My Plant-Based Family

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

Meal Plan Monday

Meal Plan Monday: Trying New Dinner Recipes

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Breakfast Tacos
Breakfast Tacos

We really enjoyed last week’s Soup Week. It was probably the most delicious week we have had in a while.

We didn’t do our normal weekly grocery trip this weekend, I’m sure we will have to go at some point this week but my hope is it use up odds and ends to save a little money and avoid another shopping trip. We will have to run out for more fruit. We are down to two bunches of bananas, a dozen apples, and 2 oranges along with a few other splurge items. That wont last long around here.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be a little different this week. We normally have oatmeal most days but we are almost out so I’ll be mixing it up a bit. We will probably have pancakes, baked sweet potatoes, Breakfast Quinoa, and maybe even cereal.

Lunch will be leftovers most days. My kids like almond butter sandwiches a lot, I usually serve them with sliced apples. I’ve been craving salads since the last Healthy Cravings so I may have a few gargantuan Italian salads. I may even make a pot of soup too to use up the veggies I don’t really like eating plain, like celery.

Snack is usually fruit. Apples, bananas, and oranges are typically available but right now I also have a lovely pineapple and blueberries. We may have smoothies too because I have a big bag of kale.

Dinner may be a little tougher without making a trip to the store. I love breakfast for dinner. Last week I made Breakfast Tacos for a potluck and everyone loved them. I’ve been daydreaming about those tacos ever since. I’d love to do a Chickpea-Quinoa Stir Fry too, maybe even add a little of that pineapple. I’m in the beginning stages of coming up with a sautéed mushroom and lentil dish, I’m still trying to decided what I want to serve it over, maybe potatoes or rice but I’d really like a more interesting (and GF) option. If I really get creative we may have homemade GF pizza. I haven’t made gluten-free pizza before but I’d like to give it a try soon. I have a medium-sized pot of beans soaking now so I’ll be making something with those as well.

If these new recipes turn out I’ll be sharing them, if not…well just forget I mentioned it.

What are you eating this week? I like trying new things and mixing and matching different ingredients I think (hope) will taste good together. During the day I’m content with eating the same thing most days but in the evening I want variety. What about you?

Meal Plan Monday: Soup Week

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I don’t know about you but there is something about eating soup that really helps me feel nourished. I think it is because I eat a much better variety of veggies in soup that I wouldn’t eat if they were all cooked separately.

In January of 2012 I proclaimed a Soup Week. I’m really looking forward to this one because I have a few more recipes in my tool belt. I plan to make large pots of soup each night so I can have a nice selection in my freezer.

I won’t post a whole meal plan but you can get Breakfast Ideas here. You can also click on the Meal Plan Monday in the Categories section on the right. It will bring up past meal plans you can browse.

I know I always brag about living in Arizona where the weather is wonderful and it is; however lately I’ve been cold. Not the same kind of cold everyone else is experiencing but I’m a little spoiled so I’m having a hard time handling it. My answer: sweaters, coffee, and soup.

veggie broth mix

If you use canned broth or bullion these soups will be more expensive for you and possibly less healthy. I’d like to encourage you to give the Dry Broth Mix a try. It is so good and inexpensive. It takes minutes to mix up a batch in your food processor and it lasts for a long time.

Minestrone SoupMinestrone Soup! I made this last week for Healthy Cravings and we enjoyed the leftovers all weekend. We had a tense moment yesterday when we realized it was almost gone. We shared the last few cups of it then I made the next soup.

Green Chili Cilantro & Lime SOup

Green Chili Cilantro & Lime Soup! This soup is amazing! Truly. I’ll be sharing the recipe this week. I made a large pot last night. My boys didn’t love it but my husband and I did. We both had two large bowls and he took it to work for lunch. I also put some in the freezer. I have yet to get a good picture but I don’t want to wait to share this recipe.

Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Potato Soup! This is one of the easiest recipe ever! I may switch it to a busier day but I’ve really been craving potato soup. I’ll be adding more veggies to it though and perhaps more nutritional yeast. I get a look of feedback about this soup everyone seems to love it although you may want to add more seasonings especially if you attempt to make this without nutritional yeast. An immersion blender would make it smooth and creamy.

Taco Soup (2)Taco Soup! Very similar to the Enchilada Soup so you could take your pick. This soup is my favorite, I love it. If someone made this for me I’d become their best friend. It is also full of veggies and beans so you feel immensely satisfied.

Chickpea noodle soup Chickpea Noodle Soup! This is a new favorite in our house. I’ll be adding extra veggies this time depending on what is leftover. I use gluten-free noodles, I like these little shells or macaroni instead of long noodles because my boys can handle these easier but you can use any noodles you like.

Do you have a favorite soup? I love using fresh ingredients in my soup but some days I’m happy when I can throw a bunch of canned or frozen goods together and create a warm, delicious, and filling soup. Share your favorite soup in the comments!

Meal Plan Monday @ Day of Knight

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Today I’m a guest blogger at Day of Knight. Click on over to check out my Meal Plan including my menu for Thursday night’s Healthy Cravings group.

While you are there check out Jenna’s blog. The first time I found it I spent an hour reading old posts while laughing and crying. Day of Knight is all about Jenna and her family, their faith, their life, homeschooling, adoption, missions, and a little about food.

Have a great week!

 

Meal Plan Monday: The Week of Experimentation

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This week I’ll be experimenting with a lot of new recipe ideas. I hope I didn’t get your hopes up and make you think I was talking about scuba diving, rappelling, or wind surfing. I have done all of those things, but not recently. My idea of a good time is far less adventuresome these days.

