I've been toying with the idea of sharing a typical week's worth of menu items but found that most weeks I don't eat a huge variety of different meals. Since I'm the only one eating most of these vegetable heavy meals I often eat the same dish a few days in a row. Instead I decided to take some photos from the entire month I've been eating this way and showing some of the various items I eat for meals.
Breakfast: Most days I opt for fresh fruit with homemade granola but I'll also happily eat leftovers for breakfast. On weekends I tend to cook up large pans of mixed vegetables and I'll heat up some veggies and then pop either a regular potato or a sweet potato in the microwave to go with them.
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| grapes, berries, pineapple and my homemade granola |
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| Sweet potato (with a bit of butter/salt/pepper) and zucchini, summer squash, onions and peppers |
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| Pan fried potato with zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and edamame |
I've also begun trying a few recipes with chia seeds and enjoyed this chia cereal (1 cup almond milk, 1 Tablespoon chia seeds-- I stir them together and let sit for an hour then top with fresh fruit).
Lunch: I often eat salads for lunch; sometime with some nuts and seeds on top, sometimes with chickpeas, sometimes with edamame.
If I'm not in the mood for salad or if I don't have any made up I might just have fresh fruits and veggies with either hummus or some sort of nut butter.
If I didn't eat veggies and potatoes for breakfast, I might have some for lunch.
Dinner: Is where the most variety comes into my diet; I often take what the family is having and make small substitutions to make it work for me and then eat leftover the next day or two for breakfast or lunch.
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| When they all had a stir fry over rice I had 4 pans on the stove; one for the veggies, one for my tofu (that I had marinated in homemade teriyaki), one for their white rice, and one for my wild rice while I heated the teriyaki chicken in the oven. |
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| One morning I cooked up some stuffed butternut squash for myself-- I turned this into 4 meals with a side salad. |
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| I made some fresh whole wheat pizza dough and we made up individual pizzas; mine was made with kale and mushrooms |
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| Another night we had a stir fry with some steamed broccoli and in place of their beef I heated up some chickpeas. |
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| Whole wheat pasta with pesto and veggies |
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| Quinoa with zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes |
Linking up with: Thinking Out Loud,
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Oh these meals look just wonderful Joanne- so inspiring- I may give this a shot especially now that it is spring and I can find more fresh options around here- how are you feeling? Do you see it making a difference in your overall health/energy level/etc?
ReplyDeleteI really am not noticing much difference in my overall health/energy like I thought I might... but I do feel good.
DeleteEverything is so healthy looking! Do you find yourself eating whole or plant based sweets as a dessert or when you are craving something sweet? (Do such things even exist?)
ReplyDeleteI haven't found any plant based sweets that aren't also heavily processed so I tend to just opt to eat whatever I am craving since in my mind processed it processed...
DeleteWow! What have you noticed about yourself since going mostly plant based? I just got a book from the library with some great recipes for this. I am in love with farro. Have you tried it yet? I literally could eat a potato at every meal. I love veg way more than fruit. I'm one of the weird ones. Was there a reason you went plant based? We hear all the hype about protein and meat and I am one of those that is skeptical if this is really the "right" way to eat.
ReplyDeleteAmy at Coffee and Cocktails - would not let me sign in!
I honestly haven't noticed any major changes in how I feel or anything since going mostly plant based. I have tried farro and really like it a lot. I went plant based after reading a few books about the benefits of a more plant based diet and after watching Life in the Blue Zones on Netflix... I was kind of surprised to learn just how much protein is packed into so many plants (many that we think of as grains and carbs). Plus I really was missing my carbs so so much and have never been a huge meat eater anyway.
DeleteAll of these meals look amazing! I really need to make some notes about how you do this. I don't know if I could go meatless, but I could definitely do better by eating more vegetables and fruits. Also, I love chickpeas, but I have a hard time finding them here sometimes. Thanks for sharing! This is very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI was straight up vegetarian for a couple of years before getting pregnant (and began craving red meat for nearly every meal!) so it's not a huge leap for me... but I definitely don't think I could give it up entirely again. I still eat some sort of meat/diary/egg product at least a couple of times a week just not with every meal like I used to.
