In an attempt to forever answer the question “Where do you get your protein from?” I recorded every meal I ate in a week. Now about to hit 6 months as a vegan, I’ve finally figured out a way to spend minimally, eat healthy food, and even cook (my how far we’ve come)!
Sunday
I start the morning off with a cup of green machine or smoothie before heading to my favorite yoga class. I go straight from class to Whole Foods to do all my grocery shopping for the week.
My grocery list for this week:
- 2 cans of chickpeas
- Quinoa
- Spinach
- Red Onion
- Bananas
- Berries
- Tofu
- Almond Milk
- Broccoli
- Green Pepper
- Riced Cauliflower
- Coconut milk yogurt
- Avocado
I try to meal prep one or two high protein dinners, along with a huge batch of quinoa so I don’t starve during the week.
A cup of quinoa typically feeds me for at least 6 meals, so I add it in to almost everything I cook. I also find I can roast a can of chickpeas in the oven with broccoli while I make about 3 servings of stir-fry with tofu. Meal prep took me an hour.
For lunch on Sunday, I had a bowl of the stir-fry with a cup of coffee, since by this time I started to get tired and the coffee keeps me from crashing when I start working.
When I get back from campus, I’ll heat up some of the chickpeas, broccoli and quinoa before heading to bed.
Total: $45.72
I had a glass of green juice before my run. When I got back from my run, I made a smoothie with a scoop of protein powder, and of course my cup of coffee, before I shower. I took the smoothie with me on my way to campus.
For lunch, I stopped by Pret A Manger on campus to have one of their small servings of lentil soup. I was still hungry, so I splurged for a bag of popcorn.
For dinner, I had too much work to get back early, so I picked up a bowl of tofu and vegetable pho at one of the stores on campus.
Total: $13.24
Tuesday
As usual, my green juice before the run kept me going. I was running late so I threw my coffee in a to-go cup and grabbed a banana on my way out the door.
When I got out of class I was hungry so I bought a bag of granola around 11, and then grabbed a falafel wrap for lunch at 3:30.
Since I ate lunch later, I ended up eating a bowl of chickpeas, quinoa, spinach, and avocado when I got home from the library around 11:30.
Total: $8.27
Wednesday
My pre-run green juice held me over until I made some coffee. I had a couple of minutes, so I made a bowl of berries and coconut yogurt.
For lunch, I went to Pret again for one of their vegan grain bowls, which are so filling and healthy. I always grab one on cold days because they keep me going into the afternoon.
I was lucky to finish my work at little early so around 9, I went home and threw some of the tofu stir-fry in the microwave with a cup of green tea.
Total: $7.23
Thursday
You guessed it! I had a glass of green juice. I lifted weights so I made a smoothie with protein powder to take to class.
Lunch was lentil soup again, this time without the popcorn because it was on the early side. I talked one of my friends into grabbing a banana from the dining hall for me so I could have a snack for later.
For dinner, I ate the last of the chickpeas, onions, and quinoa with the rest of the spinach.
Total: $4.47
Friday
Breakfast was a glass of green juice, a banana, and a cup of coffee.
I ate lunch with a friend so I bought a grain bowl from my favorite coffee shop with a cup of lemongrass tea.
Every Friday, I order sushi with one of my friends who lives on campus. Avocado sushi with bubble tea is my comfort food.
Total: $ 25.53
Saturday
Green juice, coffee, and a bowl of berries were breakfast.
Lunch was the last bowl of tofu stir-fry and another cup of coffee.
For dinner, I had a friend over and we made some curried chickpea and rice cauliflower stir fry with some naan she brought.
Total: $0
After your first few weeks of being vegan, you start to settle into recipes and meals. Although it can be challenging at times, I find it has made cooking and meal planning easier.
You can follow my vegan cooking journey on my Instagram story! I share new recipes that I love, and how I make my staple meals!
Have you considered going vegan? What are your favorite vegan foods?
Let me know on Twitter @xoxorosana_blog!
Xoxo, Rosana