My Plant-Based Family

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

Menu Plan

Meal Plan Monday: Spring Break part 1

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A new week calls for a new meal plan and I’ve been trying out some new recipes. I plan to keep some of my favorites in the rotation though. It also happens to be the first week of Spring Break, I say first week because my kids go to different schools and have two different Spring Breaks.

A gluten-free, vegan (plant-based) meal plan the whole family will love.

Meal Plan Monday

Last month I bought a new product to try at Costco. It’s a quinoa, amaranth and millet blend. I’ve been using it for breakfast and plan to make it for some Spring Break lunch concoctions too. I’ll share the recipe this week!

Breakfast and Lunch

Triple Berry Porridge, Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot and Toast with Fruit will make up our breakfasts this week. Lunches will be leftovers, sandwiches and baked potatoes. I’m planning to make this Banana Bread too!

Dinner

Veggie Pad Thai, I can’t remember the last time I actually make this. Even when it’s been on our Meal Plan I’ve skipped it.

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms with raw veggies or salad (recipe coming soon!)

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, if you haven’t made this yet you are missing out.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Veggies and Marinara

Potato Kale Soup, it’s my favorite way to eat kale! I’ll probably cook this in my Crock Pot this time.

I don’t know about you but this sounds like a wonderful week of meals. Hopefully I actually make it all. You see, I plan my meals but I leave room for change. Sometimes we have less time for prep, or we neglect to buy a much needed ingredient. The Lentil Shepherd’s Pie takes the most time so it is most likely to get cut. I’ve still got some leftovers though.

Do you make a meal plan each week? How often do you stick to it?

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Sick Girl Meal Plan

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I haven’t cooked in days! Can you believe it? I’ve been sick so my kids have been eating cereal and sandwiches for every meal. I worked my way up to crackers and toast. This week our meals will be simple as I work my way back to real food. If you are snowed in or living in the seemingly endless winter that is canvasing parts of the US and Canada then I recommend this Snowed In Meal Plan from last winter!

I’ll take each day as it comes but these soups are easy to make and I think will be gentle enough for me to eat. I may be up for anything tomorrow but I’m leery today.

Meal Plan

Sick Girl Meal Plan

Simple Veggie Soup

Potato and Kale Soup

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

Minestrone Soup

Breakfasts will likely be the same as always. I know I can rely on toast and fruit, I’m also working on some great oatmeal recipes! Lunches will be easy things like Baked Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potatoes and leftover soup.

I don’t want to leave you without enough Meal Plan inspiration to get you through the week. In addition to the Snowed In meal plan mentioned above check out the Simple Meal meal plan or my Crock Pot Week meal plan.

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest! I follow some of the BEST plant-based bloggers and I pin their recipes daily! You don’t want to miss it!

While you’re here, go ahead and give me your advice for what you eat when you are sick or recovering!

Soup Week Meal Plan

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This week I’ve created a Soup Week Meal Plan. It is dedicated to all of you who are dealing with cold weather right now. Even though the weather is great here I still enjoy soups but I won’t be able to say that in a few months. In fact, I got my first sun burn of the year on Saturday.

I’ve been cooking Steel Cut Oats in my Instant Pot but we rely on cereal for breakfasts too. I have an “emergency” gluten-free waffle stash for my 4 year old. On those mornings when we are running really late he gets to eat a waffle on the way to preschool.

I’m about to make some baked potatoes for the week. I like to pour leftover soup over baked potatoes for a hearty lunch. Surely it will be the envy of the office.

Soup week meal plan

Soup Week Meal Plan

Potato and Kale Soup I make it in the Instant Pot but you can make it on the stove or in the Crock Pot.

Hearty Lentil and Barley Stew contains gluten but make it gluten-free by using rice, quinoa, millet or amaranth in place of the barley.

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Green Chili, Cilantro and Lime Soup is perfect the perfect comfort soup but I confess we don’t give it to the kids.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup is the easiest Crock Pot soup you’ll ever make!

Later this week I’ll share a tip that will make preparing soups even easier!

Last week I shared an EPIC round-up of 40+ Meatless recipes for Lent. If you know anyone who needs meatless ideas please pass it along!

 

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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Meal Plan Monday is Back!

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The 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse is now over, except for a few people who started late. It’s been replaced with a “self-paced” eCourse. I can now return to my normal schedule. Part of that is bringing back Meal Plan Monday!

Let’s hop to it! I’ve already did some batch cooking last night, yes during the Super Bowl. I have breakfast rice, brown rice, lentils and leftover Veggie Pad Thai to work with.

Meal Plan Monday

For breakfast I made a giant batch of Breakfast Rice (with apples and blueberries) in my Instant Pot. We will nosh on that throughout the week. Lunches will be leftovers and Bean and Grain bowls for the grown ups. I pack lunches for my kids.

Dinner Meal Plan

Leftover Veggie Pad Thai

Lentil-Quinoa Salad (made with rice instead of quinoa)

Lentil Tacos with Mexican Rice

Cheesy Broccoli and Brown Rice Casserole (Crock Pot)

Minestrone Soup with a giant salad

Did you create a Meal Plan yet this week? What are you eating? 

For more inspiration check out my Meal Planning archives!

 

Meal Plan Monday: December is Here

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If you still have Thanksgiving leftovers just eat them. Don’t cook another thing until those leftovers are gone. Thanksgiving leftovers are some of my favorite. I’ll eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I have them. I’m always sad when they are gone.

Did you over indulge on Thanksgiving? If you cooked healthy, plant-based recipes you probably only ate too much. If you used some of my recipes I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you don’t have any Thanksgiving leftovers you may need some dinner inspiration.

Plant based meal plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

I’m taking advantage of my Instant Pot this week. I love that I can cook dinner quickly after I get home or set a timer so it doesn’t begin cooking until I want it to start. If you don’t have an Instant Pot I recommend you buy one or at least put it on your Christmas list. You could also make these recipes in a Crock Pot or on the stove although it will take much longer.

Enchilada Soup made in the Instant Pot

Chili  made in the Instant Pot

One Pot Pizza Pasta

Sautéed Mushrooms and Baked Potatoes (cooked in the Instant Pot) with steamed greens

Lentil Quinoa Tacos

Now that December is here things start to move more quickly, or so it seems. Don’t get caught off guard by everything you “have to do.” Prioritize your health!

31 Day Plant-Based eCourse and Challenge

Have you Heard?

The 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse and Challenge starts January 1st! It’s going to be a life changing experience for a lot of people. Are you one of them?

You’ll get daily tips and encouragement to turn your plant-based aspirations into a reality. If you’ve been meaning to make a change now is the time! The eCourse is packed with information and the challenge will give you the extra push you need to achieve your goals whether they include weight loss, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, or physical fitness.

Have you signed up yet?