My Plant-Based Family

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

Plant Based Diet

Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

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I love vegan tacos and I love my Instant Pot! Naturally, Instant Pot Lentil Tacos would be one of my favorite family friendly vegan recipes.

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

It started in 2014, I would get emails asking if I could create recipes to use in the Instant Pot. My response was always, “sorry, I don’t have an Instant Pot but if you buy me one I’ll make recipes for you.” No one took me up on the offer so eventually I bought one myself. If you aren’t familiar with the Instant Pot it is an electric pressure cooker.

I’ve been slowly adapting my recipes to work in the Instant Pot and today I’m going to share my Lentil Taco’s recipe. You can use the original recipe if you are looking for a stove top version.

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

Taco Tuesday

We don’t necessarily eat Taco Tuesday each week but we enjoy tacos any day of the week. One of the things I love about this recipe is the leftover lentil taco filling can be turned into burritos, Taco Salads, put on nachos or baked potatoes.

You can use these in place or any taco filling. Yes, that means Street Tacos too!

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

Lentil Tacos in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry brown lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp each of salt, garlic powder, chili powder and onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Do

  1. Dump all of the ingredients into our Instant Pot and give it a little stir to mix everything evenly.
  2. Close the lid, make sure you move the pressure release to the sealed position.
  3. Press the Manual button and use the arrows to get to 15.
  4. Once it is done turn the Instant Pot off and release the pressure.
  5. Carefully open the lid and give it a stir. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve

These are great in crunchy or soft tacos, as part of a burrito or taco salad. If you don’t have an Instant Pot don’t worry you can use the stove top recipe, it’s just as easy and just as delicious. For a little variety try my Quinoa-Lentil Tacos! They are a family favorite!

Lentil Tacos in the Instant Pot

Vegan Instant Pot Lentil Tacos

This incredibly east and delicious Instant Pot Lentil Tacos recipe is perfect for people eating a plant-based diet.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Taco Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry brown lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Optional Toppings

  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Jalapeno
  • Cilantro
  • Salsa
  • Avocado

Tortillas

  • Choose your favorite tortillas.

Instructions

  1. Dump all of the taco ingredients (not the toppings) into your Instant Pot and give it a little stir to mix everything evenly.
  2. Close the lid, make sure you move the pressure release to the sealed position.
  3. Press the Manual button and use the arrows to get to 15.
  4. Once it is done turn the Instant Pot off and release the pressure.
  5. Carefully open the lid and give it a stir. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

These lentil tacos leftovers should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator. They will be good for about 5 days.

You can add your favorite toppings. We like to set up a taco bar for everyone to make their own.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Instant Pot

Taco Night Side Dishes

Of course if you are making tacos you might want to have a full meal! My favorite sides to have with tacos are:

What are your taco night must haves?

Simplify Your Morning Routine

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This conversation is sponsored by Silk. All opinions are my own.

I’m always looking for ways to simplify our morning routine. I’m usually out the door by 6:15 and my husband finishes getting our boys ready and to their schools. We don’t have enough time during the week for complicated meals or extra duties.

Simplify your morning routine with Silk

There are a few things we do to make the mornings run smoothly. If we neglect them we have a hard time getting out the door as quickly as we need to. Let’s face it, mornings are difficult enough without chaos.

Tips to Simplify Your Morning Routine

1. We pack lunches the night before

Yes, everyone gets a packed lunch. My husband and I usually have leftovers while the kids get sandwiches, fruit and kid-friendly fare. Both of the boys have to take a snack to school too. I make sure the snack is in the refrigerator right next to the lunches. I try to get these in the back packs before I leave in the morning but if I don’t it’s easy for my husband to grab.

2. Keep a Launching Pad

I don’t know about you but we travel with a lot of stuff on a daily basis. My kids have back packs, lunch bags, sweat shirts that they take to school every day. My husband and I have various things we have to grab like our phones, I have a company computer I tote around along with my purse, my husband carries his wallet, and a few things he needs for work. Let’s not forget our morning travel mug of coffee! When we don’t have all of these things in the correct spot then we forget something. Some people call this spot a launching pad but we just use the end of our counter.

3. Easy breakfasts

Simply breakfasts are really important during this season of life. I have my kids sit down for breakfast every morning while I finish things up. Gone are the days of slow cooking oatmeal in the morning, I need fast and easy. When I plan ahead I can have breakfasts prepped on the weekends.

