My Plant-Based Family

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

Vegan

Need Help with Your Meal Plan

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  New Custom Meal Plans

Custom Meal Plan

I’ve been posting Free Weekly Meal Plans for 2 years! That is a lot of Meal Plans (they are archived on the “Meal Plans” Page). These Meal Plans have been a huge help to readers just starting out on a plant-based diet. These Free Meal Plans will continue, at least for a while, so you can always look to them for inspiration.

If you need a bit more help with your Meal Plan my Custom Meal Plan service may be for you. I learn about your food preferences and restrictions through a questionnaire then create a 4 week Meal Plan just for you. Each plan includes a weekly menu, shopping list and prep sheet.

Custom Meal Plan

 

Why Use a Custom Meal Plan?

If you eat a specialty diet most meal plan services wont work for you. A Custom Meal Plan is created based on your preferences and goals. It takes the guess work out of what to buy, prep and cook. It’s an investment that will pay off.

You will save money by using our Shopping List, no more buying unnecessary ingredients. You’ll also save money because you won’t rely on fast food as often. The Meal Plan suggests uses for leftovers as well, which will result in less food waste.

If you live in an omni household the Meal Plans are exceptionally helpful. Meals will be designed to be plant-based but show how meat can be added after they are cooked. It’s a win-win.

If you have questions the answer may be on the Custom Meal Plans Page.

The Meal Plan are a lot of work so I can only accept a few orders at a time. Email me to request a questionnaire and I’ll give you an estimated delivery date. You will not be billed until the work begins.

The first 10 customers will receive a FREE copy of my new ebook The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide: How to Cook Shop and Eat Well.

Do you like my Free Weekly Meal Plans? 

Join our Meal Planning conversation on My Plant-Based Family’s Facebook Page.

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

The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide

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UPDATE: This book has been updated! Get the latest information HERE!

Happy New Year! If your New Year’s resolution is to get healthy you’ve come to the right place! Yesterday I launched my new ebook, The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide: How to Cook, Shop and Eat Well.

The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide Ebook
If you are new to a plant-based diet you NEED this ebook. It’s a quick and easy read that will teach you what your really need to know to transition to a plant-based lifestyle. Learn how to read labels, shop for healthy food, plan and cook healthy meals and so much more.

Resources like Forks Over Knives and The China Study teach you why you should eat a plant-based diet. The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide teaches you how. This ebook teaches you the basics of a whole food, no-oil plant-based diet. Need help getting your family to eat healthier? Check out the chapter Transitioning The Family that contains tips for getting kids to eat well and dealing with unhappy family members.

I also include some of my “Reader Favorite” recipes to help you get started on your plant-based journey.

Resolutions or not, isn’t it about time you take the plant-based plunge? Take advantage of the discount before it’s too late!

Attention Bloggers! If you are interested in becoming an affiliate send an email to myplantbasedfamily {at} gmail {dot} com for information on how you can make money selling The Plant-Based Diet Starter Guide. 

Happy Herbivore Light and Lean Giveaway

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Today is my birthday! To help me celebrate my birthday and ring in the New Year I’m giving away a copy of Happy Herbivore Light and Lean to one lucky reader (in the US or Canada). If you don’t see the Rafflecopter Widget below follow the Rafflecopter link.
I have been a fan of the Happy Herbivore Cookbooks since I began my plant-based journey. I own them all but this one is my favorite. It’s closer to my style of eating. In addition to the giveaway, I’ll also be sharing a little Q&A with Lindsey S Nixon and a recipe for Breakfast Tacos.
Holly: What advice do you give families when only 1 member is plant-based and the others are not interested?
Lindsey: Win them over with food. Show, don’t tell. Lead by example.
Holly: I struggle when it comes to finding and sticking to an exercise routine, any thoughts?
Lindsey: Exercise is great, but not required. I have found with my life—and as a personal trainer, diet matters more than anything else.
Holly: You just started a cooking show that has been very popular. Can you tell us what to expect from that?
Lindsey: It’s a live cooking show == so each week is a surprise!
Holly: If you could only eat 5 foods for a week, what would you eat?
Lindsey: Kale. Potatoes. Mango. More kale. More potatoes. Mustard. Hot sauce.
HH Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast Tacos

