Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Busy day!

I started off my busy day today with a 2.5 mile run which was followed immediately by chugging a 36 oz bottle of water.  The run felt good today, I was proud of myself :)

Onto the eats!


Breakfast: An amazing and beautiful Blueberry Muffin Smoothie!  It tasted just like a blueberry muffin and was quite hearty!  The only changes I made was I only used 2/3 cup of blueberries and didn't add the extra milk to thin it.

Midmorning Snack: Handful of cherries and some cantaloupe.


Lunch: Brown rice with roasted cauliflower, roasted chickpeas and sun-dried tomatoes.  Served with a yummy peach.

Afternoon Snack: Iced coffee and a handful of raw cashews.


Dinner: Chopped salad.  I added the other half of my avocado right before I ate it so it wouldn't turn brown between the time I made the salad and when I ate it.

Yummy day!!


Monday, May 30, 2011

I'm Back!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was enjoying the day with my family and decided to take a day off from blogging and just focus on being in the moment.  On that note I ate some pretty good food.  I started my day with a 2 mile run then had some oatmeal after.  I snacked on an apple after and for dinner had a huge salad of mesclun greens, cucumber, grilled portabello mushroom and onions and some guacamole.  It was AMAZING.  For dessert I had a huge bowl of sweet watermelon.
Today was weird for me because I've been hungry ALL DAY.  I don't really mind it because I know I didn't eat a lot yesterday so you tend to balance yourself out.

On to today's meals:


Breakfast: Big bowl of watermelon and cherries. So refreshing and delicious!!

Midmorning snack (unpictured): a GIANT iced coffee...like jug sized and it was amazing. I also had a handful of raw cashews.


Lunch: brown rice, kidney beans and avocado bowl.  Delicious as always.

Unpictured snack: Another handful of cherries.  I'm addicted to these things!!


Dinner: Tofu and veggie stir-fry.  I seasoned it with the usual tamari but added pepper, garlic and nutritional yeast and it was even better.  Such a delicious meal and I was seriously craving veggies so it hit the spot!

My belly is FINALLY full so I'm a happy camper and I'm just gonna relax until tomorrow's run.  I'm adding another 1/2 mile so I'm up to 2.5 miles for the next two weeks.  Then it is up to 3 :)


Saturday, May 28, 2011

Yummy day!

I started off my day today with a 1 mile run and 1 hour of vinyasa yoga.  It felt great but it was HOT so I was really happy I decided to make the overnight oats!

Check out my full day of eats.


Breakfast: Overnight oats with chia and flax.  Check out full post below.


Lunch: Rice with roasted chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.  Served with a side of cherries.


Dinner: Chopped salad with all the usual suspects.

Yum! Have a great Saturday night everyone!

Chia Experiment #1: Overnight Oats

I wanted to experiment with my chia seeds right away so I set up a container of overnight oats last night.  I went simple with a bowl of recovery oats for after my workout which was a mile warm up run and an hour of intense vinyasa yoga.  It was an amazing workout and these overnight oats were SO REFRESHING!!!


Before: Last night at about 8:30 pm


After: This morning at about 10:30 am.  The oats and seeds absorbed the liquid.  It was really delicious and super filling.  It had a jelly like consistency which was fun!

Sarah's Overnight Chia Oats

1/2 cup oats (I use gluten free)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 packet stevia
cinnamon to taste
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

Mix all dry ingredients together and add Almond Breeze in a container with a lid.  Stir all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Enjoy!

*Note: Make sure your oats have room to expand in the container!

Friday, May 27, 2011

This is what I buy!

It was SO BEAUTIFUL out tonight and I didn't have plans so I decided to move my Sunday trip to the good Whole Foods up to tonight.  I didn't mind the drive (I normally do because I hate driving) and it was nice to have the windows down and just be by myself for a bit.

I wanted to fill in a few things and try a few things as well.  Here is the haul.


