What We Eat In A Week!

photo via Time.com from the book Hungry Planet

*No, the above picture is not us! Thank goodness! However the right side of the picture looks good. But just look at the left side! That was us (more or less) not too long ago...before last September.*

The most frequently asked question from people when talking about how I changed my (our) eating habits is, what do you eat? Usually people want to eat healthier but are intimidated by the amount of time they think it will take them to develop new recipes and new eating habits. I know that when I first changed my eating habits it was very helpful to visit vegan and plant-strong blogs where the people would post recipes and even pictures of what they eat on a day to day basis. While I don't have pictures of my own, I have included links to recipes that sometimes do have a picture.

Most days we eat oatmeal for breakfast. Like, 6 out of 7 days! But in the interest of variety I have included some of our non-oatmeal breakfasts. (We just love it so much!) Snacks for myself and the kids include fruit, nuts, seeds (Brandon LOVES sunflower seeds which are a nutrition powerhouse in so many ways!), and granola bars.

Vitamins and Supplements

We take the same supplements every day. Eating a near-vegan diet I want to make sure we get our B12, D, and cover all our bases with a good multi. Additionally, in times of illness or stress we take vitamin C.

Daily Menus

Upon Waking: Drink 2 large glasses of water. Take B complex supplement.

Breakfast: About 1 hour later...large bowl of oatmeal. See below for my oatmeal recipe! Take multivitamin.

Snack: apple or pear

Lunch: veggie sandwich (whole wheat bread with no-oil hummus, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, sprouts, and cucumber slices.)

Snack: Fruit or nuts

Dinner: Bean and brown rice burritos with avocado, salsa, vegan cheese and sour cream. Salad with no calorie ranch dressing. Take D supplement.

Snack: 1/2 cup homemade granola (I sub the butter for Earth Balance margarine and agave syrup instead of honey)

Day 2: (Same snacks, same supplements. The kids take a 2 a day multi and vitamin C each day.)

Breakfast: Whole wheat blueberry pancakes with organic agave syrup

Lunch: refried bean, brown rice and salsa quesadillas with vegan cheese, carrots and broccoli with hummus dip

Dinner: Asian Noodle Stir-Fry

Dessert: Vegan ice cream...Coconut Bliss Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Hey, you gotta live sometimes! This is SOOO good!)

Day 3:

Breakfast: Avocado toast (toast with smashed avo and a sprinkle of salt), fruit.

Lunch: Leftover asian noodle stir-fry!

Dinner: Whole Wheat Spaghetti Marinara with (or without) vegan meatless balls, whole wheat flatbread with marinara sauce, spinach, and a sprinkle of vegan mozzerella. Salad.

Day 4:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with homemade granola on top.

Lunch: Leftover spaghetti, flatbreads, and veggies with hummus dip.

Dinner: Triple Bean Indian Spiced Chili over brown rice with crumbled organic corn chips, vegan cheese and sour cream to taste.

Day 5:

Breakfast: Whole Wheat Waffles with blueberries on top.

Lunch: Leftover Chili! Fruit.

Dinner: Veggie Enchiladas (Zuchini, mushrooms, green peppers, brown rice, beans, topped with red sauce and vegan cheese), salad.

Oatmeal Recipe

Aly's Favorite Oatmeal

2 cups oatmeal

3 cups water

1 cup vanilla or unsweetened almond milk (use any non-dairy milk)

2 TBS chia seeds

1/3 cup chopped dates (I buy them already chopped)

Toppings!

dried cranberries, raisins, etc.

fruit

walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.

Directions

Combine first 5 ingredients in saucepan over high heat. When oats start to boil, whisk with a fork and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I always eat mine with dried cranberries and walnuts, and sometimes sunflower seeds if I have them. I look forward to my breakfast every day!

Full Disclosure

This menu is an example of what we eat...not reality! In reality, my husband may go out to lunch with coworkers and order a burger and fries (GAH!). In reality, I may give pretzels as a snack instead of a healthier option. In reality, we actually had take out mexican (veggie burrito for me, quesadilla with guac for the kids, and carne asada for Chris- double GAH!) because the dinner I was cooking tasted so bad it was unreal. Stuff happens. But I figure if we aspire to eat healthier, hopefully we will eat healthier! So, this is our aspiration menu. :)

What healthy meals do you make on a regular basis? Please share! I am always looking for new ideas.