My Plant-Based Family

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

Back to School

3 Back to School Tips

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Back to School

Going back to school after summer vacation can be very stressful for both kids and parents. Even if you kids have been in daycare all summer there is still a big transition. In addition to all of your other duties now you have to worry about home work, after school activities, making sure everyone has everything they need when you leave the house in the morning.

Did I sign that folder and the other billion papers the school sent home?

3 Back to School Tips

Back to School Tips

Truthfully, getting started is probably the hardest part. I’ve been handling this back to school dance for over 10 years (remember I have older kids) and have some great back to school tips to make it a little easier for you.

1. Establish New Routines

By the time the first report card comes home you won’t think twice about your daily routine but as school is starting it can get overwhelming. Talk through everything that needs to be done in the morning before you leave for school, after school and at bed time then make lists. Reserve the list for things that are non-negotiable. Then every day you can ask your child, is the morning list done, after school list, bed time list instead of asking about each specific item on the list.

Our morning list would say:

  • Eat Breakfast
  • Get Dressed (with shoes on)
  • Brush Teeth
  • Get Lunch
  • Get Backpack

Your list might be bigger or smaller. We’ve got little boys, they just want to watch cartoons and play. If they get their list done they will have free time. When our older kids lived at home their morning list included morning chores and making their own lunches.

Come up with appropriate list for after school that may include cleaning out lunch boxes or doing homework. You may want them to pick out their clothes for the next day or that may be on their bed time list. It’s a good idea to put things like “find shoes” or “put backpack away” on the bed time list.

Don’t assume that older kids won’t benefit from lists. I don’t know how many calls I’ve gotten from our older kids saying they forgot their lunch, P.E. uniform, homework, etc. When they ask if they can hang out with friends ask them if they have completed their list.

2. Plan Easy Meals

During seasons of change I find it best to stick to simple meals. It’s OK to try new recipes but keep it simple; Lasagna is probably too ambitious but spaghetti is perfect. You may find your kids ravenously hungry or uninterested for a while. They are probably goofing off a lot during lunch and wanting to eat a big snack after school and ignore dinner or they skip snack and are STARVING at dinner time.

If you have Crock Pot meals or Instant Pot meals to rely on that may make it easier. Soup, pasta and casseroles are easy meals at our house but sometimes we end up with sandwiches and cereal. Between working full-time, running a business on the side and being a wife and mommy cereal can be a life saver.

3. Work Ahead and in Batches

I don’t know about you but I feel like I’m running behind a lot of the time. I have to be very intentional about working ahead. You can get your kids help by preparing a week’s worth of snack on the weekend to use during the week. I will buy large bags pretzels and place them in individual containers for the week.. Then each morning I can send my son to the pantry to grab the snack for that day.

You can also do this with you kids clothes for the week. Pick out a full set of clothes for every day so your child can grab their clothes and get dressed on their own. You can even add hair accessories if you do that sort of thing. You can hang the whole outfit on hangers or buy one of these hanging dividers. This can be a great reminder if you child needs to take money on Wednesday for popcorn, just put it with the clothes for that day.

I also like to prepare a few days of lunch ahead of time. I’ll make lunches for up to three days so I can just grab and go. You can do this trick with dinners too. If you are really in the groove make a few dinners ahead or even individual meals.

Do you have a tip to add? What do feel like needs to be done to make the transition back to school a little easier? Don’t forget to follow my Back to School Pinterest Board for more inspiration.

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Allergy Alert Bracelet Giveaway

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What better way to kick off this Back to School party than a giveaway.

Back to School

Going back to school can cause a lot of anxiety for kids and parents. If you child has food allergies that anxiety goes thorough the roof, and with good reason. There are a number of things you can do to help your child be safe.

  • Spend time educating your child’s teacher and other staff about food allergies and get a 504 Plan
  • Teach your child to advocate for themselves
  • Pack safe lunches and snacks
  • Wear an allergy alert bracelet

Over the next two months I intend to help you learn more about all of these methods. Starting with a GIVEAWAY!

Allerbling Giveaway Allergy Alert Bracelet

Today I’m giving away 2 Allerbling Kits. Each kit includes two bracelets (one large and one small), one medical alert charm and eight food allergy charms. There is space for 5 charms on each bracelet. Each kit retails for $18.00.

There are a lot of great allergy bracelets available. I did a lot of research but one of the biggest problems I ran into was that I needed a bracelet for my preschooler. He started wearing the small Allerbling bracelet when he was 3. I also bought an adjustable bracelet about the same time.

allergy bracelets

I love that he can take both bracelets off by himself. This is helpful at bath time. We were initially concerned that he would remove it his bracelet and we wouldn’t know. He let him take turns wearing each one and eventually he decided to wear both.

The great thing about the Allerbling wrist band is that it is made of silicone (no latex), that means it is waterproof. Our adjustable bracelet causes some irritation when wet and I have to give it a good cleaning occasionally because it can get smelly.

Allergy bracelets can get expensive, they are worth the investment because they can save a life. I prefer these bracelets when dealing with little ones. They can be replaced as your child grows or if they get lost.

Enter to win an Allerbling Kit. Two winners will be selected on August 4th and notified via email. Winners will have 48 hours to send me their addresses or new winners will be chosen. US only for this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You don’t have to wait for the giveaway to end to get your own Allerbling bracelet! Visit their website and use the code THKS to get 10% off your order or find them on Amazon. Don’t forget to follow Allerbling on Facebook and Twitter!

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Big Plans, After the Break

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After the Break

Breaks are important.

I make a concerted effort to take a little break from blogging every year. I think it is great for creativity and it’s nice to spend that time doing something else.

Today begins my two-week blogging break.

To make up for my absence I want to let you know what you have to look forward to when I get back.

1. Back to School

Each August I focus on all things Back to School — from lunch box packing tips, the best snacks, easy dinner ideas, healthy breakfasts for crazy mornings, well you get the idea. This year August isn’t long enough for everything I have planned so it is stretching into September! You won’t want to miss it.

2. The Giveaways

I have 8 weeks of giveaways planned from some of my favorite products. It’s going to be EPIC!

The list includes:

Plus more! I’ll fill you in after all of the details are finalized. If you have a great plant-based, allergy-friendly product that you’d like to include send me an email at myplantbasedfamily@gmail.com with all of the details. There are a few sponsorship opportunities available.

3. The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide

Many of you have read my ebook the Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide: How to Cook, Shop and Eat Well

Coming soon (TBA) you’ll be able to get my book in print. I’ll share more details later.

 

So imagine this time as the calm before the storm. It may seem a little quiet but BIG things are going on behind the scenes. I’m creating, writing, photographing, eating and getting ready for the whirlwind that is back to school.  I may have a few other secret projects too.

Will you miss me? I’ll still be on social media so you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I’ll be back soon with great back to school tips and tricks, incredible giveaways and more!

Lunch Box Check In

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I thought it was time I check in with a lunch box update! When school started last fall I posted lunch box recipes, tips, and even back to school meal plans, it was basically a two month event.

I’ve gotten a lot more lax about what I pack in my kids lunch boxes since then. Their lunches are always vegan and my little guy always has an allergy-friendly lunch box but I need more convenience these days. When school started our schedule was so different. I had a lot of extra time then, now I need easy items that are safe for my sons allergies.

snack and lunch

 

So Different

My 5 year old barely eats anything, he would skip lunch all together if I let him. My 4 year old eats everything. My boys are completely different with what they can (and will) eat. I’m constantly searching for things that make them both happy. I pack a minimum of 10 lunches per week (and 10 snacks per week).

The photo above is the 4 year old’s snack (on the left) and lunch (on the right). The mystery item in the lunch box is black eyed peas in case you are wondering. Everything is gluten-free!

They each get a main dish which may be half a sandwich, a rice-based casserole or sometimes a baked sweet potato. They each get fruit, typically apple slices, cuties, or blueberries depending on the season. Lastly, I like to pack something with a little crunch, this is their treat. My go-to crunchy snack has been Quaker Popped in the Apple Cinnamon flavor.

I found them in Walmart, I’ve been buying a lot of great gluten-free items there lately. I can pass them off as snack or dessert which makes my job easier.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Walmart, AMP, and Sverve. All opinions are my own.

The Gluten-Free Lunch Box Class

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School has started and I’m guessing you’ve already found yourself standing in the kitchen wondering what to pack for lunch. Whether you need to pack a lunch for yourself, your spouse or a child (or all of the above) it’s not an easy task. Throw in food restrictions and it gets harder.

Back to School Month

I strive to come up with tips and recipes to make it easier. If you are in the Phoenix area I have a special treat for you!

Gluten-Free Lunch Box Class

Save the Date

September 20th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am I’ll be hosting a Gluten-Free Lunch Box class in East Mesa!

This class will cover lunch box ideas for both children and adults. To make sure I meet your needs I’ll have you fill out a brief survey before the class (this will include allergies and food restrictions).

Loads of Information

You’ll receive 2 hours of instruction, light snacks, lots of great printouts including pretty printables to help make lunch packing easier on the whole family. I’ll be sharing all of my tips, favorite products and exclusive recipes. There is really too much information to mention here.

Prizes

Two attendees (depending on the number of registrants) will win Lunch Box Prize Packs that will include my favorite products!
This class isn’t just about kids lunch boxes, it’s also great for adults who take their lunches to work each day AND adults who eat at home but want a faster, easier solution to lunch time cooking and clean up.

At a Great Value

The class is $25 per person OR 2 people for $40! This class is worth it!

I had great feedback from the last class and I know this one will be even better!

Register Today

To register for the Gluten-Free Lunch Box class just send me an email and I’ll request payment through paypal. Space is limited! This class will fill up fast so register today!

Cookie Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free and Nut-Free)

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I first made this recipe when I was trying to make cookies. It tasted good but the consistency was off. I tweaked it to develop the Sunbutter Cookie Recipe (also GF and Vegan) that I shared last week. This recipe is easier and works really well as Cookie Bars. They are very sturdy and perfect for lunch box packing. My kindergartener ate them daily after school.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie bars

I make this recipe with Sunbutter because my youngest son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. You could try this with peanut or almond butter if you are not allergic. Also, if you do not have brown rice flour and sorghum flour you could use a gluten-free baking mix. If you make it with any adaptations I’d love to hear how they go. I’m considering making them with oat flour next. I imagine they would work fine with wheat flour also but I haven’t tried it.

Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Vegan Cookie bars

Cookie Bars

Ingredients

Do

  1. Cream Sunbutter and Sugar together.
  2. Dump the rest of the ingredients together, except chocolate chips.
  3. Mix well, adding extra rice milk if needed.
  4. If using chocolate chips mix them in or just sprinkle them on top.
  5. Pour into a 9×9 pan that is lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool before removing from pan and cutting into bars. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for about 5 days.

Serve

This is perfect for an after school snack or in the lunch box.

The odd thing is that my super picky kid loved these and the one who eats everything didn’t like them. He doesn’t always want to try new things because of his food allergies so I don’t force it.

Do you need to work around various food allergies or restrictions? I try to make them as accommodating as possible. What restrictions do you deal with?

This recipe is part of the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck!

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