My Plant-Based Family

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

Meal Plan Monday

Spring Meal Plan

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Have you created your Meal Plan for the week yet? If not, what is standing in your way? Is it too hard, too time consuming, or just too much trouble? I’ll admit I don’t always stick to our plan 100%. Sometimes I am missing an ingredient, or our plans will change. Some days I just don’t get the prep work done ahead of time. Still having a Meal Plan helps to focus my food prep and keeps me cooking instead of order takeout or eating cereal (again) for dinner.

As the weather heats up here in Arizona I know my days using the oven are numbered and I’ll be switching to the Crock Pot for more of our meals. Using the Crock Pot also helps me have dinner prepared at the right time. Often I get distracted and don’t start dinner until too late. If it’s in the Crock Pot I’m ready.

On the plus side my garden is producing and I think I’ll be harvesting my first ripe tomatoes this week. I see some jalapenos growing out of the little blossoms, and I have more basil than I know what to do with.

Spring Meal Plan that is vegan and Gluten-free

Spring Meal Plan

Breakfast

Every morning I get us super early and make a homemade breakfast for my family. Just kidding, we’ve been relying on cereal quite a bit lately. Some days we have oatmeal or other oat-free hot cereal like Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty Gluten-Free Hot Cereal. I prefer dinner leftovers for breakfast but most mornings are made up of the following:

  • Cereal with fresh blueberries and mangos
  • Toast with SunButter Natural Sunflower Seed Spread and Apples or bananas
  • Breakfast Rice with Cinnamon, Apples and Raisins
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon
  • Baked Potatoes with a little sea salt (I’m the only weird on who eats this)

Lunch

I eat leftovers whenever they are available but my kids normally want sandwiches. We usually have a fruit or veggies as a side.

  • SunButter Sandwiches with jelly
  • Gluten-Free Pasta with marinara
  • Leftover Soup with Baked Potatoes
  • Veggie Wrap OR Veggie Sandwich on tasted bread

Dinner

I usually put more work into dinner that the other meals. We have several evening appointments this week so I’m hoping to make many of these meal ahead.

If you need some ideas for Cinco de Mayo meals check out last weeks Mexican Food Meal Plan! It is full of Vegan and Gluten-Free ideas!

This post contains affiliate links. 

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Plant-Based Mexican Food Meal Plan

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You may think it is silly of me to have a Mexican Food Meal Plan. You would be right since we eat Mexican food most of the time. It’s just who we are. Our fresh fool supply is also extremely low since we haven’t been to the store in a while but I still have beans and grains along with a few tomatoes and jalapenos so all is well.

By the way, I hope you all had a great Easter! My husband and teen son were both out of town so our weekend wasn’t typical. We are all trying to get back into the swing of things.

Mexican Food Meal Plan

Breakfast

Some of these items don’t quite fit with out Mexican food theme but that is ok. I usually prefer a quick breakfast but I don’t mind combining a few things that are already cooked.

Lunch

You’ll notice most of these recipes use black beans. I cook a large batch to use in multiple recipes to save time.

Dinner

If I have enough leftovers I may not make all of these dishes. I’ll definitely make the first two because they make great leftovers and I can use them in other meals.

I may even try to work in my Taco Muffins!

Does a Mexican Food Meal Plan look like something you can get behind or do you have a different set of favorites? If you’ve tried some of these recipes I’d love to hear which are your favorites!

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A Plant-Based Meal Plan using Basic Pantry Staples

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Last week I shared my list of Basic Pantry Staples, as well as Refrigerated Staples, for Plant-Based living. This week I wanted to share an easy Meal Plan that could be made using those staples. Truthfully, most of my Meal Plans can be made with basic pantry staples but this plan will be extra easy.

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

We usually opt of easy breakfasts most days but even the longer cooking items on this list can be made ahead and reheated in the mornings.

Lunch

I love having leftovers for lunch. Some days I use leftovers to create a whole new meal. Having basics like potatoes, beans and chopped veggies can bring lunch together quickly.

Dinner

I’m willing to spend more time on dinner but that doesn’t mean I want to spend an hour in the kitchen. Most of these choices can come together quickly, especially if you batch cook beans and grains on the weekend.

This is definitely more food than we would eat in a week. I offer this menu as a guide, pick and choose what you would like to try. I prefer to cook larger portions less often.  Some weeks I eat Baked Potatoes everyday with different toppings. Last week for example, I ate baked potatoes with Steamed Broccoli, Pico de Gallo, Black beans and Pico, Barbecue sauce, well you get the idea.

What does your Meal Plan look like this week? Did you get the Basic Staples for a Plant-Based Diet yet?

Meal Plan Monday: Fast Food Detox

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We had a great time last week with our family in town visiting, but man, oh man did we eat out. A lot! It was just easier. Excuses, excuses. Our bodies are in need of a fast food detox.