From left to rightish: 2 avocados (in the bag), chickpea flour, chia seeds (HOLY EXPENSIVE BATMAN!!!), 4 Larabars, cauliflower, steamed red kidney beans, 2 flavors of O.N.E. Active Coconut Water (supposed to be great rehydration during an intense workout...flavors are grape berry and lemon lime), and Silk Hazelnut Creamer for my coffee.

The chickpea flour is to make gluten free and high protein "crackers," the chia seeds are for fun and the coconut water is to try for my workouts.  I tried regular coconut water and hated it but heard the flavor kinds are much better and this is supposed to be really good for you.

Happy Friday to you all and I hope you have a safe holiday weekend! I can't wait to read and be jealous about all of your yummy holiday eats!

Some standard fare

Today has been not so shockingly unoriginal so far.  Still super tasty though! I don't imagine anything spectacular happening for dinner so I'm just gonna post now while I'm at my computer.


Breakfast: Gorgeous fruit salad with pineapple, cherries, grapes and strawberries.


Lunch: Rice and beans and veggies.  It was really good!

Post workout will be another protein shake.  Dinner will presumably be a chopped salad...

I just read about the insane health benefits chia seeds and totally want to try it.  I found a recipe for chia seed pudding I'm considering making for breakfast or maybe a midmorning snack on heavy workout days.  Has anyone had any experience with them? How do you like it?  Do you feel like you have more energy after you eat them because that is supposedly one of the biggest benefits.  Let me know!!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Today was a weird day...

Some of my meals were phenomenal and some were kinda weird and lame.  It comes from my lack of preparation and my dinner was just thrown together.  It's all good, I'm still sticking to program so I'm just doing my research tonight and trying to figure out some new options for yummy meals that consist of just protein and veggies.

Anywho, here are the eats...


Breakfast: GF oats, cinnamon, stevia, banana, drizzled peanut butter and sprinkling of coconut.  This was a damn good bowl of oats but it didn't help cook me down after my 2 mile run.  So worth it though.


Lunch: Another stir fry of brown rice, broccoli, peas, carrots and 1 tsp tamari.  Very good but same old.

Post workout: Protein Shake


Dinner: RANDOM plate of sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, raw almonds and roasted chickpeas.  I wanted avocado but the one I had was waaaay past prime so I ended up with the almonds.

I'm off to research some super clean meals consisting of either a grain, protein and veggies (lunch) and just protein and veggies (dinner).  All suggestions are totally welcome and appreciated!!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

This Is What I WILL Eat Today...

Today is my long work day so I bring lunch and dinner.  Here is what I will eat today all packed up (except breakfast which I've already eaten).


Breakfast: Oats, 2 tbsp ground flax, cinnamon, 1 tbsp raisins, 1 tbsp chopped walnuts, sprinkling shredded coconut.  It was one of the the best bowls of oats I've eaten!


Quinoa with chickpeas and grilled mushrooms, onions and zucchini.  Can't wait to eat this.


Dinner: Another stir fry of tofu, broccoli, peas and carrots.

I guess it has become pretty apparent that this blog has taken a new turn.  As wedding season approaches and I get busier and as my goals for my fitness have changed, I've been more interested in showing the full spectrum of my diet and how I'm eating more for fuel.  Hopefully you'll all stay along for the ride, and I promise I'll keep posting lots of pics of the beautiful food I eat! <3


Monday, May 23, 2011

Let's Make it a Trifecta!

Why not! I have everything I ate today (some pics are recycled but you get the idea) so check it.


Breakfast: Fruit salad in my favorite vegan bowl <3


Mid-morning iced coffee: Small 7-11 Columbian iced coffee, 1 Stevia packet, 1 tbsp Silk Hazelnut creamer (probably the only processed thing I consume and I'm ok with that)


Lunch: Stir-fry with 1/2 cup brown rice, lite firm tofu, broccoli, peas and carrots with 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp wheat free tamari


Post workout (3/4 mile warm up run and 45 minute training session) protein shake


Dinner: Veggie plate with hummus, baby carrots, vine-ripened tomato, roasted brussels sprouts and 1/2 avocado.






