My Plant-Based Family

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

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My Amazon Favorites

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Recently a reader asked if I had a list of products I always get from Amazon. I regularly mention and link to Amazon products but I haven’t updated an official list in a long time. I decided that now was a great time to make that list!

Plant-Based Diet Favorites at Amazon

This post contains affiliate links.

I have an Amazon Prime account so I get free two-day shipping on most of the things I buy. Don’t worry, you can Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial right now!

Just yesterday we got a giant box of toilet paper delivered to our door. I feel like it’s usually easier to buy stuff on Amazon than go to the store, but that is probably my introvert heart talking.

I try not to buy too many processed foods so that really limits what I buy. Plus, we have a Costco membership so most of our bulk shopping is done there. It’s hard to beat Costco for organics but sometimes I can’t find the products I want there.

Amazon Favorites

Oatmeal

I buy several kinds of oatmeal from Amazon. I usually get Bob’s Red Mill brand because I’ve never had a complaint. We buy steel cut oats, rolled oats and quick oats. I use different oats for different recipes.

Brown Rice Noodles

You know that my Veggie Pad Thai is a staple on my meal plans. I can have it ready in about 20 minutes. The key is having these quick cooking brown rice noodles in my pantry. I used to get them on Subscribe and Save, that means they were shipped every 6 weeks. You can choose how often subscribe and save items are shipped to you but every 6 weeks worked well for us.

Dried Chickpeas

This one is a newer find. I discovered Palouse brand non-GMO chickpeas last fall and loved them. I don’t always choose organic, depending on my budget but these were worth it. They taste noticeably better than any dried chickpea (or canned) that I had had before.

Peanut Butter Alternatives

When my son had peanut allergies (I know that sounds weird but he had a peanut allergy until he was 5 years old), we always bought our peanut butter alternatives on Amazon. SunButter is great for nut and soy allergies. If you use it a lot, go for the big one and get two 5 pound tubs. If you can’t tolerate sunflower seeds, give WOW Butter a try. You can get it in bulk too!

Other Amazon Products

We also buy small kitchen appliances (like my Instant Pot) and electronics at Amazon.

If you have products that you buy regularly, check to see if you can get an Amazon Dash button. It’s easy to Shop with Amazon Dash Buttons! You get a button that can be pressed for an instant order. This is good for things like toilet paper, trash bags, laundry soap or other products you order regularly. I like that the button can be placed in the same room as the product so I don’t forget to order it.

If you’ve been wondering if an Amazon Prime account is right for you Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial! It’s a win-win!

What are your favorite things to order from Amazon! I know I’m forgetting something! 

Prime Day 2017

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One of my favorite days is here! It’s Amazon Prime Day!

One day a year (other than Black Friday) Amazon has crazy sales! I have a few favorites that I think you should get before it’s too late.

This page contains affiliate links. That means I’ll make a small commission on any purchase made with my links but it won’t cost you anything extra. 

Prime Day Deals

First, you need an Amazon Prime account. I’m a huge proponent of getting a Prime account becuase you get free shipping and other perks. If you don’t have one don’t worry! You can Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial!

Second, Amazon slowly releases deals every 5 minutes for about 30 hours. You’ll want to check back often if there are items you have your eye on.

Third, there will be great deals on some of my favorite products! I also have my eye on a few things I need to replace or upgrade.

I’ll list some of the things that will go on sale. Unfortunately, I don’t know what time they go on sale

Instant Pot

Yep, one of my favorite things, the Instant Pot will be on sale during Prime Day. If you aren’t sure if you should get an Instant Pot, check out my post 10 Reasons I Bought an Instant Pot!

I use a steamer basket just like this in my Instant Pot. It allows me to easily steam veggies and cook multiple layers of food.

I’ve wanted a silicone lid for my Instant Pot since I first heard about them. I’ll be watching for this deal. Sometimes I make a big pot of beans or soup and I don’t want to pour it into multiple containers. This will allow me to put the whole thing in the fridge!

If you are a Prime member, you’ll be able to click “watch this deal” on things that aren’t available yet.

Air Fryer

I heard in some of my Facebook groups that there will be an Air Fryer at a great price. I have the Go WISE USA brand air fryer but I’ve heard good things about several brands. The Air Fryer by Cozyna is supposed to be a great deal during Prime Day too!

Cooking and Baking

I’ve really wanted to get my hands on Silicone Baking mats for years. I still haven’t bought them but this Prime Day deal is too good to turn down!

If you’ve been wanting to get a really nice food processor, keep your eye on this one from Hamilton Beach.

