My Plant-Based Family

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

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Meal Plan Monday: A Super Easy Fall Meal Plan

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This week I’m planning a simple Meal Plan that wont require too much work. Like many of you I’ll be doing lots of cooking next week and need to take a break while I can. I will be sharing plenty of Thanksgiving related ideas and recipes this week so make sure you check back often.

Quinoa-Squash Salad

Saturday was the Virtual Vegan Potluck and I brought a Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing. I also prepared it for Simplicity Fitness’ 21 Day Clean Eating Cleanse.

Meal Plan

Breakfast

  • Overnight Oats
  • Oatmeal with Maple Syrup and Cranberries
  • Baked Sweet Potatoes
  • Breakfast Tacos

Lunch

Snacks

  • Apples with sunbutter
  • Sunbutter & Fruit Roll Up
  • Chips, salsa & Guacamole
  • Popcorn

Dinner

Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear what you are making! I’ll share my favorite Thanksgiving menu later this week!

Virtual Vegan Potluck: Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad

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Welcome to My Plant-Based Family and the Virtual Vegan Potluck. Today over 100 bloggers are joining forces to entice you with delicious vegan recipes. I signed up to bring a salad. I chose to incorporate two seasonal flavors, butternut squash and fresh cranberries.

If you want to start at the very beginning of the potluck go to Vegan Bloggers Unite! There are buttons at the bottom of this recipe you can follow to progress through the potluck.

Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad with Oil-Free Cranberry Dressing

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 Ingredients for Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad 1 serving (dressing recipe below)

  • 2-3 cups of your favorite salad greens
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup roasted or steamed butternut squash
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 Tbsp dried cranberries
  • 1/4 of an onion

Do

  1. Cut onions into rings and cook in a hot skillet, stirring regularly until onions are crispy.
  2. In a medium bowl mix cooked quinoa, squash and cranberries together and carefully stir in grated ginger.
  3. Spoon quinoa mixture over fresh greens. Top with cooked onions and oil-free cranberry dressing.
  4. If desired toss everything together.

Tip: My husband prefers this salad without the onion, feel free to leave it out.

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Oil-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

  • 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • zest from 1 orange
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp xanthum gum

Do

  1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor (I used my Magic Bullet) and process until everything is smooth.
  2. Taste and add more maple syrup if it is to tart or add more water or juice if dressing is too thick.

Tip: If you don’t have xanthum gum you can get away without it if you do not add the water. The dressing will be more tart and thinner but works great in a tossed salad. You could also add a little corn starch instead.

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In previous potlucks I’ve brought Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten-Free Apple Muffins and a Lentil Shepherds Pie. If you are just stopping in today for the potluck feel free to look around, maybe checkout my Recipe Page. It is full of Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes that are oil-free and mostly Gluten-Free.

You can go backward in the potluck to 86 Lemons by clicking the Go Back button below; or journey forward to In Fine Balance by clicking the Go Forward button.

 

Holiday Snack Guide

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Welcome to day 5 of My Plant-Based Family’s Holiday Gift Guide. I’m wrapping it up today with a snack guide. I don’t want to mislead you with these store-bought goodies, yes we strive to eat a low processed, plant-based diet. However, during the holidays it’s nice to have some junk food on hand.

As much as I enjoy cooking I really like having delicious snacks I can grab when company comes by or if we are invited to a game night. Yes, homemade is best but I also like to have some shelf-stable goodies ready to go.

Chips and salsa are a “normal” snack that is pretty inexpensive. You can pick it up at just about any store, even a gas station. Extra points if you spring for the guacamole.

Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame is a fun and delicious party food. My kids love them as much as I do. They fit in perfectly at Christmas parties, just put them next to the snack mix.


Cosmos Creations are gluten-free and vegetarian (some varieties contain dairy). Although made from corn there are no hulls or kernels so my husband can enjoy them too. Just be careful, they may be addictive.

YumEarth Organic Lollipops are the only candy my kids get. I keep them in the car for those times they are about to fall asleep on the way home from church or when I’m waiting in line at the bank drive through. The great thing about them is they taste good and have only good ingredients on top of being allergy-friendly. As a bonus they are 6 for $1 at my local Sprout’s.

October Snack Box

Yesterday I mentioned the Vegan Cuts Beauty Box and today I have to share about the Vegan Cuts Subscription Snack Box. If you don’t know where to start, start with Vegan Cuts! When you find products you love, and you will, you can purchase them from their Marketplace. The photo above is October’s Snack box! Chips, crackers, a bar, a few gummies, Rescue Chocolate, coupons and more!

There are many other snacks you can take but these require no effort on your part, other than buying them, and the snacks will seem normal in any crowd.

Do you have a go-to store-bought snack you keep on hand for “emergency” situations?

**This gift guide contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I’ll receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you.

Personal Gifts and Books

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Gift Guides

The week of Gift Guides continues, if you’ve missed any you will want to check them out. On Monday I showed you how your gift can change a life through World Vision, Tuesday we all dreamed big and looked at expensive gifts, then Wednesday we got a little more realistic and looked at inexpensive (but awesome) kitchen gear.

Today I want to talk about personal gifts and books. The gifts I mention today are perfect for a company or group party where you need to bring a gift. Most of them would be an awesome part of a gift basket. I love gift baskets myself and will give you suggestions of what you can use to make a gift basket even better. If you aren’t a gift basket giver these would also work in a stocking.

