My Plant-Based Family

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

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Book Review and Giveaway: Oatmeal On the Go by Sarah Kirkconnell

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I love reading cookbooks! Lately I’ve been relying on ebooks to get my fix because they are usually less expensive and I always have access to my favorite recipes, especially when I’m at the store or a friend’s house.

Oatmeal On The Go ebook

Today you will have the chance to win a FREE copy of Oatmeal On The Go by Sarah Kirkconnell. You may already be familiar with Sarah, she is constantly creating impressive allergy-friendly and mostly plant-based recipes at her personal blog, Gazing In. You can also find her at Trail Cooking. She is also the author of Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple.

Oatmeal On The Go ebook

Sarah’s newest book, Oatmeal On The Go is available in electronic format for only $3.99!

Plant-Based, Vegan and Gluten-Free

I LOVED reading a cookbook that is safe for our whole family. Sure there are some delicious recipes in this book that use nuts but we can easily substitute those.  Many “healthy” cookbooks still contain gluten which is a no-no in our house. We already buy gluten-free oats and using Sarah’s easy method’s I can prep a weeks worth of breakfast in minutes. She also includes a Freezer Bag Method, Mug Method or “Bring to Boil” Pot Method.

If you need help streamlining  you breakfast routine or even some inspiration this book is a great investment. Oatmeal On The Go includes 11 recipes and helpful tips. So whether you are a Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal fan or more of a Coconut & Blueberry Oatmeal kind of person Sarah has got you covered. I’m sure this book has a few combinations you can’t live without.

Enter the Giveaway

There are several easy ways to get extra entries, just click “a Rafflecopter giveaway” to enter. The winner will receive a FREE ebook from Sarah. This contest is NOT restricted to the US, anyone can enter. The winner will be emailed once the giveaway ends. If they don’t respond another winner will be chosen. The giveaway ends October 12th at 12 am, AZ time.

If you don’t win you can still own your own copy by visiting Sarah’s site and purchasing your own copy.

What is your favorite oatmeal combination?

Meal Plan Monday Plus a Few Local Events

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Meal Plan Monday

How do I confront a busy week? With a Plant-Based Meal Plan of course!

Events

A few upcoming events include a side walk fair at Keystone Natural Family Medicine! I’ll be a vendor so if you are in the area please stop by between 9 and noon on Wednesday, October 9th. They are having some great specials too including a Food Sensitivity Panel and Instant Cholesterol Checks. We LOVE our doctor.

Thursday is Healthy Cravings. If you are new here Healthy Cravings is a once a month meeting I host to show people how easy, inexpensive and delicious a Plant-Based Diet can be. This month is all about BEANS! If you are in the area and want more information email me.

Saturday my husband and I have the privilege to team up with Danny Collier of Simplicity Fitness and teach a cooking class for individuals going through a 21 Day Clean Eating Cleanse. The recipe will also be featured on the menu at Red Mountain Ranch Country Club.

To make things a little easier each week I choose a one to two things that will be the cornerstone of the Meal Plan. This week it is definitely Quinoa with some reoccurring chickpeas, noodles and broccoli as well. The quinoa, chickpeas and noodles are ready for anything I can dream up.

Meal Plan

Breakfast

I just received my bulk order of Gluten-Free Oats so there will be a lot of oatmeal this week.

Lunch

With such a busy week I’ll eat a lot of sandwiches and wraps this week plus a few easy meals. My kids always love Breakfast Quinoa for lunch too!

Snack

My snacks have been a little on the naughty side lately. 🙂

  • Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake (Recipe coming soon)
  • Gluten-Free Brownies (another new recipe)
  • Grapes
  • Veggies and hummus
  • Apples, GF Pretzels and Sun Butter

 Dinner

Most of my dinners for the week are already cooked and waiting for me. 🙂

I’ll be making some desserts for the side walk fair also!

Since Thursday’s Healthy Cravings is all about beans I’m sure a few of these meals will be side lined for more bean-centric meals. I didn’t plan for them because I didn’t want to cook beans early in the week then have to cook them again. There may be a Chipotle run or too also. What can I say, it is convenient and delicious.

Meal Plan Monday: Plant-Based Fall Favorites

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Did you know that you can eat delicious, hearty comfort foods on a plant-based diet? Today’s Meal Plan will share our favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas for crisp fall weather.

This Meal Plan is more recipe intensive that others so feel free to pick and choose which recipes work best for your family and double them so you aren’t cooking something new for each meal.

