The only two struggles I have are not being able to just buy anything when you're hungry whilst out and about and making sure there's variation in most meals. Although I made a meal plan on Sunday but I didn't follow it 100% as time and availability of certain ingredients were limited so I had to come up with alternatives.
One of the advantage of this diet is the discovery of delicious food, for example on Monday I have made this amazing avocado, grapefruit and pomegranate salad. The bitterness and the sweetness worked so well together!! My colleague tried it and she loved it. She even had it for her lunch the next day.
Another good thing is I like how this diet is making me think more about the food and nutrients I have. For example, as the week went by I realised I wasn't having enough starchy carbs. It was like a low carb vegan diet and so this week I will make sure I have more carbs like sweet potatoes, cassava, beans, etc.
Also, it has enabled me to explore more vegan meals. So if I was ever to have a dinner party and had some vegans round, it would be easy peasy for me.
I asked my boyfriend if he would do this challenge with me and he said he will try and I must say he did well this week.
If you don't follow me on Instagram then you probably won't have seen my food but no worries you can see it in this post. (My insta is @in_da_pink. )
Day 1- Monday
For breakfast, I had my usual smoothie. All my smoothies has been mainly vegan in the past so this wasn't something new to me.
This smoothie had strawberries, fresh coconut (I opened it myself), banana, oat, and almond milk.
This lunch is the one I was talking about earlier, avocado, pomegranate and grapefruit. So so goooooood.
For dinner, I made quinoa stuffed bell peppers which had mushrooms, baby corn and french beans. My boyfriend loved this.
Day 2- Tuesday
I had a white grapefruit to start the day with a strawberry and kale smoothie.
The smoothie had strawberries, banana, kale, oats and coconut milk.
Went to Planet Organic to buy some vegan products. I had finished my hemp protein and so decided to try this Warrior Blend vegan protein. Also bought olive oil butter and vegan cheese. I was curious about how the "cheese" would taste like.. keep reading to find out.
Had the cheese with grapes and it was really good. But the cheese itself was ok. It did taste a bit like cheese but the taste of coconut oil was quite overwhelming. I don't think I would get it again.
For dinner I made aubergine, courgette and tomato stew with pasta.
Day 3 Wednesday
For breakfast I made an apple and cinnamon porridge topped with banana and a mix of milled chia seeds, linseed and hemp seeds. I also mixed in a scoop of Warrior blend protein powder.
I cooked the apples in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of water. Added oats and almond milk once the apple have turned brown. Then just cooked the porridge like I normally do and added cinnamon powder.
I didn't take a pic of the lunch as it was just left overs from Tuesday night's dinner. In the evening, my boyfriend took me out on a date night at a vegan buffet restaurant, Thibits. The food was average and pricey and you were charged by the weight of you plate. I doubt I will be going back there.
Day 4- Thursday
I had an exotic smoothie for breakfast. Papaya and banana protein smoothie. It was so yummy!
I tried to make zucchini pasta. I didn't have a spiralizer so used a vegetable peeler instead, making fettuccine. Lol I thought it was a bit plain so added carrots and kale too. I bought vegan pesto for this and I mixed in a mashed avocado to make it creamy. The pine nuts complimented everything!
I went back to my parents on Thursday evening and was expecting to cook dinner as I thought they probably have made meat dishes. But in the end, I didn't have to cook because my dad had made some hearty Chinese desert, mung beans, red beans, barley and kelp sweet soup. I thought all these beans are nutritious enough to be my dinner.
Day 5 Friday
Found some choi sum leaves in the fridge so used it for my morning smoothie. I also milled a pack of hemp seeds. In the end I made this smoothie with; choi sum, banana, chia seeds, hemp seed, pea protein and rice milk.
I worked from home on Friday so I was able to have something hot and fresh. Although at work we have a microwave but I don't really like heating my food like that. The wholemeal pitta bread gave me the idea of making vegan kebab. The filling was just simply stir fried cherry tomatoes, baby corn, mushrooms and onions seasoned in worchester sauce.
Day 6 Saturday
I made something different for breakfast on this day. I made strawberries and pomegranate chia pudding.
I didn't take a picture of my lunch or dinner as it was something I've had already in the week and not very interesting. For lunch I made the avocado salad and dinner I just had a mushroom chow mein.
Day 7 Sunday
I made sure I started my day with plenty of zinc by making a banana, strawberries and cacao nib smoothie. I needed zinc as it is an essential nutrient for growth and development. Strict vegetarians and vegans lack zinc as it is mainly found in red meat and shellfish. However, cacao nib is a rich source of zinc, anti-oxidant and magnesium.
I used hazelnut fortified milk and added chia and hemp seeds. The fortified hazel milk is also important as it contains vitamin B12 and this vitamin is also something that vegetarians and vegan lack. B12 is essential for our immune system so the only way V & Vs get B12 is either by taking supplements and fortified food.
For lunch I made rice noodle, asparagus, baby corn, mushroom and dwarf beans salad.
Finally for dinner, I made something quick and easy. Mashed potatoes, barley and stir fried asparagus with dwarf beans.
That's it. More to come next week!
