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1 Spot Left for an Upcoming Class

June 20, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

I have some news! I have 1 spot left for my upcoming classes. Update: The class is currently full. Email me to get on the waiting list in the event of cancellations.

On June 28th I’ll be teaching 3 classes. Each class is 50 minutes each with plenty of opportunities to enjoy delicious foods and learn how to streamline your kitchen experience. Coffee and snacks will be provided at the beginning of classes with tasting opportunities throughout the class.

Classes Offered

9:00 am Batch Cooking
10:00 am Meal Planning
11:00 am Salad Dressings, Dips and Sauces

The classes are designed so you can attend a single class or all three. Trust me, you won’t want to miss a class.

Here’s the deal! I want to keep the classes small so everyone can have a chance to interact and ask questions. You must sign up ahead of time and there is only 1 spot left.

What You’ll Learn

You will leave with an understanding of how to save time each week by Batch Cooking. People who batch cook typically spend a few hours one day a week preparing food that will be enjoyed all week.

In the Meal Planning Class you’ll learn to build a Meal Plan that meets your family’s needs and save money. If you choose, Batch Cooking can be used in conjunction with Meal Planning. You will create a Meal Plan during the class.

The Salad Dressing, Dip and Sauces Class will teach you to make delicious recipes to compliment any meal. Every thing in this class will be wheat, dairy, nut and oil-free. If you have other dietary restrictions please let me know. We will create a few new recipes and a few favorites.

Cost and Sign Ups

Classes are $10 each or all three for $25! This is a special price and will never be this low again.

If you’d like to sign up you must send me an email at myplantbasedfamily@gmail.com. I’ll request payment via paypal and you will have 24 hours to pay. If payment is not received I’ll go to the next person that emails me. Preference will be given to the first person attending all 3 classes. Payment is non-refundable.

Please note that these classes take place in Mesa, AZ. The exact location will be sent to you after payment is received.

If there is an overwhelming interest in the class another date may be set.

Don’t miss your chance to attend these classes!

Are you ready for Father’s Day?

June 10, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Father’s Day is almost here. Last year I offered up some Father’s Day Meal Ideas and unsolicited and possibly offensive advice.

We haven’t really determined our Father’s Day plans yet. We don’t live near family so we won’t have a big family gathering. More than likely I’ll encourage my husband to pick a restaurant. For Mother’s Day we got together with some friend’s from church and ordered pizza. It was fun and fairly easy. I’ll call my dad and chat a bit.

Since Father’s Day is about honoring dad I think it is only fair to let them take the lead in the Father’s Day Plans; perhaps that will mean a meal, a hike or trip to the batting cages or driving range. Thankfully, my husband’s idea of a great time is NOT me spending hours in the kitchen.

If you like to spend your holidays around the grill I highly recommend you read my top ideas for a Vegan Barbecue!

Sometimes it’s fun to celebrate Dad’s with gifts. My husband would love me to buy him a giant flat screen TV. He eyes them every time we go into Target but that is not going to happen. We don’t do extravagant purchases without discussing them and we will be waiting until our TV breaks before replacing it.

I never really know what to give my dad for holidays. If he wants something he will get it himself. I just send a card and talk to him on the phone.

The gift ideas below are probably geared more toward husbands but some could be great for your father as well. We try to stick to practical gifts…here are my favorite

Amazon Prime Membership

We enjoy our Amazon Prime Membership all year-long. We enjoy instant streaming movies and TV, fast (2 day) free shipping and lots of kindle books. Considering the amount of items we purchase through Amazon it makes complete sense for us. I buy almost all of my gluten-free flours through Amazon. I also make a point of buying all of our Christmas presents, books, and specialty food products through Amazon. The money I save in shipping definitely pays for the $99 per year charge. Since we don’t have cable television (I’m talking zero channels, not even local) we love streaming movies. You can get a 30 day free trial to test the waters.

Movies

My husband is a movie guy! He loves action movies the most. A great gift for him would be to put the kids to bed early, bring out some of his favorite movie snacks like nachos with Unfried Black Beans and a delicious dessert while starting a movie would be a great gift for him.

Guys Night (or Day)

Maybe purchase a gift certificate to a local golf course and encourage him to go with some friends. If he is more of a camping guy give him a weekend off.