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Meal Plan

Breakfast

I love a warm breakfast, especially on chilly mornings.

Lunch

We often have leftovers but I try to incorporate lots of leafy greens and raw veggies at lunch. Sometimes a soup and salad combo does the best job at hitting the spot.

Snack

I tend to focus on fruit and veggies for snack but I also like to include muffins and breads for my kids. We will have snacks in the morning and afternoon.

Dinner

Usually I’ll make double recipes to use for leftover lunches. When I have leftover soup I like to freeze it in small containers perfect for an individual lunch; the same goes for beans, grains and mashed potatoes.

Hot Apple Crisp sounds like the perfect dessert for fall weather but it’s hard to resist Pumpkin Cake! If you need more Plant-Based Recipe ideas check out the Recipe Page or the Meal Plan Page!

Foods Than Harm, Foods That Heal Cookbook Review

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I’m always on the lookout for books that I can use to learn more about healthy eating. I was given a free copy of Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal Cookbook to review. You may have seen previous versions of this Reader’s Digest book.

I can benefit from books that focus on health, even when they are not strictly plant-based in nature. There are a lot of things I love about this book and a few with which I respectfully disagree.

What I Love about “Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal Cookbook”

Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal Cookbook has a great layout. The book is divided into three parts, but has a great intro that discusses nutrition, healthier cooking methods and organic produce.

Part 1 Healing Foods

I’ve reached for this book several times to recap the health benefits of certain foods I’ve used in cooking demonstrations.

For example, there is a page about Lentils. This page provides a typical serving size (1/2 cup) and calorie count (115 calories). For each food it also lists How They Harm, What They Heal, and Nutrients. Lentil, for example, “harm” with bloating and flatulence. Lentils “heal” high cholesterol, blood sugar spikes, weight gain, constipation and several other things. Nutrients listed include B vitamins, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, and others. Each page also gives buying, storing and cooking suggestions along with recipes.

Part 2 Recipes

Many of these recipes are plant-based or can be easily adapted. Each recipe lists the servings, prep and cook time, healing foods in the recipe along with ailments this recipe is good to help heal. There is also nutrition information for each recipe.

There are over 250 recipes and many of the recipes contain meat but you can also find recipes like Open-Faced Grilled Vegetable Sandwich, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos and Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms.

Part 3 Sample Meal Plans for Ailments

Each ailment has a sample daily meal plan to help with your illness, it even gives you the page number for the recipe mentioned. Blood Pressure, for example, lists harmful foods (salty and processed foods), foods that heal (green leafy vegetables, low-fat dairy products, legumes, bananas, etc.), and foods to limit (red meat, butter, alcohol and caffeine). The page goes on to list guidelines for having a healthy blood pressure and a meal plan.

What I Don’t Like

While I like the overall book there are a few things I don’t agree with.

There are foods in this book that are listed and encouraged that I don’t consider healthy. Cheese, milk and various forms of meat including organ meat are listed as healthy and healing foods.

Overall

This book, although not vegan does focus on whole foods. If someone was eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) this book would be a tremendous help. If you are established in a whole food, plant-based diet this book could be helpful to you too. I would love a plant-based version of this book but in the mean time I’ll continue to reach for Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal Cookbook when I need a quick reference for healing foods.

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy to review. This page contains affiliate links.

Meal Plan Monday: Cooking All Day

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mealplanmondaysept

This week I’ll be traveling to Miami to participate in a “cook off” at the Pritikin Longevity Center. If you remember back a few weeks I was in a recipe contest, the top two bloggers won the trip.

To prepare for my time away I’ll be doing all of our cooking (for the whole week) tomorrow. Ekk! It will be a busy day. Today I’ll do some prep so everything is ready. The Black Beans are simmering away right now.

Meal Plan

Breakfast

Since it is a busy week I’ll keep things simple by relying on easy breakfasts.

Lunch

Since I’m already cooking a lot to prepare for my trip lunch will be super simple meals and leftovers.

  • Veggie Sandwiches
  • Sunbutter Sandwiches
  • Leftover Pasta with salad and/or raw veggies
  • Taco Potatoes with fresh salsa and a side salad or bowl of beans
  • Leftover Veggie Burgers with Baked Potatoes and salad
  • Veggie Stuffed Pitas in a GF wrap

Snacks

Any guesses? Yes, super simple fruit and veggies.

Dinner

I’ll cook large portions of dinner so it can be used as leftovers for easy lunches.

Do you cook all of your food in one day? Although it makes for a busy day I love the free time I have the rest of the week.

What is your favorite quick meal?