DeleteThese meals look wonderful. How long have you been plant based?
ReplyDeleteAbout a month.
DeleteLovely variety, and isn't that the secret to being able to stay "on plan"?
ReplyDeleteI think so! Variety certainly helps keeps things from seeming boring.
DeleteI'm impressed by the variety! It's so hard for me to think of what to eat for dinner so I just eat the same thing all week.
ReplyDeleteLOL! That's how I feel about lunch most days!
DeleteEverything looks delicious, simple, unprocessed, and healthy. I enjoyed seeing how you put everything together. The butternut squash was really pretty.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt all looks good and filling too. Sometimes I eat healthy and it isn't too filling, but the grilled veggies are always filling for me. I am thankful to have more fresh veggies in the summertime. Thanks for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeleteYes! I found that I had to eat larger portions or else I was starving as soon as I was done eating. We bought into a community supported agriculture program this summer and I can not wait to pick up our box of freshly farmed produce each week!
DeleteThanks for the ideas. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast and beans / chick peas for lunch but I need some more variety!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteI love a sweet potato but rarely think about making one for my lunch. Going to remember that one! I do a salad for lunch most days and do a lot of yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Do you snack? I find I'm so hungry about 3 PM and I have to plan my snack ahead of time or I'll eat things I shouldn't. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I do snack around 3 also and also find that I must have it planned out so I don't eat junk instead.
DeleteEverything you make looks so good. Did you share your recipe for homemade granola?
ReplyDeleteI use the following granola recipe subbing out pecans for the nuts, pumpkin seeds for the sunflower seeds and adding in the optional coconut flakes and often top it off with a few chocolate chips: https://theplantbasedschool.com/homemade-granola/#wprm-recipe-container-31199
DeleteWhat a great post illustrating how to go more plant-based, while family members don't choose to do so. Love salads and could eat them for BL and D. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteEverything looks so fresh and healthy!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Deletenow I am hungry!!
ReplyDeleteSorry! 😊
DeleteSuch healthy meals and a lot of variety to keep it from being boring.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThese dishes all look delicious, Joanne. Right now I'm focusing on reducing the amount of processed foods I'm eating. I could probably get by on less meat as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I definitely started with processed foods and trying to reduce those as much as I could.
DeleteThis is so impressive Joanne
ReplyDeleteWe make a lot of that chia pudding during the summer months. I usually start off with a mashed ripe banana add the chia seeds then the milk then let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes stir and then sit in the fridge all night.
It tends to be a little thicker that way like pudding!
And of course we will go and end up adding many different things to it depending what we're in the mood for.
Xoxo
Jodie
Thank you! I just can not eat anything that has banana in it... that is one food that I have never acquired any sort of taste for.
DeleteWow! You have really made this a way of life. I like how you take what your family is eating and then tailor it to meet your needs.
ReplyDeletehttps://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thank you!
DeleteSo many delicious looking options! Thanks for sharing these yummy ideas!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteHi Joanne, you're doing a great job with your more plant based eating lifestyle. It's great to be able to adapt family meals to suit you. I find it so much easier if I plan meals ahead and shop accordingly. I do a meal plan and then a shopping list based on that. I'll be revisiting my meals and how I'm eating soon. I need to cut out a lot of snacking that has crept in during these months where I've had a lot of stress! Lovely to see your healthy meals. Very inspiring! Thanks so much for linking up with #WWWhimsy - hope you're having a wonderful week! xo
ReplyDeleteI meal plan too and shop based off my list.
DeleteYou have provided a lot of good inspiration in this post especially with the summer months approaching.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm always so impressed at the variety that you eat! All of your meals are so colorful!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. I do try to "eat a rainbow" to get all the various vitamins and minerals naturally.
DeleteJoanne, your meals and snacks look awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteThis all looks sooooo good! Can I come for dinner sometime?!?!?!? Hahaha!!!
ReplyDeleteOf course!
DeleteJoanne, I love how all of your meals are filled with so many veggies. I have to start making salads for lunch as I usually make a huge salad for all of us to eat with dinner.
ReplyDelete