Write Him a Letter

More than any gift your husband or father would much rather hear your love and appreciation for them. Take a few days a write them a letter. Tell him how much he means to you, how thankful you are to have him in your life and recount some of your favorite memories.

What are your Father’s Day Plans?

This post contains affiliate links.

An Easy New Way to find Recipes

May 7, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo 8 Comments

I’ve had this on my wish list for a while but I’m happy to say I finally have a working Visual Recipe Index. If you aren’t sure what that is it is just a Recipe Page with pictures. Instead of scrolling through the list, now you can scroll through pictures.

I think this new feature will make you life easier. Once it is complete it will make my life easier as well. For now I’m mostly done but I still have some kinks to work out. You may find posts that don’t belong or missing pictures but I assure you I am working on it.

It has been a big job going back through every old recipe post but I’m hoping to have it completely finished this week. I’m also building mini-collections. If you want a Soup recipe or a side dish it will be easier than ever to find what you are looking for.

To access the Visual Recipe Index hover over Recipes on the menu above, then move down and click on Visual Recipe Index (Green Arrow). You can also choose from a mini-collection like Salads and Wraps (Yellow Arrow).

I hope you love it as mush as I do! I still have more mini-collections to build but those will show up thought the week!

If you have questions feel free to ask!

Another great way to find recipes is to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!

My Top 3 Pasta Picks from the Phoenix Gluten and Allergen Free Expo

March 6, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo 2 Comments

People always ask me what kind of pasta we eat. It’s a tough question to answer because I don’t always stick to one brand. Typically, I rotate between several different brands of pasta. We buy gluten-free pasta and I look for brands that have a small ingredients list.

At the Expo several companies were selling gluten-free pasta. Some were even handing out samples of cooked pasta to try.

My Top 3 Pasta Picks

Rizopia

I didn’t get to try a sample of Rizopia at the Expo but they gave me a package to take home. After visiting with them more and learning about the pasta I bought several bags at a super low expo price. Everyone else had the same idea because this rice based pasta sold out before the Expo was over.

I’ve only tried the penne so far but the whole family enjoyed it. It cooked up nice and al dente. It did not get mushy! I’ve had to toss out whole pans of other brands but I’m impressed with Rizopia. It is also certified gluten-free, organic, and produced in a facility that is wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, nut and corn free.

One last thing I appreciate about Rizopia is that they have large (16 oz) bags of pasta for an affordable price. If you live in the US you can purchase Rizopia via Amazon.

Local Oven

The Local Oven booth was cooking up fresh pasta (and bread) at the Expo. The pasta I sampled tasted great. The pasta is made from corn, which I usually enjoy. I would not have suspected it was gluten-free because it tasted so great.

Local Oven is probably better known for it bread. Many restaurants use their bread to offer gluten-free options for their customers, I even found one local restaurant that offers it. Many, but not all, of their products are also dairy and soy free. Products can be ordered from their website.

Viviana

The Viviana booth was also handing out samples of their pasta that was not only gluten-free but also vegan. One of the things that impressed me the most is that they cooked their pasta the day before and it was still great. They have a dedicated facility that is free from gluten, wheat, potato, soy, corn, dairy, casein, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts.

Viviana’s products don’t just taste great, they look like a work of art. Perhaps that is because they are handmade. They have different pasta flavors like Sweet Potato, Italian Blend, and Spinach Basil to a name a few. You can purchase Viviana products on their website, at select stores and on Amazon.

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Do you have a favorite gluten-free pasta? Have you tried Rizopia, Local Oven or Viviana?

The Gluten and Allergen Free Expo is coming to Phoenix

February 4, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo 13 Comments

Are you in the Phoenix area? If so, don’t miss out on the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo February 22-23, 2014. I’ll be there and I can’t wait to meet you. I’ll tweet the whole time so we can find each other.

If you buy allergy-friendly products you know that it can be difficult to find the perfect product, either the cost, taste or texture could be off. There are so many wonderful allergy-friendly products available and you will get to sample many of them if you attend the Expo. There will be over 100 booths at the Vendor Fair! Those vendors will pass out sample, coupons, and have discounted products available. I have a feeling it will be a very indulgent 2 days!

