What I Eat in a Day on a Plant-Based Diet

To go along with my YouTube video about what I eat in a day (see the video below), here are the recipes I mentioned.  In the video, I showed what I ate over the course of THREE days!  I hope you enjoy the recipes.

 

Click here for the Overnight Quinoa

 

Berry Smoothie

1 1/2 cups water
2 cups spinach or kale
1 banana
2 cups frozen berries
 

If you have a Nutribullet, put everything in and blend it up. If you are using a regular blender, blend the water and greens first. Then add the fruit and blend again. (This helps the greens to break down better.)
I like to mix in a tablespoon of Chia seeds or Hemp Hearts before drinking.

 

Salad with Artichoke Hearts and Potatoes (serves 2)

Ingredients

1 can artichoke hearts (drained and halved)

2 Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes)

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

1 oz green olives (sliced)

one head of romaine lettuce (torn in bite-size pieces)

sliced almonds

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Dressing Ingredients

2 T mayo (I use vegan mayo)

1 T white wine vinegar

a pinch of minced garlic

a pinch of chipotle powder

Directions:

1.    Saute potatoes at medium-high in a bit of olive oil until browned (about 8 minutes).  Place on a paper towel and toss with salt and pepper.

2.    Saute artichokes for 5 minutes until browned.

3.    Mix salad ingredients together and season with salt an pepper.

4.    Place potatoes, artichokes, and tomatoes on a bed of romaine.  Top with almonds and feta and drizzle with dressing.

Corn and Black Bean Tostadas (serves 2–3)

Ingredients

3/4 cups corn

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

shallot (finely chopped)

1 T chopped cilantro

6 corn tortillas

cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)

salsa

Directions:

1.    Saute shallots for 3 minutes in a tsp of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add corn.

2.    Mash black beans with a potato masher and add to the pan with and 2 T of water.   Cook until heated (just a few minutes).

3.    Stir in cilantro.

4.    Toast corn tortillas slightly and then top with black bean mixture and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese (optional).  Toast or broil just until cheese melts.

5.    Top with salsa.

 

Quinoa and Salad Sandwich

Put cooked quinoa, greens, and salad veggies in a whole wheat pita and drizzle with dressing.  I used balsamic vinaigrette.

Israeli Couscous with Chickpeas and Roasted Vegetables (serves 2)

Ingredients

zucchini (cut into 1/2" cubes)

cherry tomatoes (halved)

thyme

garlic

smoked paprika

2 green onions (thinly sliced)

lemon juice

1/2 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

3/4 c Israeli couscous

1 1/2 c vegetable broth

1//2 c feta cheese (optional) 

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 425.  Drizzle zucchini and tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil.  Toss with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Place on a baking sheet and roast in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

2.    Drizzle chickpeas with oil and toss with a tsp of paprika, salt, and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes.

3.    Heat a small amount of oil in a pot.  Cook garlic and the white pieces of the green onions over medium-high for a minute.  Add couscous, thyme, salt, and pepper and cooking (stirring) for 2-3 minutes.

 4.    Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or so.  Stir in half of the veggies, half of the feta, and a splash of lemon juice.

5.  To serve, divide couscous between two bowls.  Top each with remaining veggies, chickpeas, green onions, and feta.

Click here for the Chocolate Banana "Ice Cream"

Plant-Based Guidelines

I have struggled with my weight my whole adult life.  I have insulin resistance and polycystic ovarian syndrome which lead to pretty significant weight gain.  I have tried numerous diets and, in fact, found that if I wasn't on a diet (any kind of diet), I was gaining weight.

Then a few years ago, I participated in a study eating a plant-based diet.  I thought I would never be able to give up meat and cheese, but was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to adjust to.  My weight loss was slow, but over the course of a year, I lost 30 pounds.  The great thing about this is that it's a lifestyle now and I haven't struggled with my weight at all.  I eat mostly plants and plant protein, but I allow myself one serving of animal protein each week and, while I still eat cheese, I use it as a garnish.  So, as an example, rather than making cheese enchiladas, I make vegetable enchiladas with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top.

