My Plant-Based Family

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

Uncategorized

North Coast Organics Lotion Bar Giveaway

by 73 Comments

North Coast Organics Lotion Bars

Have you tried using a lotion bar? Yes, you read that right a lotion bar. Well if you haven’t tried North Coast Organics new Certified Organic, Vegan and Handmade Lotion Bars you don’t know what you are missing.

You all know I’m a HUGE FAN of North Coast Organics line of deodorants that include Death By Lavender, Revolver and Naked. I’ve never used a deodorant that stopped the stink, especially through an Arizona summer like North Coast Organics deodorants.

They sent me their new lotion bars to try out and once more I’m in love. I’ve used a different brand of lotion bar but it left something to be desired. North Coast Organics Lotion Bars are easy to rub in and leave my hands feeling soft and protected for hours. There is no weird film that some heavy-duty creams leave behind.

These handmade lotion bars come in Lemon, Floral and Untitled. I’ve always loved anything lemon scented and tried the Lemon Lotion Bar first. I love it. I usually put it on first thing in the morning and I love it’s clean, fresh scent. I was originally skeptical of the Floral bar but this is a nice, pleasant scent that is not perfume-y or overwhelming. Untitled may be my favorite though. It’s great for men or women. I use it every night. They are made from food grade products so you don’t have to worry if you  2 year old tries to eat one.

I’m the kind of person who uses lotion daily. When the cooler weather sets in my skin gets drier but these lotion bars will help keep my skin smooth and soft.

If you want to stock up North Coast Organics has generously offered a 30% off coupon to My Plant-Based Family readers and one lucky reader will win a set of three Lotion Bars. The coupon code is 30LBAR and is good throughout the giveaway.

This is a Rafflecopter giveaway! There are several ways to enter but hurry because the giveaway will end on November 2nd. This giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada.

FTC Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review. I was given free product to review but the opinions are 100% honest and my own. I was not under any obligation to write a positive review.

The Cheapest Plant-Based Meal Plan Ever

by 13 Comments

The Cheapest Plant-Based Meal Plan Ever

Is it too expensive to eat a Plant-Based Diet? This Meal Plan will show you exactly how cheap a Plant-Based Diet can be.

This isn’t the healthiest Meal Plan I’ve ever created; but it is a nutritious Meal Plan for those lean times when you really have to watch your budget.

I’ll assume you have some spices and other pantry staples. This Meal Plan will feed a family of 4 for less than $55 a week. Food prices vary by area but these meals use ingredients that are generally inexpensive, seasonal (for Fall) and available in most places. If someone in your family has food allergies you may need to make a few substitutions. For example, if you can’t tolerate gluten I recommend you skip the bread, pancakes and oats since the specialty (gluten-free) versions will cost more.  I have had good experiences with a gluten-free pancake mix from Walmart called Maple Grove Farms Pancake and Waffle Mix.

The Cheapest Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

If you have a wheat allergy I recommend you remove the oatmeal and pancakes from the Meal Plan and replace them with Baked Potatoes and Veggie Breakfast Stir-Frys.

  • Oatmeal with Apples
  • Oatmeal with Peanut Butter and Sliced Bananas
  • Overnight Oats
  • Breakfast Rice with Diced Apples
  • Pancakes
  • Pancakes with Peanut Butter and Bananas
  • Pancakes with Baked Apples

Lunch

Cook extra for dinner each evening so you have enough leftovers for lunch. Eating out for lunch is a big budget buster.

  • Bean and Grain Bowl
  • Baked Potatoes with Leftover Chili
  • Potato Soup with a side salad
  • Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
  • Taco Salad
  • Bean and Rice Burritos or Bowls

Snacks

Stick with fresh fruit and veggies, processed foods are expensive. If you need a snack that is a little more filling try leftover soup or baked potato.

  • Carrot Sticks
  • Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
  • Orange Slices
  • Bake Potatoes

Dinner

These dinners are perfect for cool Fall weather. If you are missing an ingredient just substitute something else.

Here is the Free Printable Shopping List for The Cheapest Plant-Base Meal Plan Ever (Fall Edition). You may spend less than $55 if you already have some items available. I even included what I consider to be luxury items like tortillas and bread, if you omit them you could spend less than $50. I looked at store advertisements and asked around to determine prices. If something on the list is expensive fresh consider buying the frozen version. I also have some duplicate items like “frozen veggies” just to make sure you have enough available. If your family dislikes something on the list just omit it and work around it. We don’t eat a lot of oranges at our house but they are fairly inexpensive in our area now so I included them.

