My Plant-Based Family

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

Menu Plan

August 31, 2015 Meal Plan Monday

by 2 Comments

Almost…so close. One more day until September and I can almost taste it. I’m pretty sure it tastes like pumpkin spice.

I may need to make a batch of Pumpkin Cupcakes to celebrate. Or, if it’s too hot I’ll just make this easy 2 ingredient fruit dip!

Those of us in Arizona are looking forward to the lower temperatures. I really need to plant my fall garden but I’m waiting for it to be a little cooler. Cilantro doesn’t grow in hot temps and this girl loves Mexican food. If I get my garden going I’ll be sure to add more Mexican food to my weekly Meal Plan Monday post.

Plant-Based (Vegan) Meal Plan Monday

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

Even my breakfast cravings are in tune with fall favors. Take a look at what I mean. Cereal will be my backup plan.

Lunch

My first grader will get lunch box food while the rest of us eat lunch at home. One of the great things about working from home is that I can just run to the kitchen and heat up leftovers. Often, Jim will make me lunch and deliver it to my desk. Isn’t he a sweetheart?

  • Soup and Sandwiches
  • Leftover Veggie Pot Pie
  • Burritos
  • Steamed Veggies (I like to use potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli and more)
  • Bean and Rice Bowl

Dinner

I love the dinner’s I’ve planned for this week. The meal plan contains soups and casserole-type meals but I can lighten them up by serving with a side salad.

Have you made the move to fall foods yet or are you still hanging on to summer?

It’s ok to hang on a bit longer. I’m not ready to give up cantaloupe and pineapple yet.

Don’t forget to enter the Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway. It runs through Tuesday, September 1st.

August 24, 2015 Meal Plan (that brings back the comfort foods)

by 2 Comments

It’s not quite fall weather but with school and football starting I’m getting in a comfort food frame of mind. I still enjoy the fresh melon and pineapples that are typical summer staples for us but soups and casseroles are calling me.

My friends in Michigan are having a chilly, rainy day so I think they will appreciate some of the meals on this weeks meal plan.

Before we jump into meal planning take a moment to enter my giveaway for Enjoy Life Foods Soft Baked Cookies (ends Tuesday).

Weekly Meal Plan

Meal Plan

Breakfast

We found gluten-free Cheerios last week and my kids love them. I think it is mostly because we haven’t had that type of cereal in the house for the last few years because of food allergies. We will also have:

I’ve also been trying my hand at Smoothies again. It takes me forever to drink them but it works perfectly when I have to drive to the office. Of course, having my Blendtec makes a huge difference.

Lunch

I admit that I have a bad habit of skipping lunch. I’m trying to get better. Having food ready to grab, heat if necessary then eat makes it easier.

My first grader will have a packed lunch everyday. It will be composed of SoyNut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, apple slices, carrot sticks, hummus, rice cakes, raisins, Plentils, pretzel sticks and Chocolate SoyNut Butter and more. I usually only put 3 things in his lunch, 1 main dish, 1 fruit or veggie and one snack/filler/dessert type item.

Dinner

This is where I’m incorporating my comfort foods.

If the weather is too warm for you to be considering comfort foods I’ve got a few ideas. Grilled Veggies with Pasta Salad or Potato Salad make a great meal, or go with something like this Quinoa-Lentil Salad or this Lemony Quinoa Salad/Wrap.

This page contains affiliate links.

August 17, 2015 Meal Plan

by 2 Comments

Meal Plan Monday

Welcome to Meal Plan Monday!

If you are new here all of the Meal Plans are plant-based meaning they do not contain animal products like meat or dairy, they are also allergy-friendly. Since food allergies vary widely it’s not possible to come up with an allergen-free menu. Most of my recipes are gluten and nut free.

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

I like to keep it simple on school mornings so we will be eating easy foods. I’m hoping to try the new gluten-free Cheerios soon but I’m not sure if they are at our local store. We will find out on grocery day.

You can also follow my Plant-Based Breakfast Pinterest Board for more delicious breakfast ideas or see my Breakfast Page.

Lunch

We will be packing a lot of our lunches this week but not all. I’ve discovered that even when I work from home having a packed lunch can save me time and ensure that I eat. When I know what I’m going to eat I won’t “get too busy” if there is something waiting on me.

  • Asian Noodles (I already have this packed for my lunch.)
  • Sandwiches with SoyNut Butter and jelly, fresh fruit and Plentils.
  • Baked Potatoes with leftover Chili.
  • Steamed Veggies and side salad with hummus
  • Tostadas with leftover rice for kids and Taco Salad for adults.

Dinner

These dinners are all pretty quick and easy to make. We add fruit, veggies and salad to even them out.

