My Plant-Based Family

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

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Bean and Potato Burritos using Oil-Free Skillet Potatoes

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Even before we transitioned to a plant-based diet our family loved Bean and Potato Burritos. My husband has told stories about going on field trips as a small child and his “packed lunch” was a Bean and Potato Burrito. Some of the other kids would want to trade their white bread sandwiches.

I don’t know how my mother-in-law made her Bean and Potato Burritos but I’m pretty sure they were not oil free, in fact they probably contained lard.

Bean and Potato Burrtios

Skillet Potatoes (Oil-Free, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 10 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 onion, diced (I like to add extra onion powder too)
  • 3-5 garlic cloves minced, OR garlic powder to taste
  • salt and pepper are optional, add them after cooking to you taste
  • 1/2 cup or water or veggie broth (more if needed)

Do

  1. Put diced potatoes, diced onion and garlic in a large skillet and add about 1/2 cup of water or veggie broth.
  2. Begin cooking over medium heat and cover with a lid. Stir regularly, potatoes will likely stick to the pan.
  3. Cook for 20-30 minutes adding more liquid as necessary.

Note: Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your skillet, amount of potatoes and the size of the potatoes. If you don’t use a non-stick pan ( I don’t) you will want to keep plenty of liquid in the pan to keep the potatoes from sticking and burning.

Serve

The potatoes are great in burritos or as a side dish. I also like to eat them in a bowl for a quick snack. To make Bean and Potato Burritos follow the instructions below. The potatoes are very soft and are perfect for small children, or kids who have lost a few baby teeth and need soft foods.

Bean and Potato Burritos (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

Use the Oil-Free Skillet Potatoes detailed above along with the recipe for Unfried Pinto Beans (or Unfried Black Beans if you prefer). Choose your favorite tortilla, I used  Food For Life’s Black Rice Tortillas.

Layer Unfried Beans, Skillet Potatoes and any other toppings like fresh salsa or just diced tomatoes into a warm tortilla.

These Bean and Potato Burritos are perfect for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner and travel well. I eat them warm or room temperature. I think I’ll make a batch for our next road trip too.

The Food For Life Black Rice Tortillas are vegan, gluten-free and yeast-free. I’ve also used them for Veggie Rollups for my boys. Like most tortillas that are vegan and gluten-free they are a little on the rigid side. This can be helped by heating them in a moist paper towel. I wrapped my boys rollups in plastic wrap to help them keep it from unraveling.

FTC Disclaimer: I received the Food For Life Black Rice Tortillas for free but was under no obligation to review them.

Meal Plan Monday: I’m Back

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Did you miss me? I was away for almost 2 weeks. I had an unfortunate computer problem that left me on an extended break from blogging. I appreciate all of you that reached out to me during that time.  Even though I wasn’t blogging I was scheming, I mean planning and I’m excited for what the future holds.

I still need to reload software onto my computer so I don’t have access to all of my files yet but I’ll sort that out this week. Then I’ll be back to creating Custom Meal Plans and working on new projects.

meal plan monday

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

This week I didn’t buy any cereal so we will be taking a different approach for breakfasts.

Lunch

My youngest son, who is allergic to everything, now has an aversion to his bread. I’ll have to get creative with lunches. Our fridge is loaded with fresh veggies so I’ll start there. 

  • Baked Potatoes
  • Leftover Gluten-Free pasta with red sauce and steamed veggies
  • Veggie Rollups with GF tortillas, spinach, cucumbers, red bell peppers, etc.
  • Fruit Rollups with GF tortillas, Sunbutter or Soynut Butter and fruit like apples, pears and bananas.
  • Bean and Grain Bowl topped with raw veggies

Dinner

Our dinners have taken a shift lately. My husband is going mostly grain-free and I haven’t had much time to cook. I try to make a few big dinners each week and keep it simple the rest of the time.

  • Veggie Pad Thai
  • Spiced Lentil Burgers with Baked Potatoes and random veggies
  • Lazy Veggie Pasta (GF) with red bell peppers, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, and spinach (one pot meal)
  • White Bean and Green Chili Dip with chips from Way Better Snacks and homemade salsa
  • Cheesy Brown Rice Casserole with added broccoli or peas (Crock Pot)

Many of the new recipes I’ve been making lately aren’t on the blog yet but I often post pictures on Instagram if you are interested.