There are so many deals! If you need good knives, cook ware, blenders, spiralizers or more…you’ll find a good deal today!

For the Home

I’m thinking about replacing one of our Kindles too! I’ll just have to wait for the right deal!

We are excited that Amazon Home Services will also have some great deals! This one is new to me, but you can hire painters, plumbers, electricians, house cleaners and more through Amazon. Is that a dream come true or what?

I know that as Prime Day gets underway there will be more great deals! I’ll come back here to update this post! 

Did you get a deal! Leave a comment and let us know!

Plant-Based on a Budget Meal Plan

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You probably know of my love of meal plans. I have 5+ years of meal plans archived but sometimes it’s fun to see how other people do meal plans.

Toni from Plant-Based on a Budget collaborated with Michelle with World of Vegan to create a couple of weekly meal plans that I think you’ll enjoy!

Plant-Based on a Budget Meal Plan

This page contains affiliate links.

I’ll be traveling this week so instead of creating a new meal plan, I thought I’d give you the opportunity to discover Toni and Michelle’s new meal plans!

Plant-Based on a Budget Meal Plans

They have two weeks available and each plan comes with a 7-day meal plan, shopping list, and recipes! Each meal plan is designed to feed one person breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 7 days. This is perfect for singles or couples who don’t want to make huge meals that last for days.

Their meal plans have a focus on being inexpensive. Some users say they spend as little as $25 per week on food! That is so cheap!

If you need to substitute some ingredients to make the meal plan gluten-free, it will probably cost a little more but still very affordable.

Learn more about their meal plans or try them for yourself! It’s only $5 for a meal plan!

If you are new to plant-based eating or super busy and don’t have a lot of time to plan your meals, give the Plant-Based on a Budget Meal Plan a chance to make your life easier!

If you give it a try come back and let me know what you think! I definitely plan to try it when I get back.

If you want to see what I’m up to on my travels be sure to follow me on Instagram!

Double Chocolate Donuts

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UPDATE 08-09-2020: The brand used in this recipe is no longer in business. I will create a replacement and list it here soon.

I invited you all to join me in the My Plant-Based Family Facebook group. We’ve been having a daily accountability check in! It’s been fun seeing what everyone is doing to stay on track.

Buying and preparing the right foods is crucial to eating healthy. For me, that means eating mostly unprocessed foods and that when I do eat something that is processed, it uses healthy ingredients.

When I’m eating the healthiest, it’s because I’m prioritizing food prep. That doesn’t necessarily mean batch cooking, although you can do that if it works for you. That means if I’m going to eat something, I’m going to take the time to make it. Usually, I’ll make extra so I can have leftovers.

That also means I can’t deprive myself. I’m not someone who can function if I’m hungry. I’m not a nibble on some carrot sticks all day kind of girl. I need food, preferably beans or potatoes or both.

My kids are like me, except there is no end to their eating. They are always hungry and almost always eating. We rotate through standard snacks between meals like fruit, smoothies, popcorn, etc. Sometimes I surprise them with treats that make me the best mom in the world. Treats like these donuts!

Secretly Healthy Double Chocolate Donut are top 8 allergen free and delicious.

This page contains affiliate links.

Let me let you in on a secret, these donuts are really black bean brownies bites. I’m so tricky! Go ahead and insert evil villain laugh.

See, I used to make all my gluten-free treats from scratch. I needed several types of flour, leavening agents, egg replacers and other ingredients that practically took up a whole shelf in my pantry. I don’t have that kind of real estate. Then when I went to actually bake, one of my flours would be past its expiration date.

I had had enough and decided to stick with mixes. It was so much easier to bake when I didn’t have to worry about all of the ingredients. The hard part was finding a mix that was actually healthy.

Zemas Madhouse Foods baking mix is made with ancient whole grains and is gluten-free and vegan.

I discovered Zemas Madhouse brand of mixes this year and was pleasantly surprised when I read the ingredient list. They read like actual ingredients you would buy if you cooked from scratch. You can’t say that about most mixes.

Black Bean Brownie Bites! are top 8 allergen free and delicious.

Their mixes are vegan, gluten-free, top 8 allergen free and non-gmo!

Black Bean Brownie Bites! are top 8 allergen free and delicious.

I decided to take their Ancient Whole Grain Black Bean Brownie Bites mix and give it a try! WOW! No one would believe there were beans in the mix!

Then I took it a step further and transformed them into donuts. All you need is a donut pan. That’s right, these are baked, not fried.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Double Chocolate Baked Donuts

Did you think it was possible to get a baking mix that was full of good for you ancient whole grains, no fillers and are top eight allergen free, rice free and corn free?

