My Plant-Based Family

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

Plant Based Diet

Overnight Chia Porridge

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When we learned that half of our household had a sensitivity to oats our oatmeal consumption went way down. For a while we replaced that with toast and cereal but both were much more expensive that oats, especially since we had to buy gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free versions. That is when we embraced Overnight Chia Porridge.

Vegan and Gluten-free overnight Chia Porridge

I’m no stranger to chia seeds and I’m not talking about chia pets. We’ve been eating chia seeds regularly since the beginning of our plant-based journey. In fact, in our house we call them “sprinkles” and I keep them in a little shaker bottle. My boys get sprinkles on almost everything they eat. When they hear other kids talking about sprinkles they will chime in because they eat sprinkles too. (yes, I have lots of evil tricks like this)

Vegan and Gluten-free overnight Chia Porridge

Overnight Chia Porridge

Ingredients

Do

  1. Pour seeds into a jar with a leak-proof lid.
  2. Pour milk over seeds, tighten lid and give it a good shake.
  3. Wait about 15-20 minutes then give jar another good shake.
  4. Store overnight in the refrigerator.

Serve

The chia (and hemp seeds) will absorb the milk and you’ll be left with a full jar of firm porridge. I typically use a few tablespoons of porridge and mix it with grains and fruit.

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Meal Plan Monday: Summer Meal Routine

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Does your cooking style change in the summer? I like simple all year-long but in the summer I DO NOT want to spend time in the kitchen and I pretty much refuse to turn on the oven. I’ll occasionally make an exception, but rarely.

I also take advantage of batch cooking. For example I’ll cook a large pot of quinoa without any seasoning to be used for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I double batch of Mexican Rice will find its way into burritos, salads and as a side dish. The Crock Pot comes in handy for beans to be used in most meals.

Meal Plan Monday! Vegan and gluten-free Meal plans!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I’ve been embracing chia seeds at breakfast but most days are cold cereal. I’ll often sprinkle chia on whatever we are eating.

  • Chia porridge with maple syrup and fruit.
  • Toast with WOW Butter and apple slices.
  • Cereal and rice milk
  • Breakfast Rice with raisins and diced apples
  • Breakfast Quinoa with blueberries and chia seeds

Lunch

Batch cooking saves lunch time every day. Most of the time I don’t even reheat the food because my kids like leftovers cold.

Dinner

I’m all about ease and keeping the house cool these days. Most of these dishes are quickly mixed together for a meal. I cook large batches of foods, like Mexican Rice, to use in multiple dishes throughout the week.

My kids are eating lots of fruit and some veggies for snacks. The top picks this week are apples, blueberries, grapes, nectarines, apricots, cherries, plums, bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots.

My kids are allowed to eat fruit almost any time. If they still have a meal on the table they may have to eat it first but raw fruit and veggies between meals is the norm. We don’t often have chips, crackers, or other processed foods available.

What do meals look like in your house during the summer?

Mexican Rice

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This Mexican Rice recipe has been a family favorite for years! In fact, it is one of the first recipes I posted here and one of the first recipes my husband taught me to make when we got together.

Mexican Rice

I’ve seen this recipe discussed in online communities and while everyone said it was delicious some insisted it should be called Spanish Rice instead of Mexican Rice. If you have time to kill, feel free to google the difference, everyone has an opinion and everyone insists they are right.

This recipe was adapted from the recipe my husband grew up eating. When I started making it I removed the oil and started measuring the ingredients. At the time we lived in the South where Tex-Mex reigns. You can add optional veggies like onion, peas and carrots. I usually leave them out due to forgetfulness and ease.

I love adding cilantro though! Some people hate cilantro and that’s OK, it doesn’t need it.

When we started eating plant-based, I started making this with brown rice. It takes about 40 minutes to cook brown rice. Lately I’ve been making it with white rice because it cooks in only 20 minutes!

Mexican Rice

This recipe can be made with basic pantry staples and can serve 4 generously as a side dish. I’ll warn you though, if there is a little left it is really hard to save the leftovers without eating it straight from the skillet.

I love using it to meal prep because it reheats so well! I eat it plain with beans, in Taco Salads, Burritos and just about anything else you can think of.