I’m also excited about the classes especially the class by Amy Fothergill “Tips for Successful GF Baking and Cooking” and Kim Koeller’s class “Safely Eat Out Around the World Gluten-Free and Allergy Free”. Check out the class schedule to find out which class is best for you. Follow the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo on Facebook and on twitter to keep up to date on the festivities.

Here are my top 3 reasons I’m excited to be on the Blogger Team for the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo:

1. I get to attend! Is there anything better! I’m already making a mental list of the booths I want to visit, people I want to meet and the food I want to taste.

2. I have a code so you can buy discounted tickets! Woohoo! I love a discount! Use the code BLOGPHX to get 35% OFF your tickets to the Phoenix Expo! The tickets are already reasonable priced but 35% off makes it a family event! Trust me, your family will thank you. Active and Retired Military along with children 3 and under are FREE all weekend. Saturday tickets for children under 10 years old are free if you pre-order. Tickets are limited to PRE-ORDER!

3. I’m giving away FREE tickets! Enter the giveaway below for a chance to get your hands on tickets to the expo. If I were you, I’d ask all my friends to enter too! I’m giving away a total of 5 tickets so your chances are good! (Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meal Planning Week Wrap Up

January 24, 2014 by Holly Yzquierdo 3 Comments

Today wraps up the end of Meal Planning Week here at My Plant-Based Family. If you missed any of the posts you can find my Meal Plan and Part 1 and Part 2 of my Meal Planning Tips that Really Work. My Meal Planning Pinterest board and Meal Plans Page is full of inspiration too. As we end this weeks series I want to briefly address a few questions that come up with Meal Planning.

What do you do when you plans change and you can’t follow the Meal Plan?

This is where I find it helpful to have some foods like beans and grains cooked ahead of time. When I get home to late to make dinner and I can avoid take out I depend on pre-made (often cooked by me but sometimes store-bought packaged) food like rice or quinoa and beans.

I always try to keep a box of gluten-free pasta and a jar of sauce in the pantry also. I can toss in frozen or fresh veggies if I have them available.

How can I please everyone with a Meal Plan?

I find it impossible to please everyone at the same time. If you ask other people in your household to help you plan they will “get a say” in the meal plan. One of my teens hated stir fry so if I made stir fry one night I would try to make a dish he liked the next night. At least once a week we would have a “Leftover Buffet” and everyone go to pick their meal.

If you don’t plan, you will most likely have unhappy family members anyway so don’t let that stop you from creating a Meal Plan. Posting a Meal Plan where everyone can see it may create more excitement about the meals they like.

I like to keep foods as raw as possible, but I feel like I keep making the same dishes over and over again…thoughts on raw veggie recipes?

We don’t focus on a lot of raw recipes but we do incorporate them into our diet. A big help here would be to wash and cut produce as soon as you get home from purchasing it. Then you can grab ready-to-eat fruit and veggies and include them with each meal. When I create custom meal plans I usually include a salad every day.

If salads and wraps are getting old consider soups, just search for raw vegan recipes, or different preparation techniques like a spiral veggie slicer. I like to buy veggies that I’m not very familiar with and try new recipes. We sometimes get stuck in a veggie rut, I find adding a new sauce or salad dressing can make my typical salad come alive. I love eating sandwiches made with a hearty bread that is brimming with fresh veggies and maybe a humus to hold it all together.

I make a plan but can’t seem to stick to it, any suggestions?

Making the plan is definitely the first step so don’t be too hard on yourself. Make sure your plan is realistic, you don’t want to over commit here. Planning difficult or time-consuming recipes should probably be avoided unless you really have the time and desire to spend a lot of time cooking. The second step would be to make a list of the ingredients you need to follow your plan. Third, go to the store and buy the items on the list.

Those steps are often the biggest hurdle. Of course you need time to cook, so figure out when you have time to prepare. If that is only on the weekend then cook the bulk of your meals on the weekend. If you have an hour each evening to cook then pick recipes than can be made in under an hour.

Don’t get discouraged. I create Meal Plans almost every week and rarely stick to them completely.

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Do you have Meal Planning questions? Feel free to post your Meal Plan (or a link) in the comments.

Also check out The Cheapest Plant-Based Meal Plan Ever from last year.

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1 Spot Left for an Upcoming Class

Classes Offered

What You’ll Learn

Cost and Sign Ups