Have you made your Meal Plan for the week? Take 10 minutes and jot down a few ideas.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link I may make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. This helps offset the cost of running a website. 

Meal Plan Monday: Batch Cooking and Healthy Cravings Week

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The second week of each month I host a group called Healthy Cravings. The meeting is an opportunity for people who are interested in eating healthier to get a peek at the Plant-Based Diet and see how good it can taste. Each month I have a different theme but this month I’m going to talk to them about Meal Planning and Batch Cooking.

Meal Plan Batch Cooking Healthy Cravings

I focus on eating “healthy” by including more beans, grains, veggies, etc. Omnivores are welcome and feel very comfortable. I also strive to accommodate food allergies at every event, sometimes having 3 variations of the same dish.

It also happens to be Spring Break this week so I’ll be busier than normal. Batch cooking will come in handy this week. Since you probably can’t be here for Healthy Cravings I’ll attempt to give you a taste of what it’s like in person. I only wish I could convey the laughter, stories and fun we have each month.

Batch Cooking Meal Plan Possibilities

This isn’t a really a Meal Plan but I think it’s a tool to help you make your own plan.

Ingredients

Beans: Black Beans, White Beans, Lentils

Grains: Rice, Quinoa, Oats, Tortillas

Veggies: Carrots, Red Bell Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Spinach, Romaine, Cabbage

Fruit: Apples, Oranges, Lemons, Bananas, Pears

Other: Tamari, Sun Butter, Agave/Maple Syrup, Pasta

These are typical ingredients in my kitchen. I plan to cook beans, rice, and potatoes ahead of time. I haven’t decided if I’ll have veggies precooked or if we will do it in the class. It will depend on how many more RSVPs I get. I want to show my attendees how easy it can be to eat well.

Meals Based On Ingredients Above

Bean and Grain Bowls (tons of varieties)

Bean Burritos or Veggie Bean Burritos

Lentil Tacos or Quinoa Tacos or Quinoa-Lentil Tacos or Taco Salad

Taco Potatoes using any of the taco varieties just mentioned

Broccoli topped Baked Potatoes or Steamed Veggies on Baked Potatoes

Veggie Fajitas or Veggie Fajita Bowl or Veggie Fajita Salad

Black Bean Quesadillas or Veggie Quesadillas or Veggie Quesadilla Salad

Bean and Potato Burritos or Bean and Potato Quesadillas

Veggie Wraps or Salads

Veggie and Rice Stir Fry or Veggie Quinoa Stir Fry

Veggie Pasta

Baked Sweet Potatoes or Baked Fruity Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Apple Crisp or Pear Crisp

I will not be cooking all of these meals. Instead I’ll show them how many different meals can be made from a fairly short list of ingredients. I didn’t even mention all of the incredible soups that could be made. Many more combinations can be made from these ingredients, these just came to mind first. I prefer to keep it simple. I might use rice in  Bean and Grain Bowl, a Burrito, a Stir Fry, with Steamed Veggies, or in a soup. A pot of black beans could be used in a Bean and Grain Bowl, a Burrito, on a bed of rice, in a salad, in a soup, on a baked potato, well you get the picture.

Batch Cooking

I call this batch cooking because I’m not cooking everyday. I’ll cook large portions of beans and grains and perhaps some of the veggies or potatoes and just reheat them, in different combinations throughout the week. It is common for me to cook about 8 cups of rice, use some the first night then I store 6 cups to use in various meals. If I’m making a meal that uses a lot of rice, like a stir fry I will cook extra or plan to use other grains for other meals thought out the week.

Your Turn

What would your Meal Plan look like? Did I leave off a must have ingredient?

