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My Plant-Based Family

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

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Tips for Plant-Based Living

Plant-Based Game Day Snacks

February 5, 2021 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

I haven’t heard of a single Super Bowl party this year. I’m sure some people will still have them but we will be staying home. If you are looking for oil-free, plant-based snacks for the big game, I’ve got you covered!

Plant-based game day snacks

These recipes will give you the flavor of your regular favorites without the meat, dairy or oil!

I reached out to a few of my plant-based friends and will be sharing some of their favorites too!

Plant-Based Game Day Snacks

Your team will love these flavorful snacks while you watch the game. Most are super easy and all are delicious!

Vegan Burgers

Yes! I love these vegan burgers! For game day, I think sliders may be in order!

Oil-Free Hummus

This hummus is the only oil-free hummus you need! You can dress it up or down and eat it with veggies, pita, in rollups (see below), wraps, on sandwiches and more! Lately, I spread it on sourdough!

Jalapeno Hummus

This is my dressed up version of my classic oil-free hummus! We add lime, cilantro and jalapenos for a not too spicy but full of flavor dip!

Photo Credit: www.veggieinspired.com

Homemade Vegan Queso (Gluten Free)

Jenn's Queso is fabulous! You'd never guess there are veggies involved!

Oil-Free Potato Wedges

Oven baked oil-free potato wedges should be on everyone's game day list! No matter who's playing...I'm rooting for potatoes! These would be amazing in Jenn's queso!

Photo Credit: passtheplants.com

Vegan Baked Onion Rings

I don't know why I didn't think of adding Beth's oil-free onion rings to my Game Day menu every year! These oil-free onion rings have been perfected by trial and error! Check them out!

Rainbow Veggie Pinwheels

These kid-friendly Rainbow Veggie Pinwheels can be made quickly or by the kids. LOL! You'll love these fresh bites!

Photo Credit: eatplant-based.com

Simple Garden Spring Rolls

Speaking of fresh, Terri's Garden Spring Rolls are easy to customize and will be a great addition to the menu.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

Is there a better way to enjoy cauliflower? Maybe but I'm a barbecue sauce lover so this is right up my alley!

Photo Credit: shaneandsimple.com

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

If you'd rather have that buffalo flavor, check out Shane's Buffalo Cauliflower Wings. They bring the authentic flavor of wings to this meat-free snack.

Chickpea Nuggets

Chickpea Nuggets are totally dippable! Kids like ketchup but BBQ sauce or maple mustard is great too!

Instant Pot Refried Beans

I can't leave out my oil-free refried beans! I love these for parties or "snacky events" because I love beans, salsa and chips. Loading up on the beans help us fill up. We also use these for Tostadas and Nachos!

Will you be making any snacks and watching football this weekend? What do you plan to make?

Filed Under: Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: Plant Based Diet, Snacks, Super Bowl Food, Vegan

Cooking and Reheating Potatoes

November 23, 2020 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

We love potatoes! I’ve always loved potatoes but after transitioning to a plant-based diet, my love of potatoes has grown. Often, I’ll cook potatoes on the weekend to eat all week long. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered my favorite ways to cook and reheat potatoes.

The cooking and reheating method will vary based on the type of potato. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites.

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

I normally cook russets in my Instant Pot for “Baked” potatoes. I know they aren’t technically baked, but I don’t care. I don’t want to tie up my oven when my Instant Pot cooks potatoes so quickly and easily.

Just scrub your potatoes, I like to pierce them with a fork if I remember but I don’t usually remember. I put them on a wire rack in my Instant Pot with one cup of water. Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and set the time for 14 minutes. If you are making big potatoes then set it for 16-20 minutes. The size of the potatoes makes a big difference. Once done, let the pressure come down naturally for at least 20 minutes. I prefer to wait an hour before eating them, especially if they are really big.

If you aren’t sure how long to cook your potatoes just guess. Here is some unofficial guidance. If you can hold two potatoes in one hand then 14 minutes will work. If you can’t, then go with 16 minutes. If you are cooking a giant potato that is as big as your face, go with 20 minutes.

To store the potatoes, after they are cooled off, I’ll put them in a zip lock bag or air tight container and store them in the fridge.

Reheating Baked Potatoes

When I’m ready to use them, I usually chop them up (at least in half but often in fourth’s so they look like 4 long wedges). This works best when I have good toppings to use like chili, beans, or some other moist food. I don’t use butter or Earth Balance or vegan cheese but those may work. If I don’t have any moist toppings I will heat them in the microwave (covered) for 2 minutes, then sprinkle on Everything Bagel seasoning.

Often I’ll dice up the leftover potato and add it to a bowl of soup. I reheat in the microwave for a minute or two. Our microwave takes 2 minutes to get food really hot, especially if it’s straight out of the fridge. This is a great way to make brothy soups even more filling.

