Health

Staples in a Plant-Based Pantry & a Day of Plant-Based Eating

Posted by brookewiland on

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 cereal 
  • 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

 

 

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