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VEGAN FOOD DIARY: volume 1

The purpose of this diary is to show the good, the bad, ugly and the imperfect. The food pictures won’t be staged. It will be real food that I eat everyday. Some days the food is good, some days it isn’t but you learn from it and move on. Choosing to be plant based and live a vegan lifestyle is very intentional, and so your food choices are as well. Yes there will be repetition and lots of leftovers, but that is real life. 

GROCERY LIST

FRUIT PLATE

  • cantaloupe
  • strawberries
  • kiwi

VEGGIE PLATE

  • portobello mushrooms
  • avocado
  • tomatoes

SMOOTHIE

  • acai (4-pack)
  • Bananas
  • frozen mango (already had)
  • apple juice

FRESH JUICE

  • 2 bags fuji apples
  • 2 bags spinach
  • 1 pound ginger

 

CHILI

  • black beans
  • pinto beans
  • diced tomatoes
  • tomato paste
  • onion
  • green bell pepper
  • vegetable broth
  • Impossible ground meat (2 packages)

The total for all the groceries was $51.02 (purchased at Walmart) plus an additional $6.26 for the acai from another grocery store. The menu was designed to be fresh, delicious and easy to execute. I purposely didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen cooking everyday. We lead busy lives but eating plant based foods at home always involves more planning and effort. Juicing and making the chili took the most time. However, once made on day one, most of my cooking was done for the next 4 days!

Including fresh juice is always going to the foundation of my nutritional philosophy. There is no better feeling than drinking juice you made with your own two hands. This recipe is by far my favorite…fuji apples, spinach and ginger. The sweetness of the apples balances nicely with the kick of the ginger. You barely taste the spinach but your eyes definitely soak in the rich dark green color. This particular juice haul yielded 6 mason jars full of juice. Two jars per day is always my goal. CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO START JUICING

DAY 1

I love love love starting my day with an acai smoothie or bowl. It’s a nice treat that always puts me in a good mood. My smoothie usually consists of one packet of original acai, one whole banana, 1/2 cup frozen mango and 1 cup of apple juice. Next up is the fruit bowl. Kiwi is something that I have recently fallen in love with. The flavor and texture is always so sweet and amazing. This bowl is so colorful and vibrant. Eat the rainbow as they say! The cantaloupe was on sale so it was an easy choice to make. I drank one green juice before the gym and one after my workout. Keeping things simple for dinner, I opted to make a vegetable bowl. The tomato is fresh while the portobello mushroom and spinach are sauteed. An easy day of plant based eating for sure. 

DAY 2

Getting up in the morning and knowing exactly what I am eating that day is one less thing to worry about. Acai is almost an addiction for me at this point. In the fruit bowl, I decided to switch out the strawberry for banana for a change of pace. Kiwi is another new addiction. I tried it for the first time last year and I was instantly hooked. As far as lunch for this day, I decided to get more creative with the vegetables. This molded vegetable stack was easy and fun to make.  A splash of  balsamic vinaigrette was added on top to enhance the flavor. Chili for dinner is always a good idea. I already had vegan sour cream in the fridge to garnish it with. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CHILI RECIPE

DAY 3

Day 3 is always the hardest when I plan my meals like this. My taste buds and stomach want me to be more spontaneous, but my discipline kicks in. Being a slave to your cravings will get you in trouble. This still was a solid day of plant based meals. Yes, I had two bowls of chili…don’t judge me.

DAY 4

Day 4 and I am really ready to more on from this particular meal plan. An acai smoothie makes up breakfast. There is plenty of fruit left for a nice bowl. The last two green juices are my pre and post workout drinks. There is also enough chili left over to share with the neighbor.

All in all, I enjoyed feeding my body all this plant based goodness. Balancing fresh whole foods with faux meat substitutes is a delicate balancing act. I feel like I achieved the perfect balance to satisfy my texture cravings.