For the month of March I have decided to “meal prep” all of my meals for the week on Sunday. So this basically means the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 7 days straight, then I’ll switch it up a little bit. I also have decided to try to go vegan for this month and see how my body responds. I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 12 years, but I feel like in order to truly respect animals and their lives, I should not consume any of their products. I often say veganism is “too difficult” or “too expensive” but it really doesn’t have to be. I also LOVE cheese (*ahem* pizza), but there are alternatives, and should my selfishness really compromise the life of another being?
I think a lot of people are naive to the meat/dairy industry. I think most don’t realize how much these animals suffer for our pleasure. The slaughtering and horrible living conditions are done behind closed doors, so it is hard for people to understand. I’ve known that dairy animals don’t live in wonderful conditions, but I just recently found out that female cows are basically “hand raped” if you will, by humans artificially inseminating them in order for them to continue lactating. That is disgusting and horrible. I do not consume milk directly, however I do eat plenty of cheese, sour cream, and other foods with dairy ingredients. I don’t want to contribute or support to this sort of abuse, so I think it’s time to change my lifestyle.
Recently, I have also been irresponsible with my food portions, my sweet cravings, and my diet in general. I think I need to re-focus my mind and body as well as get my body used to proper portions for me. I think by meal prepping I may see better results from working out.
So, you can join me if you would like to or just follow along on my journey!
The Grocery List
- Bananas
- Berries
- Spinach
- Cucumbers
- Brocolli
- Bell Peppers
- Oranges
- Yams
- Red onion
- Green chile pepper (1)
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Avocado
- Lemons
- Low sodium black beans
- Nuts (Almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts)
- Lentils
- Bread Crumbs
- Frozen corn
- Frozen berries
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Maple extract
- Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
(I spent almost $70, I had additional groceries at home already)
I purchased a set of Meal Prep containers
to help with the process, and I’ll probably freeze half and let them thaw the day of.
MEALS:
Breakfast
- Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal –> I found this recipe from Produce on Parade
I actually just discovered Katie’s blog, and she is vegan with lots of great looking recipes! - Water with lemon –> You may think I am weird for including this, but it is kind of for accountability. I know I should drink more water especially after I wake up. So I want to drink at least one large cup.
- Coffee –> I usually drink tea every morning and then I’ll have a coffee here and there. Then sometimes I’ll drink coffee a few days in a row. I found this
“brain enhancing” coffee as well as this“athletic” coffee from here. I’m not sure if they will work for me, but I’m happy with even a placebo effect! I commute for 30 minutes at 6 am every weekday morning, so I need something to keep me alert. I also bought thisFrench press which I think is adorable, but it is something I have to learn to use (for coffee intensity).
- Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal –> I found this recipe from Produce on Parade
“brain enhancing” coffee as well as 
“athletic” coffee from here. I’m not sure if they will work for me, but I’m happy with even a placebo effect! I commute for 30 minutes at 6 am every weekday morning, so I need something to keep me alert. I also bought 
French press which I think is adorable, but it is something I have to learn to use (for coffee intensity).
Snack #1
- D’s Natural No Cow Bar –> These are my favorite protein bars, I eat one every single day! I purchase them from Vitamin Shoppe because they always have them for the best price there. I have all 4 flavors so I’ll rotate between them. Each bar has 20-21 grams of protein.
Lunch
- Brown rice, broccoli, and lentils –> A serving size of each. I think this is a good balance of carbs, nutrients, and protein.
- Cilantro-Lime Cucumber Salad –> I got this delicious looking salad recipe from The Food Charlatan
Snack #2
- Nuts! –> Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios for now. I’ll probably eat 2 servings worth for extra protein.
Dinner
- Black bean burger, sweet potato, and bell peppers –> The burger recipe is from Be Whole Be Youand I’ll be using low sodium black beans and a flax egg instead of a real one. I’ll probably make a avocado spread of some sort to add more flavor! I’m just going to bake the sweet potato to my liking. I will most likely eat the bell peppers raw because that’s just how I prefer them!
Dessert
- Green Smoothie –> Containing spinach, banana, mixed berries, peanut butter, almond milk, and flaxseed meal. I’m not a huge fan of smoothies, but I’m going to give it a shot and trust this recipe from Minimalist Baker!
- If you want to learn how to make the perfect smoothie or if you need some ideas, check out this post from Positive Health Wellness! The peppermint patty smoothie sounds amazing!
I’m not sure if I will allow myself cheat meals yet, but I am celebrating my step mom’s birthday this weekend so I will eat a different meal. However, I will not eat dairy products and most likely not any sweets/cake!