Mexican Rice

Plant-Based Mexican Rice

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups of water
  • 1 cup of short grain brown rice (or use long grain white rice for a quicker recipe)
  • 8 oz tomato sauce (you can make do with 6 oz if you need the extra 2 for Lentil Tacos)
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • handful of chopped cilantro, optional

Do

  1. Dump all of the ingredients except cilantro (is you are using it) into a skillet and turn on medium heat.
  2. Cover skillet with a lid and set timer for 45 minutes. OR, if using long grain white rice, cook for 20 minutes.
  3. When timer beeps give the rice a good stir. If liquid remains remove lid and let the rice cook a few more minutes to allow liquid to evaporate.

If using cilantro toss it on top and cover with the lid for a few moments.

Serve

This Mexican Rice is the perfect side dish to tacos, but can also be used in a Bean and Grain Bowl, burritos, or Taco Salad.

If you are looking for more delicious Mexican inspired recipes take a look at my Mexican Food Page or my Pinterest Board for Plant-Based Mexican Food.

Get out of the rut with a Plant-Based Allergy Friendly Meal Plan

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If you’ve been in a cooking run summer is the perfect time to break out of it. I hope you’ve noticed the new summer fruit and veggies that are available this time of year. We just bought our first bag of plums, last week it was apricots. Instead of reaching for an unhealthy snack choose seasonal fruit. Make sure you buy extra and keep some in the freezer for smoothies.

If you struggle to get more fruit in your diet try a piece of fruit with every meal and reach for fruit in place of dessert.

For those of you who struggle to include enough veggies throughout the day try adding salads to your meals. Make sure to include your favorite seasonal veggies. Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for more ideas. If you really aren’t a salad person and can’t be persuaded try raw veggies and a good veggie dip.

Meal Plan for a plant-based diet! It's also gluten-free and nut-free! Perfect for anyone trying to eat healthy this summer!

Plant-Based Allergy Friendly Meal Plan

Breakfast

  • Chia Seed Breakfast Bowl
  • Smoothies
  • Apples with WOWBUTTER
  • Cereal
  • Baked Potatoes

Lunch

  • Dinner Leftovers
  • Veggie Sandwiches
  • Taco Salad
  • Soup and Salad or Baked Potatoes

Dinner

I’ve got a few more ideas too like a Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler or maybe Chocolate Pudding Pops.

What are your favorite summer fruit and veggies?

I also want to thank each of your for the incredible support concerning my Open Letter. I’m still trying to respond to all of the messages, comments, and social media shares.The message of the Open Letter has touched so many of you personally. Thank you all for helping to spread awareness and save lives!

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Meal Plan Monday: Stocked and Ready to Go

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Prepping foods on the weekend help me feel like I have a great start on the week. Yesterday I cooked brown rice and soaked white beans, I’ll cook the beans today. We also did our regular grocery shop, our bi-weekly Costco trip and I took my husband to Whole Foods for the first (and second time). The first one didn’t have what I needed so we drove a little farther to the next one.

I feel like we spent a lot of money this weekend because we were out a lot but we have a kitchen FULL of healthy foods and we took our kids out to eat a couple of times.

Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I’m working on some new breakfast ideas this week. Additionally, we have apricots, strawberries, blueberries and grapes to add to our meals. We always have apples but are enjoying the new variety that summer brings.

  • Fruity Grain Bowl
  • Smoothies
  • GF Pancakes
  • Cereal
  • Muffins, maybe Blueberry

Lunch

Lunches will be quick this week, using mostly leftovers with sandwiches to fill in the gaps.

Dinner

My husband has already made his request and the rest is up to me, and our crazy schedule.

Snacks

I don’t mention snacks on the Meal Plan every week but we eat a lot of snacks. Usually fruit, my 3 year old eats at least 5 apples everyday, he is obsessed. We eat other fruit also, along with veggies. Most of the time when I need a snack I’ll grab a baked potato or a little leftovers. I feel like my kids are grazing ALL DAY.

I’ve also been making some dips that are amazing. I’ll share those soon! I have high hopes to do some baking this week. If I do I’ll be sure to show it off on Instagram.

I’m going to try some new recipes from Sweet Debbie’s Organic Treats after my next trip to the store. It uses a few flours I don’t normally have and I couldn’t remember what they were while at the store this weekend. The recipes are nut free, vegan and gluten-free so I’m excited to try them. If you’ve made any recipes from this cookbook let me know which one I should make first.