 

See my story on YouTube.

 

The guidelines below were what I followed when I participated in the study.  I eat pretty much the same way now (two years later), including one serving of meat each week, with the addition of a sprinkling of cheese here and there.

As with any new diet, you should check with your doctor first.  I've included some resources below the chart about the benefits of a plant-based diet and some sites with delicious plant-based recipes.

Research and Resources for Plant-Based Eating:

5 Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

9 Scientific Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

See the plant-based recipes at the Oh She Glows blog.

Plant-Based Resources

Cooking Light Magazine

My new favorite magazine from the last year is Cooking Light.  This is not a new magazine, but new to me!  I love this magazine for so many reasons.

There are many recipes that are really easy to fix and can be made  in 20 min., 30 min., etc.  Each one is clearly labeled.

The Weekend Warrior recipes take a little more time, but always include ways to cook in bulk for ingredients that will be used in other recipes.  Some of the recipes are designed for freezing and some are designed as Cook Once, Eat 3x meals.

Every issue has some kind of recipe makeover.  It is Cooking Light's goal to have recipes that are not only lower in calories or fat, etc., but that also taste good.

Each issue also has other features, like this monthly column called The Beauty Habit.

This is not just a recipe magazine.  It's one you will want to sit down and read.  For more detail, check out the video below.



I link up at the following:
My Flagstaff Home, Inspire Me Monday, Huckleberry Love, Mix it Up Monday, Creative Monday, Inspiration Monday, AmazeMe Monday, Something to Talk About, Art of Homemaking, What’d You Do ThisWeekend?,  You’re Gonna Love It Tuesday, Tuesdays with aTwist, Tuesday Garden Party, Linda's Lunacy, Tuesdays at Our Home, Hope Studios, Let’s BeFriends, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wakeup Wednesday, Simple Link Party, Moonlightand Mason Jars, Creativity Unleashed, Creative Inspirations, Our Simple Homestead, Creative Princess, Homeand Garden Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Grace at Home, Idea Box, Creative Exchange, From the Farm, Farmgirl Friday, Simple & Sweet Friday, FriendshipFriday, Weekend Blog Hop, Friday’s Five Features, What to DoWeekend, Friday Features, Link Your Stuff, Paula’s No Rules Weekend, Weekend(No Rules) Blog Hop, Bouquet of Talent, Saturday Sparks, PinkSaturday, Silver Pennies, DIY Showoff, SundayFeatures, Chain Linky Climb, Themed Blog & Shop Hop,  Wordless Wednesday, #WhimsyWednesdays, Dream, Create, Inspire, Link, A Spirit of Simplicity, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Homemade Link Party, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Monday Makeup Madness, #Whimsy Wednesday, Must Love Home, The Scoop, Brag About It,   

Fresh Summer Pasta

While I love to cook, sometimes complicated recipes, it's always nice to have an easy one on hand for those nights when there's not a lot of time to cook. 

Here's a super simple, fresh summer recipe for a pasta that's sure to please and it won't do much to heat up the kitchen.  The only cooking involved is the pasta.  Everything else is just mixed in.

Start with a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes cut in half, a half cup of green onions, a quarter cup of chopped dill, a six-ounce packed of crumbled feta cheese, a quarter cup of olive oil and between 8 and 12 ounces of penne pasta.

 

While the pasta is cooking, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

When pasta is cooked, drain it (don't rinse), and while it is still piping hot, dump it into the bowl with the other ingredients and mix it all up.

The hot pasta warms the tomatoes and melts the cheese. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and dig in!

For a closer look, check out the video below.

Recipe for Fresh Summer Pasta

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup of olive oil
8-12 oz. penne pasta (cooked)
salt and pepper

Instructions:
Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl.  Rinse cooked pasta and add to the bowl.  Mix.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.


