My Plant-Based Family

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

Unprocessed

Healthy Eating Challenge Meal Plan week 3

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If you are participating in the 21 Day Plant-Based Healthy Eating Challenge you are now in the homestretch. If you are just hearing about this a group of us endeavored on a 21 Day challenge of eating 90% unprocessed foods with pretty aggressive daily goals. It’s not too late to join in. Read more about it here. There are still lots of prizes available!

To keep in line with the challenge this weeks Plant-Based Meal Plan will focus on unprocessed foods.

Healthy Eating Challenge Meal Plan

Healthy Eating Challenge Meal Plan

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

If you’ve been participating in the challenge I’d love to hear what you think about it!

If you aren’t participating I’ve got great news! Our next challenge will start January 1st! More details to follow.

21 Day Plant-Based Healthy Eating Challenge

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Do you struggle with your Plant-Based Diet? You are not alone. I hear from people all of the time who are having a hard time sticking to (or starting) a plant-based diet.

21 Day Plant-Based Healthy Eating Challenge

Starting November 1st I’ll begin a 21 Day Plant-Based Healthy Eating Challenge and I’d love for you to join me.

21 Day Plant-Based Healthy Eating Challenge begins November 1st

The Guidelines

There aren’t a lot of rules but there are guidelines. They can be adapted to meet your particular needs. For example if you can’t tolerate grains then adapt this to your needs. If you are like me and thrive with grains eat more. If you need more calories eat nuts, seeds, avocado, etc. If you need to lose weight omit those high calorie plant-foods.

“Headquarters” for the Challenge will be at The My Plant-Based Family Group (not the page).

 

21 Day plant based Healthy Eating Challenge

Each day I’ll create a thread and you’ll report in and tell me how many points you earned for the day. I’ll keep a tally and each week  I’ll (discretely) post the rankings for example John S., Suzy Q., Jane D. I’m working on arranging giveaways from sponsors for participants.

If there is an interest we will have weekly Video Chat using Google Hangouts where you can ask questions and get support.

About the Food

How can I eat that much food? For the purposes of this Challenge consider 1/2 cup to be a serving size, except for raw greens (those are 1 cup serving size). Let’s look at one possibility of a typical day.

Breakfast

1 cup of Oatmeal, with 1/2 cup of blueberries

[2 servings grains, 1 serving fruit]

Mid-Morning Snack

A Banana

[1 serving fruit]

Lunch

Burrito Bowl with 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup black beans, 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes/onion/peppers (salsa) and one apple

[1 serving grains, 1 serving beans, 2 servings veggies, 1 serving fruit]

Mid-Afternoon Snack

1 cup raw veggies like carrots, peppers, cucumbers etc. with 1/2 cup (oil-free) hummus and 1/2 cup of grapes

[1 serving veggies, 1 serving beans, 1 serving fruit]

Dinner

Chickpea Noodle Soup, side salad and a baked Cinnamon Apple

[1 serving beans, 2 serving veggies, 1 serving fruit]

This menu is roughly 5 servings of fruit, 6 servings of veggies, 3 servings of grains and 3 servings of beans. Our goal will be to eat 90% unprocessed plant-based foods.

To “sign-up” simply Join the My Plant-Based Family Facebook Group. There will be a post “pinned” to the top, read it and comment appropriately. Each day you’ll report in and I’ll dispense information via the group. If there is an overwhelming amount of people not on facebook that want to participate I’ll consider a Google+ group for the Challenge.

Please note that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. You should consult your doctor or registered dietitian for nutritional advice. 

September’s Plant-Based Meal Plans

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Have you been waiting on these? I’m sorry to make you wait but I had to get them perfect, well as perfect as possible.

The new Plant-Based Meal Plans are here. If you’ve wanted to purchase a Custom Meal Plan but didn’t want to spend the money then these Meal Plans are for you.

plant based meal plans

There are 2 plans to choose from and both are oil-free and allergy-friendly.

Learn more on my Plant-Based Meal Plan Page.

Here is a peek at what you get.

Plant Based Meal Plans

Order Plan 1 Add to Cart

Order Plan 2 Add to Cart

Or buy both and save!

September’s Plant-Based Meal Plans are allergy-friendly, contain no oil and just like the other recipes you find here they are easy and delicious.  Read more HERE.

If you are a blogger check out my Affiliates Page for affiliate opportunities.

Oven Roasted Salsa

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Let me be up front about this. This is not one of my quick recipes, BUT it is incredibly easy AND delicious. This Roasted Salsa taste better than my favorite Mexican restaurant.

If you have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden or if you just can’t resist the low prices at the store and farmers markets then I have a recipe you really need to try. I’m addicted to it.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Roasted Salsa

Ingredients

  • 8 Roma Tomatoes (more or less)
  • 2 Jalapeno Peppers
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1/4 of an onion
  • salt to taste (optional)

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash your produce. Put tomatoes and garlic in one oven safe pan and put your jalapenos in a separate pan. You do not need oil! I didn’t roast the onion because I didn’t have much left but you could. Watch it so that it doesn’t burn.
  3. Roast veggies (1 hour for jalapenos, 2 hours for tomatoes and garlic).
  4. Remove from oven and allow everything to cool so that it can be handled.
  5. Once everything is cool put the tomatoes, jalapenos, half of the garlic and the onion in a high-powered blender. I used my Blendtec and pushed the “Dip” button. I also removed the skins from my tomatoes and the seeds from the jalapenos and tomatoes before blending them. You don’t have to do this, it’s just an extra step. (If you don’t have a Blendtec I recommend putting it on your Christmas List. You can even get a Reconditioned Blendtec for a great deal.)
  6. Blend until there are no large chunks, add a little salt if needed.

Serve

This is heaven with tortilla chips but I’ve also eaten it on Black Bean Tostadas and Tacos. Today I’ll have it on my Baked Potato.

You can mix things up and use roasted onion, roasted corn, whatever you have in abundance. This made about 2 cups for me but it will depend on the size of your tomatoes.

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Meal Plan Monday: Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less

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We are still celebrating Back to School month here at My Plant-Based Family. I know your kids may not have started school yet but I hope this month has given you some great ideas to get you ready. I’ve still got some things to share.

Back to School Month

We’ve had a Back to School Meal Plan that was filled with my quickest and easiest meals, and Batch Cooking Meal Plan that helped you prepare for the week ahead of time and a Crock Pot Week Meal Plan that used the Crock Pot every day.

This weeks Plant-Based Meal Plan fill focus on having dinner in 30 minutes or less. I’ll be using canned beans or beans that were previously cooked (I’ve got a few bags in my freezer). I’ll also “cheat” a little by cooking the Baked Potatoes in my Crock Pot.

Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

I don’t assign days to our dinners because I don’t always know what our schedule will be like. We have t ball on Monday’s and Wednesday’s but we also have a teenager and I never really know when we will be home. When he is home I make TWO dinners. He can eat a whole (4-5 person) dinner by himself. If you can relate please let me know.

All of these choices are fairly quick. I just use what is available and quick cooking.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Pizza Pasta using seasonal veggies with steamed veggies on the side.

Gluten-Free Pancakes this recipe is only in Gabriel’s Fundraiser Cookbook. Get it now, it’s only available until the end of August. I may serve this with a Breakfast Stir Fry.

BBQ Chickpeas on top of Baked Potatoes with Steamed Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Veggie Soup using whatever is around. I’ve been making soups ever few days for lunch. We’ve had Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup, Potato Soup, Broccoli and Potato Soup and more.

Simplified Red Lentil Curry used exclusively in my Custom Meal Plans. I’ll be serving this over quinoa, rice or potatoes.

There you have it, a Plant-Based Meal Plan with dinner in 30 minutes or less. You may have to be strategic but it can work.

I’ve got a few recipes coming up this week. I’ll give you a few hints. They are round, sweet and the perfect dessert for you kids lunch box! The are also vegan, gluten-free and nut free.