Finding Value: How You See Your Self

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Who Are You

I recently attended a retreat where I only knew 1 person. As I sat speaking with a stranger who was also attending she asked, “who are you,” I sat there a moment too long then said, “what do you mean.” If this seems weird to you just know it also did to me. I felt like she was asking a much bigger question, like she was trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of who I was.

Who I Am

I’m Holly. I’m passionate! Passionate about my savior Jesus, my husband, my kids, my friends and family. I’m passionate about blogging, making healthy food do-able for families, regardless of the skill, budget, or the willingness of the whole family. I’m passionate about food allergies and the role they play in the health of so many children and their families.

I am not a great house keeper but hospitality is important to me. I love having company and usually go overboard for my guests. I’m also no fashionista and prefer to dress comfortably in jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers for any occasion. I don’t put a lot of value in a super clean house or wearing the perfect outfit.

That’s me.

Finding Value

You may have read my story of beginning a plant-based diet and losing weight. Shedding 20 pounds can do a lot for a person. I felt pretty close to indestructible. None of my old clothes fit and people couldn’t help but comment. I was flying pretty high and expected to stay that size forever.

Destroying the Idols

Sometime after the beginning of this year I realized I was feeling fatigued ALL THE TIME. I really didn’t want to do anything. I was still eating plant-based but it wasn’t all homemade. We practically lived on fast food bean burritos during part of that time.

Here I was “Miss Plant-Based Blog Girl” and I didn’t want to cook. Big Sigh. I also began putting on weight. It was slow at first but there was a 2 month period in the spring where I gained about 15 pounds. That is not normal, even if I was eating garbage I shouldn’t have gained that much weight. (Also we were figuring out my youngest sons allergies at this time…exhausting all on its own).

I had my yearly well woman exam and nothing seemed to alert my doctor. I have a history of thyroid issues but upon exam it didn’t raise any alarms. I called my Naturopath and made an appointment. She understands and supports our diet, she listened to my concerns and agreed that something was wrong. She palpated my thyroid and taught me how to do it. She said one side was very enlarged and ordered blood work.

Once the results came in we discovered that my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was high, meaning I had an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Well that explains a lot.

I opted out of prescription drugs, at least for now, and I’m trying to fix my thyroid naturally. I’ll retest in another month (it’s been 2 months since we got this figured out) then weigh my options. Once I started taking the supplement my energy level went up, I’m not as achy, and I’ve noticed other symptoms improved as well. I haven’t lost any weight though.

Be Still

See I had begun to find value in my size and when I weighed significantly more I felt like less. I still loved Jesus, my husband, kids, family and friends. I was still blogging, entertaining and being me.

I felt God whisper, “I’m teaching you something” and I tried to listen.

When I was thinner I put a lot of pride in the size 4 I was wearing. I seriously want to tell people, these are a 4, I’m wearing a 4!!! Silly I know. That size 4 had become an idol to me. I valued it and wanted all to know. I didn’t set out to do it but I placed (part of) my value in being in a smaller size.

Being back to my pre-plant-based size part of me felt like a fraud. I found my self wanting to tell everyone, I have a thyroid problem, this isn’t me. Seriously, I did tell people.

Finally I began telling myself My Size Does Not Determine My Value.

I find value in my role as a wife and a mom and in my ability to blog and create recipes and truly in many other things. Ultimately as a Christ follower I find my identity and value in Christ. When I take my eyes off of Him and put them on me I just can’t measure up.

your size does not determine value

It’s important to know the truth so you don’t listen to lies.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

In Him I am complete. Colossians 2:10

I’m Christ’s friend. John 15:15

I have confidence that He hears me. 1 John 5:15

I am chosen. 1 Peter 2:9

I can do all things through Christ. Philippians 4:13

God is for me Romans. 8:31

Nothing can separate me from Christ’s love. Romans 8:35

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20

 A Long Journey

This has been a long journey and it’s not over. I’m still working toward health. I’m being more careful with my diet, shopping for bigger clothes and clinging to my Savior. I hope I can report back in a few months and give a huge success story. A part of me feel like the bigger success has already been won. Reaffirming my identity in Christ takes the pressure off.

You Still With Me

If you ready all of this then God Bless YOU! Thanks for walking with me. Feel free to leave encouragement or your own story in the comments. I didn’t mention the product I’m taking for my thyroid for a reason. I don’t want to lead anyone to self diagnose. If you leave a comment please leave out specific medicine/products that could cause problems if used improperly.  Thank you!