My Plant-Based Family

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

Tips for Plant-Based Living

The Daniel Fast Recipes

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Many people make resolutions to better themselves at the beginning of each year. Those might include fitness memberships or equipment, promises to do less of some things and more of others, or they may be spiritual goals. Many years ago, I heard about the Daniel Fast and learned that many people do this in January to start the new year by being spiritually focused.

What is the Daniel Fast?

The Daniel Fast comes from the book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the Bible. In chapter 10, verses 2-3, Daniel says he was mourning for three whole weeks and ate no pleasant food; no meat or wine came into his mouth. In modern times, people who observe the Daniel Fast consume whole, plant-based foods and typically choose a specific time frame for the fast, sometimes 21 days like Daniel, or other periods, depending on their circumstances.

Foods Allowed During the Daniel Fast

Most individuals and churches I’ve encountered participating in the Daniel Fast enjoy various fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Water and unsweetened herbal teas are allowed to drink. Salt and spices are also allowed to season food.

Foods to Avoid During the Daniel Fast

The Daniel Fast avoids all meat and animal products, including beef, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Sweeteners, both processed and unprocessed, are excluded during this time. Yes, my precious maple syrup is on the list. Processed or leavened bread, deep-fried foods, alcohol, and caffeine are prohibited on the Daniel Fast.

People vary in how legalistic they are with this fast. Some people don’t eat peanut butter because it’s been processed; others will eat it as long as it has “clean” ingredients. Some will eat corn tortillas if only corn and water are on the ingredients list, and others avoid them because they are processed. I don’t think the book of Daniel gives us that much information.

Tips for Your Fast

It’s common to start something like this, a fast or diet change, with great intentions and then fail miserably. Like any fast, diet change, or meal plan, it’s important to be realistic with what you can do.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What foods will you really eat?
  • How much food do you need in a day to be well?
  • How much time do you have each day to prepare meals?
  • Are there food restrictions or medical concerns that could make any fast dangerous?

Once you carefully consider each concern, choosing a list of recipes or making a meal plan is a great idea to plan for success. I recommend you keep it simple, especially if it’s a prolonged fast, and prepare meals you enjoy and already know how to make. Now is not the time to learn how to make extravagant meals; it goes against Daniels’s intentions.

Daniel Fast Breakfast Ideas

I like to make breakfasts ahead of time or make simple recipes. The following recipes may need minor adjustments to meet the Daniel Fast requirements. I typically use maple syrup as a sweetener in my oatmeal-based breakfast recipes. You would need to omit it from yours.

Daniel Fast Dinner Ideas

These recipes would work great for dinner, and I recommend using the leftovers for lunch the next day. Some recipes may need minor modifications. For example, if a recipe uses veggie broth, you could make your own or use water and add additional spices to enhance the flavor. I’ve found adding garlic powder, onion powder, and salt adds a big flavor boost in a pinch.

Other recipes use tomato sauce; you could substitute fresh or canned tomatoes by pureeing them. The flavor would be a bit different but still good.

Your recipe substitutions will be determined by how strictly you interpret the meaning of processed food. Some people focus on the ingredients, while others focus on the process. I think it’s best to do the best you can while eating enough and taking care of your family.

Have you participated in the Daniel Fast? What tips would you suggest for anyone else considering it?

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Plant-Based Game Day Snacks

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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!

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

Cooking and Reheating Potatoes

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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?

Plant-Based Foods to Embraced this Year

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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

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I credit Dr. Bulsiewicz and Dr. Gregor for opening my eyes to to a few of these foods. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND No products found., No products found. and No products found. 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 No products found. 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 No products found. 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 No products found. our my favorite! I buy No products found..

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 No products found. and No products found.. 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?

Instant Pot Recipes for Fall

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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.

How to Pack an Easy Plant-Based Lunch Box

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School mornings can be chaotic, and deciding what everyone is taking for lunch shouldn’t add more stress. After years of packing plant-based lunches for my kids, I learned that keeping things simple and planning ahead made mornings much easier.