 

Plant-Based Basics: Grains

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This is the second installment in a series called Plant-Based Basics. This series is designed for those of you who are brand new to a plant-based diet but I think the information will serve as a helpful reminder for anyone.

Plant Based Basics Grains

Today’s focus will be on Grains. In recent years there is a lot of controversy surrounding grains. Books, blogs and “experts” are claiming that grains are evil and don’t belong in your diet.

I have a serious problem with that point of view. Often when people refer to grains they group all grains and products made with grain into the same category; let’s not pretend rolled oats are equal to donuts. These people also talk about how bad carbs are for you.

Or they base their opinions on “experts” that haven’t done any legitimate studies. Since I am not a medical professional I’ll leave the science to the expert’s like Dr. McDougall (read his article that counter’s the claims in the leading anti-grain movement).

I’m not claiming that all grains are healthy for everyone. If you’ve been around here long you know my son cannot handle wheat/gluten. We avoid all grains containing gluten for his sake.

Whole grains that are minimally processed are healthy and should be eaten (unless you have a medical condition that requires a grain-free diet).

Grains, especially whole grains, are an essential part of a healthy diet. All types of grains are good sources of complex carbohydrates and some key vitamins and minerals. Grains are also naturally low in fat. All of this makes grains a healthy option. Better yet, they’ve been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems. Mayo Clinic

Examples of Whole Grains

There are more varieties of grains than I can mention. I have the most experience with rice, wheat, oats, corn, barley, and millet. Grains are often ground into flour and refined. To maintain their healthy promoting properties I recommend you enjoy them with as little processing as possible.

How to Eat Whole Grains

I prefer to cook grains but many people like to sprout them and eat them raw. Many grains can be cooked with a 2:1 water to grain ratio while some might require more water.

Favorite Recipes

Whole Grain Breakfast Ideas

Oats

Blueberry Oatmeal and Peachy Keen Oatmeal are two seasonal favorites. We also enjoy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal all year since apples are easier to get our hands on for a good price. We buy Gluten-Free Oats on Amazon since I regularly cook for people with gluten sensitivity.

quinoa ideas

Quinoa

Technically speaking quinoa isn’t a grain, the part we eat is a seed but we cook and eat it as a grain so I’m including it in this round-up. We love quinoa; it is naturally gluten-free, cooks quickly and can take on other flavors nicely. I’ll often buy it at Costco. I stopped buying it from bulk bins due to cross-contamination.

We enjoy Breakfast Quinoa and Summer Berry Breakfast Quinoa both warm and cold. I use it in place of rice in soups and stir frys. I’m partial to Mexican inspired flavors like Cilantro-Lime Quinoa, Quinoa Taco “Meat” and Quinoa-Lentil Tacos. I also enjoy adding quinoa to salads and wraps like in this Quinoa-Lentil Salad, Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad, and Lemony Quinoa Salad.

You can follow my Quinoa Pinterest Board for more ideas.

whole grain rice ideas

Rice

There are thousands of different varieties of rice. I’ll admit that I’m barely familiar with a few. I prefer brown rice. It is easily available in my area. I’m willing to bet you can buy rice in any grocery store but I usually buy it at Costco. Brown Rice can also be bought on Amazon.

Some of my most popular brown rice recipes are my Easy Crock Pot Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole (or the stove top or oven version), Crock Pot Brown Rice Casserole, Mexican Rice, Green Chili-Cilantro-Lime Soup, and Enchilada Soup.

We also eat rice for breakfast. Sometimes we mix it with Overnight Chia Porridge and other times opt for Raisin-Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Rice.

Other Grains

There are many other types of grains. I usually just stick to those mentioned above due to allergies, budget considerations and bulk purchases. Years ago I cooked amaranth, millet, barely and others regularly. I still enjoy a good Lentil-Barley Stew occasionally.

Do you eat grains? What are your favorites?

Don’t forget to check out the first installment of this series Plant-Based Basics: Beans!

ebook

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