My Plant-Based Family

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

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FAQ’s: Oats

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Occasionally I like to post questions here that I get asked through email or Facebook. Today I’ll be discussing oats. Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
Nutty Apple Cinnamon oatmeal
Easy & Inexpensive
We typically buy whole grain rolled oats, occasionally I’ll buy steel cut oats. I no longer buy the instant oats. The rolled oats are less processed but can easily be whizzed through a food processor for an instant oat effect. It took a little while to get used to them but now they are my favorite. I felt like I was fueled longer when I ate the rolled opposed to the 1 minute instant. Still the instant are better than the little packages and most breakfast cereals. Oats are also inexpensive, I talk more about their cost efficiency here.
Quick
If time is of concern the rolled oats can be made pretty quickly too. I make them in the microwave most mornings. You need a big bowl, not a typically cereal/soup bowl. I use a serving bowl. I don’t measure but just pour in enough for a few servings including water then microwave for 2 minutes. I stir then cook 1 more minute. It is usually perfect. It may take some practice but it is quick, easy, and inexpensive. If you think microwaves are evil, which I understand, they can be easily cooked on the stove.
Healthy
One cup of cooked oatmeal contains 307 calories, 5 grams of fat, 8 grams dietary fiber, and 11 grams of protein. When my family eats oatmeal we are less likely to make poor food choices a few hours later. My kids have evolved to favor oatmeal (even unsweetened) instead of cereal. They always ask for “sprinkles” which are really just chia seeds and walnuts.
The Gluten Issue
Oats are naturally gluten-free but are usually processed on the same equipment as grains that do contain gluten. Most oats are cross-contaminated with gluten. If you have a gluten sensitivity or allergy you can buy gluten-free oats that are processed and packaged in a dedicated gluten-free facility. Gluten-free oats will cost a lot more than oats that are from a regular facility.
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Do you eat oats or oatmeal? I can’t imagine an easier meal that is less expensive and healthier than oatmeal. At the next Healthy Cravings I’m going to have an Oatmeal Buffet with as many toppings and add-ins as I can imagine. What is your favorite way to eat oats?

Meal Plan Monday: Trying New Dinner Recipes

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Breakfast Tacos
Breakfast Tacos

We really enjoyed last week’s Soup Week. It was probably the most delicious week we have had in a while.

We didn’t do our normal weekly grocery trip this weekend, I’m sure we will have to go at some point this week but my hope is it use up odds and ends to save a little money and avoid another shopping trip. We will have to run out for more fruit. We are down to two bunches of bananas, a dozen apples, and 2 oranges along with a few other splurge items. That wont last long around here.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be a little different this week. We normally have oatmeal most days but we are almost out so I’ll be mixing it up a bit. We will probably have pancakes, baked sweet potatoes, Breakfast Quinoa, and maybe even cereal.

Lunch will be leftovers most days. My kids like almond butter sandwiches a lot, I usually serve them with sliced apples. I’ve been craving salads since the last Healthy Cravings so I may have a few gargantuan Italian salads. I may even make a pot of soup too to use up the veggies I don’t really like eating plain, like celery.

Snack is usually fruit. Apples, bananas, and oranges are typically available but right now I also have a lovely pineapple and blueberries. We may have smoothies too because I have a big bag of kale.

Dinner may be a little tougher without making a trip to the store. I love breakfast for dinner. Last week I made Breakfast Tacos for a potluck and everyone loved them. I’ve been daydreaming about those tacos ever since. I’d love to do a Chickpea-Quinoa Stir Fry too, maybe even add a little of that pineapple. I’m in the beginning stages of coming up with a sautéed mushroom and lentil dish, I’m still trying to decided what I want to serve it over, maybe potatoes or rice but I’d really like a more interesting (and GF) option. If I really get creative we may have homemade GF pizza. I haven’t made gluten-free pizza before but I’d like to give it a try soon. I have a medium-sized pot of beans soaking now so I’ll be making something with those as well.

If these new recipes turn out I’ll be sharing them, if not…well just forget I mentioned it.

What are you eating this week? I like trying new things and mixing and matching different ingredients I think (hope) will taste good together. During the day I’m content with eating the same thing most days but in the evening I want variety. What about you?