You could also reheat in the Instant Pot or oven. If reheating in the Instant Pot, you’ll want put the potatoes on the wire rack, add one cup of water, and cook for 5 minutes for big potatoes. If the potatoes are small, 3-4 minutes would work.

If you want to reheat in the oven, I recommend baking at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Fries, Baked Potato Wedges and Roasted Potatoes

We rarely reheat these because they just aren’t as good as fresh. If we do, we heat the oven to 400 degrees, cook them for 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes we will then cook them under the broiler for a few minutes. These are the hardest to reheat.

Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes

We have two main ways we cook sweet potatoes. If we cook them whole it’s usually in the Instant Pot. Yes, it easy to cook them in the oven but I prefer cooking whole, baked sweet potatoes (and yams) in the Instant Pot.

To cook whole sweet potatoes (or yams) in the Instant Pot, just scrub them. Put the wire rack in the Instant Pot and place the sweet potatoes on top. Add one cup of water. Cook on Manual (new IP’s have a Pressure Cook button) for 14 minutes. If you have exceptionally large sweet potatoes you will want to add about 5 minutes to that time. Once done, let the pressure come down naturally. I like to let them sit for about an hour before eating.

Cooking sweet potatoes whole in the Instant Pot is best way to cook them when you want to make a Sweet Potato Casserole for Thanksgiving!

Once cooled, we store them in the fridge, uncovered (just on a plate or bowl with skin still on). When it’s time to reheat we cut them in half , cover them, and heat in the microwave.

Roasting Sweet Potatoes

The other way we cook them (pretty much weekly) is we peel and dice them into bite sized pieces. Then we bake them at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. We store them in an airtight container and eat them cold or microwave them for 30 seconds to a minute. We eat them as side dishes, or in salads. These reheat really well. 

New Potatoes and Yellow Potatoes

I love to cook new potatoes and yellow (gold) potatoes in the Instant Pot. These are usually small, though I have gotten a few that were really big. They cook quickly but I’ll give them a quick scrub and cook them in my Instant Pot for about 10 minutes on manual. I prefer to let them rest for at least 15 minutes but sometimes I’ll forget them for hours. Oops. They taste creamy and go with everything.

If all your potatoes are small you can cook them less but I inevitably have various sizes. Ten minutes is a good catch all.

I store them uncovered in the fridge but in a zip lock back would work too. Since they are so versatile, I’ll often throw them in soups, salads, or eat them as sides. They are perfect for a quick breakfast too.

Then I cut them in fourth’s (like long wedges) and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Then I top them with Everything Bagel seasoning. These reheat so much better than russets. They stay moist inside and don’t need a moist topping like russets.

Sometimes I’ll cook them in my Instant Pot then make mashed potatoes by adding some rice milk and seasoning like garlic and onion powder. These are really good for a side dish reheated.

What are your favorite methods for cooking and reheating potatoes?

Filed Under: How to, Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: Instant Pot, plant-based diet, Potatoes, Vegan

Plant-Based Foods to Embraced this Year

October 26, 2020 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Plant-Based Foods

Even though we started eating plant-based in 2011, we wanted to push ourselves to be healthier than ever this year. We found these plant-based foods to embrace this year. Some of these foods were added because we learned about their health benefits, others were added because we learned to love them and they worked well in our family’s routine.

Plant-Based Foods

This page contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission if you purchase something using my link.

I credit Dr. Bulsiewicz and Dr. Gregor for opening my eyes to to a few of these foods. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Fiber Fueled, How Not to Die and How Not to Diet to anyone wanting to learn more about plant-based eating and eating for health.

Fermented Foods

This summer we bought some sauerkraut but it wasn’t anything special. After learning more about fermented foods we decided to try again and found a delicious sauerkraut that we love.

We add it to salads and soups more than anything else but that’s because we have those almost every day. You could also add it to sandwiches, wraps or veggie burgers.

We haven’t started fermenting our on food yet but I’m thinking of trying it.

Broccoli Sprouts

I plan to start growing our own sprouts soon but we’ve been buying them at our local Sprouts Market (it’s like a specialty grocery store if you aren’t familiar). We add them to salads but they are also good in sandwiches. I started by adding about a tablespoon of them to my salads and worked my way up.

We just and seeds so we can make our own. I think we will find a good routine so we always have some but don’t let them go to waste.

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

Oats

We have really jumped on the oats bandwagon. We make steel cut oats in the Instant Pot, and make Baked Oatmeal and Overnight Oats with rolled oats. We love the versatility of oats. We all have our favorites.

Since we make steel cut oats so often I buy them in bulk. These gluten-free steep cut oats our my favorite! I buy these rolled oats.

oil-free potato wedges

Potatoes

Potatoes aren’t new to our diet but we have embraced them more than ever. We usually make diced, roasted sweet potatoes every Sunday and eat them all week long.

