Quick Tips from My Pics!

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I share a lot about what we eat at home and around town on Instagram. Following, find several of my favorite recent quick tips and resources that I’ve posted on Instagram for eating plant-based at home and loving it!

  • Think of your plate as a quadrant - legumes in one corner, whole grains in the other, fruit in another, and veggies in the last. This is the Power Plate from PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and it's a great guide for looking at meal to meal plant based eating, or how you eat over the course of a day!

  • Remember to include a source of Vitamin B12! Here's a great article by Julieanna Hever on why it's important.

  • You don't need recipes every day. Think whole foods. Go to recipes are helpful. But you can use the Power Plate to put together yummy bowls or plates filled with a grain and/or starch + legumes + greens + other veggies you love + fruit, if you like! And get a few sauces going to switch up day to day! We like some simple combinations of seeds or nuts blended with lemon, water, and herbs, garlic, and/or some kind of whole food sweetener like maple syrup. Nut butters + soy sauce + a citrus make awesome sauces. Or just top with soy sauce or teriyaki or regular old marinara (Trader Joe's has a great oil-free spaghetti sauce.) Keep it easy, keep it whole. Add some sauce. 

  • Avocado replaces almost everything. Cheese, mayo, salad dressing, sandwich meat... so many ways to sub in avocados!  Guacamole or avocado are an easy way to chase out meats and cheeses and processed fats like oils. Here's a more in depth article on subbing in avocados from The Vine.

  • Get your greens in early! Start getting in the habit of chopping kale for your breakfast. I sometimes lightly steam it and sometimes I eat it raw. Having it alongside toast, under oatmeal, or topped with lots of fruit and a nut butter helps me be sure I get a head start on greens. Also delicious topped with some heart healthy balsamic vinegar.

  • Add a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a plant based milk for your pancake recipe to get a fluffier buttermilk type pancake. YUM! 

  • You can easily cook dinners oil free. Sauté in water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce. One of our favorites is soy sauce with nutritional yeast!

  • I've been loving this chickpea omelet recipe! And always great to have yummy go to tofu scramble!

  • Fruit is an AWESOME snack! Don't overlook whole foods when you get the munchies.

  • Try some store bought cream cheeses to replace dairy with healthy nut based options - look for oil-free Miyokos and Kite Hill at our local stores!

  • Another product I love is the Whole Foods brand refried black beans and the refried pinto beans (get the one labeled "fat-free"). These are so handy for making quick dinners and snacks with the kids (and oil free!). You can also whip up your own by smooshing beans and adding a bit of veggie broth or "juice" from the bean can while cooking on the stove.

  • Hands down one of the best cookie recipes out there - Lunchbox Cookies by Isa Chandra Moskowitz for Forks Over Knives.

  • Here are my top five go-to recipe resources right now - 

    • DreenaBurton.com/Plant Powered Families Cookbook

    • The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming (blog and cookbook)

    • Engine 2 Cookbook by Jane and Rip Esselstyn

    • This Cheese is Nuts by Julie Piatt cookbook

    • Happy Herbivore has been a long-time resource - lots on her website and a number of great books with super simple recipes.

    • Remember Kindle or iBooks are often great ways to get new cookbooks for a bit less!

Enjoy!! And let me know if you have any questions or wonderings! I hope you enjoy eating more plants as much as I do. :)