Meal Plan Monday: The Week of Experimentation

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This week I’ll be experimenting with a lot of new recipe ideas. I hope I didn’t get your hopes up and make you think I was talking about scuba diving, rappelling, or wind surfing. I have done all of those things, but not recently. My idea of a good time is far less adventuresome these days.

Parfaits

Meal Plan

Breakfast is still oatmeal. No, I’m not tired of it yet; I change it up daily. It is the best way for me to get my omega 3s in early. If I don’t I usually don’t get them. Plus my boys love oatmeal and cheer when I made it. Some mornings I may have toast with almond butter and apple slices.

Lunch is usually leftovers but we are a little bare in that department right now. I’ll make extra for dinner this week so we acquire some. I also plan to have veggie stuffed pitas for me and almond butter sandwiches for my boys. Bean and grain bowls are easy to throw together too.

Snack will be fruit, parfaits, or smoothies. I haven’t been eating near enough fruit lately so I want to focus on intentionally eating more.

Dinner will be new recipes. This weekend I created a delicious plant-based lasagna that I’ll post soon. Monday I made an incredible soup with brown rice, black beans, green chilis, and cilantro. My husband didn’t get any because he had a dinner to attend, I was supposed to go but I was sick and so was my babysitter. Double Whammy! I’ll be making a much larger pot of it again tomorrow and hopefully I’ll get some better pictures. I took a few on my phone and posted them to Facebook but it was too dark and I was too hungry to spend any more time on it. I plan to take a swing at a Baked Mac and No Cheese. I have a specific vision in mind for this so I’m really hoping it turns out well. I will probably cook one other big meal but I don’t know what it is yet. I have some black-eyed peas soaking so it may involve them but I’ll also make more beans this week.

spaghetti squash
My First Attempt at Spaghetti Squash

I did some experimenting last week too. I made spaghetti squash for the first time. It was ok but I had forgotten why I stopped making spaghetti. It is too messy for a two-year old! I’ll stick to small noodles for a while. I also made a chocolate swirl banana bread that was pretty good but I was going for more of a coffee cake. I plan to tweak it more before I share it with the world. Lastly, I made my first tofu scramble. I know, I don’t use tofu. You’re right I don’t but I do like to try new things and I had some left from making Somer’s Ranch Dressing. My boys loved the scramble. I didn’t eat it because I had just had dental work and opted for Potato Soup. I don’t think the scramble will make it into our regular rotation but it may make an appearance every once in a while.

lasagna
Lasagna Side View Before Baking

So you like to try new things, either in the kitchen or in everyday life?

Meal Plan Monday

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Garden Salad

Believe it or not I haven’t been doing near enough cooking. To remedy that I plan to do more cooking this week. I’ve already made a BIG pot of beans today. There are so versatile when I need a quick meal. I know they will keep us from hitting the drive-thru.

Meal Plan

Breakfast will be oatmeal most days. I’m really trying to avoid the expense (and nutritional void) of store-bought cereal but I want to mix up a big batch of granola and maybe even some granola bars for those on-the-go mornings. I have busy mornings planned for almost everyday this week so having something I can grab as we run out the door will be a big help.

Lunch will probably be sandwiches as we rush in from those busy mornings. I can get creative with those but my boys don’t really require much creativity. I use gluten-free bread for my youngest and whole grain wheat for me and my almost 4 year old. Peanut butter, almond butter are regulars but I like to use different kind of fruit instead of jelly. We also use apple butter. When I’m in the mood for something different I’ll have a veggie sandwich with hummus. My husband takes leftovers to work most days.

Snack will probably be fruit. I bought blueberries, strawberries, oranges, apples, and bananas for a good price. I may make smoothies with spinach and some combination of fruit.

Dinner will be a little more labor intensive but my evenings are mostly free this week. Potato Soup will be my soup of choice after I go to the dentist. We plan to make a bunch of bean burritos one evening. Most of the burritos will be frozen for future meals. I have some tomatoes waiting to be made into pico de gallo and avocados waiting to accompany the burritos. Speaking of burritos, this Breakfast Stir Fry makes a filling meal, especially when served in a tortilla. I may also make some Mexican Rice to go along with any leftover beans. Lasagna (GF and vegan) will make an appearance late in the week along with a really colorful salad. If I need any other dinners I’ll make soup, possibly Enchilada Soup.