Makes 3

Soy-free, Gluten-free, Budget

 I’m always looking for ways to slip more vegetables into my diet (particularly at breakfast) and these tacos hit the nail on the head: greens, beans, and sweet potatoes before lunch? I can feel good about that! Bonus: They are really filling and leave me satisfied for hours. I tend to make these tacos for breakfast when I have leftover cooked greens and sweet potatoes from the day before.

3 corn tortillas
1 sweet potato, cooked
½ c cooked black beans
½ c cooked greens (e.g., steamed kale or collards)
2 green onions, sliced
hot sauce
salsa (optional)
nutritional yeast (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Warm corn tortillas if they’ve been in your fridge. I like to heat each side over a low flame for 10–15 seconds on my gas stove, but a few seconds in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel also works. Mash sweet potato with a fork (you can mix in spices like ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne if you like, or even a basic fajita or taco seasoning with a splash of nondairy milk) and spread into the center of the tortilla. Top with beans, greens, and green onions, plus hot sauce, salsa, nutritional yeast, and guacamole as desired (I overflow my tacos so they are really filled). Enjoy!

Chef’s Note Make a “taco bar” and serve these for brunch when you have a big crowd.

Tofu Scramble (pg. 35) is another great filling option

Per taco
Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Fat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3g
Carbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.1g
Fiber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.6g
Sugars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3g
Protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.2g
WW Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own. This page uses affiliate links.

Meal Plan Monday: The Week Before Christmas

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Meal Plan

Christmas is quickly approaching and like you I still have a lot to do. Realistically, I always have a lot do. I plan to cook large portions this week, but only a few meals so I can focus on other things. Thankfully, many of our favorite recipes are great as leftovers. I’m also trying some new recipes and new combinations of recipes we make often. This week’s Meal Plan will focus on simplicity.

Meal Plan

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

 

I haven’t been planning our snacks but my kids usually have apples and I’ve been having way too much dark chocolate. We also have hummus and veggies too. Since it’s cold I sometimes have coffee, chai, or hot apple cider. I’ve also recently made my incredible Gluten-Free Brownies and a new GF Apple dessert recipe.

I also need to offer congratulations to Stacey P. who won the Vegan Cheesecake Kit from Follow Your Heart!

I will take a break from blogging next week so I can spend more time with my family. If you aren’t ready for the holiday’s yet check out my Gift Guides. You can read about helping others through World Vision, Handy Kitchen Gear, Luxury Kitchen Items, Personal Gifts & Books, my Snack Guide or how to throw a Plant-Based Party.

Are you ready?

 

Plant-Based Holiday Party Planning Guide

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Party Planning Guide

Plant-Based Party Planning Guide

Are you hosting (or attending) a Christmas or New Year’s Eve Party? We’ve already been to one Christmas Party this year and will likely attend others. For years we hosted a large Christmas party and would usually have around 70 people squeezed into our house for a few hours. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. After our babies were born we took a break from hosting such large events. I’m hoping we can return to them in a few years when our kids need a little less supervision.

If you are attending a party you have it pretty easy, you can just bring a dish to share and be done. If you are like me, you want your dish to be a show stopper and as allergy-friendly as possible. The list below will give you some ideas.

If you are hosting a party I’ve found an Open-House Style Dessert and Appetizer/Hors d’oeuvre Party to be the easiest and most fun to host. If you are hosting a Dinner I highly recommend you check out my Thanksgiving Dinner Meal Plan! It work’s great for Christmas as well and you can still add a few of the ideas below.

