My Plant-Based Family

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

Life with Kids

Gratituesday: Anticipation

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Yesterday I mentioned that this is a busy week for us. I’m pretty sure the next 6 weeks will be filled with activity. Right now my days are filled with anticipation. It’s not that I’m wishing away today, I’m just really excited about everything that awaits this week.

We are all familiar with anticipation; the smell of something delicious cooking (or baking…mmmm), a long-awaited reunion with a friend, a coming holiday, or even payday. My anticipation is growing for several reasons today.

First, my husband has been out of town since Saturday morning and arrives home today! I’ll pick him up from the airport this afternoon, I cannot tell you how ready I am for him to be back. Yes he was gone most of the time I was sick. 🙁

Second, two of our big kids come home (for 6 weeks) on Wednesday night! I am very ready for them to be here too. My 3 year old is sooo ready for his daddy and siblings to be here. I started teaching him about calendars just to explain when they would be here.

Third, my first Food Demo is coming up on Saturday! I have a dozen people confirmed and a few others that mentioned a month ago they would probably come but I haven’t seen an RSVP from them yet. A few of the ladies coming are already fully plant-based, others are just interested in eating healthier, and some of them are people I’ve “met” through blogging or are friends of friends and I’m super excited to actually meet.

I’ve got a few other things in the works too but they are not imminent. I’ll talk about those in the coming months. They are mostly just big news to me, I don’t think anyone else would bat an eyelash, but that is ok.

Do you have a vacation coming up? Maybe a birthday party? I think anticipation is a good thing, I love the excitement it brings.  What are you anticipating now?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Meal Plan Monday: A Different Kind of Week

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Tropical Smoothie with Hidden Greens

This will be an odd week for us. My husband was out of town last weekend, typically that means I do very little cooking, This weekend I happened to be sick, that resulted in very little eating as well. I think I’m almost back to normal. My kids survived on dry cereal, frozen waffle’s, banana’s, apple’s, strawberries, oatmeal and a few leftovers. They didn’t complain, it was all their favorite foods. 😉

On Wednesday two of our teenagers will be here for the summer! YAY! My cooking will increase substantially with their arrival. Then on Saturday I will have my first Food Demo, I have a ton of cooking to do for that.

With all of that going on I have decided not to do an official Meal Plan. So what will we eat, probably more of what we ate this weekend plus a few other things.

Unofficial Meal Plan

Breakfast will be our normal fare; oatmeal, GF waffles, cereal, etc. It’s just that kind of week.

Lunch will be equally easy; sandwiches, burritos, bean and grain bowls, wraps, and the like.

Snacks will be fruit, nut butter on apple’s or banana’s, and probably a smoothie or two or three.

Dinner will be pretty easy stuff for the first few days this week. I have some portobellos and zucchini I hope to grill along with other veggies. I’m sure we will eat out once or twice with the big kids arrival, that does not mean fancy or expensive though. Friday and Saturday I will be very busy cooking and prepping for the Demo. I’m going with a Mexican food theme. Originally I was going to do a bunch of different things but it will be easier this way. My next Demo I’ll showcase different types of food. Needless to say we will be eating lotsa Mexican food toward the end of the week.

I’m also considering blogging a little less while our big kids are here. I’m not sure what our schedule will be like so I haven’t really decided. What are your thoughts?

 

Gratituesday: Today

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I am thankful for today. I want to make the most of it. Some days “making the most of it” means getting as many things as possible done’ other days it means putting all of that aside to spend time with my family. Today it mean I have a sitter and I’m getting out by myself, there will be a massage, Starbucks, and a trip to Target on my schedule. There will also be time for prayer, reading, and music. Yes a great day. 

I love being with my husband, I love being with my kids, I love being with my friends, and I love time by myself. I’m thankful for this time today. 

What are you grateful for today?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

What About the Kids

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When people find out how weird I am that I eat a Plant-Based diet they always ask one (or three) of three questions. 1)What do you eat? 2) Where do you get your_________ (protein, iron, calcium, etc.)? 3) What about your kids?

My kids love the way we eat! Back when I was eating junk my 3 year old loved that too (My one year old hasn’t had a chance to eat junk). When given the chance my 3 year old will ask for “chicken and fries” but after a bite or two he says he doesn’t want them. We usually keep Laura Bars or other gluten-free vegan bars in our vehicle so he don’t have to be in that situation.  

