My Plant-Based Family

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

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My Dinner Meal Plan for the week

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I didn’t get much batch cooking done this weekend so this week I’ll mostly stick to easy meals, especially the first few days of the week. Veggie Pad Thai is always a favorite at our house. It is different every time because I use whatever I have on hand. This weeks version will be especially good because I have more veggies than usual to work with.

I also have a new recipe for you. I’ve been making oil-free fried rice since before I was plant-based. I’ve made it so long didn’t even think about sharing it so this week I finally will. It’s not fancy or exotic, it’s simple and delicious.

This week our breakfasts will mostly be cereal but I just bought Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats and I have a membership to Amazon Prime
so I’ll have those in two days. I plan to try them in my Instant Pot for the first time. Yes, I get excited about this kind of stuff.

We will enjoy leftovers for lunches. My husband always takes his lunch to work and one of his co-workers was admiring it every day, so he started to share. Occasionally he takes two lunches now, one for him and one for his buddy.

With that in mind, check out my plant-based dinner meal plan for the week!

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

Veggie Pad Thai

Oil-Free Fried Rice Recipe Coming Soon (I’ll try to post some teasers on Instagram tonight.)

Potato Kale Soup

White Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Homemade Pizza using a recipe from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

What are you eating this week?

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Potato Kale Soup

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Potato Kale Soup (Vegan, Gluten-free)

If you want to typically turn your nose up at kale then this is the soup for you. This Potato Kale Soup is easy and delicious. Using frozen, chopped kale is part of the secret that makes it so good (and easy).

I’m including instructions for making this soup on the stove, in the Crock Pot AND in the Instant Pot!

Potato Kale Soup Vegan and Gluten-Free

Potato Kale Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs of potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces (peeling is optional)
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced
  • 1 10 oz bag of frozen kale
  • 1/3 cup dry veggie broth mix (or bullion) (you can add more if needed)
  • Enough water to “just” cover everything

Note: This soup can be made on the stove, in the Crock Pot or in the Instant Pot.

Do

1. Place all of the veggies into the pot. Sprinkle in Dry Veggie Broth Mix or use your favorite broth or bullion.

2. Cover with water and give it a good stir.

3. Cook covered.

Stove Top version: Cook over medium heat for about 30 minute. The time will vary depending on how large the veggies are.

Crock Pot version: Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Instant Pot version: Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button, for 10 minutes on high pressure. Then allow the soup to natural release for another 5 minutes and the release the remainder of the pressure.

Serve

This would be great as a starter leading up to a meal but we usually just eat it on it’s own. If you are a baker I recommend making a nice crusty bread to go with it.

This may be the easiest soup you’ll ever make. There is only one measurement involved and a little cutting. Everyone in my family loved it. This is my favorite way to eat kale.

0 Reasons I bought an Instant Pot

If you aren’t sure what an Instant Pot is be sure to check out 10 Reasons I Bought an Instant Pot!

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Gluten Free Quaker Popped

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I love trying new products. I’m always looking for the next great thing. When I find a product that is safe for my son (who is gluten-free) and delicious I jump on it.

quaker popped

Both of my boys take their lunch and a snack to school each day. I like to provide them at least one thing with a little crunch to it.

Quaker Popped 1

Quaker Popped

I recently went to Walmart and they were having a gluten-free event. Most of the time when stores have an event with samples I have to avoid it because my little guy will want to try foods that aren’t safe for him. This time I discovered Quaker Popped. We chose the Apple Cinnamon flavor because it was also dairy-free. They are little rice cakes that fit into little hands without a big mess.

quaker popped

My boys were thrilled with these crunchy little treats. I bought the big bag for less than $3!

To find some of the other great gluten-free brands at Walmart visit the Gluten-Free for Less page.

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

Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

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I love vegan tacos and I love my Instant Pot! Naturally, Instant Pot Lentil Tacos would be one of my favorite family friendly vegan recipes.

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

It started in 2014, I would get emails asking if I could create recipes to use in the Instant Pot. My response was always, “sorry, I don’t have an Instant Pot but if you buy me one I’ll make recipes for you.” No one took me up on the offer so eventually I bought one myself. If you aren’t familiar with the Instant Pot it is an electric pressure cooker.

I’ve been slowly adapting my recipes to work in the Instant Pot and today I’m going to share my Lentil Taco’s recipe. You can use the original recipe if you are looking for a stove top version.

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

Taco Tuesday

We don’t necessarily eat Taco Tuesday each week but we enjoy tacos any day of the week. One of the things I love about this recipe is the leftover lentil taco filling can be turned into burritos, Taco Salads, put on nachos or baked potatoes.

You can use these in place or any taco filling. Yes, that means Street Tacos too!

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

Lentil Tacos in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry brown lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp each of salt, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Do

  1. Dump all of the ingredients into our Instant Pot and give it a little stir to mix everything evenly.
  2. Close the lid, make sure you move the pressure release to the sealed position.
  3. Press the Manual button and use the arrows to get to 15.
  4. Once it is done turn the Instant Pot off and release the pressure.
  5. Carefully open the lid and give it a stir. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve

These are great in crunchy or soft tacos, as part of a burrito or taco salad. If you don’t have an Instant Pot don’t worry you can use the stove top recipe, it’s just as easy and just as delicious. For a little variety try my Quinoa-Lentil Tacos! They are a family favorite!