Parfaits

Meal Plan

Breakfast is still oatmeal. No, I’m not tired of it yet; I change it up daily. It is the best way for me to get my omega 3s in early. If I don’t I usually don’t get them. Plus my boys love oatmeal and cheer when I made it. Some mornings I may have toast with almond butter and apple slices.

Lunch is usually leftovers but we are a little bare in that department right now. I’ll make extra for dinner this week so we acquire some. I also plan to have veggie stuffed pitas for me and almond butter sandwiches for my boys. Bean and grain bowls are easy to throw together too.

Snack will be fruit, parfaits, or smoothies. I haven’t been eating near enough fruit lately so I want to focus on intentionally eating more.

Dinner will be new recipes. This weekend I created a delicious plant-based lasagna that I’ll post soon. Monday I made an incredible soup with brown rice, black beans, green chilis, and cilantro. My husband didn’t get any because he had a dinner to attend, I was supposed to go but I was sick and so was my babysitter. Double Whammy! I’ll be making a much larger pot of it again tomorrow and hopefully I’ll get some better pictures. I took a few on my phone and posted them to Facebook but it was too dark and I was too hungry to spend any more time on it. I plan to take a swing at a Baked Mac and No Cheese. I have a specific vision in mind for this so I’m really hoping it turns out well. I will probably cook one other big meal but I don’t know what it is yet. I have some black-eyed peas soaking so it may involve them but I’ll also make more beans this week.

spaghetti squash
My First Attempt at Spaghetti Squash

I did some experimenting last week too. I made spaghetti squash for the first time. It was ok but I had forgotten why I stopped making spaghetti. It is too messy for a two-year old! I’ll stick to small noodles for a while. I also made a chocolate swirl banana bread that was pretty good but I was going for more of a coffee cake. I plan to tweak it more before I share it with the world. Lastly, I made my first tofu scramble. I know, I don’t use tofu. You’re right I don’t but I do like to try new things and I had some left from making Somer’s Ranch Dressing. My boys loved the scramble. I didn’t eat it because I had just had dental work and opted for Potato Soup. I don’t think the scramble will make it into our regular rotation but it may make an appearance every once in a while.

lasagna
Lasagna Side View Before Baking

So you like to try new things, either in the kitchen or in everyday life?

Meal Plan Monday

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Garden Salad

Believe it or not I haven’t been doing near enough cooking. To remedy that I plan to do more cooking this week. I’ve already made a BIG pot of beans today. There are so versatile when I need a quick meal. I know they will keep us from hitting the drive-thru.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be oatmeal most days. I’m really trying to avoid the expense (and nutritional void) of store-bought cereal but I want to mix up a big batch of granola and maybe even some granola bars for those on-the-go mornings. I have busy mornings planned for almost everyday this week so having something I can grab as we run out the door will be a big help.

Lunch will probably be sandwiches as we rush in from those busy mornings. I can get creative with those but my boys don’t really require much creativity. I use gluten-free bread for my youngest and whole grain wheat for me and my almost 4 year old. Peanut butter, almond butter are regulars but I like to use different kind of fruit instead of jelly. We also use apple butter. When I’m in the mood for something different I’ll have a veggie sandwich with hummus. My husband takes leftovers to work most days.

Snack will probably be fruit. I bought blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, and bananas for a good price. I may make smoothies with spinach and some combination of fruit.

Dinner will be a little more labor intensive but my evenings are mostly free this week. Potato Soup will be my soup of choice after I go to the dentist. We plan to make a bunch of bean burritos one evening. Most of the burritos will be frozen for future meals. I have some tomatoes waiting to be made into pico de gallo and avocados waiting to accompany the burritos. Speaking of burritos, this Breakfast Stir Fry makes a filling meal, especially when served in a tortilla. I may also make some Mexican Rice to go along with any leftover beans. Lasagna (GF and vegan) will make an appearance late in the week along with a really colorful salad. If I need any other dinners I’ll make soup, possibly Enchilada Soup.

I’m meeting with a few people this week to help them with their meal plans. I prefer an unstructured meal plan that I can change based on the days events or groceries on hand. I know many people like a more structured meal plan with each meal scheduled. Which style do you prefer and why? 

Meal Plan Monday: Under the Weather

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We have been a little under the weather here which you may know if you follow My Plant-Based Family on Facebook. We had a nice little discussion going on this weekend, many people left their favorite tips for beating the flu. While we are mostly better we will stay quarantined as much as possible, especially the kids. My husband and boys were hardest hit by illness, I’m hopeful that I wont get as sick as them, but I do have some cold symptoms.

Since I’m not really sure how we will be feeling I’m not making a formal Meal Plan but I’ll share a little of what we will be eating.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will likely be oatmeal, toast, and fruit or some combination of those. I’ve been feeding my boys a pint of blueberries a day, they love them.

Lunch will likely be leftovers as we have quite a bit. Two new delicious soups, nachos, hummus and veggie sandwiches, beans, and Chickpea Salad (I’ll post this recipe this week).

Snacks will be fruit and veggies. I’m trying to keep things easy.

Dinner will be a lot of soups. They are so easy you really should be making them too. We have a ton of broccoli we need to eat so I foresee Potato and Broccoli Soup, Taco Soup, and probably a Chickpea (GF)Noodle Soup. I may work in some more interesting meals if we are all feeling better later this week. We have so many leftovers though I’m not worried about cooking much.

There are a lot of great things about this Meal Plan; its frugal, it’s easy, it’s gluten-free, and it will be very nourishing as we recover. I’m so happy I made a new batch of my Dry Broth Mix last week. It will come in very handy. I have a lot of basic ingredients ready in the refrigerator including: pinto beans, lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, and plenty of fresh fruit and veggies.

What is your favorite thing to eat when recovering from illness?