 

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

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Do you want to know two words that make me swoon? Well I can think of several words but the two I’m referring to are cilantro and lime! I love them both but paired together they can take any dish to a new level. I’ve used the lime juice in the plastic lime and frozen cilantro and it was good but nothing compares to using fresh limes and fresh cilantro.

cilantro lime quinoa

I think the biggest reason is the fresh lime zest. My favorite zester is the Better Zester, it has a zest “catcher” that also measures the amount of zest. I’ve scraped off with zest off with a knife but my zester makes it much easier. I have more recipes coming that use a zester as well, here is a hint: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Lemon, Cake. I don’t want to be too obvious. 🙂

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 3 1/2 cups of water (you may need a little more, have 4 cups available)
  • 2 limes (you’ll use about 1 Tbsp zest and 1/4 cup lime juice)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro

Do

  1. Rinse your quinoa well then cook it in a pot with 3 1/2 cups of water over medium heat. Cover with a lid.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking zest limes then squeeze the juice into a cup or bowl. You will want to remove any seeds the squeeze out. Also chop cilantro, I prefer to use only the leaves because I don’t like using the stems. Set all of this (zest, juice, cilantro) to the side.
  3. After about 15 minutes check on the quinoa. When it is mostly done and all of the water has been absorbed pour the lime juice, zest and cilantro into the pot (add salt if desired) and stir well. Cover with the lid and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Use more water if needed.

Serve

I love Cilantro Lime Quinoa with Unfried Black Beans and fresh salsa but you can use your imagination. If you think the quinoa is drying out too fast feel free to use more water, I thought it soaked up the lime juice better by using less. This recipe is difficult to mess up.

This post is shared at Plant-Based Potluck Party Link Up

Quinoa Recipe Roundup

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Last week at Healthy Cravings I talked all about Quinoa. I was making a list of recipes to send out to the participants when I realized I needed a Quinoa Pinterest Board. Now I’m able to save all of my quinoa recipes in one place.

Quinoa Recipes

I don’t want to miss out on your favorite recipes too! Leave a comment with your favorite recipes so I can Pin them!

My Favorite Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa-Lentil Tacos

1. Quinoa-Lentil Tacos are my favorite way to eat tacos! They taste great in crunchy taco shells or in a giant veggie filled burrito.

Quinoa seasoned for Tacos

2. Quinoa Taco “Meat” comes a close second. It is perfect for people who can’t eat lentils and is easy to mix up using leftover quinoa.

Quinoa-Squash Salad

3. Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad is a great salad for fall and winter. Seasonal veggies can be substituted once your squash is gone.

Lemony Quinoa wraps final 3

4. Light and Lemony Quinoa Salad is perfect for warm weather or anyone wanting a filling but not heavy meal. This is a great wrap to fuel your workout. I ditch the wrap and serve this in a bowl for my 2 year old. He is a veggie lover and loves quinoa.

Summer Berry breakfast quinoa HT1

5. Summer Berry Breakfast Quinoa can be made any time of year. I usually keep frozen berries in the freezer but when I’m out I just substitute diced apples. My boys beg for quinoa all the time. The 4 year old always means “breakfast quinoa” because he likes it sweetened.

6. Chickpea Quinoa Stir Fry was a family favorite, thanks in part to the fresh pineapple that really made it great. After we found out about my sons pineapple allergy we switched to nectarines or leaving pineapple on the side and adding it to the individual plates.

I also love to add quinoa to soups, stir fry’s and casseroles. Many people even add it to their smoothies. I have lots of other quinoa recipes in the works.

What are your favorite Plant-Based quinoa recipes? Leave a comment below so I can pin them to my new Quinoa Pinterest Board.

Meal Plan Monday: Back in the Swing of Things

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Meal Plan Monday

Have you missed my Plant-Based Meal Plans over the last few weeks? The holidays are over, school has started, and it’s time to get back in the swing of things, that includes meal planning.

When I create a Meal Plan I focus on meeting our nutritional needs, including our food restrictions (due to allergies) while staying on budget. I also have to make sure I plan for enough meals to keep us fed but not so many that I’m stuck in the kitchen all the time. It’s a balancing act that I figure out each week. I typically plan for 5 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches and 5 Dinners and use leftovers as needed. This week I’m hosting Healthy Cravings and teaching a cooking class so I’ll plan for “easier” items on my Meal Plan.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

I use Meal Plans as a guideline. I don’t stress about getting everything made. On any given day we may change our minds and move things around. We may decide to make pancakes or nachos. Using a Meal Plan also helps me make sure I have the ingredients I need for the week and prep anything that takes a little extra time.

Do you Meal Plan?

Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide