My Plant-Based Family

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

Frugal

Cinnamon Apple Raisin Breakfast Rice

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Do you need a cheap and easy breakfast idea? If you have an intolerance to oats or can’t handle the sticker shock of quinoa this may be the perfect whole grain breakfast for you.

Breakfast Rice

 

This has been a family favorite for weekend breakfasts for about a decade. But if your family is used to Fruit Loops they may need a little more sweetener than this recipe includes. I love that I can make this with pantry staples.

I say this was a weekend breakfast because it takes about 45 minutes to cook brown rice. Now we will make a large pot and reheat leftovers quickly. Even my 4 year old who has been very picky lately LOVES this. I also have an Instant Pot version for a more hands off approach!

Cinnamon Apple Raisin Breakfast Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 cups brown rice (I prefer short grain)
  • 4 c water
  • 1-2 cups plant milk
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 diced apple
  • 1/4 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)

Do

  1. Pour rice, water and cinnamon into large sauce pan and cook over medium heat set timer for 45 minutes.
  2. When there is 15 to 20 minutes left add 1 cup plant milk, diced apples and raisins then give it a good stir.
  3. When the timer goes off the rice should be soft, most or all of the liquid will be absorbed and the apples will be soft.
  4. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving, stir in extra plant milk if needed.

Serve

This is a perfect fall breakfast and will keep you fueled for hours. Add a little liquid when reheating leftovers. My daughter always liked this with a lot of extra liquid (soupy) but most of us prefer it without it.

For more breakfast ideas check out my Recipe Page!

Unfried Black Beans

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I am soooo over refried beans! Who needs to add extra fat to beans anyway? Certainly not me! I have won over many people with my Unfried Beans made with pinto beans but they are a little to garlic-y for my husband so I decided to lighten up on the spices a bit. Also my 2 year old son (the one with multiple food allergies) has reactions to pinto beans but so far has been doing well with black beans.

This recipe is perfect for lunch boxes too! Use these beans in a burrito or as a delicious dip! My son loves taking beans and chips for lunch. I pair it with some red grapes and carrot sticks for a healthy lunch. See more of my Back to School posts here.

unfried black beans

Unfried Black Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup water (only as needed, the Blendtec may require more water)

Do

  1. Put beans and spices in food processor or Blendtec. Process 15 to 20 seconds.
  2. Scrape down the sides as needed and process until beans are smooth, add water as needed.

Serve

These beans are incredible by themselves but I love them with Mexican Rice or wrapped up in a tortilla.

Tip: If you only have canned beans drain and rinse them, then make as instructed. Most cans only contain about 1 1/2 cups of beans so you may want to ease up on the spices and omit the salt entirely.

Coming tomorrow…Faux Cheezy Black Bean Quesadillas!

What is your favorite way to eat beans?

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Taco Salad Saves the Day

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I don’t know about you but growing up Taco Salad was a deep-fried tortilla, greasy ground beef, a little iceberg lettuce, and your typical tomatoes, cheese and sour cream. Bleck!

It is time to toss that artery-clogging “salad” out with a Plant-Based transformation!

This Plant-Based Taco Salad is a family favorite. Choose your favorite ingredients and customize your taco salad to your tastes.

This Taco Salad is healthy, plentiful in fiber, protein, and phytochemicals and just plain delicious! It is also easily customizable to accommodate various allergies or taste preferences.

Taco Salad

Ingredients

  • Lettuce ( prefer a mix of greens and romaine)
  • Cooked Beans (I use pinto, black beans or Taco Lentils)
  • Cooked Grains (I use leftover Mexican Rice, quinoa or Quinoa Tacos)
  • Cooked Corn (I just buy organic frozen corn)
  • Pico de Gallo or salsa
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Lime Juice
  • Crispy Corn Tortillas* or Tortilla chips (Optional)

Do

  1. Layer all ingredients into a large bowl (I use a serving bowl for me) except the tortillas/chips.
  2. Toss the salad so everything is well mixed and add a few chips for crunch.

*To make Crispy Corn Tortillas use soft corn tortillas, sprinkle with life and seasonings of your choice. Cut tortillas into thin strips and bake for about 10 minutes at 350° or until crisp.

This Plant-Based Taco Salad is a family favorite. Choose your favorite ingredients and customize your taco salad to your tastes.

Serve

This is an easy “buffet night” dish. It can be made quickly with leftovers or canned/packaged ingredients. If you are traveling with this for a potluck add the salsa, avocado and lime juice just before serving.

 

What is your favorite way to eat Taco Salad?

Taco Potatoes

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Taco Potatoes
She shoots, she scores! Yes, this recipe was a huge success in our house. I’ve made it many times but never shared it with you. Well, today is your lucky day. This recipe was inspired by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers and her recipe for Taco Potatoes. She includes meat, heavy cream and cheese her recipe so I’ve adapted it to make it plant-strong!

Taco Potatoes 2

Taco Potatoes

Ingredients

  • Cooked Baked Potatoes (1 per person)
  • 2 cups Quinoa “Taco Meat” OR Quinoa-Lentil Tacos
  • 2 cups of cooked black beans OR 1 can of drained and rinsed beans (optional)
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup plain plant-based yogurt (optional)
  • guacamole (optional)
  • 1/2 cup corn

Do

  1. Cut cooked potatoes in half and scoop out some of the potato. I just cubed the potato for my kids.
  2. Fill the void with beans and quinoa.
  3. Top with your choice of fresh salsa, plant-based yogurt (for a tangy topping reminiscent of sour cream), guacamole and corn.