Lentil Tacos in the Instant Pot

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

This incredibly east and delicious Instant Pot Lentil Tacos recipe is perfect for people eating a plant-based diet.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Taco Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry brown lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Optional Toppings

  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Jalapeno
  • Cilantro
  • Salsa
  • Avocado

Tortillas

  • Choose your favorite tortillas.

Instructions

  1. Dump all of the taco ingredients (not the toppings) into your Instant Pot and give it a little stir to mix everything evenly.
  2. Close the lid, make sure you move the pressure release to the sealed position.
  3. Press the Manual button and use the arrows to get to 15.
  4. Once it is done turn the Instant Pot off and release the pressure.
  5. Carefully open the lid and give it a stir. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

These lentil tacos leftovers should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They will be good for about 5 days.

You can add your favorite toppings. We like to set up a taco bar for everyone to make their own.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Instant Pot

Taco Night Side Dishes

Of course if you are making tacos you might want to have a full meal! My favorite sides to have with tacos are:

What are your taco night must haves?

Simplify Your Morning Routine

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This conversation is sponsored by Silk. All opinions are my own.

I’m always looking for ways to simplify our morning routine. I’m usually out the door by 6:15 and my husband finishes getting our boys ready and to their schools. We don’t have enough time during the week for complicated meals or extra duties.

Simplify your morning routine with Silk

There are a few things we do to make the mornings run smoothly. If we neglect them we have a hard time getting out the door as quickly as we need to. Let’s face it, mornings are difficult enough without chaos.

Tips to Simplify Your Morning Routine

1. We pack lunches the night before

Yes, everyone gets a packed lunch. My husband and I usually have leftovers while the kids get sandwiches, fruit and kid-friendly fare. Both of the boys have to take a snack to school too. I make sure the snack is in the refrigerator right next to the lunches. I try to get these in the back packs before I leave in the morning but if I don’t it’s easy for my husband to grab.

2. Keep a Launching Pad

I don’t know about you but we travel with a lot of stuff on a daily basis. My kids have back packs, lunch bags, sweat shirts that they take to school every day. My husband and I have various things we have to grab like our phones, I have a company computer I tote around along with my purse, my husband carries his wallet, and a few things he needs for work. Let’s not forget our morning travel mug of coffee! When we don’t have all of these things in the correct spot then we forget something. Some people call this spot a launching pad but we just use the end of our counter.

3. Easy breakfasts

Simply breakfasts are really important during this season of life. I have my kids sit down for breakfast every morning while I finish things up. Gone are the days of slow cooking oatmeal in the morning, I need fast and easy. When I plan ahead I can have breakfasts prepped on the weekends.

I’m usually so busy that I just grab breakfast to eat at my office. I recently discovered Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative. It’s make from cultured soy so it’s not a traditional yogurt but it’s so good. We’ve loved every flavor that we’ve tried and with 6 grams of plant-based protein per serving and no artificial flavors or colors it’s a great option for us.

I’ll admit that I was skeptical until I had the first bite, it was smooth, creamy and delicious. My boys have always loved yogurt so I knew they would like it. It’s nice to have another product that is safe for my son with multiple-food allergies. Sign up for Silk’s newsletter here to stay in the loop about new products and join their community.

Do you have tips to help you with your morning routine? I’d love to hear them!

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Simple Veggie Soup in the Instant Pot

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I want to start by telling you that this soup can be made on the stove or in the Crock Pot as well. For those of you with an Instant Pot you can cook this soup much more quickly.

This Simple Veggie Soup (in the Instant Pot) is so easy and delicious. You can add different ingredients if you prefer but this is made with basic veggie staples that we always have on hand. You know me, I like to keep it simple.

simple veggie soup

There are a few variations on this recipe. To make this soup heartier you can add Great Northern beans. It will cook more quickly if you soak the beans ahead of time. The soup is delicious with or without beans.

I added all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot in the morning and set the timer to come on 4 hours later so it would be ready in the afternoon. This will allow the beans to soak for a while if you are using them

Simple Veggie Soup in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 2 cups broccoli, chopped
  • 1 large carrots, sliced (this equaled 1 cup of carrots for me)
  • 5 red potatoes, quartered (I didn’t peel them)
  • 3 liters of water (12 cups)
  • 1 cup dry Great Northern beans (optional)
  • bullion or dry broth mix (read the label to figure out the appropriate amount)

Do

  1. Put all of the ingredients into the Instant Pot and close the lid.
  2. Press the SOUP button, then if using the timer press the TIMER button.
  3. Use the + or – buttons to select the appropriate number of hours you’d like the Instant Pot to delay cooking. (The time will be the delayed time before the Instant Pot starts.) Remember that it takes time for the Instant Pot to heat up and cool down, especially when cooking soup so you need to take that time into consideration.
  4. Once the Soup is done the Instant Pot will keep it warm until you press CANCEL. Allow the steam to release naturally or use the quick release.

Serve

We eat this soup as is with maybe a sprinkle of salt. It’s perfect if you’ve been fighting a cold or are just in the mood for warm veggies.

Notes

If you are cooking it immediately you do not need to select the TIMER button.

If you are using dry beans they need to be soaked OR you may need to increase the cooking time, check the cooking time chart to be sure.

If you are making this in the Crock Pot just cook it all day or for about 6 hours.

If you are using beans and cooking this on the stove it will take about 90 minutes to cook soaked beans, if the beans haven’t been soaked it will take longer. I recommend you cook the beans first then add them to the soup.

The soup will take about 30 minutes without beans or with previously cooked beans.

Do you ever just make a simple soup? What are your “must” have ingredients?