I’m usually so busy that I just grab breakfast to eat at my office. I recently discovered Silk Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative. It’s make from cultured soy so it’s not a traditional yogurt but it’s so good. We’ve loved every flavor that we’ve tried and with 6 grams of plant-based protein per serving and no artificial flavors or colors it’s a great option for us.

I’ll admit that I was skeptical until I had the first bite, it was smooth, creamy and delicious. My boys have always loved yogurt so I knew they would like it. It’s nice to have another product that is safe for my son with multiple-food allergies. Sign up for Silk’s newsletter here to stay in the loop about new products and join their community.

Do you have tips to help you with your morning routine? I’d love to hear them!

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Goodbye 2014, Hello New Year

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Happy New Year! In addition to the holidays, we just celebrated 2 birthdays and my 3rd blogging anniversary. This is an eventful time of year for us. We have several more birthday’s coming up too.

goodbye2014

Looking back at 2014

I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing as the new year began. A few things that come to mind include:

  • I launched my ebook, The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide on January 1, 2014
  • Our oldest son joined the Navy
  • Our daughter graduated from high school
  • I started Fresh Focus LLC
  • Our two little guys started kindergarten and preschool.
  • My husband lost his job
  • I started working full-time
  • I started pre-selling my eCourse (that launched January 1, 2015)

All in all, it’s been a great year.

Grateful

We feel extremely grateful, even though my husband lost his job, we had a little money in savings to help us out. I was able to find a job that I love, blog writing and doing social media for a faith-based non-profit. In my new job, I am so much more aware of the suffering and devastation that takes place outside of my sheltered little world but I’m also overwhelmed by the love and compassion I see every day. While we continue to pray for a job for my husband we have faith and know God is with us.

I’ve also been looking back at this blog over the last year.

Most Viewed Recipes

Mexican Casserole

Mexican Casserole with the Crock Pot version right behind it

cheesy rice casserole

Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole and the Crock Pot Cheezy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

sweet and tangy

Sweet and Tangy Salad Dressing (oil-free)

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

Thank you for joining me on the allergy-friendly, plant-based journey! I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you through blog comments, on social media and in the My Plant-Based Family Facebook Group.

I don’t make resolutions but my goal for this year is to continue to create healthy recipes that your whole family will love. If you are new to the plant-based lifestyle consider joining the eCourse that recently started! It’s not too late and we have a great group participating!

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

Start the new year with the 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse

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I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I can’t recall anyone that has made a New Year’s resolution that lead to a sustained life change. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen but it doesn’t really seem to last.

I prefer to prepare and make a choice that will lead to a lasting change. That is one of the reasons I put together the 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse. The eCourse lets you learn how to make lasting changes.

So if you are new to a plant-based diet or if you’ve been struggling with sticking to it then this eCourse is for you.

Check out the eCourse page for more information or go ahead and sign up here.

31 Day Plant-Based eCourse and Challenge

The eCourse launches on January 1st, 2015

You’ll get:

  • a copy of The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide: How to Cook, Shop and Eat Well (as a PDF download)
  • a weekly Meal Plan plus recipes
  • a weekly workout guide from Kimbre Varney at Fueling the Temple
  • plus plant-based lessons that cover everything you need to know to thrive on a plant-based diet with special contributions from Andrea Denton of Veggie Craving and Dustin Rudolph the Plant-Based Pharmacist and author of The Empty Medicine Cabinet.
  • and prizes from our sponsor Anne Haring with Pampered Chef.
  • lots of support in our private Facebook group and weekly conference calls.

The eCourse is a $30 dollar investment that can help you change your life. For less than a dollar a day you’ll get daily help and encouragement along with all of the tools you need for a successful lifestyle change.

If you are like us, we were on a number of different prescriptions for chronic health problems; hundred’s of dollars per month went to are pharmacy just to keep us going. After we got on a plant-based diet we no longer take any prescription medications. We felt and looked better than ever. I’m not a doctor but I’ve heard countless stories of regular people regaining their health and reversing disease by making the changes I talk about in this eCourse.

 

ecourse

 

FTC Disclaimer: The eCourse described above is an eCourse I have created and am selling. This website uses affiliate links on which I earn income.

Christmas Gift Ideas

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Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I have not. In fact, I’ve barely begun.

