My Plant-Based Family

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

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Eat the Rainbow

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If you try to investigate a plant-based diet you will run across a lot of information. Basically it is eating food from plant sources most of the time. Dr. Pam Popper, of The Wellness Forum,  says if you choose to eat meat only have it 2 to 3 times per week, and make sure it is organic.

The Plant Based Dietitian's Food Guide Pyramid

I think it is easier to think about all of the food I can eat, as opposed to all of the food I can’t eat. I’m a fan of Julieanna Hever MS, RD a.k.a. the Plant-Based Dietitian; she developed her own Food Guide Pyramid that is pictured above. She often says to “eat the rainbow.”

Yesterday morning was a busy day in our house. After lunch I was thinking about what I had eaten that day

  • Coffee
  • Peanut butter and jelly (all fruit) sandwich on 9 grain bread
  • Black bean and brown rice burrito on a whole wheat tortilla.
  • A butter bean cookie

None of these foods are bad for me but I’m missing some color here. Almost everything I ate was brown. I’m sure I’m missing some very important antioxidants. I think I’ll dive into that bowl of strawberries I have sitting in the refrigerator. I had already planned broccoli and spinach for dinner. Carrots and red bell peppers dipped in hummus are an easy snack.

Broccoli and Spinach with Pasta

This isn’t about perfection and I will not obsess about my food color. “Eating the Rainbow” is just one tool to help add variety to your diet.

If your like me and not always loving eating your greens it is very easy to hide them in a smoothie.

Tropical Smoothie with Hidden Greens

This smoothie has kale, parsley, bananas, blue berries, cherries, mango, pineapple, and orange juice. It was yummy, filling, and full of colors.

Are you eating your colors?

Meal Plan Monday

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Pasta with Broccoli

I have tried menu planning in the past. Typically, I’d do well for a month or two then fall off the wagon. Before eating a plant based diet, I would plan the menu based on what meat was on sale or stocked in my freezer. In my old way of thinking meat made the meal.

Now I have to get much more creative. I buy in bulk and right now I have humongous amounts of spinach and broccoli; OK I usually have lots of spinach and broccoli. I also have a lot of cooked beans and grains. If I waited until Monday night to decide and prepare dinner we would eat cereal. By having some things pre-made I can make a hot, fresh meal; even when my kids are screaming and hanging on to my legs as I move about the kitchen.

This week’s Meal Plan

Breakfast is usually oatmeal, toast, cereal or leftover pancakes.

Snack can be leftovers, fresh fruit, or smoothies. Cookies and muffins also make a regular appearance.

Lunch is typically leftovers or sometimes a sandwich or a wrap. My favorite lunch is throwing together leftover grains, beans, and seasonings or salsa.

Dinner

Monday: Pasta with Broccoli and Spinach, I’ll make a sauce but I never know what kind it will be until I’m done.

Tuesday: Enchilada Soup

Wednesday: Stir Fry

Thursday: Black Bean Burgers, potatoes, and green beans

Friday: Dinner Out!

My menu plan is not set in stone, in fact there is a good chance the the black bean burgers will be cut altogether.

I don’t plan the weekend meals unless we have something special going on. I usually make pancakes on Sunday morning and we eat leftovers all weekend. I like to cook large batches of beans and grains to get ready for the new week.

Have you planned your menu for the week?

 

Be Encouraged

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Soon you will discover that not very recipe you attempt will turn out well. Last night I attempted Black Bean Burgers. They were OK, but not great. We ate them but they were lacking. We have three leftover burgers that will get eaten, but they were not the spicy sensation I had planned. Oh well.

I’ll try them again. Eventually.

Maybe you want to eat healthier but keep finding yourself in the drive thru. Be encouraged. Life style changes take time, it is very hard to change the way you live over night. Maybe you need to start with smaller changes like eating healthier versions of what you already like.

We have a favorite family recipe for Banana Bread. It is very tasty and full of butter, white flour, white sugar, and a splash of milk. Last year I started slowly tweaking the recipe. I’d use honey instead of sugar, or half white flour and half wheat. Monday I made Banana Bread and decided to change everything I could to make them as healthy as possible. Do you know what happened? They were AMAZING. In fact, I almost didn’t get a picture because we were eating it so fast. I had planned to take them to some “regular” people to see if they would like them but I never did. Now there is only a few pieces left and I’m hoarding them. 

