My Plant-Based Family

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

Vegan

Plentils Giveaway

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I am always on the lookout for allergy-friendly foods to put in my kids lunch. As much as I’d like to be able to make their lunches from scratch everyday that isn’t a reality for us. Instead I search for allergy-safe snacks that my kids will love.

plentils giveaway

I can’t compromise on quality. My son has food allergies and Plentils are free from the top 8 most common food allergens. It is really important that my son avoid wheat/gluten.

NOTE: Enjoy Life Foods recently had a voluntary recall on their 10 oz semi-sweet mini chocolate chips for undeclared ingredients. Other products were not affected. See more details.

I love the crunch and texture. They aren’t drowning in oil like potato chips, instead they are light and crisp. Oh, and they taste great! There are several flavors but I prefer the light sea salt.

Plentils help him feel like he can eat the same kind of food that other kids in his class eat. I’ve had some people tell me that it isn’t important for kids to eat “regular” food. Eating plant-based and having food allergies is already restrictive enough in my opinion, especially for a 4 year old (in a class room full of kids eating unsafe foods).  These are safe for my little guy, he doesn’t feel like he is missing out.  

We usually reserve these for lunches. I put them into one of the smaller areas of our EasyLunchBoxes containers for smaller portions (it helps them last longer). Plentil Giveaway  

Plentils Giveaway

You can enter to win 4 bags of Plentils from Enjoy Life Foods! Giveaway open to US only. a Rafflecopter giveaway By the way,  Enjoy Life Foods has a coupon in the Whole Deal magazine at Whole Foods for $1.50 off any 2 Enjoy Life Products over $3.00 (includes the Baking Mixes).

August 31, 2015 Meal Plan Monday

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Almost…so close. One more day until September and I can almost taste it. I’m pretty sure it tastes like pumpkin spice.

I may need to make a batch of Pumpkin Cupcakes to celebrate. Or, if it’s too hot I’ll just make this easy 2 ingredient fruit dip!

Those of us in Arizona are looking forward to the lower temperatures. I really need to plant my fall garden but I’m waiting for it to be a little cooler. Cilantro doesn’t grow in hot temps and this girl loves Mexican food. If I get my garden going I’ll be sure to add more Mexican food to my weekly Meal Plan Monday post.

Plant-Based (Vegan) Meal Plan Monday

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

Even my breakfast cravings are in tune with fall favors. Take a look at what I mean. Cereal will be my backup plan.

Lunch

My first grader will get lunch box food while the rest of us eat lunch at home. One of the great things about working from home is that I can just run to the kitchen and heat up leftovers. Often, Jim will make me lunch and deliver it to my desk. Isn’t he a sweetheart?

  • Soup and Sandwiches
  • Leftover Veggie Pot Pie
  • Burritos
  • Steamed Veggies (I like to use potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli and more)
  • Bean and Rice Bowl

Dinner

I love the dinner’s I’ve planned for this week. The meal plan contains soups and casserole-type meals but I can lighten them up by serving with a side salad.

Have you made the move to fall foods yet or are you still hanging on to summer?

It’s ok to hang on a bit longer. I’m not ready to give up cantaloupe and pineapple yet.

Don’t forget to enter the Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway. It runs through Tuesday, September 1st.

2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

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Our family LOVES fruit! We eat between 15-20 pounds of apples each week, if that tells you anything. We don’t just eat apples, we eat bananas, blueberries, strawberries — basically whatever is in season.

I have readers tell me their kids won’t eat fruit. Although that isn’t something I deal with I have an easy solution, ready for this. Add a dip.

Kids will eat almost anything with a dip.

You may be thinking, I want my kids to be healthy, how is adding a fruit dip going to help? You can use a healthy dip and I’ve got a super easy dip recipe for you. It’s only 2 ingredients so even your kids can “help” you make it.

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Chocolate Fruit Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 6 oz Vanilla So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk  (non-dairy yogurt)

Do

No steps required, just stir the cocoa powder into the non-dairy yogurt. DONE.

This makes an incredible fruit dip to dip for cookies or graham crackers. I haven’t tried it yet on a fruit pizza but I really want to. One day I’ll try it as a frosting or filling for cupcakes but I don’t know how well it will work. It makes a pretty fabulous parfait as well.

Chocolate Fruit Dip

I chose this type of yogurt because it’s made from coconut milk and safe for people with dairy, soy and tree nut allergies.

My boys loved it and they are picky about their yogurt.

On a side note, So Delicious just calls this cultured coconut milk, they don’t use the word yogurt because technically it isn’t. I use it because we always buy non-dairy versions of yogurt and it is just the word we are used to using.

You can make this with other flavors. Our store only carries plain, vanilla and blueberry but raspberry would be delightful.

If your kids get used to eating fruit with dip they will be more likely to eat it without dip too.

For us, this dip is like a special dessert treat. I don’t make it all the time but they love it. It also works great in a lunch box.

Snackable-Recipe-Contest-BadgeThis recipe is an entry in the So Delicious and Go Dairy Free Snackable Recipe Contest.

You can connect with So Delicious on their Facebook page.

August 24, 2015 Meal Plan (that brings back the comfort foods)

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It’s not quite fall weather but with school and football starting I’m getting in a comfort food frame of mind. I still enjoy the fresh melon and pineapples that are typical summer staples for us but soups and casseroles are calling me.

My friends in Michigan are having a chilly, rainy day so I think they will appreciate some of the meals on this weeks meal plan.

Before we jump into meal planning take a moment to enter my giveaway for Enjoy Life Foods Soft Baked Cookies (ends Tuesday).

Weekly Meal Plan

Meal Plan

Breakfast

We found gluten-free Cheerios last week and my kids love them. I think it is mostly because we haven’t had that type of cereal in the house for the last few years because of food allergies. We will also have:

I’ve also been trying my hand at Smoothies again. It takes me forever to drink them but it works perfectly when I have to drive to the office. Of course, having my Blendtec makes a huge difference.

Lunch

I admit that I have a bad habit of skipping lunch. I’m trying to get better. Having food ready to grab, heat if necessary then eat makes it easier.

My first grader will have a packed lunch everyday. It will be composed of SoyNut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, apple slices, carrot sticks, hummus, rice cakes, raisins, Plentils, pretzel sticks and Chocolate SoyNut Butter and more. I usually only put 3 things in his lunch, 1 main dish, 1 fruit or veggie and one snack/filler/dessert type item.

Dinner

This is where I’m incorporating my comfort foods.

If the weather is too warm for you to be considering comfort foods I’ve got a few ideas. Grilled Veggies with Pasta Salad or Potato Salad make a great meal, or go with something like this Quinoa-Lentil Salad or this Lemony Quinoa Salad/Wrap.

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August 17, 2015 Meal Plan

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Meal Plan Monday

Welcome to Meal Plan Monday!

If you are new here all of the Meal Plans are plant-based meaning they do not contain animal products like meat or dairy, they are also allergy-friendly. Since food allergies vary widely it’s not possible to come up with an allergen-free menu. Most of my recipes are gluten and nut free.

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast

I like to keep it simple on school mornings so we will be eating easy foods. I’m hoping to try the new gluten-free Cheerios soon but I’m not sure if they are at our local store. We will find out on grocery day.

You can also follow my Plant-Based Breakfast Pinterest Board for more delicious breakfast ideas or see my Breakfast Page.

Lunch

We will be packing a lot of our lunches this week but not all. I’ve discovered that even when I work from home having a packed lunch can save me time and ensure that I eat. When I know what I’m going to eat I won’t “get too busy” if there is something waiting on me.

  • Asian Noodles (I already have this packed for my lunch.)
  • Sandwiches with SoyNut Butter and jelly, fresh fruit and Plentils.
  • Baked Potatoes with leftover Chili.
  • Steamed Veggies and side salad with hummus
  • Tostadas with leftover rice for kids and Taco Salad for adults.

Dinner

These dinners are all pretty quick and easy to make. We add fruit, veggies and salad to even them out.

Have you seen my latest Pinterest Board? The Back to School with My Plant-Based Family is a community board, meaning you can add your own pins. All you have to do is follow all of my board on Pinterest and send me your email address and I’ll send you an invite. It’s a great opportunity for bloggers to expand their reach but also fun for anyone.

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Easy Asian Noodles

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There is something to be said for a home cooked meal that is ready in about 15 minutes. Especially if it is healthy! Even better when it is a one-pot meal.

My kids would be happy to have sandwiches every meal but I’m not. I like real food, warm food, but I don’t have a lot of time to cook.

asian noodles peanut and gluten-free

If you have been here for a while you know that my son has multiple food allergies. Peanuts and gluten are just a few of the things that are off-limits for us. He rarely gets to eat restaurant food because of his food allergies; we have a few safe restaurants to choose from.

All Asian restaurants use peanuts and soy sauce (contains gluten) and I’m not comfortable with the chances of cross contamination even if he ordered a “safe” dish. His only exposure to Asian food is food I make. My recipes are far from authentic but they are easy to make and use simple ingredients.

asian noodles

This recipe is peanut-free and gluten-free and can accommodate other allergies with substitutions. It cooks really quickly, the longest part is getting the water to boil.

Easy Asian Noodles

Ingredients

Do

  1. Bring water to a boil. As you wait slice the carrots and get the other ingredients ready.
  2. Dump the carrots into the boiling water and cook them for 2-3 minutes.
  3. After the carrots have cooked a few minutes add the frozen peas and the noodles.
  4. Cook everything together for 5 minutes. Once the timer beeps, taste test the noodles and carrots to see if either need a minute or two longer.
  5. Carefully drain the water out of your pot. I like to use one of these. Then dump in the Tamari/Bragg’s and the SoyNut Butter. Stir well until it has melted into the noodles and is evenly distributed.

This recipe can be easily adapted based on what you have on hand and what food restrictions you work with. It is similar to my Veggie Pad Thai recipe but this one is simplified even more and only uses carrots and peas to cut down on dishes and extra chopping. You can buy frozen, chopped carrots for a quicker recipe.

What are your favorite quick meals?

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