Serve

My husband and I LOVED this! My kids not as much. My two year old mostly wanted to eat all of the fresh salsa but he did finish his potato and quinoa. The 4 year old probably would have done better if all of the food was separated but he ate it.

This would be so easy to take to a potluck and is easy to throw together with leftovers.

This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Friday’s hosted at Vegetarian Mamma!

Meal Plan Monday: Back to Mexican Food (What we thought of the purchased meal plan)

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brownies, garden HC grilled avocado 160 (45)

My adoration of Mexican food has been greatly documented here! We enjoy it a few times a week, except last week. I had purchased a meal plan from Happy Herbivore as an experiment. I love her recipes and her cooking style is very similar to mine so I thought I’d give it a try.

Happy Herbivore Meal Plan Review

I knew going in that there was no Mexican food, she actually lists many of the recipes so you know what you are getting before you purchase it. The Happy Herbivore Meal Plans include a calendar with each meal planned out, a complete shopping list, and instructions for every recipe. It is very easy to follow. There are individual and family meal plans available for a low price.

What I liked

I thought the $5 price was reasonable, especially for busy people who don’t have time to sit and plan. The shopping was easy because everything was on the list. We were able to try new things we wouldn’t have picked on our own. The meal plan is mostly gluten and soy free but can easily be adapted and gives instructions for those substitutions. As already mentioned these plans are very easy to follow and takes most of the work out of preparing for dinner, of course you still have to shop and cook.

What I didn’t like

We had a few problems with the meal plan. First, it was too much food for us. I don’t cook a new dish for every meal. Second, I also spent about twice as much as I typically would. That really surprised me, I think it is because I bought wraps/crackers that I wouldn’t normally buy often. Also, the list included produce that was more expensive than I would typically choose, like frozen mango. Third, some of the recipes just weren’t our thing. If you follow me on Facebook, you heard that we had a bad experience with the Red Lentil Dal, BLECK! My kids weren’t very receptive to most of the dinner recipes, we gave them small amounts to try then ended up making them something else.

The Verdict

To be fair, we still have a lot of those groceries left because I didn’t follow the meal plan exactly. You could pick and choose which recipes work for your family. This weeks meal plan has plenty of Mexican food. I think the Happy Herbivore Meal Plans are a good idea for a lot of people, especially if you are open to trying a lot of different types of recipes and wanting to maintain a low calorie diet. If you are new to plant-based eating and want a no fuss plan for eating healthy then give these a try.

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Our Meal Plan

This week I’ll be getting back to normal, sort of. This is Healthy Cravings week so my cooking schedule will be a little different. On the plus side, it is a potluck so I don’t have to do all of the cooking. I’ve had smaller than normal RSVPs so I think the potluck part is a little intimidating for some.

You’ll notice that I don’t plan all of our meals. I try to cook large enough amounts that we have leftovers and my kids will often eat sandwiches for lunch. Sometimes I pull out a variety of raw veggies and salad dressing and we call that a meal. This work for our family better than a highly structured plan.

Breakfast Quinoa

Breakfast

I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen in the mornings so we will likely eat:

 

Lunch

We often eat leftovers for lunch, most of these dishes are easily built with leftover ingredients.

  • Veggie Wraps with greens, bell peppers, sliced carrots, and cucumbers
  • Black Bean and Quinoa Bowl with avocado
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes
  • Taco Salad

Snacks

We regularly have morning and afternoon snacks depending on our schedule. I try to focus on fruit and veggies most of the time. The kids love anything they can dip.

grilled avocado 160 (47)

Dinner

Is there one type of food you eat over all the others? Have you purchased a Meal Plan? Tell us about your experience!

Sweet & Tangy Salad Dressing (oil-free)

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Some people wonder how I get my kids to mounds of greens, let me introduce you to my sweet and tangy secret. This is my Sweet and Tangy Oil-Free Salad Dressing.

 

sweet and tangy salad dressing

I make this salad dressing with pantry staples so it’s inexpensive and lasts a long time. It is also oil-free, gluten-free and vegan.

salad dressing

Holly’s House Dressing (Sweet & Tangy Salad Dressing)

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/8 tsp dried paprika
  • 1/4 tsp dried dill
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
  • 2 oz water

Do

Add all ingredients to a jar and shake well OR put all ingredients in a blender (I used a Magic Bullet) and whizz.

Serve

I love this dressing on a big salad or a wrap. It is also fantastic in noodle or grain salads. My boys (2 and 4) LOVE it. They beg for salad and salad dressing. It is very thin but still makes a great dip. The spices settle at the bottom of the jar so shake before pouring and refrigerate.

Update: For a thicker dressing at 1/4 tsp xanthum gum!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Sweet & Tangy Salad Dressing (oil-free)
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Salad Dressing
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp agave nectar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • ⅛ tsp dried paprika
  • ¼ tsp dried dill
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
  • 2 oz water
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a jar and shake well OR put all ingredients in a blender (I used a Magic Bullet) and whizz.

 

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

If you are looking for a creamy salad dressing then let me introduce you to my Creamy Italian Salad Dressing. This dressing is also Oil-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free!