"So What Do I Eat?"

You don't.

Just kidding:).

Eating healthy vegan diet is actually extremely easy, so don't be intimidated. There is incredible variety of options (take a look!) and with some creativity and a little bit of prep it will be effortless. 

If you are in a hurry to get an answer already (I know I usually am!! ha-ha) here is a grid with some ideas to get you started. I'm sure you can put your personal spin on it to make it work for you.

If you don't mind hanging out little longer - I will describe in more detail.

Let's do a quick overview.

If we met - you probably know I should be getting speeding tickets left and right (regardless if I'm driving, walking, talking or thinking!). I love food, but I am not into spending much time in the kitchen at all. There are about a million other exciting things I’d rather be doing. Most days I spend about 30 min a day prepping/cooking on ALL of my meals combined (except on a prep day, or if I am hosting). So if you are looking for simple, healthy, real food that is easy and fast to make - we are on the same frequency!

In this post I will share some general tips about the the way I plan, prep and roll with whole plant based food and hopefully you can apply some of it in your life! It is meant as more of a basic overview and inspiration bank to get you started. I will be sharing more detailed recipes, prepping tricks and other hacks in later posts!

Planning ahead!

The goal is to plan ahead to make eating healthy as easy as possible. Eliminating decision points that may not play out in your favor is a great strategy. We basically have only certain amount of will power allowance per day, and we don't want to run out wasting it on small stuff.

Keeping your pantry and fridge stocked with healthy food.

Its really easy to throw few ingredients together to make a healthy meal... That is if you have anything to throw! If your fridge is empty, as is your pantry, it significantly limits your options. The good thing is that its simple and cheap to get a basic inventory of foods you can use. Here some basic items I usually keep in my house and use frequently:

Pantry:

• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Canned beans of all kinds and variety
• Some canned chilis and soups
• Marinara
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grain pasta

Fridge:

• Tomatoes, zucchini, kale, lettuce, spinach, arugula, carrots, avocados.
• Berries, citrus, watermelon, papaya, mangoes.
• Hummus, salsa.
• Prepped salads, soups, wraps, etc.
• Whole grain breads and tortillas.

The trick is to make it easier to reach for healthy food than to go out of your way to find unhealthy options. I promise its possible. That way when the point of decision comes – you are ready, you have already made a decision. And its a healthy one.

Alright! So here are just a few examples of what's in store for you... 

Breakfast ideas:

• Bananas
• Bananas with nut butter
• Toast with nut butter and fruit
• Oatmeal
• Smoothie
• Granola

Snacks:

• Hummus w/ vegg
• Fruit (soooo many choices here!!!)
• Nuts
• Water :)

Lunch:

• All-Day Breakfast Burrito
• Kale salad
• Avocado Toast w/ soup
• Tofu Sandwich
• Leftover Wraps
• Any kind salad or bowl loaded with as much whole food plant based low fat food as your heart desires

Dinner:

• Zuccini pasta
• Pinapple Rice
• Everything Salad (with tofu)
• Baked Potato 
• Stuffed Peppers

And we are just getting started!

Breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite. I usually workout in the morning and by the time breakfast rolls around I'm starving! As much as I love breakfast I very rarely have time to sit down and eat it. I already wake up rather early (4:30 AM), and my morning workout and meditation (and looking work-appropriate) take priority over sitting down for breakfast.

BUT! You should totally sit down and enjoy your breakfast if you can! What I am saying is that if you cannot sit down – know there is hope!:)

So… Options on top of options include:

Bananas!

I mean common.. can you make it any easier than that?!?! If you have absolutely no time – grab a banana. I mean bananaS. Lots of bananas! This have been a lifesaver for me in the morning and through the day, so I always try to keep a good supply of bananas both in my fruit bowl and in the freezer (I peel them and put in zip logs for smoothies).

If you have an extra few minutes and a knife – put some almond (or peanut) butter on it.