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Ingredients
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or raw sugar
  • 3 extra ripe bananas
  • 1 Tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
Do
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, (you could use honey instead for non-vegan option). Mix with wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla. I used a hand held mixer to mix but I spoon would do too. Try to smash the bananas as much as possible and mix well.
  4.  Add baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix well.
  5. Pour into a greased pan, I use a bunt pan for best results.
  6. Cook for 40 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean. Using a loaf pan will require a longer baking time. When making muffins with this recipe they are usually done in 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve

For best results to not eat this the same day you bake it. Resist, trust me it is for the best. This banana bread will be super moist if you leave it alone. Once the bread has cooled wrap it up and store until tomorrow. On the second day, enjoy! I’ve also made this with chocolate chips and it is yummy! If you made muffins they will be a little dry bust still tasty.

Is there something you want to hear about? Let me know!

21 Day Kickstart…Week 3

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Yesterday began the third week of the 21 Day Kickstart. It has been an interesting two weeks so far. I’ve made and ate a lot of new foods, like a homemade veggie burger. I plan to try a new variation this week, perhaps a spicy black bean burger. We tried our first processed soy meat product, I don’t think we will try that again. Yesterday I adapted a favorite family recipe for Banana Bread. We haven’t had any yet but if it is good I’ll share that recipe soon. The most exciting news this week is that we have a birthday in the house. I’m thinking of using my apple muffin recipe for our celebration. I’d really like to top it with a nice messy icing but that will depend on what recipes I come across.

I’ve learned that blogging on the weekend doesn’t work for me. I’d rather spend that time with my husband and kids. We got some long overdue projects done around the house and I got a lot of food preparation done. My fridge is full of fresh batches of cooked lima beans, black beans, black eyed peas, and quinoa. This week I’ll share more about planning for a plant based diet.

I’ve also been able to spread the message of eating a plant based diet. This is very exciting to me. Being healthy and helping others on this journey is my new passion.

What to Eat…Part 4

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On the weekends I typically get out of my normal routine. One of the casualties is drinking water. Do you drink a lot of water? Your whole body will function better if you do. Over Christmas vacation our teenagers were visiting (they live in another state) and the oldest had a headache two days in a row. I asked if he had an water recently and he had not. As soon as he started drinking water he felt better. Water helps every part of our body. So stop reading, get up and get a big glass of water.

The Apple Muffin recipe I promised is at the bottom of the post.

Today’s Meal Plan

Breakfast: Pancakes

There are a lot of pancakes recipes out there. I tried a new one today from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay S. Nixon. It tasted great and the pancakes were light and fluffy. I used whole wheat pastry flour and made half of the batch with blueberries. The blueberry pancakes were superior to the plain.

I also love pancakes with peanut butter or topped with fruit. 

Lunch: Baked Sweet Potatoes

Before changing my diet I had only had baked sweet potatoes at restaurants, mostly Salt Grass Steak House. Restaurants typically serve baked sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar and/cinnamon.

Baked sweet potatoes are easy to make and really good for you, sans dairy and sugar. If your in a hurry you can even “bake” it in the microwave. Our microwave has a “baked potato” button. To prepare a potato just wash thoroughly, wrap in plastic wrap (if your cooking in the microwave) poke a few holes in it then bake until soft. If your cooking them in the oven wrap in foil and bake 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your potato. While your at it save time and bake a big batch.

I like to add cinnamon to my bake sweet potatoes but my husband has them plain. Everyone in our home loves them. We have convinced our toddler that the peel is the best part, which he repeats continuously as he eats us.

Dinner: Stir Fry

We are never “in the mood” for stir fry. I usually make it once my veggie drawer starts looking pathetic and we need to use up all of the veggies that I had good intentions to cook. Something magical happens every time and it ends up tasting so good. 

Ingredients
  • carrots
  • onion
  • broccoli
  • peppers
  • any other veggies that need to be eaten
  • cooked brown rice, or noodles
Do
  1. In a heated skillet add carrots and any other veggies that are hard and need the longest time to cook. You not need oil. If the veggies start to stick add a spoonful or two of water to your pan. Keep stirring veggies.
  2. Add onions and peppers.
  3. Add broccoli and other fragile veggies that don’t need much cooking time. 
  4. Spices can be added now. 
Serve

Serve with warm brown rice or noodles. This could also be served with other cooked grains like millet or amaranth for some variety. 