 

My Taste of Pritikin Experience

by 6 Comments

Have you ever been to a health resort or spa? Last month I had the opportunity to visit Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa.

Everyone keeps asking about my trip but I’ve held off on talking about it partly because I needed time to reflect on it, partly because I was busy but also because I wanted to see how the trip would impact me in the long run.

Pritikin1

The Cook-Off

If you remember I won the trip after entering a recipe contest and creating a recipe for Cilantro-Lime Infused Quinoa with Black Beans. You can watch a short video about the contest HERE, mostly I’m just nodding in the video. 🙂 The cook-off was really a lot of fun. I was completely comfortable since I regularly cook for a crowd and regularly speak in public. Also, my dish, like most of my recipes was simple and easy to prepare. Although I didn’t win the grand prize I was happy to get the audience’s vote. Chef Anthony and the Nutritionist Kimberly Gomer voted for Toni’s Chicken Fajita dish but both said they loved mine and that it was the healthiest choice. The recipes were very similar and both used quinoa and black beans.

Chef Anthony gave me a schmancy Chef Knife too! It is shown in the video, it is much bigger than the mini-chef knife I’m used to so I was being very careful not to cut off my fingers. 🙂

pritikin3

The Grounds

The Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa is part of the Trump Hotel Collection. It is currently under renovation and will be even more fabulous soon. It is right on the Blue Monster at the Doral for all of you golf enthusiasts. Our rooms were nice and very comfortable. They have a spacious gym full of workout equipment and weights. My favorite part of the property was the SPA! Oh yes, they have an incredible sauna, jacuzzi, a steam room that smelled of eucalyptus and a sensory shower. There were many more features but we were short on time. We didn’t even get to spend time in the pools or check out the hot and cold massaging hydrofalls. Pritikin also threw in a free massage which was heavenly.

pritikin5

The Classes

There are classes scheduled all day. I had hurt my back a few days before the trip so I didn’t participate in many of the exercise classes. They also had plenty of nutrition and cooking classes. I wish I would have had more time to attend all of these. We attended a Conscience Eating Luncheon with the nutritionist and realized a lot of mistakes I make while eating like multitasking, watching television and eating too quickly.

pritikin6

The Food

One of my favorite things about this trip is that I didn’t have to prepare all the food. HA! I only cooked once for the Cook-Off and I loved it but since I normally cook all of our meals I was delighted to take a few days off. While Pritikin promotes a mostly plant-based diet they also incorporate small amounts of animal protein and dairy. These were easy to avoid but I ran into a little more trouble avoiding gluten. Even when they serve meat, although only at dinner, they always have a veggie burger or veggie loaf option but they contain gluten. They would offer me something else or sometimes just ask what I would like. The service was wonderful. Breakfasts where a choice of cooked whole grains, breads, cereals and lots of beautiful fruit. The offered mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Lunch always has assorted soups, a salad bar and delicious fruit.  My favorite meal of the day was always Happy Hour. Fresh juices and some incredible food including the best asparagus I’ve ever had. If you get a chance to visit Pritikin, prioritize the Happy Hour and go or the alcohol-free mojito.

pritikin2

The People

We met some wonderful people. The other people staying at the resort were open and friendly, the staff was eager to help, Toni (the other blogger in the cook-off from Food. Just Saying’) and her husband were a lot of fun. I brought my friend Mandy who was the perfect traveling partner. We stayed up late for girl-talk and enjoyed taking in the whole experience.

The Difference

The biggest difference for my was salt. Pritikin preaches a salt-free diet. I had already been cutting back on salt but this trip acted as a salt cleanse for me. While I use small amounts of salt at home I don’t cook with it or add it to every meal. I also realized that I need to adopt a consistent workout regimen.

The Badge

Best Meatless Dish Badge

If you ever have a chance to stay at the Pritikin Longevity Center you should definitely do it. I have no doubt you will experience renewed healthy.

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

by 30 Comments

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

by 5 Comments

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

by 6 Comments

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.

mpm9-30

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!