Toast with nut butter and fruit

Toast the bread, smear almond (or peanut) butter on it and load up with fruit. One of my favorites here is kiwi, especially golden kiwi if you can find. I also love mangos. You can also sprinkle berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) or top it off with any other fruit you like.

***I like to add chia seeds for extra boost of energy, antioxidants and plant-based superpowers.

Oatmeal

This is the one I usually prep. I buy oats in bulk and then pre-bag batches of 7-10 small zip-log bags. That way they I can quickly grab some and have with me at work and on-the-go. With coffee/tea machines available anywhere now its really easy to add some hot water to the cup and your oatmeal is ready in 2 minutes! No excuses possible really. Unless you forgot a spoon… But then again – there is always a way around it;).

On-the-go version (what goes in the ziplog):

• ½ cup of oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp of ground flex seed
• Optional: few walnuts and some dried fruit (raisins or dates) for sweetness.

If you are making it at home – you have even more options!

I sometimes still use my pre-bagged base (it’s just faster than pulling 3 different bags out of the pantry) in a small bowl, poor some water to cover the dry ingredients and stick it microwave for a minute or two (you will see it beginning to bubble up). You can top it off with fresh berries and cinnamon. For occasional additional sweetness, I use agave or black strap molasses. 

If you are feeling festive or need fueling after workout - check out the Supercharged Oats'n Berries recipe. Here I use oats as a dry granola. I don't cook them, but simply poor nut-based milk over them and dress with other ingredients.

Smoothies

So much potential for variety here! You can experiment and find the recipe you like most.

I basically just throw things that sound good together (like with all of my food I guess). My general rule of thumb is (1) frozen fruit (usually bananas and berries, or pineapple), (2) something green (mostly spinach, or kale), and (3) my base is usually coconut water with a splash of almond or hemp milk. I no longer use protein blends as I don't believe I need them. I do however occacionally use specific dehydrated superfoods, like spirulina, cacao or maca powders.

Here are the smoothie combinations I use most frequently:

Cacao Berry

• Frozen banana
• Frozen spinach – handful
• Frozen Blueberries
• Cacao powder
• Few dates
• Base: almond milk, coconut water
• Optional: Spirulina (dehydrated algae)
• Optional: shredded coconut

PB Pineapple

• Frozen banana
• Frozen spinach – handful
• Frozen Pineapple
• Few dates
• Dehydrated peanut butter powder (or you can use the real deal if you can spare some extra calories)
• Base: almond milk, coconut water
• Optional: Spirulina (dehydrated algae)

Granola

I use whole grain granola with minimum ingredients and minimum added sugar, add non-dairy unsweetened milk and load it up fresh berries and other fruit!

Snacks

1.     Hummus w/ vegg – I know.. I know - hummus is super easy to make from scratch, but I am not there yet. So I usually by individually packaged organic hummus from Costco – it’s another life saver for me. Veggies to use? Anything you like. I LOVE carrots!!! But you can also do cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli. One of my friends has recently told me to try eating raw okra (which I used to dislike in any form), and now I love that too!

2.     Fruit – no explanation needed here. Apples, pears, oranges, peaches, nectarines, plums, papaya, watermelon – just grab some anywhere you go. Cut it up in bite-size pieces if that will help you make it more appealing or convenient to eat. No need to worry about the sugar - when consumed in its natural form of whole fruit with fiber and all, it only does a body good. One of those cases when a whole is more than a sum of its parts. So don't be shy!

3.     Nuts/Trail mix – make your own mix or buy it ready. Just make sure to use either raw nuts, or at least the ones with no added salt or sugar. Seeds and dried fruit are great as well (same – no added sugar – applies for dried fruit as well). However if you are really trying to lose weight or at high risk for cardiac disease - it is best to watch the intake of even plant based fats - so measure your portions.

4.     Water - drink lots of it. If you need a little boost of energy – add a drop of apple cider vinegar to the glass. It can also be a great pre-workout drink.