Protein Shake

Not the most exciting photo, but it was consumed today.  1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze, 1 scoop True Protein Gemma Pea Protein Isolate , 1 tablespoon Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Isolate.  37 grams of protein. Just sayin.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Another Full Day of Eats...

I figured since it is Sunday and I actually can photograph everything I would show you everything I ate today.  Well, I haven't eaten dinner yet, but that is what I will eat for dinner :)


Breakfast: Bowl of gluten free oatmeal with cinnamon, ground flax and a small banana.


Coffee from my favorite mug (a gift given to me years ago by a college friend) 


Lunch: Roasted brussels sprouts, roasted chickpeas (seasoned with pepper, garlic and paprika) and a roasted sweet potato


Afternoon Snack: AMAZING fresh, sweet cantaloupe and some crispy grapes


Dinner: (will be) Tofu scramble with broccoli, mushrooms, peas, carrots and spinach...seasoned with pepper, garlic and nutritional yeast.

So there you have it, another full day of vegan deliciousness. I was pretty hungry all day today because I didn't eat much yesterday because of work but I tried to keep it clean and light.  If anyone has any ideas of portable, compact, protein based snacks that don't need to be refrigerated I'm all ears! I work for a wedding photographer and have long days when I work weddings.  I try to bring food with me because a lot of the time I can't eat the meal provided but I'm totally stumped.  I've been bringing a larabar and that just isn't enough to last me through a 10 hr work day where we are running around.  If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!!

<3



Friday, May 20, 2011

Vegan dining out...

...at Chipotle.  Vegetarian salad with lettuce, black beans, fresh salsa and guacamole.  Looks like my dinner from yesterday with lettuce instead of rice.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This is what I eat...

...in a full day.  This post will be a slight departure from my typical minimal text format but I figured that it would be a good idea to post a full day's worth of meals.  This post is everything that I put in my mouth today, and it will hopefully answer all of the questions that vegans are asked all the time (such as "where do you get your protein?").  It'll also hopefully show that vegans DO eat a balanced, healthy diet.

Check it!


Breakfast: Bowl of oats containing gluten free oats, cinnamon, ground flax seeds and a banana.  Oats and flax are a great source of fiber and protein and flax is an excellent source of omegas.  Bananas have a lot of potassium...lots of nutritional bang for my breakfast buck.


Coffee: every day, no exceptions.


Midmorning snack: 1 cup fresh berries (high in antioxidants)


Lunch: Brown rice and kidney beans (combined form a complete protein) with broccoli (high in vitamins, fiber, calcium and magnesium), spinach (high in iron), salsa, and later topped with avocado (contains 25 vitamins and minerals as well as an excellent source of healthy fats).


Dinner: Chopped salad with greens, cucumber, carrots, chickpeas (protein), and sun-dried tomatoes.  Multiple servings of veggies packed with vitamins and minerals as well as a serving of protein.

I hope this helps answer questions of what vegans eat on a daily basis and what a typical day looks like.  When I have a training session there is a protein shake in between lunch and dinner which consists of  1 cup almond milk plus one scoop pea protein isolate and 1 tablespoon brown rice protein isolate (the two combined create the complete amino acid profile necessary for muscle recovery).  It is definitely possible to eat a balanced, nutritious vegan diet...it definitely takes time and effort, but that is always necessary in a healthy diet :)

Thanks for reading!!







Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Lunch time Noms

Roasted brussels, baby carrots and a sweet potato & cranberry quinoa cake from Whole Foods (sweet potatoes, quinoa, wild rice, cranberries, brown rice, scallion, sea salt, sage and pepper).

Recovery Oats

Post run recovery oats with cinnamon, ground flax seeds, raisins and chopped walnuts. Perfect hearty recovery meal :)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Tasting the Rainbow!!

Check out this gorgeous, colorful meal. Steamed spinach topped with roasted portabello mushroom, 1/2 avocado and served with a side of pineapple, raspberries and blackberries. 




More Oatmeal

Yums.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Gluten Free Baked Ziti!

Quinoa pasta, sauce, tofu ricotta, daiya mozzarella, spinach and broccoli.  Major yums.