They reheat well and we enjoy them as a side dish or in salads. We make a lot of fries and potatoes wedges, baked potatoes and occasionally mashed potatoes. I even bought bigger baking pans so I’d have room for more potatoes!

I have another post planned to share all the ways we reheat potatoes!

greens

Variety of Greens

We aren’t going too crazy with greens but since we eat salads most days, instead of only buying one kind of lettuce, we’ve been buying several kinds and blends. We eat more spinach, mixed greens, and I love baby lettuces.

A Soup a Week

I think it was last spring when we started incorporating a new soup every week into our meal plan. We usually rotate through the flavors. One week it may be Hearty Veggie Soup, the next week Taco Soup, the next week Chickpea Rice Soup, followed by Vegan Chili.

Each soup will make between 4-8 servings so we eat it 2-4 times. Our kids won’t even think about the spicy soups. Often we will stretch the soups even further by adding extra beans, veggies or potatoes. A toasted piece of sourdough bread is a great side.

We prefer soups without noodles or grains because they absorb all the broth. They turn into a casserole which is still good but not the same.

We love having a soup each week for a few reasons. First, we cook it once and it feeds us over and over. Second, we get a lot of variety of plants since most of our soups will have between 8-12 ingredients (veggies and spices). This helps us get closer to Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen. More plants are better! Third, most of our soups have veggies and beans so they keep us full longer.

Nuts and Seeds

For a long time, we didn’t eat many nuts or seeds. Earlier this year we added more seeds. I was blown away learning all the benefits of ground flax seed and was determined to add it to my routine.

I also love hemp seeds and raw pepitas. I would mostly add these to my oatmeal in the mornings.

Then we started buying more nuts. I know a lot of people are divided on adding nuts to a plant-based diet. Our household has excellent cholesterol and heart health so we weren’t concerned from that stand point.

We started buying different kinds of nuts and adding them to salads, eating them with fruit, baked oatmeal, etc. I noticed something, I had a lot more energy when I added just a couple of tablespoons of nuts to my day.

We already eat a lot of beans, whole grains, veggies and fruit but we are always trying to get more variety! If you are new to eating plant-based and haven’t embraced beans, whole grains and trying new fruit and veggies, I recommend you start there first.

Do you eat all of these? I wonder what my next food to embrace will be?

Filed Under: Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: Plant Based Diet

Instant Pot Recipes for Fall

October 12, 2020 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Instant Pot Recipes for Fall

I bought my Instant Pot in 2014 and I still love it. I use it multiple times a week to make everything from breakfasts, side dishes, soups and stews. It seemed like the perfect time to gather a list of some of my favorite Plant-Based Instant Pot recipes for fall.

Instant Pot Recipes for Fall

Instant Pot Recipes for Fall

Add these Instant Pot recipes to your meal plan this fall.

Instant Pot Chipotle Black Bean Chili

This delicious plant-based chili recipe is perfect for fall. With ingredients like chipotle peppers, quinoa, and cinnamon all in one dish, you know you are getting something unexpected.

Plant-Based Instant Pot Goulash

Plant-Based Instant Pot Goulash is an easy and delicious recipe. Your family will love this hearty comfort food. This is a recipe my readers make weekly!

Instant Pot Chickpea and Rice Soup

This recipe is warm and comforting. If you grew up on chicken and rice soup, you'll love this plant-based take on that classic.

Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

It's always a good time for tacos! Might as well make it a vegan taco night by making these lentil tacos in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

This versatile Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole is perfect in a bowl, tortilla or eaten with chips.
Add fresh homemade salsa and avocado to kick it up a notch!

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa is a quick and easy recipe your family will love. Adapt it to your individual preferences.

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

This super easy recipe feeds a crowd. It's mild flavor is perfect for kids who don't like spicy foods. Feel free to spice it up for adults.

Instant Pot Refried Beans

This is my favorite refried bean recipe because I can use it in burritos, nachos or as a side dish for taco night.

Instant Pot Breakfast Rice

Don't forget about breakfast! Breakfast rice is perfect for fall. We make a big portion on the weekend and reheat all week long. Apples and raisins are a family favorite.

Instant Pot Oatmeal

Let's not forget my favorite breakfast, Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats. All the flavor and texture of steel cut oats without having to stand over the stove and stir.

Filed Under: Instant Pot, Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: Instant Pot, Plant Based Diet, Vegan

Pack a Plant-Based Lunch Box

September 28, 2020 by Holly Yzquierdo 2 Comments

Whether you’ve got a house full of kids or if it’s just you and your spouse, I’m sure that you could use a little less stress in your life. Planning lunches ahead of time by making plant-based lunch boxes makes life easier.