Try making these donuts (or the mini-muffin form) the next time you need to take a treat to a get-together!

Gluten-Free and Vegan Double Chocolate Baked Donuts

Secretly Healthy Double Chocolate Donuts

You’d never guess these donuts (or mini muffins) are healthy! Shhh…don’t tell your family they contain ancient grains and black beans, they would never guess!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Secretly Healthy Double Chocolate Donuts
 
Save Print
This recipe can be used to make brownie bites in a mini muffin pan or baked donuts.
Ingredients
  • 1 box Zemas Madhouse Foods Black Bean Brownie Bites Mix
  • ½ cup canned black beans, rinsed
  • 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 10 ounces of water
  • ¼ cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray cooking oil into the donut (or mini muffin pan) and set aside.
  3. In a blender, puree black beans, vanilla, and water; set aside.
  4. Pour entire mix into a bowl and add liquid mixture, combine thoroughly.
  5. Fill donut pan (or muffin cups) ¾ full.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes, Cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack.

Store leftovers in an airtight container or freeze in individual servings for easy snacking.

Don’t forget the glaze for the top of donuts. It’s the easiest thing ever!

Simply melt 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of your favorite peanut butter (or peanut butter alternative) in a small bowl and stir. That is all. You get a thick and rich glaze that is delicious on donuts, strawberries, pancakes, banana bread and anywhere else you want a rich, chocolate treat.

My Favorite Instant Pot Accessories

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You know I love my Instant Pot, but did you know that there are a few accessories I love too? I’m sharing all of my favorite finds with you!

This page will contain my affiliate links. That means I’ll make a very small percent of each sale, at no extra cost to you.

The Instant Pot is one of my favorite  purchases in the last few years. I have the 7 in 1 Multi-functional Instant Pot! Check out why I love my Instant Pot!

If you already have an Instant Pot or are shopping for someone who already has on, I recommend and extra sealing ring, the tempered glass lid for using the slow cooker mode, or the silicone lid. (The IP brand lid isn’t available. I haven’t tried this version but it is on my wish list!) I also use this steamer basket and love it!

You can also get very reasonably price accessory bundles that have items for users who want to do more with their Instant Pots!

There are also many great pressure cooker books! I own The Vegan Fast Food Kitchen and Vegan Pressure Cooking. I’ve heard great things about Vegan Under Pressure too!

 

Our Fall Family Vacation

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I’ve got a brand new fall meal plan for you with shopping lists! The problem is I just got back from a 10 day trip and forgot to get part of it ready for you! Sorry!

Instead I’ll tell you about my trip and give you one more chance to get my OLD Fall Meal Plan before the new one is released this week.

The Meal Plans are a freebie for everyone on my email list. Get my OLD Fall Meal Plan now before it is gone! You’ll also get my NEW Fall Meal Plan that comes with shopping lists as soon as it is ready!

So, where was I for 10 days?

fall break trip

Our Road Trip

My kids get a week off of school for fall break. When I was a stay at home mom this wasn’t a big deal. It meant play dates with friends and staying in our jammies all day. Now that I work full time, it can present a problem.

Instead of using all my vacation time to sit home last week we went on a road trip and drove over 3,000 miles. We had a great time seeing family. The boys met new cousins they never knew they had. They also got to climb trees, play catch for hours, eat, stay in hotels and with family, eat some more, get a surprise visit from their sister, play with dogs and visit the farm. It was a great week!

I almost completely unplugged while on vacation too. I did a little Facebook scrolling here and there and took care of some of my freelance commitments but it didn’t interfere with family time. I read books, sang along to the radio and ate my weight in snacks.

Family, Food and Fun

I have several favorite parts of our trip. Visit with family was the high point. Living far away from family can be hard, I don’t get back to visit as often as I’d like. Whether it was sitting at my mom’s table, my Memaw’s back porch, my dad’s recliner, or all the eating, talking and laughing, being with my family was my favorite.

Another favorite part was seeing my boys play in a whole new way. My kids play outside in our back yard in Arizona but it’s all concrete and rocks. Playing in grassy Oklahoma and Texas was a new experience. They even learned to close the gate, a very important task when there are animals that will get out.

Food was another clear favorite. We took in many of our old favorites and some new finds. I ate anything and everything my Memaw made. At one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants I asked my husband how we could ever leave this place. Who knew Mexican food would be different in Arizona.

We were gone for 10 days but are happy to be home. I really missed my bed and I know the work is piling up for me when I log in.

Now that I’m back I’ll be sharing that new meal plan, a delicious soup recipe and some of my favorite allergy-friendly Halloween treats soon!