My Plant-Based Family

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

Plant Based Diet

2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

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Our family LOVES fruit! We eat between 15-20 pounds of apples each week, if that tells you anything. We don’t just eat apples, we eat bananas, blueberries, strawberries — basically whatever is in season.

I have readers tell me their kids won’t eat fruit. Although that isn’t something I deal with I have an easy solution, ready for this. Add a dip.

Kids will eat almost anything with a dip.

You may be thinking, I want my kids to be healthy, how is adding a fruit dip going to help? You can use a healthy dip and I’ve got a super easy dip recipe for you. It’s only 2 ingredients so even your kids can “help” you make it.

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 6 oz Vanilla So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk  (non-dairy yogurt)

Do

No steps required, just stir the cocoa powder into the non-dairy yogurt. DONE.

This makes an incredible fruit dip to dip for cookies or graham crackers. I haven’t tried it yet on a fruit pizza but I really want to. One day I’ll try it as a frosting or filling for cupcakes but I don’t know how well it will work. It makes a pretty fabulous parfait as well.

Chocolate Fruit Dip

I chose this type of yogurt because it’s made from coconut milk and safe for people with dairy, soy and tree nut allergies.

My boys loved it and they are picky about their yogurt.

On a side note, So Delicious just calls this cultured coconut milk, they don’t use the word yogurt because technically it isn’t. I use it because we always buy non-dairy versions of yogurt and it is just the word we are used to using.

You can make this with other flavors. Our store only carries plain, vanilla and blueberry but raspberry would be delightful.

If your kids get used to eating fruit with dip they will be more likely to eat it without dip too.

For us, this dip is like a special dessert treat. I don’t make it all the time but they love it. It also works great in a lunch box.

Snackable-Recipe-Contest-BadgeThis recipe is an entry in the So Delicious and Go Dairy Free Snackable Recipe Contest.

You can connect with So Delicious on their Facebook page.

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

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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.

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August 17, 2015 Meal Plan

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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.

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Easy Asian Noodles

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There is something to be said for a home cooked meal that is ready in about 15 minutes. Especially if it is healthy! Even better when it is a one-pot meal.

My kids would be happy to have sandwiches every meal but I’m not. I like real food, warm food, but I don’t have a lot of time to cook.

asian noodles peanut and gluten-free

If you have been here for a while you know that my son has multiple food allergies. Peanuts and gluten are just a few of the things that are off-limits for us. He rarely gets to eat restaurant food because of his food allergies; we have a few safe restaurants to choose from.

All Asian restaurants use peanuts and soy sauce (contains gluten) and I’m not comfortable with the chances of cross contamination even if he ordered a “safe” dish. His only exposure to Asian food is food I make. My recipes are far from authentic but they are easy to make and use simple ingredients.

asian noodles

This recipe is peanut-free and gluten-free and can accommodate other allergies with substitutions. It cooks really quickly, the longest part is getting the water to boil.

Easy Asian Noodles

Ingredients

Do

  1. Bring water to a boil. As you wait slice the carrots and get the other ingredients ready.
  2. Dump the carrots into the boiling water and cook them for 2-3 minutes.
  3. After the carrots have cooked a few minutes add the frozen peas and the noodles.
  4. Cook everything together for 5 minutes. Once the timer beeps, taste test the noodles and carrots to see if either need a minute or two longer.
  5. Carefully drain the water out of your pot. I like to use one of these. Then dump in the Tamari/Bragg’s and the SoyNut Butter. Stir well until it has melted into the noodles and is evenly distributed.

This recipe can be easily adapted based on what you have on hand and what food restrictions you work with. It is similar to my Veggie Pad Thai recipe but this one is simplified even more and only uses carrots and peas to cut down on dishes and extra chopping. You can buy frozen, chopped carrots for a quicker recipe.

What are your favorite quick meals?

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August 10, 2015 Plant-Based Dinners Meal Plan

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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!

Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

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stir fry broccoli and mushroom After a long day I really don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. That is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of Batch Cooking. Sometimes I need a quick and easy meal. Stir fry’s are such an easy option. Since I don’t cook with oil some may argue that this isn’t a true stir fry. The extra fat found in oil isn’t really needed if you use a little water in its place. (You can view this post to see how I use water for fried rice.)

We almost always have cooked  brown rice in the fridge. We use it in so many recipes it is a staple in our diet. When I don’t have rice cooked, I can make it quickly in my Instant Pot. This stir fry can be made with whatever veggies you have on hand but half my household loves mushrooms so this dish was for them.

stir fry broccoli and mushroom

Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry

Ingredients

  • 1 crown broccoli, chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 8 oz mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 4 cups cooked brown rice
  • Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce or Tamari)

As with many of my recipes, you can add more ingredients or remove items you don’t like without a huge problem with the recipe. For example, if you aren’t a big fan of mushrooms use less or use bell peppers in their place.

Do

  1. In a hot skillet or wok add diced onions and sliced carrots, cover with a lid. Check on them regularly and stir. When they begin to stick pour a few tablespoons of water in the skillet and stir again.
  2. Once the carrots are starting to soften, dump in the mushrooms. These will need to cook for several minutes. Once they have exuded their juices and look shiny, pour the broccoli in and cover once again.
  3. Check veggies every few minutes and stir. If they begin to stick to the pan add more water again.
  4. Once all of the veggies are cooked to a tender/crisp consistency dump in your cooked rice and stir. You can use less than 4 cups if desired.  You can also heat the rice separately if desired.
  5. Pour Bragg Liquid Aminos over the rice and veggies. I’d start with a little and add more to taste. We probably use a couple of tablespoons but it is a high sodium food so limit it if necessary.

This meal comes together in less than 20 minutes. If you have to cook the rice allow yourself sufficient time. This is a really easy meal to make and packs perfectly in a lunch box (I only recommend it for adult or older kids lunches).

If you like this, check out my other great Asian inspired meals, Veggie Pad Thai and my easy Oil-Free (un)Fried Rice.

Don’t forget to enter the EasyLunchBoxes Giveaway!

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