This week my husband and I are ready to eat nothing but real, whole food, that is made in our kitchen. The kids will just have to go along with my plan because they don’t get a say. They may get sandwiches if we decide to eat something that isn’t “kid-friendly.” As I type I have people working in my house, and the water turned off to make repairs. If they are not done soon it may challenge my resolve but I have enough bottled water to cook rice and lentils. I think.

This week is also Healthy Cravings. I’ll be showing everyone who attends how to eat healthy without breaking their budget.

Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I’ve been craving savory foods for breakfast but since I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking I’ve been eating leftover casseroles, soups or baked potatoes. Not quite typical but it’s been really good.

Lunch

I’m planning salads this week. Restaurant salads usually contain a lot of unhealthy ingredients. I always feel like I have to remove more items than I keep. My salads are big, filling and really hit the spot. I’ll do a few other things too. We usually have fruit with all of our meals. 

  • Lentil & Rice Salad
  • Bean and Grain Bowl
  • Taco Salad
  • Baked Potatoes with Steamed Broccoli and raw veggies
  • Sandwiches for the kids

Dinner

I want all of my dinners this week to be veggie-centric feasts. It’s easier to accomplish a “fast food detox” when I’m eating delicious foods in hearty portions.

I need to add a few other touches but I haven’t done my grocery shopping yet so I will wait and see what produce looks best. I will also bake some potatoes and cook some beans for quick meals and snacks like these Bean and Potato Burritos. If you saw the Green Chili White Bean dip I posted last week you’ll want to make some beans too.

 

Meal Plan-less

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This week we are Meal Plan-less. I know I should make a Meal Plan but I just can’t bring myself to do it. We have company in town and appointments/practices/church this week.

I will share a few things I hope/plan to make this week and tell you the places we are likely to eat out.

Last night I made the Easy Mexican Casserole in the Crock Pot because it is very easy and will serve as leftovers for lunches this week. I’m also going to make my Veggie Pad Thai that I’ve become addicted too. It is full of vibrant veggies and I just can’t get enough. I’ll share the recipe one of these days. I’m also wanting to test a new dip on my omni company before I debut it here.

Undoubtedly we will eat out way to much this week. Since our guests are not plant-based I’m happy to eat out so they can choose their own food. Because of our son’s food allergies we have to be choosy about where we eat.

Red Robin, yes the burger place, is very allergy friendly. We can all find something we like there and I’m always comfortable with their level of attention to food allergies. Many of our food choices are preferences, allergies and sensitivities are not. Red Robin has done a great job for us.

The “grown ups” will eat at Chipotle more than once I’m sure. For some reason my kids will not eat it. Last night I found out my location will be getting Sofritas in about 3 weeks. EKK! Can not wait!

Pizza is another compromise. It isn’t necessarily healthy but we have a restaurant nearby that has a gluten-free pizza option. It is on the pricy side, about $14 for a personal size but we get the rest of our pizzas at another restaurant that is much cheaper. I always order a veggie pizza without cheese.

Next week I’ll return to our regularly scheduled Meal Plan Monday. If you are a blogger and post a weekly Meal Plan feel free to leave a link in the comments.

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Also check out my Custom Meal Plans page to find out how to order a Meal Plan designed around your taste, budget and time.

 

Meal Plan Monday: I’m Back

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Did you miss me? I was away for almost 2 weeks. I had an unfortunate computer problem that left me on an extended break from blogging. I appreciate all of you that reached out to me during that time.  Even though I wasn’t blogging I was scheming, I mean planning and I’m excited for what the future holds.

I still need to reload software onto my computer so I don’t have access to all of my files yet but I’ll sort that out this week. Then I’ll be back to creating Custom Meal Plans and working on new projects.

meal plan monday

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

This week I didn’t buy any cereal so we will be taking a different approach for breakfasts.

Lunch

My youngest son, who is allergic to everything, now has an aversion to his bread. I’ll have to get creative with lunches. Our fridge is loaded with fresh veggies so I’ll start there. 

  • Baked Potatoes
  • Leftover Gluten-Free pasta with red sauce and steamed veggies
  • Veggie Rollups with GF tortillas, spinach, cucumbers, red bell peppers, etc.
  • Fruit Rollups with GF tortillas, Sunbutter or Soynut Butter and fruit like apples, pears and bananas.
  • Bean and Grain Bowl topped with raw veggies

Dinner

Our dinners have taken a shift lately. My husband is going mostly grain-free and I haven’t had much time to cook. I try to make a few big dinners each week and keep it simple the rest of the time.

  • Veggie Pad Thai
  • Spiced Lentil Burgers with Baked Potatoes and random veggies
  • Lazy Veggie Pasta (GF) with red bell peppers, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, and spinach (one pot meal)
  • White Bean and Green Chili Dip with chips from Way Better Snacks and homemade salsa
  • Cheesy Brown Rice Casserole with added broccoli or peas (Crock Pot)

Many of the new recipes I’ve been making lately aren’t on the blog yet but I often post pictures on Instagram if you are interested.

Have you made your Meal Plan for the week? Take 10 minutes and jot down a few ideas.

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