I’m meeting with a few people this week to help them with their meal plans. I prefer an unstructured meal plan that I can change based on the days events or groceries on hand. I know many people like a more structured meal plan with each meal scheduled. Which style do you prefer and why? 

Healthy Cravings Recap: Are You Ready for the Super Bowl

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I don’t watch football but I don’t mind attending a Super Bowl Party, especially if there is good food. Since my idea of good food varies greatly from that of the average person this months Healthy Cravings focused on Super Bowl and party food.

Most of the recipes I’ve been posting lately were recipes presented at Healthy Cravings. Almost all of the recipes were given rave reviews.

Nachos

We started with  Nacho Bar! A friend let me borrow here Crockpot Trio which contained Quinoa-Lentil Tacos, Unfried Beans, and Faux Cheese Sauce. I also had salsa, guacamole, black olives, jalapenos and of course tortilla chips.

I also had the typical veggie tray with Somer’s Vegan Ranch Dressing. Everyone liked it, I used rice milk instead of soy and it didn’t get as thick. Somer told me the soy milk is better so you should try it that way instead.

CHICKpea salad

We also had the CHICKpea salad in lettuce wraps. One of the ladies who attended had just told her husband that she did not like chickpeas; her mind was changed once she tasted these.

I made a gluten-free chocolate cake for dessert but I’m still tweaking the recipe. Hopefully I’ll be sharing it soon.

Another popular item was deviled potatoes that are posted at Happy Herbivore; they were really easy too. I wanted to make Buffalo Cauliflower but as time got short they were cut from the line up. Two friends helped out by bringing a few things. We had Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms using this walnut-pesto recipe from Veggies In My Freezer; another friend brought a pea dip and some delicious energy balls. I don’t have the links for those unfortunately but they were good.

We had great conversation and watched some clips from the Forks Over Knives Extended Interviews. One of the ladies who started coming to Healthy Cravings in September and switched to a plant-based diet in October shared how she has lost over 40 pounds. She is eating healthier and so is her daughter.

Not everyone who comes is eating plant-based but many are trying to eat healthier or just get more ideas and add variety to their diets.

What are you favorite party or Super Bowl Foods? I think the Nacho Bar was my favorite!

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

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We eat a lot of Mexican food around here. A few of the first recipes I posted were Lentil Tacos and Quinoa Tacos. Most of the time I prefer a combination of the two. Enter Quinoa-Lentil Tacos.

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

I made these for some ladies last week and they all wanted the recipe so I guess everyone else loves them as much as we do. We don’t always keep tortillas on hand anymore so we normally eat this on nachos or in a lettuce wrap. I assure you these are great in stuffed burritos too.

It’s easy to throw these together with ingredients that are already cooked. When I make a big batch of quinoa and lentils, I’ll make these when I don’t have a lot of time to cook.

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

Try using this taco filling on baked potatoes too.

This recipe can be kept warm in the oven or a crockpot until ready to eat. Try Quinoa-Lentil Tacos with Faux Cheese Sauce, Unfried Beans, and Mexican Rice. This recipe is pretty mild since I serve it to company and kids often but I love to spice it up!

If your family is not following a plant-based diet this recipe could be added to your traditional tacos to make them healthier, more filling, and more frugal.

This recipe will make about 4 cups of taco “meat” and you can use about 1/4 cup per taco for a total of 16 tacos give or take a few and about half as many burritos.

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

This healthy, plant-based taco recipe is both filling and delicious. Choose your favorite ingredients or make it a Taco Bar so everyone can make it their way.

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 c cooked quinoa
  • 2 c cooked brown lentils
  • 1½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1½ tsp onion powder
  • 1½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 4 oz tomato sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • crushed red pepper (optional more spice)
  • add your favorite taco fixings like lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and tortillas
Instructions
  1. If quinoa and lentils are cold heat in microwave or on stove until warm.
  2. Mix the lentils, quinoa, seasonings and tomato sauce together in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Assemble your tacos with your favorite ingredients.