision or other organizations and begin a family tradition of blessing others each year. Yesterday I shared a “wish list” of luxury (over $100) items. Today I’ m going to share my favorite kitchen gear that is a little more budget-friendly.

As always feel free to share your wish list, or tell me what I’m missing. Yesterday several readers reminded me of knives and cookware, great gifts indeed.

I love my food processor. I own this Hamilton Beach 10 Cup Food Processor pictured above and it takes care of all of our processing needs. There are processors that are bigger and smaller, some cheaper and others that are waaaay more expensive. If I could only pick one small kitchen appliance I’d pick this one.

For smaller jobs I love my Magic Bullet although I’m not sure if I have the exact set shown. I received it as a gift from my mom about 7 years ago and it has served us well. Unfortunately it’s on its last leg but I’m considering purchasing it again. I love how easy it is to clean and perfect for small jobs. The only down side is all of these parts takes up room so if you don’t have a lot of storage this may not work for you.


I don’t have a Cuisinart 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender but it’s on my “would be nice but not necessary” list. I would love to blend up soups without having to use (and wash) another appliance. There are many different brands and models of immersion blenders, some even come with different attachments. Just read the reviews before you make purchases.


If you are cooking quinoa you NEED a Fine Mesh Strainer. I have a different model but this one is similar, has good reviews and is super inexpensive. You could give this as a gift with a package of quinoa, some recipe cards with quinoa dishes and a few kitchen utensils.


Whether you choose a microplane or a zester (they seem to be pretty much the same thing) this is a fun gift. I received the Edgeware Zester as a gift, it’s very handy because it has a little “zest catcher” in the back with measurements on it. It’s so easy to use too. This would easily fit in a stocking for a fun surprise.


We have a knife set that has several different knives including steak knives that stores them all in a block of wood. I usually only use the mini chef knife but occasionally use the bread knife or paring knife. If you eat plant-based you need a good set of Knives even if it is only for chopping veggies. We never use our steak knives anymore and that giant block of wood takes up too much counter space. I don’t have the set pictured above but it looks very similar to mine.

What is on your Christmas wish list? I’m sure I forgot something! I considered a Toaster Oven but I haven’t made the leap.

**Affiliate links were used throughout this gift guide.

Luxury Kitchen Items

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Gift Guides

Welcome to Day 2 of My Plant-Based Family’s week of gift guides. Next week I’ll back track and help you get ready for Thanksgiving but this week is all about gift giving.

Today I’ll share my recommendation for gift ideas that are over $100, hence the “luxury” title. I only own one of these items so many of them are on our wish list as well. If you are on a tight budget these may be out of reach but worth planning for. Feel free to leave your recommendation and product reviews in the comments. (Additionally, I use affiliate links throughout this post which means if you buy something using this link I make a small percentage at no additional cost to you. This doesn’t influence my opinion of the products and you are not obligated to use my links.)

I LOVE my Keurig K-Cup Home Brewer! My dad got it for us last year for Christmas and it was the best gift ever. There are several different models but this is the one I have.  Yes you can make coffee in a cheaper coffee maker but I love my Keurig. I usually only drink 1 cup (or less) of coffee a day. We wish we would have bought a Keurig years ago.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Vitamix  you’ve been in plant-based circles for any length of time. I don’t own a Vitamix but I have friends who do and love theirs. We plan to purchase one in the future but it wont be in our budget for a while. There are many different models and you can even purchase refurbished models. I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about a Vitamix but feel free to share your recommendations in the comments.

I also have quite a few friends that love their Blendtec.  There are also several models to choose from and at least one of them will meet your needs.

If you are a baker you probably either have a KitchenAid 5-Quart Mixer or you already have one on your wish list. There are dozens of colors to choose from. My friends love theirs. I was wishing I had one last week when I was baking for the Expo but I don’t think I do enough baking to justify the expense the counter space it would take up.

Red Dehydrator

 

For years I’ve been hearing about Excalibur 5 Tray Dehydrator  but still haven’t taken the plunge. If you are really into eating Raw you’d probably love a dehydrator too. I think it would be fun to make homemade fruit snacks and dehydrate lots of fruit and veggies when they are at the peak of freshness. Check out Excalibur’s website to find dehydrators in fun colors including the red pictured above.

Do you have a luxury item suggestion I should add to the list? 

Stay tuned, there are more gift guides coming all week!

**Affiliate links were used throughout this gift guide.

Give a Gift, Change a Life

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Gift Guides

Today kick’s off My Plant-Based Family’s week of  Holiday Gift Guides. I’m so excited because I’ve been planning this for months. I wanted to share my top gift picks well before the holidays to give you time to plan.

I’m extra excited about today’s pick because today I’m featuring World Vision! Later in the week I’ll suggest some great books, body products, snacks and of course stuff for your kitchen.

World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that helps children, families, and communities worldwide. They provide emergency assistance to children and families affected by natural disasters  and are working diligently in the Philippines right now to help with the aftermath of the storm. World Vision also strives to help victims of civil conflict, work with communities to develop long-term solutions to alleviate poverty, and advocate for justice on behalf of the poor. They are busy at work in nearly 100 countries, serving all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
 
Share of deep Well

Each year we pick an organization like World Vision and buy gifts for families we will never meet. World Vision has a Gift Catalog were you will find things like buying a share to dig a well, provide clothing for children and provide hope for exploited girls. Each year we would ask our kids (now teenagers) to look through the catalog and decide how to bless others. We would explain how we have so much it’s our responsibility to help others and sometimes that means we need to sacrifice what we want to make sure other people can get what they need.