I have to start with the great gift sets from North Coast Organics. I know I talk about NCO a lot. No, I’m not paid by the company but I’ve never been let down by their products or customer service and when I find a company I love I can’t help but talk about them.

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North Coast Organics has three different gift boxes available this year but hurry and order because supplies are limited.


No Bull Beauty: Cutting Through The Crap would make a great addition to the North Coast Organics products. This book holds nothing back as it teaches you what you should and should not be using on your skin. It discusses common skin conditions, natural beauty and skin care, toxins, bogus beauty claims and much more.

You can also find loads of cruelty-free skin and beauty products at the Vegan Cuts Marketplace. It should be called Stocking Stuffer Central. I love the Relogy and Fanciful Fox products. Pictured above is their New York Care Pack or check out their Beauty Box subscription, I love mine!


The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a follow up to the best seller, not completely updated and it even has a chapter on gluten-free baking. It gives me hope that I can become a baker. Buy this for the aspiring baker in your life and include a pizza stone, pizza peel and a loaf pan or two.


Vegan Desserts in Jars: Adorably Delicious Pies, Cakes, Puddings, and Much More is a cute and fun book that makes vegan desserts irresistible. This book would be perfect with an assortment of canning jars.

What am I missing today? Can your recommend the perfect gift to add to the Gift Guides?

**This gift guide contains affiliate links. If you purchase something using my link I may make a small percentage at  no additional cost to you.

Meal Plan Monday: Cold Weather Recipes to Keep Warm

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Plant-Based Meal Plan for NovemberThis Plant-Based Meal Plan is full of warm recipes that are perfect for cold weather. Of course I still add a few salads in here an there.

Recently my boys (age 2 and 4) wanted a snack. I excitedly asked, “want some lettuce” and to my surprise they said yes. Ever since I’ve been offering them lettuce for snack. The 4 year old prefers “crunchy” lettuce.  It just goes to show that if you keep offering your family healthy choices eventually they will eat them.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Lunch

  • Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa with Baked Potato and Salad
  • Gluten-Free Veggie Wraps with warm Roasted Veggies
  • Sunbutter Sandwiches with sliced fruit
  • Black Bean Quesadillas and Mexican Rice
  • Leftover soup or noodles

Snacks

Dinner

This weekend I’ll have a booth at the FITT for Life Expo in Florence, Arizona. It’s a free event for the whole family.

Favorite Plant-Based Freezer Foods

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Favorite Plant-Based Freezer Foods

 

Favorite Plant-Based Freezer Foods

There are several foods that I always keep in my freezer. Freezing food can save time and money when done right. I’m not talking about frozen veggies but I try to keep those handy also. Here is my list of my favorite plant-based freezer food.

Cooked Whole Beans

I buy and cook dry beans in bulk then freeze them in individual or family size portions. When I’m out of beans I’m tempted to use canned, which may be ok but they are more expensive and often high in sodium and sometimes weird ingredients. If you’ve never bought and cooked dry beans is really easy, check out my How to Cook Dry Beans Guide.

Once your beans are cooked and cooled just chose a container, I sometimes use freezer bags or plastic container (I have little boys so I’m not ready to convert to glass), label and store. I’ve successfully stored several varieties of whole beans, including lentils. You can drain them or freeze them in the liquid, which ever you prefer.

Cooked beans can be added to a number of dishes or eaten plain. Next time you plan to cook beans just double it and freeze half.

Unfried Beans

If you have tried my Unfried Black Beans or Unfried Pinto Beans you know they are life changing! They also freeze really well, even more life changing. These are perfect for Nachos or Burritos (which are also great to freeze).

Grains

I often cook grains in bulk and sometimes it ends up being way more than we can eat. Simply choose a container, label and freeze. Some grains may lose their texture slightly. I prefer to use frozen grains in soups or casseroles because they usually need more liquid. Most of the time I freeze rice or quinoa since they are both gluten-free.

Muffins and Breads

Do you ever have company come over and need a snack for a crowd? Maybe you are doing to a birthday party and need an allergy-friendly treat for you little one. Freezing Breads and Muffins are the perfect solution. If you need gluten-free baked goods I recommend Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins (with or without chocolate chips), Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, or Gluten-Free Apple Muffins.

If gluten isn’t an issue you simply must try my recipe for Worlds Best Banana Bread, this delicious Pumpkin Bread or my Blueberry Muffins.

Soups and Chili

I always try to save at least one serving of soup or chili but I love them so much it is hard to resist finishing it all. I usually store these in wide mouth containers so I can easily dump them in a pot to defrost. I don’t think I’ve tried freezing soups with noodles but I’ve been successful with several different veggie based soups including Potato & Broccoli Soup, Green Chili, Cilantro & Lime Soup, Enchilada Soup and Taco Soup. Chili also freezes really well. Try freezing it in individual portions so you can grab it quickly for lunch. Simply let it defrost throughout the morning then heat at lunch time.

Mashed Potatoes

One year we made way to many mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving but I learned a valuable lesson, Mashed Potatoes freeze really well. I prefer to store them in a containers that can easily be dumped into a bowl for defrosting. You could even whip up a big batch before the holidays to save time, just don’t forget to defrost the day before.

Chocolate Mousse

Although it’s a little too cool for frozen treats I can’t help but mention how delicious Chocolate Mousse is frozen. It’s perfect in Popsicle molds or even in a shallow dish.

What is your favorite plant-based freeze food?