 

Apple Muffins

Ingredients
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • dash nutmeg
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup diced apples
Do
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add applesauce, agave and 1 tsp vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Add 1 cup dice apples and mix until just combined. 
  5. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups until 3/4 full. You can sprinkle extra oats or cinnamon on the muffins before baking if  you’d like. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve

Try not to burn yourself by eating these fresh from the oven. I took them to a ladies Bible study and they were a big hit. We ran out quickly so I plan to make more soon.

 

 

What to Eat…Part 3

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When I started eating a plant based diet it was important to be satisfied with my food. I could not eat this way and feel hungry all the time. I also don’t like bland food so I decided to make hearty and spicy dishes. I’m not the kind of girl who can eat a salad everyday for lunch. Typically I’ll have maybe one or two salads a week, in the summer when it is too hot to cook here in Arizona I eat more salads.

So if you a beginning to eat a plant based diet and you’re starving all the time you are doing it wrong. Eat more and eat more often. I often eat toast or a smoothie for a snack between meals. If you can chomp on baby carrots mid afternoon and be satisfied God bless you, but for the rest of us eat something else. Tomorrow I’ll share a yummy vegan muffin recipe that makes a great snack.

Today’s Meal Plan

Smoothie

Breakfast: Smoothie

Smoothies are make a great breakfast, they are easy, fast, and portable. Smoothies can be made with whatever you have on hand. No one in my house will refuse a smoothie.

Today’s Smoothie (My smoothies vary every time I make them)

Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp flax seeds
  • 1 cup Spinach
  • 2 peeled bananas
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup frozen cherries
  • 1 cup plant milk (I use rice milk)
Do
  1. Blend flax seeds in a blender.
  2. Add everything else and blend until smooth adding more liquid if necessary.
Serve

Serve this in a tall glass or insulated cup if your on the go. My smoothie made about 30 ounces so you can adjust the recipe accordingly.

When I have fresh fruit I use it instead of frozen but this time of year frozen is typically priced much better than fresh. I buy big bags of frozen berries at Costco. When strawberries and blueberries are in season I buy a lot and stock my freezer. Mango, pineapple and raspberries also make delicious smoothies. When I have orange juice I’ll add it instead of milk. Smoothies can hide veggies as well. The spinach in this smoothie is undetectable. Try adding kale, parsley, or chard instead.

Lunch: Baked Potato

I love a big baked potato. You may need to retrain your taste buds to enjoy a baked potato without butter, bacon, and sour cream. Before removing dairy from my diet I didn’t realize that I could enjoy a potato without it.  Earth Balance Spread is a great transition food that will help with that dairy addiction, they also have a soy free variety. Earth Balance tastes and looks like butter. You can substitute it for butter in any recipe as well.

Aside from Earth Balance Spread other toppings include steamed veggies like broccoli, vegan chili, salsa, nutritional yeast, and soups. Yesterday my husband had a baked potato for lunch topped with leftover Potato and Broccoli Soup. He said it was great and wanted to have it again next week.

Dinner: Chili

I just mentioned that Chili makes a great topping on a baked potato but it also taste great on it own. There are several vegan and vegetarian chili’s on the market but it is really easy to make it on your own. This never tastes exactly the same because it varies based on what ingredients I have and and how hot the pepper are.

Ingredients
  • 3 cans of beans OR about 6 cups of cooked beans
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes OR about 3 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can diced green chili’s OR your choice of fresh peppers
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup chili powder (add more to suit your taste, we use 1/2 cup)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin 
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
Do
  1. Add beans, diced onion, tomatoes, peppers, and tomato sauce to a large sauce pan and cook until onions, peppers, and tomatoes are cooked.
  2. Add spices to suit your individual taste preferences. 
  3. Heat until extra liquid, if any, has cooked out. 
Serve

This chili is great on a cool day, it is hearty and filled with fiber. Cornbread or crackers make a great accompaniment. Chili also freezes well so make a big batch and save some for a rainy day.This chili is on my stove right now, I used pinto beans, kidney beans, and black beans. Yum!