World Vision Red Bracelet

You can also purchased handcrafted gifts from all over the world. If you really want to impact a family, fund a micro loan, World Vision allows you to choose an entrepreneur and follow their progress.

I just picked out several opportunities that caught my eye but their are many others to choose from.

There are many ways to help. Visit World Vision to find out more or Follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Do you have any traditions to give back during the holidays? We enjoy filling Christmas stockings for needy kids in our area, but love contributing to organizations like World Vision that can make a difference in place we will never get the opportunity to visit.

The Daniel Cure Review and Giveaway

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The Daniel Cure

The Daniel Cure

It isn’t often that I find a book that pairs my passion for healthy eating with my faith. The Daniel Cure is the most remarkable book I’ve read this year, filled with the science behind healthy eating, truth from scripture, over 75 recipes and a 21 day devotional. It is written by Susan Gregory author of the book The Daniel Fast and Rick J. Bloomer PhD, who is also the Department Chair of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Memphis, and Professor and Director of the Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory.

Background

The Daniel Fast is derived from the book of Daniel and is usually practiced as a 21 day partial fast.

When Daniel and the other Hebrews were taken into Babylonian captivity they were supposed to accept all of the Babylonian ways. Daniel and his friends refused, asking not to eat the King’s food because it violated Mosaic Law. They asked for a test, “Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”

At the end of the test Daniel and the others were fit and strong and allowed to continue their way of eating.

Later in Daniel 10, Daniel does a partial fast for 21 days and prays.

Today’s Daniel Fast

Today the Daniel Fast consists of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds; basically anything grown from a seed but avoids sweeteners, meat and wine among other things.

People all over the world have seen radical changes in their health after doing a Daniel Fast. Since a fast is a Spiritual experience many have also found answer to prayer, supernatural healing and other amazing things happen during the fast.

The Daniel Cure

The Daniel Cure takes the 21 day fast a step further and clearly shows you everything you need to know to adapt the Daniel Fast into a sustainable lifestyle. The authors encourage you to complete the Daniel Fast first but to continue this variation in the diet that will make it much easier to continue. I feel like my style of eating is very much in line with the Daniel Cure. I don’t make anything “off limits” but strive to eat healthy, whole foods most of the time.

In the chapter, Making the Daniel Cure a Way of Life the authors say, “Keep in mind that your new way of healthy living doesn’t mean you can never have a piece of cake or a Coke. We know that you will not eat clean food for every meal from this day forward for the rest of your life. Such a goal is an invitation to failure.”

I couldn’t agree more and I’ve been pretty vocal about making the diet change work in the real world.

Helpful Chapters

The Daniel Cure also includes many chapters about fighting diseases like Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and fighting inflammation. Those are preceded by a chapter that discusses the way we view ourselves and the way our Creator views us.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV

Press on Toward the Goal

I sought out a Plant-Based Diet because I was sick, but I adopted it to honor God by treating my body like His temple.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lied ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

The Daniel Cure is a great resource to help you on this journey. This book will give you guidelines about what to eat, how often and how much along with tips to help you navigate grocery shopping, sample menus and meal planning tips.

Recipes

If you’ve read My Plant-Based Family for long you know I like delicious meals but they also need to be pretty simple. I’m completely won over by the recipes in this book, they use familiar ingredients that I normally buy. I really want to try the Stuffed Potato Cups with Sautéed Kale, Spicy Tomato Sauce and the Berry Crumble.

However…

There are a few things in the Daniel Cure that aren’t quite in line with my eating philosophy. I feel I should mention them even though I highly recommend this book. I am not a big fan of protein powders or supplements. While the authors say, “You don’t need animal products to obtain protein and calcium in adequate amounts. With proper planning, you can get all of the protein, carbohydrates, fat and micronutrients you need from a 100 percent plant-based diet” they highly recommend you use protein powders and calcium supplements. They also feel that “the addition of small amounts of animal products (lean meats and dairy) might make your diet even better.” This might be because many people who claim to eat a plant-based or vegan diet do not really eat a healthy diet.

The Giveaway

I enjoyed reading The Daniel Cure so much that I’m really excited that you have the chance to win a copy! The giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada and ends on November 12 at 12:00 am.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Daniel Cure, I was not obligated to provide a positive review. All opinions are mine.

Meal Plan Monday: Cold Weather Recipes to Keep Warm

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Plant-Based Meal Plan for NovemberThis Plant-Based Meal Plan is full of warm recipes that are perfect for cold weather. Of course I still add a few salads in here an there.

Recently my boys (age 2 and 4) wanted a snack. I excitedly asked, “want some lettuce” and to my surprise they said yes. Ever since I’ve been offering them lettuce for snack. The 4 year old prefers “crunchy” lettuce.  It just goes to show that if you keep offering your family healthy choices eventually they will eat them.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Lunch

  • Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa with Baked Potato and Salad
  • Gluten-Free Veggie Wraps with warm Roasted Veggies
  • Sunbutter Sandwiches with sliced fruit
  • Black Bean Quesadillas and Mexican Rice
  • Leftover soup or noodles

Snacks

Dinner

This weekend I’ll have a booth at the FITT for Life Expo in Florence, Arizona. It’s a free event for the whole family.