Vegan Lunch Box Ideas

This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using my link, I could make a small commission at not extra cost to you. Thank you!

If your home is anything like ours, it’s really busy and chaotic on school and work mornings. One of the biggest stressors used to be… what’s for lunch or what can I have for lunch or I don’t have any money in my lunch account.

Remove that stress from your mornings by making plant-based lunch boxes for everyone ahead of time!

So if you’ve got chaotic mornings or a field trip or a road trip, save yourself some stress, opt for plant-based lunch on the go. Pack one of these lunch boxes or even better create one of your own. Check out my Lunch Box Guide Here.

Vegan lunch box

Obviously you’re going to want to stay away from processed foods and meat or dairy but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun with it. Like a fiesta lunch with build your own bean burrito and salsa.

You can also make the burrito ahead of time if making it would be too troublesome, or use chips instead. My kids love eating beans and chips! We use this oil-free refried bean recipe in the Instant Pot! Here is the regular version.

Vegan Lunch Box

This plant-based lunch box is perfect for a day trip lunch! Carrot and cucumber sticks, cut long for easy dipping, are perfect for packing. This lunch has a Mediterranean flare, including veggie wraps with oil-free hummus. You could use your favorite fresh veggies and add olives on the side. We opt for popcorn since our whole family loves it.

Vegan Lunch Box

You could also try a good old fashioned peanut butter and banana sandwich with mixed veggies and mixed fruit with pretzels. This one may be my favorite. I’ve been on a peanut butter kick!

Use your favorite bread or even a tortilla to mix it up a bit. We use whichever fruit and veggies we have and everyone can pick their own.

Vegan Lunch boxes

We love these Rainbow Veggie Pinwheels! They are perfect for exposing kids to veggie variety. We make them with hummus. You can choose your favorite flavor of hummus.

Having fresh fruit as an accompaniment is always a winning choice! We all love apples dipped in peanut butter. We’ll often grab a granola bar or baked oatmeal to add to this.

Vegan Lunch Boxes

When you’re all done designing and building your vegan lunch box, then they’ll stack wonderfully in the fridge as well. We love Easy Lunch Boxes and have used them for 6 years. They are easy to open, durable, and inexpensive. If you like stress free, you’ll love these!

Filed Under: Back to School, On the Go, Tips for Plant-Based Living

Plant-Based Taco Bar

August 10, 2020 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Plant-Based Taco Bar

Back when we did potlucks, a Taco Bar was always a favorite! It’s easy, everyone can make their own, and almost everyone loves tacos. A Plant-Based Taco Bar is also really versatile because all the ingredients can be mixed and matched! Tacos, burritos, taco salads, choose your own adventure.

Plant-Based Taco Bar

Whether you are feeding a crowd (whenever we get to do that again) or your family, give the Taco Bar a try!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to make it super complicated. You don’t have to have all of these options or toppings. Just in case you need it, I’m giving you permission to simplify this and do the easiest version with ingredients you already have!

Vegan Taco Meat

We choose whole food versions of taco filling. My absolute favorite is my Instant Pot Lentil Taco filling. The stove top version is really good too!

I also have a version that combines Quinoa and Lentils or a version with just quinoa.

Tortillas

Our tortilla choice varies but we usually have corn tortillas for the adults and flour tortillas for the kids. Sometimes we will use lettuce wraps or tortilla chips. We mix and match based on what we are in the mood for and what’s available.

Plant-Based Taco Bar

Taco Toppings

This is where the fun begins. You can use whatever you like but my favorite taco toppings for a Taco Bar include:

  • Lettuce
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Sliced Jalapenos
  • Corn
  • Pico de Gallo
  • Salsa (red and green)
  • Avocado or Guacamole
  • Black Beans (whole)
  • Pinto Beans (whole)
  • Cilantro
  • Lime

Some people like pickled onions and dairy-free cheese but we aren’t into that. I have used vegan sour cream or vegan plain yogurt for a little extra tang!

Oil-Free Refried Beans

Side Dishes for a Taco Bar

I don’t think you really need side dishes when it comes to a taco bar but since I love these I’ll mention them. Plus, they go perfectly with tacos!

Mexican Rice is so easy to make. Cook it in the Instant Pot or stove top. Refried Beans are easy too, just a little time consuming to make from dry beans but don’t let that stop you. I actually prefer to follow this recipe for Instant Pot Refried Beans (oil-free of course)!

What are your must have Vegan Taco Bar options? I’d love to hear if you use the same basics or if you have other options we haven’t thought of!

By the way! I just started a Youtube Channel! I’d love it if you would subscribe! Just CLICK HERE to check it out!

Filed Under: Main Dish Recipes, Mexican Food, Recipes, Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: Plant Based Diet, Recipes, Vegan

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