Have you seen my latest Pinterest Board? The Back to School with My Plant-Based Family is a community board, meaning you can add your own pins. All you have to do is follow all of my board on Pinterest and send me your email address and I’ll send you an invite. It’s a great opportunity for bloggers to expand their reach but also fun for anyone.

This page contains affiliate links.

August 10, 2015 Plant-Based Dinners Meal Plan

by 1 Comment

Plant-Based Dinner

It’s the second week of school for us. I know some parents dread their kids going back to school. I love it. Yes, there are parts I don’t enjoy, but on the whole, I love it. My youngest (4 years old) start school this week. He goes to a small Christian preschool that we love. His teachers truly love him and are so careful with his food allergies. It’s a great experience.

Now that he is in school we are packing more lunches every day. Don’t forget to enter the EasyLunchBoxes Giveaway, it ends soon! It requires a bit more organization but I’ve got plenty of ideas to help. Plus I have a new giveaway starting Wednesday from the SoyNut Butter Company!

This week my meal plan will focus on dinners. I didn’t do any batch cooking this weekend so I’m starting at zero but these dinners come together pretty quickly. I’ll use my Crock Pot or Instant Pot if I decide to take something that requires a longer cooking time.

Plant-Based Dinner Meal Plan

What Plant-Based Dinner’s are you planning for the week? For plenty of ideas check out my Recipe Page or follow me on Instagram to see what we are eating!

August 3, 2015 Back to School Meal Plan

by Leave a Comment

Back to School It’s Back to School Week in our house, at least for our first grader. Our preschooler has one week left until school starts. Our teenage son will be coming to visit us for two-weeks, but don’t tell our little guys, it’s a surprise.

With so much going on this week meal planning becomes even more important. Our son that is visiting is a 6 foot tall athlete who prefers processed food. It will definitely be a challenge to keep him full.

We will also start packing lunches this week, which reminds me. I have a new giveaway coming on Wednesday for a set of EasyLunchBoxes! Stay tuned for more details, or better yet, subscribe (in the right sidebar or below for mobile users) so you don’t miss any posts.

I usually only plan 4-5 items for meals per week. I like to make extra so we have leftovers to eat and it frees us up for last-minute changes. If I plan 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners we will buy too much food and not eat it all. We always have leftover beans, rice and potatoes as well as salad fixings to add to our meals.

Back to School Meal Plan

Plant-Based meal plan

 Plant-Based Breakfasts

I keep gluten-free waffles in the freezer as a back up for crazy mornings.

Plant-Based Lunches

Plant-Based Dinner

We often use our dinner leftovers for lunches. When time is short I can usually throw together a delicious Bean and Grain Bowl or a Chipotle-style salad with our regular refrigerator staples.

 

Don’t forget to enter the Allerbling Giveaway! Tuesday is the last day to enter! The next giveaway will begin on Wednesday, August 5th.

This page contains affiliate links.

Meal Plan Monday: July 6, 2015

by Leave a Comment

Meal Plan Monday: Plant-Based, Vegan Meal Plan with mostly gluten-free options

After last weeks short week and holiday weekend this week will like feel a lot longer. We didn’t do much prep on the weekend but we are starting the week with a fridge full of fresh produce and a fresh bot of cooked brown rice. Jim will cook beans tomorrow in the Instant Pot and we will be ready for the week.

I expect to work a lot of hours this week and will rely on different combinations of our basics. This usually involved brown rice, black beans, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and other veggies. We will need to cook some potatoes but those make a great breakfast, lunch or snack. I also ordered more Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats from Amazon that will arrive on Tuesday.

In addition to the items mentioned above we also have carrots, celery, cucumbers, cauliflower and a lot of fruit including: apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, kiwi, mangoes, grapes, blueberries and plums. I’m sure there is more but this is what comes to mind.

Instead of sharing a Plant-Based Meal Plan with a lot of separate meals I’ll tell you how we will stick to these basic ingredients to build several meals.

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

  • Bean and Rice Bowl
  • Taco Salad
  • Bean Burritos
  • Veggie Burritos/Tacos

We will round out all of our meals and snacks with fruits or veggies (or both).

The great thing about a simple menu like this is that it is easy. You don’t have to buy a lot of foods that will go to waste because a lot of simple ingredients that we always have on hand. If these ingredients seem odd to you check out our Basic Pantry List.

I’ve cut down our choices but our family loves these meals. You should hear our kids beg for black beans for lunch. For years, our 6 year old would not eat black beans, or should I say, only eat them begrudgingly. He has come a long way and over the last month has proclaimed that they are his favorite. He has always like pinto beans but two people in our household have an intolerance to them so we have switched to black beans.

On that note, if any of you know of a super deal on black beans let me know. We go through a lot of them.

This page contains affiliate links.