Hi! Totally off-topic from your typical blog content, but I found out via your twitter that you are vegan. I've spent the six months trying to go vegan but I find myself struggling a lot. Do you have any tips for a newbie? Meal suggestions? What does a typical day of eating look like for you? Sorry for the randomness!
Omg Iām so sorry if this is a late response but this is a lovely ask to receive!Ā My staples are mostly grains and legumes. Iām honestly not a huge fan of fruits and veggies as odd as that may seem.Ā
Typical meals for me are spaghetti (just with a plain pasta sauce ofc) or easy recipes like this Lasagna Soup. I am very fond of lentils. I often chop up some potatoes and carrots, maybe an onion if I have any on hand, toss it all into a pot of veggie broth (Better Than Bouillon makes FANTASTIC broth bases, including veganĀ ābeefā and veganĀ āchickenā varieties) with some lentils and a dash of cumin & garlic powder and let it cook til itās thickened some and it makes a great soup/stew! (In fact, Iām planning to make a big pot of this tomorrow for BfA launch so that Iāll have something hot to eat while leveling.) You could also consider making sloppy joes! If youāre pressed for time and want a quicker version, Manwich sauce is vegan (if you donāt consider processed sugar to be non-vegan). I like to use a can of it with 1.5C of TVP (before re-hydration). Add a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce and cumin and perhaps some sauteed diced green bell peppers and youāre all good to go.Ā
(I also tend to keep a few cans of this soup on hand, in the event that Iām too tired to cook when I get home from work. Itās pretty tasty!)Ā
Alternatively, Gardein makes great meatlessĀ āmeatsā that are great for easy meals when pressed for time, though they are a bit on the pricey side. I highly recommend giving them a try if you can find them in your store if you havenāt already! (Morning Star Farms also makes some good meatless meats as well. Their chikān strips are great! Just watch out, some of their varieties are only vegetarian, not vegan. Though for transitioning the vegetarian options are good, too!)Ā
For lunches on-the-go while Iām at work, I rely pretty heavily on sandwiches (PB&J, or sometimes Tofurky slices with faux cheese, whenever I feel like splurging) and hummus (roasted red pepper hummus is my favorite!) with chips or pretzels.
My diet isnāt particularly balanced because Iām a picky fuck, so I supplement for calcium by taking one of these every day alongside a multivitamin. And ofc, always be sure to supplement for B12 (the multivitamin I linked above contains B12), as itās not typically found in plant foods (though some plant foods are fortified with it). If youāre against supplementation, just know that most non-vegans arenāt getting enough B12 either, and most of the food fed to farm animals is supplemented with B12, so technically its a supplement even if you are getting it from animal products! (Not that thereās anything wrong with supplements!)
B12 deficiency is no joke, and can cause serious nerve damage! (TBH Iād recommend everyone to supplement for it, even non-vegans.)
Iād highly recommend checking out Unnatural Vegan on YouTube. She makes fantastic content and talks quite a bit about vegan nutrition (though I certainly donāt follow all of her advice cuz Iām a lazy sack of shit who doesnāt eat very healthy regardless.) :DĀ
Sorry again for this response potentially being so late! I need to check my tumblr more often, apparently! ā„