You don’t need to create a completely different lunch every day. I like to start with a simple main dish, then add fruits, vegetables and easy sides we already have on hand. This mix-and-match approach makes it easy to build plant-based lunch boxes your family will actually eat.

Below I’ll show you some of the combinations we’ve packed over the years, along with my favorite tips for making school lunches easier.

Vegan Lunch Box Ideas

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My Simple Plant-Based Lunch Box Formula

When my kids were younger, I found it much easier to think about lunch in a few simple parts instead of trying to come up with an entirely new meal every day:

Main + Fruit or Vegetable + Easy Side

Start with something filling that you know your child will eat, then use whatever fruits, vegetables and simple sides you already have available.

Main

Fruit or Vegetable

  • Apple slices
  • Grapes
  • Berries
  • Orange/clementine
  • Carrot sticks
  • Cucumber
  • Bell pepper
  • Whatever produce your child reliably eats

Easy Side

And don’t worry if a child wants the same lunch repeatedly. Current parent-focused guidance also recognizes that familiar, repeated lunches can be perfectly workable; variety can happen across the rest of the day or week.

Vegan lunch box

Bean Burrito Lunch Box

My kids love bean burritos and beans and chips! We use this oil-free refried bean recipe in the Instant Pot! Here is the regular version. You can also make the burrito ahead of time if making it feels like too much trouble, or use chips instead. My kids like to make their own, so we do a lot of deconstructed lunches.

Vegan Lunch Box

Hummus and Veggie Wrap 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.

Everyone can choose their own hummus and their own veggies. Instead of a wrap, make it in a pita pocket.

Vegan Lunch Box

Peanut Butter and Banana 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.

If you can’t use peanut butter at your school or daycare, try Sunbutter made from sunflower seeds, or Wowbutter made from soybeans.

Vegan Lunch boxes

Rainbow Veggie Pinwheel Lunch Box

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.

Pack Foods Your Kids Will Actually Eat

School lunch isn’t usually the best time to introduce an entirely unfamiliar meal. Kids often have a short amount of time to eat, they’re surrounded by friends, and they may be more interested in talking than finishing lunch.

I learned to pack familiar foods I knew my kids could eat easily and save most experimenting with new foods for home.

Choose Containers Kids Can Open

Lunchtime, and especially for the first few days of school, can be overwhelming for some students. Make sure your child can use containers without adult help. Often, there is one teacher overseeing a whole table of children. If you child has to wait for help, they will lose valuable eating time.

  • lids they can open independently
  • reusable containers that they can open and close
  • bags/zippers that still work
  • thermoses if applicable can be difficult to open with warm contents
  • condiment/dip containers

Lunchbox Recommendations

I’ve used these stackable, dishwasher-safe lunch boxes since my kids started school. We’ve also used the smaller, snack-size boxes. They are easy to store and stack, and my kids can open them easily. Since they are so inexpensive, if we forget something in them over a long break, I just throw them out. There was a pickle incident many, many years ago.

We used silicone muffin liners and food picks to keep food organized and keep the wrong foods from touching! An insulated bag helps keep food hot or cold. We used bags with removable ice packs, but some bags can go in the freezer.

We’ve also used the Omiebox for our youngest. He loved taking soups and hot food, and this has a built-in thermos that keeps food hot until lunchtime. I had the office ladies asking for my soup recipe because it smelled so good.

What Can I Pack the Night Before?

Good to prep ahead:
Washed/cut produce, energy balls, banana bread, hummus, vegan tuna salad, etc. can be prepacked. Anything deconstructed for lunchtime assembly is fine to pack the night before.

Better assembled in the morning:
Anything you’ve found gets soggy overnight, like sandwiches, wraps, or anything dry that touches something wet. Pack anything that needs to stay warm in a thermos in the morning.

More Plant-Based School Lunch Help

What are your favorite lunch box tips?