When I started eating a plant based diet it was important to be satisfied with my food. I could not eat this way and feel hungry all the time. I also don’t like bland food so I decided to make hearty and spicy dishes. I’m not the kind of girl who can eat a salad everyday for lunch. Typically I’ll have maybe one or two salads a week, in the summer when it is too hot to cook here in Arizona I eat more salads.

So if you a beginning to eat a plant based diet and you’re starving all the time you are doing it wrong. Eat more and eat more often. I often eat toast or a smoothie for a snack between meals. If you can chomp on baby carrots mid afternoon and be satisfied God bless you, but for the rest of us eat something else. Tomorrow I’ll share a yummy vegan muffin recipe that makes a great snack.

Today’s Meal Plan

Smoothie

Breakfast: Smoothie

Smoothies are make a great breakfast, they are easy, fast, and portable. Smoothies can be made with whatever you have on hand. No one in my house will refuse a smoothie.

Today’s Smoothie (My smoothies vary every time I make them)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp flax seeds
• 1 cup Spinach
• 2 peeled bananas
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries
• 1 cup plant milk (I use rice milk)

Do

1. Blend flax seeds in a blender.
2. Add everything else and blend until smooth adding more liquid if necessary.

Serve

Serve this in a tall glass or insulated cup if your on the go. My smoothie made about 30 ounces so you can adjust the recipe accordingly.

When I have fresh fruit I use it instead of frozen but this time of year frozen is typically priced much better than fresh. I buy big bags of frozen berries at Costco. When strawberries and blueberries are in season I buy a lot and stock my freezer. Mango, pineapple and raspberries also make delicious smoothies. When I have orange juice I’ll add it instead of milk. Smoothies can hide veggies as well. The spinach in this smoothie is undetectable. Try adding kale, parsley, or chard instead.

Lunch: Baked Potato

I love a big baked potato. You may need to retrain your taste buds to enjoy a baked potato without butter, bacon, and sour cream. Before removing dairy from my diet I didn’t realize that I could enjoy a potato without it.  Earth Balance Spread is a great transition food that will help with that dairy addiction, they also have a soy free variety. Earth Balance tastes and looks like butter. You can substitute it for butter in any recipe as well.

Aside from Earth Balance Spread other toppings include steamed veggies like broccoli, vegan chili, salsa, nutritional yeast, and soups. Yesterday my husband had a baked potato for lunch topped with leftover Potato and Broccoli Soup. He said it was great and wanted to have it again next week.

Dinner: Chili

I just mentioned that Chili makes a great topping on a baked potato but it also taste great on it own. There are several vegan and vegetarian chili’s on the market but it is really easy to make it on your own. This never tastes exactly the same because it varies based on what ingredients I have and and how hot the pepper are.

Ingredients

• 3 cans of beans OR about 6 cups of cooked beans
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes OR about 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 can diced green chili’s OR your choice of fresh peppers
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chili powder (add more to suit your taste, we use 1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt
• pepper

Do

1. Add beans, diced onion, tomatoes, peppers, and tomato sauce to a large sauce pan and cook until onions, peppers, and tomatoes are cooked.
2. Add spices to suit your individual taste preferences. 
3. Heat until extra liquid, if any, has cooked out. 

Serve

This chili is great on a cool day, it is hearty and filled with fiber. Cornbread or crackers make a great accompaniment. Chili also freezes well so make a big batch and save some for a rainy day.This chili is on my stove right now, I used pinto beans, kidney beans, and black beans. Yum!