The great thing about a Dessert and Appetizer/Hors d’oeuvre Party is that you can ask everyone to bring a treat to share to cut down on work. We never specified what people should bring and ended up with a great assortment every year.

My guests were welcome, but not required, to bring a treat. As I made my preparations I would plan enough treats to feed everyone, even if no one brought a dish. I would only plan foods that could be left room temperature for a few hours, unless you are using a crock-pot. I also liked to have a good mix of sweet and savory foods to choose from.

Sweet Treats

  • Gluten-Free Brownies
  • Fresh Fruit Parfaits (make them in small “shot glass sized” cups and keep extras refrigerated until needed)
  • Cupcakes with crushed candy canes on top
  • Chocolate Mousse with fresh fruit (I recommend you nest the chocolate mousse bowl in a bigger bowl filled with ice)
  • Cookies, lots and lots of cookies! I would make dozens of sugar cookies, chocolate chips cookies, no-bakes, and peanut butter.
  • Chocolate Covered Pretzels. Glutino makes great GF pretzels, just pick a great dairy-free chocolate to melt.
  • Peppermint Black Bean Brownies
  • Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

Savory Snacks

  • A Nacho Bar featuring Chips, Salsa, Guacamole, Faux Cheeze Sauce (in crock-pot), and maybe Quinoa-Lentil Taco Meat
  • Hummus and Veggies
  • Savory CHICKpea Salad with Crackers or on mini-sandwiches, you can add spicy pepper and tomatoes for a spicier dish
  • Spring Rolls
  • Tortilla Rollups, use vegan cream cheese and finely chopped veggies
  • Baked Potato Wedges with assorted dipping sauce
  • Stuffed Mushrooms or Stuffed Shells
  • Popcorn
  • Trail Mix

Many people will be holding a plate with one hand and eating with the other. I try to stick to foods that can be eaten without utensils when possible.

Drinks

  • Water and Fruit Infused Water
  • Sparkling Water with Lime Wedges, Cucumbers or other fruit
  • Coffee (chose decaf if you are making a lot at once and choose flavored creamers) Check out Sarah’s ebook The Natural Barista for some great ideas.
  • Punch or lemonade
  • Hot Chocolate or Hot Apple Cider with fun additions like candy canes, cinnamon sticks, etc.

I recommend setting up a Drink Station so most of the spills are confined to one area, hopefully near the sink. I buy small cups because many will be filled to the top then forgotten completely. Placing a few makers near the Drink Station will help. I also strategically place a few dish towels and a roll of paper towels to handle spills. Hot Chocolate or Apple Cider can be kept warm in a crock pot but you will need cups appropriate for hot beverages.

Comfort Tips

  • Turn your thermostat a few degrees cooler than normal, the extra body heat will warm things up.
  • Set up name tags near the front door and ask everyone to wear one. This will cut down on awkward moments when you forget your neighbors name.
  • Have your spouse, older child or close friend check the restroom periodically for spills, low supplies or anything else that needs attention.
  • Let your guest know if children are welcome at the party. If so, try to have a special seating/eating area for them. Many will need to sit down to eat. Put away any fragile items that may be intriguing to little fingers.
  • If your dining table is used as a serving table remove the chairs and move them to another area. We forgot one year and lots of people sat (and sat their kids) at the serving table and no one else could get to the food, and the kids helped themselves. You could also use the table for dining and chose another area for serving.
  • Move furniture around to create plenty of sitting and standing room.
  • Turn OFF the TV if it is in the main area. If you play music make sure it is low enough that no one has to compete with it to talk.
  • Have food refills available to grab easily. For example, I would have cookies on a plate wrapped up but ready to go and one veggie tray assembled with veggie refills in individual containers.
  • Have extra tongs or serving utensils handy.
  • If serving allergy-friendly treats label them and consider placing them away from foods that could cross-contaminate them.

Do you have a recipe or tip to share? Finish this sentence, It’s  not a party without ____________!