I link up at the following:
My Flagstaff Home, Inspire Me Monday, Huckleberry Love, Mix it Up Monday, Creative Monday, Inspiration Monday, AmazeMe Monday, Something to Talk About, Art of Homemaking, What’d You Do ThisWeekend?, Make it Pretty Monday, You’re Gonna Love It Tuesday, Tuesdays with aTwist, Tuesday Garden Party, Linda's Lunacy, Tuesdays at Our Home, Hope Studios, Let’s BeFriends, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wakeup Wednesday, Simple Link Party, Moonlightand Mason Jars, Creativity Unleashed, Creative Inspirations, Our Simple Homestead, Homemaking Weekend Link Party, Creative Princess, Homeand Garden Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Grace at Home, Idea Box, Creative Exchange, From the Farm, Farmgirl Friday, Simple & Sweet Friday, FriendshipFriday, Weekend Blog Hop, Friday’s Five Features, What to DoWeekend, Friday Features, Link Your Stuff, Paula’s No Rules Weekend, Weekend(No Rules) Blog Hop, Bouquet of Talent, Follow Who?, Saturday Sparks, PinkSaturday, Silver Pennies, DIY Showoff, SundayFeatures, Chain Linky Climb, Great Blog Train, Themed Blog & Shop Hop,  Share Your Creativity, Wordless Wednesday, #WhimsyWednesdays, Dream, Create, Inspire, Link, A Spirit of Simplicity,  Ivy and Elephants, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Homemade Link Party, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Monday Makeup Madness, #Whimsy Wednesday, Feature Fridays, Must Love Home, 

Graze Boxes February 2015

Graze is a subscription snack service.  You can sign up to receive a Graze box weekly, twice a month, or once a month.  Each box includes four yummy, healthy, interesting snacks for $6.99.  If you sign up using my referral code, you get your first and fifth boxes free.  Just go to graze.com and below where it says Get Started Now, click on Have a Special Code?  Enter: 7KGJPMYCP
Now, you can sign up and you'll get your freebies.

Here was my most recent box:

The first snack was Strawberry Shortcake. It was a mix of shortcake cookies, strawberry drops, yogurt covered strawberries, and pistachios.

The next was a package called Booster Seeds, which was  a mix of sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds.

Next, was Summer Berry Compote. It's a wholemeal short bread with a fruit dipping sauce.

I'm sad to say, I ate the last one before taking a picture.  Oops!  It was called Herby Bread Basket that had basil baguettes, garlic crostini, and oregano rice crackers.  Yum!

Be sure to check out my video for a close up look:

Graze Boxes December 2014

Graze is a service I just recently discovered.  Their tag line is "Snacking Reinvented." They create unique flavor combinations and there are 90 of them.  You can sign up to receive a box once a month, twice a month, or once a week and the cost is $6.99 (including shipping).  I got my first box for free (you can, too, so read on), so I figured I had nothing to lose and that was that. Now I am signed up to receive a box every week.  ***Be sure to check out my YouTube video linked at the bottom of this post for a more detailed look.***

Each box comes with four snacks and you can let Graze know if you want them to send particular snacks regularly or never again.

I have received a few boxes now, but in my most recent one, I got the following:

Mocha Walnut Cake consisting of chocolate covered coffee beans, walnuts, and raisins.  Yum!

Cinnamon Pretzels consisting of poppyseed pretzels and cinnamon and honey almonds (ok)

Banana Carmel Dippers with banana shortbread to dip in caramel (yum!)

Black Pepper Popcorn (haven't tried this yet)

Here are a few others I received in the previous box.

I love the idea of trying new snacks, having the option of choosing what I want them to send, giving me the ability to send healthier snacks than I would normally eat.

If you're interested in trying out the Graze Box, you can get your first and five boxes free by using my referral code.  Just go to Graze.com and this is what you'll see:

Below the "get started now" button, click on "have a special code?" and then enter 7KGJPMYCP.  This will give you your first and five boxes free, but there is no obligation to get anything beyond your free box.  So far, I'm loving this subscription!

Be sure to check out the video below: