My Plant-Based Family

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

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What to Eat…Part 2

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Are you starving yet? If so try to add more whole grains into your day. Brown rice, quinoa, couscous, etc. will help you feel full longer and provide much needed protein. Yes, you can get all the protein  you need on a plant based diet.

Today’s Meal Plan

Bagel with Apple and Peanut Butter

Breakfast: Whole Grain Bagel or Toast

This is a quick breakfast that is easy to make. You may be wondering why I’m tempting you with a bagel and toast if you can’t have cream cheese or butter. Nut butters provide a delicious spread for bagels and toast. You don’t have to get bored with peanut butter, you can try almond butter, or cashew butter. One of my favorite treats is to top toast with almond butter and a sliced apple.

Nachos

Lunch: Nachos

If you have any leftovers from last nights dinner put them together for an Epic dish of Nachos. Your Nachos will look so good that it will make your coworkers jealous. Store beans, rice, and lentil taco filling in a microwave safe container. Heat it up then add salsa and guacamole. Eat it with your favorite tortilla chips. I know what your thinking, “you can’t have Nachos without cheese!”

This faux-cheese sauce is non-dairy and taste great. The linked recipe is for Mac and Cheese so disregard the noodles, otherwise follow the recipe as stated. I don’t have the miso the recipe calls for so I always leave it out. You may be wondering “what is nutritional yeast and where do I get it?” Click here to find out more about nutritional yeast. I found it at my local Fresh & Easy store in the baking section. Nutritional yeast taste great sprinkled on baked potatoes.

If your concerned that this is not real cheese just think back to all of the other times you ate fake cheese, cheese in a can or Velveeta anyone? This faux-cheese sauce is good for you unlike those I just mentioned. You can also by cheese made from plant milk.

Broccoli Potato Soup

Soup photo by Melodee Fiske of mlfotography. 

Dinner: Potato and Broccoli Soup

This soup is a great way to warm up on a cool day. You can use any veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes
  • 1/2 a onion, diced
  • 1 stick celery
  • 1 sliced carrot
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 chopped crown of broccoli
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup plant milk
Do
  1. Scrub and chop potatoes. Place them in a pan of water and bring to a boil. You can also use vegetable broth for a heartier flavor.
  2. Add diced onion, carrot and the bay leaf (you will remove the bay leaf before serving).
  3. Once carrots and potatoes become tender add broccoli and spices to taste.
  4. The soup is ready to eat as is. For a more savory soup add 1/4 cup of plant milk and 1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast.
Serve

This soup is great with a whole grain dinner roll and a side salad.

What to Eat

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If your interested in a plant based diet you may be wondering what to eat, or thinking you will surely starve to death. Let me assure you that there is a lot of really good food out there so you will not starve. Each day this week I plan to share a sample meal plan. These meal plans will be easy to prepare with common ingredients that can be found at any grocery store. (With the exception of one ingredient in Nachos!) 

Today’s Menu Plan

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Oatmeal is easy to make, inexpensive, and really good for you. I like to make a large batch on the weekend and eat it throughout the week. I prefer steel cut oats or rolled oats cooked on the stove but if you only have time for instant you can still have a hearty healthy breakfast. Follow the package instructions as different types of oats need to be cooked for different lengths of time.

On the weekends I like to cook a large batch of oatmeal for quick breakfasts. I like to add a diced apples to the water as it starts to boil, then add the oats. Stir regularly as it cooks and add cinnamon. Raisins, dried cranberries, or other seasonal fruit will naturally sweeten your oatmeal and provide variety. I like to sweeten oatmeal with Stevia, agave or real maple syrup. In the past I would add a ton of white sugar to my oatmeal but that is not healthy and OATMEAL SHOULD NOT TASTE LIKE DESSERT! Nuts and seed provide a great topping with a little crunch. 

Lunch: Sandwich Wrap or Salad

Sandwich wraps are a quick and easy way to eat raw veggies. I usually prefer a wrap to a salad. Try to find a whole grain tortilla, pita, or some type of wrap. I like to add fat free hummus, lettuce, bell peppers, onions, beans and what ever veggies need to be used up. I’ll typically eat two wraps for lunch. If your more or a salad person eat that instead. Just eat enough that you are not hungry. Try adding avocado to your wrap or salad. Most salad dressing contain a lot of oil so try to find a fat free version, a fat free balsamic vinaigrette is a good choice. Tortilla chips and salsa can help you feel less deprived as well.

Dinner: Lentil Tacos with Beans and Mexican Rice 

Lentils are a tasty and inexpensive stand in for traditional ground beef in tacos.    Find out how to make lentil tacos here. If your short on time choose canned refried beans or pinto beans. Mexican Rice is healthy, delicious and filling. Cooking brown rice takes longer than cooking white rice so allow extra time to make this.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 6 oz of tomato sauce (use an 8 oz can and save the other two ounces)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • cilantro (optional)
Do
  1. Add 1 cup of brown rice to a skillet on medium heat. I like to toast the rice a bit before adding water but if you are too impatient you can skip that part.
  2. Add 2 1/2 cups of water and the 6 ounces of tomato sauce. I’ve used the whole 8 ounces when I made this with white rice but the brown rice doesn’t need all of the tomato sauce.
  3. Add the salt and garlic.
  4. Stir everything well then put a lid on the pan. The rice will cook best with a lid on. The temperature can be turned down once it is boiling well. Start checking the rice at about 30 minutes but it may need to cook closer to 45 minutes. It is done when most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft. Remove from heat.
  5. Cilantro can be added on top of the rice after it is done cooking. Just sprinkle fresh cilantro on top of the rice and place lid back on skillet for a few minutes. 
Serve

This can be served as a side dish or as part of a burrito. I’ll often eat this rice with leftover beans and salsa. It is tasty in a wrap and reheats well.

 

Snacks/Dessert

When beginning a plant based diet there is no need to feel deprived. Fresh fruit makes a yummy snack. Apples, bananas, grapes, and oranges are inexpensive and easy to find. Baby carrots and other raw veggies easily portable when your on the go. Smoothies are tasty and can be made from a variety of fruits and veggies. We like Naked Juice when we are on the go. We buy them at Costco for the best deal. 

Coming this week…

Potato Soup
Apple Muffins

You Can Do It!

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Starting tomorrow I will be posting sample meal plans that show you how easy it is to change to a plant based diet. I’ll include recipes, tips and also some of the products I really like.

If you want to give it a try but don’t know where to start stay tuned.

Week 2 of 21 Day Kickstart

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Today marks the second week of the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart that I’m doing. For the last week I have refrained from eating any meat or dairy products. I’ve also been cutting out processed sugar. The first few days without sugar and caffeine were tough. Now I’m on the other side of those cravings and happy that I didn’t give in. I don’t really miss the meat or dairy. I’ve discovered that dairy makes me ill so that is a really good reason to keep it out of my diet.

I’m looking forward to the next two weeks of the kickstart.

Learn more at www.21daykickstart.org

 

Unintended Effects of a Plant Based Diet

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When we switched to a plant based diet we were hoping to change our health. My husband and I both lost pounds and inches, we felt better and looked better. There were several changes that we didn’t anticipate.

Trash

First, we had a lot less trash. Before the switch we would take out our 13 gallon kitchen trash can daily. After the switch it was every few days. On a plant based diet you (should) eat a lot less processed food which means a lot less packaging coming into your house. That means a lot less packaging going in the trash or recycling. So if you were wondering if a plant based diet would help you save the planet the answer is yes.

New Tastes

I grew up eating more Little Debbie snacks than fruits or veggies. Every summer brought a new batch of red plum jelly from my Memaw. I would eat fruit occasionally but who needed fruit when there was Chef Boyardee to be eaten. Now I love broccoli! Who knew that broccoli could be admired. Even a few years ago if I HAD to eat broccoli I would cover it with cheese and butter. Now I’ve matured a bit and I can appreciate broccoli, naked with no adornments. If you have trouble getting passionate about broccoli try steaming it and adding to you a baked potato, or eat it as part of a stir fry.

I love my grains, my husband even gets excited when I make quinoa. He loves it for breakfast with raisins, cinnamon, and a touch of agave. I prefer it with beans, salsa and my new love, avocado. Since I no longer eat greasy fast food I find a lot of satisfaction from the high fat content in avocado. It taste great in any Mexican food but it also good in sandwiches and wraps. Speaking of Mexican food, lentils make a tasty meat substitute in tacos or burritos. They cook very quickly and can be seasoned for whatever food you are wanting. I made a terrific chili using lentils, pinto beans, and red beans.

Maybe you don’t like any of the food I mentioned. Truth be told I didn’t like them either but as you eliminate junk from your diet your taste buds become accustomed to new tastes. Once you’re no longer fueling your body with over processed stuff (was it really food anyway) you body will crave healthier foods.

Grocery Bill

If you typically buy and eat a lot of meat you’ll save a lot of money by eliminating those purchases or only eating meat products a few times per week. When we eat meat we buy organic and it is not the main dish. One organic chicken breast is more than enough for our family of four. Beans and whole grains are not expensive if you buy in bulk. Buying seasonal fruit and veggies, or frozen veggies is best. Avocados can run close to $2 each. I usually only buy them then they are on sale for 49 cents each. I recently stocked up on potatoes during the holidays when a 10 pound bag was 99 cents. Potatoes last a long time so we have about 30 pounds of them in the pantry. If you can’t bring yourself to buy 20 pounds of beans see if a friend will go in half with you. You’ll both save money and you can share recipes.

Ego Boost

The last unintended effect is the ego boost you get when you realize you can change your diet, you can improve your health, and you can look and feel better than you have in a long time. Your friends and co workers will compliment you and want to know how you did it.

Have you made the switch? Share any unintended effects you’ve noticed.

21 Day Kickstart

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Today is Day 3 of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) 21 Day Kickstart. Although it is still early I’m feeling much better than the first two days. The week between Christmas and New Years was a busy week filled with grab and go yumminess. We had Starbucks 4 times (that is about how many I get Starbucks in a typical year) and ate out almost daily. I would order “better” options but the food at restaurants is just not as good for you as the food you’ll have at home. I wasn’t as concerned about what I ate since I knew the kickstart was coming up on January 2nd. Let’s just say there has been some detox going on here.

The 21 Day Kickstart is 21 days of eating a whole food vegan diet. We eliminate animal products, oil, and a lot of processed food like white sugar and flour.

To learn more or sign up for free go to www.21daykickstart.org