It did take my older son a little while to fully transition just like it did for my husband and I. Before switching his favorite thing to eat way Plain, Organic Yogurt. He ate it everyday! Almost every time we went to the pediatrician (even for well baby visits) they said he had an ear infection. Thankfully my pediatrician would just write us a prescription and tell us to hold onto it just in case. We would usually just take him to the chiropractor and then he would be fine. My 1 year old has never had dairy or an ear infection! 

My boys are fully transitioned now! They usually eat what we eat, when they don’t it is because I don’t want to clean up the mess if we are having something difficult for little hands to hold. When we ate Portobello Burgers a few days ago I diced up the portobello to make it easier. I didn’t give them the grilled onions or peppers because I new they wouldn’t eat them. 

I’ve written before about foods my boys eat when I wrote about raising plant-based kids. Just this morning my 1 year ate a container of blueberries and some toast for breakfast. I buy seasonal produce so I wont be feeding him blueberries when they are expensive. I typically wont let him eat a whole container himself but since they were a little past their prime and needed to be eaten he was a willing participant. 

I love that it is summer time here and fruit and veggies are so inexpensive right now. I’ll be cutting into a honey dew melon and a cantaloupe this afternoon. There is a big bowl of washed grapes and cherries in my refrigerator (I cut them in half because they are a choking hazard, and a few stray strawberries that will find their way into smoothies soon. My kids love fruit! 

If your kids aren’t crazy about fruit like mine try cutting it up and making a fruit salad. You can add So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt to the fruit. The kids will feel like they are having dessert. If they are old enough put it in a fancy glass. 

If you know what your kids like you should be able to adapt those things and make them plant-based, or at least take a step in the right direction.

I love my kids so much, I want to protect them from harmful things and that includes food that is harmful. 

Do you have any tips to share for parents trying to switch their kids to a plant-based diet? 

Gratituesday: A Great Babysitter

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When my husband and I first moved to Arizona we didn’t know a soul here. We had three elementary aged kids at the time. Everything we did was as a family, in other words there was no escaping our children. We are very protective of who we let our kids be around so we had no baby sitter. As time went on we became close to a few neighbors and friends through church that we could depend on to baby sit when necessary. 

Fast forward 6 years and we have a 1 and a 3 year old. We have a lot of friends with kids around the same ages so we can sometimes swap babysitting. We also have to most Fantastic, Responsible, Caring, Sweet, teenage babysitter. She LOVES our boys! 

I have heard stories from other mom’s of sitters ignoring kids, wrecking the house, or just doing enough to get by but not my sitter. I can’t express what a blessing it is to have someone you can trust with your kids; someone who know’s their personalities, and understands and adhere’s to your standard for feeding your kids (food allergies included). She plays and interacts with our boys!

Yesterday I mentioned date nights. Six years ago when we had date nights it consisted of making dinner for the kids, turning on a movie for them, threatening them not to bother us, then taking our meal to our bedroom’s “date night table” for our dinner. Now we can go to dinner, a movie, some shopping if we are up to it or whatever else we want to do. 

Now that it is summer break she is available during the day too. Our sitter watches kids for other families as well. I can only imagine that she is a blessing to them as well.

I’m so grateful for her! What are you grateful for today?

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Plant-Based Kids

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Can you raise your kids plant-based eaters? Is it healthy? Will they get all of the nourishment they need to grow strong and healthy? 

YES!

It is your job as parents to make sure they are eating a healthy diet, even if you choose to include meat or dairy. We all get caught in a rut from time to time but what your child eats or doesn’t eat is solely in your hands. 

The Earlier the Better

The younger your kids are when they begin eating healthy the easier it will be. Kids who have never had fast food, candy, or soda will not throw a fit for it. When I was pregnant with my second child I was a fast food queen; my oldest and I would eat fast food burgers, nuggets, or burritos probably 4 times a week. I cringe now when I think about all of the garbage we ate. I don’t dwell on that, nothing can be done, I simply focus on feeding my kids healthy food now.

