A Typical Gluten-Free, Vegan Day

20140218_122526Do you ever get frustrated looking at all the beautifully photographed recipes and wonder where those food bloggers find the time?  Guess what? I do too!  I love to cook. I love to write about what I’m making and share great, compassionate and healthy ideas with the world. But in order to do that, I need time to put it all together and all too often, I don’t have it.

So while I’m itching to post something wonderful, I thought it might be more fun and real (and easy) to share what my typical day of food prep looks like.

Breakfast: Hard as I try, I am NOT and never have been a morning person. If I exercise in the morning, I get so tired I just want to crawl back in bed. I’m not a big breakfast eater either. I know, I know….it’s supposedly the most important meal of the day. But I could easily skip it and be just fine until lunch as long as I get my coffee, black and strong. That said, I do try to eat something, I guess because I’m supposed to.

Today, my most important meal of the day was a smoothie.  While tasty, it was kind of greenish brown and I forgot to take a picture but you already know what smoothies look like, right?

Two Lemony Smoothies:

12 oz. coconut water (I LOVE this stuff to make smoothies – so healthy and hydrating!)
1 organic lemon, peel and all (remove the peel if it’s not organic)
1 organic orange, peel and all (again remove the peel if it’s not organic)
1 banana (yes, peel this one and compost the peel.)
2 cups raw organic spinach
3 – 4 Medjool dates (3 if big, soft and sweet, 4 if smaller or drier)
½ cup frozen organic cherries (other berries or fresh with pits removed will work too)
1/8 cup chia seeds (great source of protein, omega 3 and antioxidants – eat them!)

Add the following to your power blender and whirl away! Pour into a to-go cup and drink as you’re running out the door. I make enough to share with hubby. And soak the blender if you don’t have time to wash it before leaving.  Fruit is pretty sticky if allowed to dry for several hours.

Lunch: Nearly every day, I bring my lunch and it’s usually leftovers. Today is no exception. I have a baked sweet potato topped with some amazing cheese sauce and steamed veggies I made last night, some fresh spinach, a bit of salsa and a bit of Daiya cheddar. I also had ½ cup of mixed nuts for a snack. If I get cranky hungry, nuts seem to do the trick.

Dinner:  Because I’m not a morning person, I don’t get to the office super early, which means I don’t get home until late. If I try to sneak in some exercise, dinner doesn’t get started until 8:00 pm unless hubby gets things started.  Tonight, he made himself some pasta with sauce from a jar. I opted for some black bean soup.  Fast and healthy and not too heavy so close to bedtime.

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So this is how miss fancy pants gluten-free, vegan, food blogger spends many of her nights. I wish I was vegan Martha Stewart, but hey, it works. What’s your favorite speed meal?

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3 Responses to A Typical Gluten-Free, Vegan Day

  1. JoAnne Hoffman says:

    Hello my friend! I know what you mean….. Working gets in the way of cooking! I usually make a batch of something on Sunday afternoon and can nimble for dinner throughout the week. Right now my favorite summer dinner is Tofu salad…. Y’know like eggless eggsalad, only I make it with Chipotle Veganaise. That stuff is the BOMB! I eat it open face on a slice of Out of the Breadbox vegan GF oat bread, and we have a BIG salad. Also another fav quickie, edamame salad: frz organic edamame and frz mixed organic veggies lightly steamed and cooled. Toss with chopped red onion and red pepper and dried cranberries and your fav vinegrette and let marinate.YUM. Note: I get my cranberries at Natural Grocers and get the juice sweetened ones, not sugar sweetened. Those craisins have so much sugar they don’t taste like cranberries anymore. Happy summer everyone!

    • Janie says:

      Thanks JoAnne – Those cranberries sound great and I LOVE Out of the Breadbox vegan GF oat bread. Just had some for breakfast! 🙂

  2. Marcy says:

    I hate to cook so I opt for Amy’s vegan chili over a baked potato. Not very clever but fast and filling.

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