Hi guys,

It is so funny to think how many times people ask me what I eat during the day on a plant-based vegan diet.  People often think that all I eat is lettuce and carrots all day long and even though that is not a bad thing it is absolutely not true.  Eating a plant-based diet can be very filling and full of flavor. For me,  the key has been to learn how to cook with good, plant based ingredients, and spices and to make meals that are comforting for me and my family.

There are certain ingredients that I always like to keep in my fridge and pantry so that I can make my go-to meals and that keeps us from eating out during the week (I’m writing a blog post on that subject). I also like to always keep lots of fruit around the kitchen so that we can snack on that during the day instead of reaching for process snacks such as chips and crackers.

My goal is to help people understand that you can have super flavorful and filling plant-based meals that are actually good for you and you don’t have to feel guilty after eating them!

It is important to note that I still nurse my baby and the only milk he gets is from me.  He doesn’t get any other drinks except water and smoothies.  So with that, here is what my baby boy and I eat in a typical day:

Breakfast:

I start my day by getting up and rushing out the door to take my older son to school, so I always like to grab some fresh water with lemon and drink it on my way!

By the time  I come back home my one year old is usually hungry and I’m in desperate need of coffee because well…. #momlife and although I know I need to stop this bad habit it is the only thing that makes me happy in the morning… #sorrynotsorry 🙂

After making some coffee I usually make oatmeal. I just love how filling and delicious it is.  I like to add a little bit of maple syrup, cinnamon, shredded coconut, maca powder, and bananas.  Yum!  I share this meal with my son and he absolutely loves it!

I also always try to eat fruit in the mornings, I’ve read that fruit is always better first thing in the morning but I just can’t make that happen specially during the winter, I like to have something warm before I eat fruit, so after the oatmeal and coffee I usually like to grab some berries!

Lunch:

Lunch usually consists of something that I can make super fast because my son is running around the house destroying everything that gets on his way 🙂

Today I made a quick salad, you can get the recipe for this spring salad here, and a veggie sandwich with mustard, lots of avocado, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, vegan cheese and cucumbers!

Avocado Toast with hemp seeds and blueberries for the baby today.

Midday Snacks:

I snack on fresh fruit most of the day and  I make a big green smoothie for everyone  including the baby and my husband every day around 4pm before we eat dinner.  You can find the recipe for today’s smoothie here .

 

Dinner:

Dinner is my favorite meal because we get to eat together as a family.  I love cooking for my family every night and we try to always have dinner at home.  Today we had this amazing “garlicky kale salad” that I’m obsessed with from The Minimalist Baker.  I also made some fresh Salsa (you can get the recipe here) and Vegan Chili (recipe coming soon).

Because the Salsa and Chili are too spicy for the baby, he had quinoa and roasted cauliflower.  It is never pretty and always messy with this boy 🙂

Eating a plant based diet doesn’t have to be boring, you can experiment with many recipes and find the ones you like. There are so many options at the store nowadays that I can get almost anything vegan and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on my favorite foods. My goal is to always eat as fresh, local, and plant-based as possible but life happens, and sometimes I eat stuff I should’t, but as long as I try my best every day I’m ok with that.  The point is to always try your best and keep going.

If you want to find more recipes and inspiration on going plant-based, make sure to check out my blog post on My Top 10 Resources for Eating Healthy, Losing Weight, and Staying Motivated.  Also, if you feel like eating something sweet check out my Banana Oatmeal Cookies they are SO good.

I hope you try some of these recipes and make sure to let me know in the comments if you like them!

Love,

Yesika