Eating plant-based means taking out staples like eggs, milk, meat, etc. I get this question a lot, so what do you eat? The answer:
All kinds of good stuff!
However I always have staples in my pantry (or freezer) so I can have a quick meal anytime (not including fruit or veggies).
- Van’s cerealÂ
- Almond milk (no favorite brand, just whatever is organic and on sale)
- Pasta
- Organic marinara sauce
- Cooked black beans (click here for recipe)
- Rice (my stomach doesn’t agree with brown rice, so I keep white rice)
- Ginger snaps (to cure my sweet tooth)
I love rice and some nights am perfectly happy eating a bowl of white rice and black beans (good protein). Rice and beans are dirt cheap and some pasta with marinara sauce never disappoints. Although I always keep a menagerie of fruits and veggies on hand, these are staples that I keep all the time just in case.
My daily eating routine goes a little something like this (I don’t measure these things out, but I eyeball it):
5:30am – Coffee with a splash of almond milk and a teaspoon of local raw honey
7:00am – 1/2 cup Van’s Cinnamon Warmth Cereal with 1/3 cup Almond Milk
8:30am – Smoothie (buy organic when you can but don’t break the bank)
- 1 cup organic power greens (Swiss chard, spinach, kale)
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
- 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup acai juice
This is a large smoothie but it’s SUPER yummy, healthy, and you don’t even taste the greens!
12:00pm – Make-ahead lunch
1:30pm – Apple
3:00pm – Green tea (to beat that afternoon slump) and maybe some cut-up veggies if I’m hungry
7:00pm – Easy Dinner
- Rice, beans, and cooked veggies
- Pasta, marinara, and sautéed mushrooms
- Salad (depends on what I had for lunch)
Here are my theories about eating:
- Never feel guilty about indulging
- Listen to your body and give it what it needs
- Eat in accordance with your activity level
- One grain-based meal and one vegetable-based meal per day
- Water all day but not to wear you’re running to the bathroom every half hour
- Carbs are your friend, they give you long-standing energy because your body breaks them down more slowly than fruit & veggies