Lunch

1.     All-Day-Breakfast Burrito – I usually make a batch of these (like 8) and wrap and freeze them individually.

• Per 1 Tortilla
• 2 tbsp of cooked and cooled brown rice
• 1 tbsp of salsa
• 3 tbsp of cooked and cooled black beans (spice them up)
• 1 tsp hemp seed
• Sprinkle nutritional yeast
• *Optional: vegan cheese

I wrap them up and put in a freezer right away. If frozen immediately tortillas don’t get soggy at all, burritos can stay good for a while and you have a stress-free healthy option that is 2 min from being ready! To cook just throw in microwave for 60-90 sec on each side. This makes a great breakfast option as well. 

2.     Kale salad – its great to make a batch of this for a week and then switch up toppings for variety. You may have to play with proportions to get it to your liking.

• Kale (pre-washed and cut)
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 3 large carrots, shredded
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 large sweet potatoes (baked, cooled, cubed)
• 1 cup garbanzo beans (straight from the can)
• mix with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar

Upon serving you can add avocado and some lime juice.

3.     Avocado Toast w/ soup – make your own soup loaded with beans (lentils, peas, triple bean chilies etc.) or get a vegan bean chili from Whole Foods or any other store. If you want to stock up - Annie's brand makes a variety of healthy vegan soups in cans. Serve with slice of bread topped with half avocado. Bam! Prep time - 5 minutes.

4.     Tofu Sandwich - flavor is the key here. Noone wants a boring sandwich. Use mustards, vinegars and herbs (like basil for example) to bring some life to your plate (and your tofu).

Here is what I made a few days ago:

• Ezekiel bread
• Baked tofu
• Tomato
• Onions
• Basil
• Arugula
• Flavor from: Dijon Mustard, Basil, Bragg's Aminoacid Spray.

5.     Leftover Wraps - use lettuce, kale, or collard greens to make wraps with your leftovers from dinner last night. Hot sauce usually helps.

6.     Any other kind salad or bowl loaded with as much whole food plant based low fat food as your heart desires.

Dinner:

1.     Zucchini pasta – great alternative you are trying to stay away from flours all together. Here is the way I make mine:

Saute with veggie broth or water...

• ½ onions
• 2 large carrots
• 1 bell pepper
• Optional: Garlic

Add marinara sauce, let it hit up and add...

• Mushrooms
• Vegan sausage
• Nutritional yeast, basil, red pepper flakes
• Olives

Sauté for another 5 minutes or so. I don't like to overcook - all the ingredients I use can be eaten raw anyways, so I just make sure everything is heated up well. Add zucchini "pasta" at the end and mix well with the rest of the goodness. Give it few more minutes and - voila! - your dinner is ready!

2.     Pineapple Rice - Sautee onions and carrots with veggie broth and soy sauce; add pre-cooked brown rice and tempeh; fold in pineapple, cashews and broccoli.

3.     Everything Salad w/Tofu - Lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, basil, olives, peppers, extra firm tofu, hemp seeds, add balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.

4.     Baked Potato - Bake a whole potato (or a few so you have some for later), load up with salsa, avocado, garbanzo beans, any other WFPBD toppings of choice. It can also be a sweet potato! Sauté some kale with onions and zucchinis while you are at it, or any other veggies you find in your fridge to serve by its side.

5.    Stuffed Peppers

I tried this Spanish Quinoa Stuffed Peppers recipe from Minimalist Baker awhile ago and really loved it! You can get creative with stuffing, but I love the concept. It also a good prep meal - you make a batch and have enough for the whole week.

As I said earlier, this is just meant to show you the variety available to you and to give you some ideas of foods you can eat. Ill get organized and start posting more detailed recipes and more tips on specific topics.

In the meantime I would love to hear your thoughts on what would be useful for you, any specific questions you might have about adopting a plant-based diet or any feedback. So please leave a comment and send me an email. 

Hope you find this helpful... or at least entertaining!:)

Love, Krystyna