Thankfully I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon. It’s much easier to shop when my kids are in bed and I love the 2 day free shipping (I’m a Prime Member you can also Give the Gift of Amazon Prime or just sign up for a Start Free Trial).

Christmas gift ideas

The Christmas Gift Ideas

This year’s gift guide will focus on my favorite things for the kitchen so you may want to email this to your spouse or post it on your Facebook to sufficiently drop the hint. Let’s face it, most of us need a few hints.

Instant Pot

Instant Pot

Of course the newest and most used thing in my kitchen is our Instant Pot. I’ve been hearing from readers who love theirs too. The best deal is usually on Amazon. It the Instant Pot is out of your budget a Crock Pot may be for you depending on your schedule and cooking preferences.

Blendtec

We love our Blendtec Total Blender. We got ours at Costco but you can find them on Amazon. The best deal is at the Blendtec site where you can find a refurbished blender with a great warranty.

If you cannot afford a high-powered blender but need something for chopping or making dips you could go with a Magic Bullet or a Food Processor. I used those for years before investing in a good blender and they did a great job but I’ve replaced them both with my Blendtec.

Budget-Friendly Ideas

There are many low-cost kitchen items that wear out and should be replaced every few years like Cutting Boards, Silicone Spatula’s (mine are always lost because my kids use them as ninja swords) and Pyrex Containers. My Measuring Cups and Spoons are always disappearing too. I don’t know a single friend who has a good set of pot holders, while they may not be romantic they are probably much needed.

Experiences

Cooking classes, tasting events and other experiences are also fun gifts. They can be made even more special if you buy two for a couples, girls night or mother-daughter experience.

You could also look into my 31 Day Plant-Based eCourse and Challenge. It starts January 1st and would be a great gift. We have great prizes lined up (hello Pampered Chef) and some great contributors!

Most importantly remember the reason for the season. Christmas is not about receiving gifts, it is about Jesus.

So instead of spending too much money on gifts that will soon be forgotten I hope you will find ways to love others. Remember those who have less than you or those who may be alone for the holidays.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I may earn a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting this website with your purchases. 

Simple Veggie Soup in the Instant Pot

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I want to start by telling you that this soup can be made on the stove or in the Crock Pot as well. For those of you with an Instant Pot you can cook this soup much more quickly.

This Simple Veggie Soup (in the Instant Pot) is so easy and delicious. You can add different ingredients if you prefer but this is made with basic veggie staples that we always have on hand. You know me, I like to keep it simple.

simple veggie soup

There are a few variations on this recipe. To make this soup heartier you can add Great Northern beans. It will cook more quickly if you soak the beans ahead of time. The soup is delicious with or without beans.

I added all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot in the morning and set the timer to come on 4 hours later so it would be ready in the afternoon. This will allow the beans to soak for a while if you are using them

Simple Veggie Soup in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 2 cups broccoli, chopped
  • 1 large carrots, sliced (this equaled 1 cup of carrots for me)
  • 5 red potatoes, quartered (I didn’t peel them)
  • 3 liters of water (12 cups)
  • 1 cup dry Great Northern beans (optional)
  • bullion or dry broth mix (read the label to figure out the appropriate amount)

Do

  1. Put all of the ingredients into the Instant Pot and close the lid.
  2. Press the SOUP button, then if using the timer press the TIMER button.
  3. Use the + or – buttons to select the appropriate number of hours you’d like the Instant Pot to delay cooking. (The time will be the delayed time before the Instant Pot starts.) Remember that it takes time for the Instant Pot to heat up and cool down, especially when cooking soup so you need to take that time into consideration.
  4. Once the Soup is done the Instant Pot will keep it warm until you press CANCEL. Allow the steam to release naturally or use the quick release.

Serve

We eat this soup as is with maybe a sprinkle of salt. It’s perfect if you’ve been fighting a cold or are just in the mood for warm veggies.

Notes

If you are cooking it immediately you do not need to select the TIMER button.

If you are using dry beans they need to be soaked OR you may need to increase the cooking time, check the cooking time chart to be sure.

If you are making this in the Crock Pot just cook it all day or for about 6 hours.

If you are using beans and cooking this on the stove it will take about 90 minutes to cook soaked beans, if the beans haven’t been soaked it will take longer. I recommend you cook the beans first then add them to the soup.

The soup will take about 30 minutes without beans or with previously cooked beans.

Do you ever just make a simple soup? What are your “must” have ingredients?