What We Ate Today #10

Breakfast:

Roasted potatoes (here's the recipe), sautéed spinach (with garlic, salt & pepper) & strawberries

Lunch:

BBQ tofu (i sprinkled garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt on it before frying), jasmine rice and steamed broccoli 

Click here to watch an older BBQ tofu recipe video I made...here's the written version of the recipe. These days, I just dry fry (fry the tofu in a non-stick pan) instead of in oil like in that older video.

Here's an excellent video from Vegan Cooking with Love on how to press tofu to get great texture and make it easy to marinade.

Dinner:

Spring corn and potato chowder (here's the recipe) - I seasoned mine with cumin & coriander 

Check out the full video of What We Ate here

Music playing while I cooked lunch: Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home

Check out other "What We Ate Today" posts and videos here

Learning to Turn Down the Noise | Mrs. New Booty #9

I started the "Mrs. New Booty" series to document some of my food issues, weight loss & self love chit-chat. Read older posts here

The internet is an interesting place.

It makes me excited, hopeful, envious, inspired, sad, happy, and can have me rolling around the bed in laughter - all in the span of a few hours.

I've been working on filtering a lot of that noise out of my life...especially social media.

There's so much amazing content out there, but overall a lot of the chatter is a distraction.

I just don't think it's healthy to look at what everyone else is doing when there's so many improvements that I need to make in my own life.

I need to work on my marriage, spend more quality time with my children, grow my business, find out what I really want out of life, eat better, read more & spend more time outside.

All of that is hard to do when I'm constantly plugged in!

I feel like I'm entering a new season in my life. A season where I'm learning to be confident about my life and myself. It's definitely a process but I will be diligent to make it happen.

What I do now to unplug?

• Daily walks around my neighborhood for 30 minutes - Eric told me that he heard on a podcast that the results of a daily walk can make you feel like you just got a $30,000 increase. Cha ching!
• Intentional unplugging for 2 hours a day- I know this doesn't sound like much but for someone who is constantly plugged in this is an amazing step! I can't wait to build up to most of the day unplugged. *crossing my fingers*
• Unfollowed/hid nearly everyone - I like a lot of people online and kept finding myself being more tuned in to their lives than my own. I unfollowed (and hid) tons of people to take back my time. I still check on folks but overall "out of sight out of mind" rules everything around me.

I have to put my blinders on and do the work if I ever want to come out of this dark hole.

I'm well aware that social media is a depression trigger for me. Sad but true.

What's next?

• Meditation. *sigh* I've tried meditation on and off for years but I never feel like I'm doing it right. I'm reading 10% Happier right now and Dan Harris has me inspired to try it again. I always hear about the amazing benefits, so I know that tapping into it should give me more patience. Lord knows I need more patience! lol
• Adding more time to my unplugged life - This one is hard but I have to do it. I'll probably add 30 more minutes a day each month for the rest of the year. *crossing my fingers* 

I will still look at pop culture stories (lawd!) and check in on folks, but overall I will be intentional with my time.

The internet is a powerful resource (hell I make my living on it!) but I really have to step back and take control of my life if I want to achieve all the amazing dreams that I see for myself & family.

I have to step back so I can step up and live my best life.

Do you unplug? What do you do during that down time?

EASY Chickpea & Black Bean Salad Recipe

This delicious salad is simple, has all accessible ingredients and doesn't break the bank.

Serve with pita bread and/or red wine.

Let me know what you think once you try it!

Chickpea & Black Bean Salad

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix together with a spoon and cover for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Serve with pita bread

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Recipe adapted from All Recipes

How to Plan Your Vegan Breakfast | Vegan Meal Planning for Families

Breakfast is the simplest meal of the day for us.

No seriously, I keep it on autopilot.

I have things to do like sleep in (*sigh*) or scrolling through Baller Alert's Instagram from bed (*side eye*).

Anywho, enough about me and my bad habits...

This post (and above) video is about how to plan a simple vegan breakfast each week.

Notice I said each week and not daily meal planning.

I actually only plan our breakfast about 4 times a month because we typically eat the same breakfast each day for a week.

Seriously, no one complains...

Plus this method works really well for saving time and money. We can all use more of each

Here are 10 easy breakfast combinations that you can serve your family:

• Toast/Bagels (check ingredients to ensure there's no eggs, dairy or honey) + Fresh fruit or Smoothie
• Vegan Pancakes + Fresh fruit
• Grits + Tempeh bacon
• Cereal with almond milk (here's a list of vegan-friendly cereals) + Fresh fruit
• Tofu scramble + Vegan sausage (Field Roast & Tofurky are options) + Fresh fruit
• Oatmeal with vegan margarine or coconut oil, fresh fruit, cinnamon, raw sugar/agave nectar
• Roasted potatoes + Sautéed spinach + Fresh fruit
• Vegan Waffles (if you don't want to make a homemade waffle, Vans has a vegan pre-packed option) + Fresh fruit
• Coconut yogurt (So Delicious is a good brand) + Granola + Fresh fruit
• Vegan muffins + Fresh fruit

You're probably already eating the same breakfast each week anyway, so continue that traditional right into your vegan lifestyle.

 What We Ate Today video series...look at those videos and blog posts here. 

Keep it simple and veganize some of your current favorite breakfast meals to get started.

 

What's your favorite vegan breakfast? Leave a comment below 

How to Plan Vegan School Lunch for Kids (VIDEO)

If you're new to vegan life, the easiest way to transition your kids to vegan school lunches, is by veganizing (make a vegan version) some of the meals they're already enjoying.

Think about it like this.... if your kids love turkey sandwiches - start experimenting with vegan deli slices (I like the Field Roast brand) and use vegan mayo (Just Mayo is a good brand), lettuce, tomato & mustard to make their favorite sandwich vegan. Also, check the ingredients on the bread to ensure that it's vegan (no milk, eggs or butter). 

Try not to overthink it. You want to keep weekly lunches simple for you and delicious for them. :-)

I have an easy formula for making simple and delicious daily lunches....

Main entree + Fruit/Vegetable + Treat/Junk Food + Drink =                                                Vegan School Lunch

I talk about making school lunches and even show you how I put one together for my boys in this video...

Main entree - sandwich (peanut butter and jelly is a great option), burrito, taco, wrap (one with hummus, red bell pepper, lettuce & tomato is an easy option) or leftover soup from dinner in a Thermos

This is a pic of my youngest son, Brandon's lunch from when he was about 6

Fruit and/or Vegetable - any whole fruit that you have on hand - berries, banana, apple, pineapple, etc. Mini salads with lettuce, tomato, carrot & cucumber served with balsamic vinaigrette or any vegetable and hummus.  If you have older kids, a fruit and vegetable is probably a good idea because they eat more. Smaller kids should get one or the other so they don't waste food.

Treat/Junk Food - Don't skip out on the treat because kids love trading snacks! I know I used to back in the day. Plus, I think it's important for some of their food to look familiar.

Vegan junk food options mentioned in the video: Oreos, plain Lay's potato chips Earth Balance vegan cheddar popcorn, Late July chips (not all of their products are vegan; check the ingredients)
Clif Bar (not all of their products are vegan; check the ingredients) and Stacy's pita chips (not sure if all of their products are vegan; check the ingredients)

There are so many healthy junk food options out there! You can also check out PETA's accidental vegan list for some familiar (not healthy) snack options 

Drink - Water is best but I used to give my boys an organic juice box one week out of the week. You can also send your kids to school with almond or coconut milk (they even sell chocolate flavored versions of these) in a Thermos or drink box.

Remember to keep it simple, get the kids involved and have fun!!