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Plant-Based Basics: Beans

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Today I’m starting a new series called Plant-Based Basics! This series is one you won’t want to miss if you are new to a plant-based diet or if you feel like you’ve been struggling to eat well. This series will also be the perfect thing to send to you friends or family who are curious about what you eat.

Plant-Based Basics: Beans What you need to know to get started eating healthy

Today’s focus will be on Beans. For many plant-based eaters, myself included, beans make up a large portion of our diet.

Why Eat Beans

Let’s look at a few reasons that Beans are so good for you.

  • High in Soluble and Insoluble FiberWhy eat beans?
  • High in Protein
  • High in Carbohydrates
  • High in Minerals
  • High in Vitamins
  • Low in Fat
  • No Cholesterol

Eating beans reduces the risk of “chronic disease such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease” according to the USDA.

Beans are easy to include into your menu whether you eat vegan, vegetarian, or just trying to cut your grocery bill.

There are a lot of different types of beans too. I typically use pinto beans, black beans, white beans, and chickpeas most often. My favorite bean to use when I’m in a hurry is the lentil. Lentils are smaller and cook quickly.

Canned vs. Dry Beans

Canned beans are delicious and healthy. Although canned beans often contain large amounts of salt. Reduce the sodium levels by rinsing canned beans before using. Canned beans are fully cooked and can be eaten without any further preparation.

Dry Beans need to be cooked before eating. Follow the steps below for Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans or use this Printer-Friendly Guide: How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans.

You can expect to spend a lot more money on canned beans compared to dry beans. While dry beans are less expensive they take more time to prepare. Most people still consider canned beans to be inexpensive compared to animal products.

How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans

  1. Sort dry beans making sure there are no rocks, sticks or other debris.
  2. Rinse your beans with clean water.
  3. Put rinsed beans in a pot and cover them with water. I generally use a 1 part bean, 2 parts water ratio but you can use more water.
  4. Soak beans overnight.
  5. The next day, rinse the beans again and refill water. The water should cover the beans.
  6. Bring the beans to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Cook the beans from 1-3 hours. Some beans take longer to cook than others. (You can add onions, garlic, a bay leaf, etc. if desired.)
  7. Beans become soft when done. You can scoop up a few beans in a spoon and lightly blow on them, if the bean skin peels away they are done.

A one pound bag of dry beans is about 2 1/2 cups. Once cooked they will make about 5 cups of beans.

One can of beans is about 1 1/2 cups. Most of the time you will want to drain and rinse the beans if using canned.

Lentils do not need to be soaked prior to cooking. They cook quickly in about 20 minutes.

Some people swear by products like the Instant Pot Programmable Pressure Cooker, Stove Top Pressure Cooker’s, or Crock-Pot Slow Cookers for cooking beans.

Plant-Based Beans

How to Eat Beans

Beans are incredibly versatile! They can be eaten whole, puréed, ground into flour, partially mashed or even baked into treats.

We eat whole beans often. I like them in burritos, wraps, casseroles, mixed into soup or chili or just by themselves.

We also eat puréed beans a lot. Hummus is a popular bean recipe that can be made in a ton of different flavors.

Plant-Based Beans

Favorite Recipes that use Beans

Most of our favorite recipes are Mexican food but beans are used throughout the world.  These recipes are our favorites. Feel free to add links to your favorite recipes in the comments.

Even when a recipe specifies a particular kind of bean, often other beans can be substituted.

I use pinto beans and black beans interchangeably in many recipes including Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup, Unfried Beans (although I alter the spices slightly when making Unfried Black Beans), Taco Salad, Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole, or Bean and Grain Bowls.

I use white beans (Great Northern Beans) and garbanzo beans interchangeable too.  A few of our favorite recipes are Green Chili White Bean Dip, Lasagna, Creamy Italian Salad Dressing, Chickpea Noodle Soup, Lemony Quinoa Salad and many more.

I use lentils in Lentil Tacos, Quinoa-Lentil Tacos, Lentil & Barley Stew, Quinoa-Lentil Salad and Lentil Shepherd’s Pie. I also randomly include them in almost anything. I feel like Lentils are the ultimate super food.

Are you a Bean Eater? What is your favorite way to prepare and enjoy beans?

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