My Plant-Based Family

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

Plant Based Diet

Air Fryer Cheesy Potatoes

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I’m not a gadget person. Don’t get me wrong, I love tech that makes my life easier but when it comes to kitchen stuff, I don’t rush out to get every new shiny object that comes around. I’ve been in love with my Instant Pot for years but the thing that has my attention recently is my air fryer. The Vegan Air Fryer: The Healthier Way to Enjoy Deep-Fried Flavors This page contains affiliate links. I also received a free copy of this book for review but I had already pre-ordered my copy.

Cooking with an Air Fryer

The air fryer is the latest craze in kitchen appliances and with good reason. It’s like having a mini convection oven on our counter top.

The beauty of the air fryer is its ability to cook foods and make them crispy, without using oil. For those of us in the whole food, plant-based, no oil camp, the air fryer is like a long awaited miracle. Fries without guilt!

I was so excited to get my air fryer months ago. I thought I’d be able to pick it up as easily as I did the Instant Pot but I struggled. In fact, I had a lot of fails in the beginning. I knew I had to go to the experts. I asked friends and many of you on Facebook who the undisputed air fryer guru was and everyone mentioned JL Fields.

I already had JL’s pressure cooking book so I was really excited to see she had a new air fryer book coming out. I preordered The Vegan Air Fryer: The Healthier Way to Enjoy Deep-Fried Flavors from Amazon so I could get it as soon as possible. It’s out now so you don’t have to wait!

The book is filled with so much helpful information about how to use the air fryer and of course, delicious recipes. I was given permission to share one of the recipes with you! The Vegan Air Fryer: The Healthier Way to Enjoy Deep-Fried Flavors

From the Vegan Air Fryer, ©2017 by JL Fields. Used by permission. Photo by Michelle Donner.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

Try these potato wedges if you love potato skins but want that potato, too. This is a great side dish and also a fun recipe to make for game day!

Potatoes

  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (you can exclude this if you don’t’ eat oil)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Cheese Sauce

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup water

Potatoes

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes. Wash the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the oil (if using), salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the potatoes. Toss to coat. Transfer the potatoes to the air fryer. Cook for 16 minutes, shaking halfway through the cooking time.

Cheese Sauce

Combine the cashews, turmeric, paprika, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice in a high-speed blender. Blend on low, slowly increasing the speed and adding water as needed. Be careful to avoid using too much water, as you want a thick, cheesy consistency. Transfer the cooked potatoes to an air fryer-safe pan or a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the cheese sauce over the potato wedges. Place the pan in the air fryer and cook for 2 more minutes at 400°F. You can win a copy of The Vegan Air Fryer: The Healthier Way to Enjoy Deep-Fried Flavors! One winner will be selected to receive a copy of this cookbook. U.S. residents only.

UPDATE: Congrats to our winner Wendy!

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Simply Summer Meal Plan

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Does your summer schedule include a lot of cooking? My meal plan includes Instant Pot recipes and leftovers. Don’t worry, this meal plan will include non-pressure cooker recipes too. We take advantage of leftovers (My friend Anne calls them planned-overs) during the summer to avoid heating up the kitchen.

I also try to make do without extra trips to the store so when the fridge gets bare I’ll open a can of beans and enjoy them with salsa. That is pretty much my favorite meal and I have it for lunch most of the time if leftovers aren’t available.

This meal plan is perfect for summer! It's full of easy recipes that will free up your extra time for family fun.

Sometime else I’ve really been enjoying lately is connecting with so many of you who have taken the FREE 7 Day Plant-Based ecourse. If you haven’t taken it yet you definitely need to sign up! It’s perfect for people who are brand new to plant-based eating and aren’t sure what to do.

Another way to connect is in the My Plant-Based Family Facebook group.

The boys are in summer programs since we work full time so summer is busier than the school year. I’ll try to keep it simple with easy meals when possible, especially in the mornings. We do a lot of oatmeal, bagels, and fruit for breakfast. Take a look at our dinner meal plan!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Tostadas with Mexican Rice

Tuesday

Baked Potatoes made in the Instant Pot (but you can cook them in the Crock Pot) with steamed broccoli and my easy Brown Gravy.

Wednesday

Mango Black Bean Salad and the boys will probably have a variation of this in taco or tostada form.

Thursday

Busy Night Pasta, I make this in the Instant Pot but you could do it stove top.

Friday

Veggie Wrap with Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus! The hummus is the star!

Treats

I’m also making frozen treats! We live in Arizona and it will be 120 degrees this week! I kid you not! That requires a lot of frozen treats!

I take a little break from meal planning in the summer. If you’ve been missing these meal plans be sure to check out my free Summer Meal Plan download. It features batch cooking to free up your nights so you can have more fun with the family. We spend our extra time in the pool, riding bikes and playing catch.

What have you been cooking this summer?

Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan

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The last few weeks of May are always crazy! Graduations, the end of school, my anniversary…so much to look forward too. With so much activity, a weekly plant-based meal plan can help you stay on track with healthy eating.

I’ll be focused on keeping our meals simple over the next few weeks. We have a ton of travel planned so these meal plans will be irregular. My weekly Saturday morning emails will continue right on schedule. If you don’t get these yet you will want to sign up. Every week you get plant-based tips delivered to your inbox. They are always a quick and easy read.

This weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan is perfect for busy families. It contains easy and delicious recipes that vegans and omnivores will love!

I will be utilizing my Instant Pot and my favorite easy recipes this month! If you got an Instant Pot for Mother’s Day, be sure to check out my IP recipe page! If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, see the 10 reasons I bought an Instant Pot!

Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Overnight Oats

Baked Potatoes

Chickpea and Rice Soup (in the Instant Pot)

Tuesday

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal with diced apples

leftover soup and veggie sandwiches

Veggie Pad Thai

Wednesday

“Baked” Sweet Potatoes made in the Instant Pot

Lentil Quinoa Salad (rice can be used instead of quinoa if you have it leftover)

Mexican Casserole (I have stove top, oven, Crock Pot and Instant Pot versions)

Thursday

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Burritos with leftovers

Dirty Mashed Potatoes (or Baked Potatoes), steamed veggies and Creamy Brown Gravy

Friday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

leftovers

Breakfast for dinner, pancakes, Breakfast Hash and fruit salad

With all of our travel coming up, I’m brainstorming things that will travel well. The World’s Best Banana Bread is at the top of my list! I’ll make it without chocolate chips for travel.

I’ll be able to pack food for driving trips but flying trips make it more difficult. I’ve got a few ideas but I’d love to hear yours! What is your favorite travel food!

April 17, 2017 Plant-Based Meal Plan

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Did you stay on track last week? Either way, use this plant-based meal plan to keep you moving in the right direction.

If you have a house full of Easter treats I recommend you get rid of them as soon as possible. If you are surrounded by junk food it will be harder to eat healthy.  If you get my Saturday morning emails you’ve already been encouraged to toss the junk. If not, sign up to get plant-based tips emailed to you each week.

This Plant-Based Meal plan has several tex-mex recipes and other family favorites. All completely vegan!

This page contains affiliate links.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Veggie Sandwich

Taco Salad

Tuesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Leftover Taco Salad

Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy and veggies

Wednesday

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Quinoa Lentil Salad

Lentil Tacos, Mexican Rice, and Black Beans

Thursday

Breakfast Hash with muffins and fruit

Bean and Rice Burritos

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Friday

Overnight Oats

Baked Potatoes and veggies

Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

I recently ordered an EZ Tofu Press so I can experiment with some tofu recipes. My boys love tofu but I rarely make it. I want to try cooking tofu in my Air Fryer.

Last week I made a tofu scramble in my Instant Pot and we loved it! I also experimented with Jack Fruit. We aren’t complete sold yet but I’ll try it again soon.

Have you tried anything new recently? 

April 10, 2017 Plant-Based Meal Plan

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This week, our plant-based meal plan will include many of our favorite recipes. Veggie Pad Thai is an all time favorite and it’s so easy. I try to keep the noodles and a bag of frozen veggies on hand at all times so I can easily throw it together.

A delicious plant-based meal plan the whole family will love.

This page contains affiliate links.

To save time, I’ll do a little batch cooking. If you are new around here, that means I’ll cook some of the ingredients in large batches to use in multiple meals.

For example, we plan to have oatmeal several days this week. I’ll cook a big batch of steel cut oats in my Instant Pot to use throughout the week. Several recipes call for Chickpeas which I buy in bulk from Amazon. These are my favorite!  If you haven’t already, try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial to take advantage of free shipping!

Baked Potatoes are another good option for batch cooking. I enjoy them more when they are freshly cooked but they are still good reheated.

We will often eat our dinner leftovers for lunch the next day.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal (see my Ultimate Oatmeal Guide for recipes and more oatmeal ideas)

Baked Potatoes

Veggie Pad Thai

Tuesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Leftover Pad Thai

Chickpea Nuggets and Fries in my new Air Fryer!

Wednesday

Breakfast Hash and fresh fruit

Veggie Sandwich with Jalapeno Hummus and veggies

Chickpea Quinoa Stir Fry

Thursday

Baked Sweet Potato

Leftover Stir Fry

Taco Soup

Friday

Instant Pot Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon

leftover soup and baked potatoes

Mexican Casserole in the Crock Pot

What are you eating this week? If you have an Air Fryer let me know your favorite things to cook!

Weekly Plant-Based Meal Plan

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It’s a new week, we got a new meal plan and I’m feeling so much better. Thank you to everyone who sent messages of encouragement when I was sick! You are the best!

Unlike most Monday’s, I don’t have any food prepped. We usually spend time each weekend grocery shopping, planning and doing a little cooking. This isn’t one of those weeks but I’ll rely on my favorite easy recipes to get us through the week.

I ran into Sprout’s to pick up a few necessities like apples, oranges, and potatoes.

This week, we have a plant-based meal plan that is full of starch! Dr. McDougall would be proud!

This page contains affiliate links.

I also bought a new toy, I mean appliance. Last week I mentioned wanting to purchase an air fryer. I asked around and went with the GoWise USA Air Fryer. I chose the 5.8 quart so I could cook bigger portions. I’ll let you know what we think about it after we use it a few times.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast Hash (I want to try it in my Air Fryer!)

Baked Potatoes with green beans

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice with avocado

Tuesday

Instant Pot Oatmeal with apples and cinnamon

Veggie Sandwich

Potato and Kale Soup

Wednesday

Banana Nut Oatmeal

leftover soup

Veggie Pad Thai

Thursday

Breakfast Stir Fry

Beans and Rice with salsa

Veggie Burgers, Fries and Fruit Salad (because I can hardly wait to try fries in my new Air Fryer)

Friday

Breakfast Quinoa

Leftovers

Instant Pot Lentil and Rice recipe from Kathy Hester’s latest cookbook!

Speaking of cookbooks. Richa Hingle’s newest book is available for pre-order. It won’t be out until September but I know it’s going to be good! Do yourself a favor and pre-order today so you don’t miss the great price!

I’ll probably buy JL Field’s Vegan Air Fryer cookbook soon. I’m going to give it a try on my own but if I run into trouble or need more ideas I’ll order it. I’m a big fan of JL and know her recipes will make the family happy. If you’ve read it let me know what you think.

What are you eating this week? If you make any of my recipes take a photo and share it to my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see what you are making!