Starting today is better than starting tomorrow. As a mom I had bought into the “3 a day” dairy campaign. I was so please that my son LOVED plain yogurt, cheese was another favorite snack. As we transitioned to a plant-based diet I would allow my son to occasionally have a cheese stick. He loved it. I don’t buy them or keep them stocked in the house any more. Don’t tell anyone but he had a grilled cheese last week from Sonic. I don’t feel condemned over this. Every other meal that week was healthy and full of life giving nutrients.

Bigger kids maybe harder to convert. Some friends of mine made the plant-based switch this year. They watched “Forks Over Knives”, “Food Matters”, and “Food Inc.” with their kids. The kids want to eat healthy! They are doing it for their health, animals, and the planet. The son (who is probably about 10) said he missed meat and would eat it again but he is eating healthy now. 

Picky Picky

If you’ve read any parenting books you’ve probably heard it takes something like 15 different attempts of feeding your child a particular food for them to like it. If your kid doesn’t like something don’t give up. Their taste change as they change, and I’ve never known a toddler to not change their mind.

I am not a “sneaky chef” but I’m not completely against it either. Some kids don’t like the texture of a particular veggie. If you puree it and add it to another dish they may begin to love the taste, then give the veggie a chance. 

My 3 year old was never a fan of carrots until he saw Mommy eating carrots and hummus. Now he will abandon whatever he is doing and come running for “carrots and dip”. 

PB&J and Beyond

If your kids eat lunch with other kids they are gonna want to eat what their friends have. Ask your kids what kind of food they want. If they are happy with a sandwich, fruit, and a drink then hey it’s not junk and they could do much worse. 

When my(big) kids were in elementary school I made a chart to help them prepare their lunches. The columns were Main Dish, Fruit or Veggie, Snack, Dessert, and Drink. Each column then had foods that were acceptable. Once they got to junior high it wasn’t cook to be seen with a lunch so they would usually take a sandwich and a granola bar. I’m convinced this was still healthier than anything they would have eaten at school. The choices there were pizza, nacho bar, fried fish sandwich, and the like.

Meal Ideas

Here is a partial list of food I feed my kids. 

  • Baked Sweet Potatoes, you can even add cinnamon or a few drops of maple syrup. My boys eat them plain.
  • Baked Potato, my 3  year old always wants ketchup.
  • Almond or Peanut butter sandwiches
  • Apples or bananas dipped in almond butter
  • Almond butter toast
  • Steamed Veggies, my 1 year old does best with these, broccoli, squash, mushrooms, carrots, etc.
  • Pasta with veggies and sauce
  • Beans, my 1 year old loves whole beans, the 3 year old likes them smashed.
  • Rice with veggie and sauce
  • Bean burrito, the 1 year old can’t handle burritos yet but he loves beans.
  • Bean/grain loaf, the 1  year old loves any variation of this.
  • Oatmeal
  • Breakfast Quinoa
  • Bagel Pizza’s, for the 3 year old
  • Pancakes
  • Breakfast Stir Fry
  • Nachos with faux cheese, guacamole, salsa, beans, and taco quinoa!
  • Fresh Fruit, apples, bananas, strawberries, pineapples, mangoi
  • Frozen fruit, my 1 year old LOVES frozen blueberries, especially when teething.
  • Smoothies, you can add kale, spinach, or a host of other healthy foods.

This is only a partial list, please add your favorite Plant-Based kids meals (or snacks) in the comments. 

Tips

When in doubt add a dip. Hummus, Unfried Beans, salsa, guacamole, nut butter, faux cheese sauce, ketchup or even a non-dairy yogurt can make a difference. Give it a fun and special name like Hippo Hummus. 

If a dip is not fitting add a sauce. Last night we had gluten free noodles and steamed veggies (squash, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions, mushrooms and spinach). I knew the 1 year old would eat it but the 3 year old and my husband would need a sauce to be completely won over. As usual I didn’t measure but mixed about 1 cup of veggie broth, less than 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast,  less than 1 tbsp of rice flour, a few shakes of garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper and a squirt of Braggs Amino’s. I stirred the mixture on medium heat until it thickened then poured it over the veggies and noodles. It was very taste. Everyone except the 3 year old had seconds. 

Do you have a tip to share? Please do so in the comments!

A quick note, I am not a doctor and I have never played one on TV. My opinions are just that, opinions based on my experience, research and the teaching I’ve received. I’m happy to answer questions or give advice just know that I am not an expert.