One of the reasons I started this blog is because when people find out that I follow a vegetarian, whole foods diet, the first question I often get is, “so what do you eat on a regular basis?” In a meat and potatoes world, the idea of not including meat in your diet throws people totally off. If you don’t eat meat, what do you eat? Obviously, I eat all of the recipes I have posted thus far and a ton of other recipes I have yet to post. But what does an average day look like following this type of diet? I’ll show you. These pictures are not beautiful. I snapped them quickly as I was preparing my meals on a Sunday night, and the lighting was not forgiving. Generally, I eat 5 meals a day consisting of: breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, and dinner. Depending on how busy I am at work, I may eat one or both of my snacks with my lunch, however I try to spread my meals out as much as possible so that I stay nourished throughout the day. In each section, I have included some additional meals/snacks I typically eat during that time. Hopefully, this post will be helpful to you when planning your own meals, and maybe give you some ideas for simple and quick healthy options.
Meal 1: Breakfast (6:30AM)
The first thing I do is drink a metabolism-boosting drink that contains apple cider vinegar. I have two recipes I use that are part of the Tone It Up nutrition program. More on these later. I drink my metabolism drink and take one multivitamin and 2 spirulina pills.
My breakfast this week is a Tropical Green Smoothie. I like to make a full 16 oz so that I can drink half one morning and the other half the next. Sometimes I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to help give it more staying power.
Additional options: plain greek yogurt with berries and chia seeds, fresh pineapple with cottage cheese, Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal, HEALTHY cereal with light almond milk
Meal 2: AM Snack (9:30 AM)
I like to combine a fruit and a protein for my AM snack. That way my body can burn the sugar from the fruit throughout the day. The protein helps to keep me full until lunchtime. This week I am eating grapes with a light mozzarella cheese stick.
Additional options: Oatmeal Banana-Berry Bars, protein shake, small apple or banana with natural peanut butter
Meal 3: Lunch (12PM)
Here is where I start to amp up my vegetable intake for the rest of the day. This week I am eating a kale and quinoa salad with green apples and feta cheese.
Additional options: White Bean Avocado Salad, green salad with tofu or tuna, bean and veggie burritos, whole wheat pasta salad with veggies
Meal 4: PM Snack (3PM)
Veggie and protein snack! This week I am eating carrots and hummus. Use any veggies you like/have on hand.
Additional options: celery and peanut butter, blue corn chips and fresh salsa, cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella
Meal 5: Dinner (6:30PM)
Dinner is my most flexible meal of the day. I always make sure it’s loaded with veggies and contains some sort of protein source (usually beans or fish). If my dinner contains cheese one night, I will try to avoid it the next night. I never make two pasta/starchy dishes in a row. Today I am eating vegetarian cheesy mushroom-stuffed zucchini (recipe coming soon!) and a side salad
Additional options: Whole Wheat Tomato Basil Pasta, Black Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, dinner salad (such as Spicy Pepperjack Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing).
