Yesterday on Instagram stories I shared what the girls (ages 6 and 3 1/2) and I ate throughout the day. It made me realize it’s been a while since I shared a similar peek in this space, so today I wanted to share with you what we eat in a typical day! We are still eating plant-based and really enjoying it. We had salmon Monday night and I had a few messages about it (through insta), but that to me is the beauty of plant-based- no restriction and no label. I haven’t felt restricted at all, despite eating vegan 85% of the time, which is great because something would have to change if I did. Instead we are enjoying experiencing new recipes and flavors together and feeling good in the process!
Breakfast
Mom: I ate a half of a banana before the 5:30 AM Burn class. Once I was home and showered I put together my typical go-to: homemade sourdough bread (from the freezer), avocado, lemon, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Blueberries, banana, and a matcha latte. I get the SenCha Matcha Latte mix through Thrive Market (<-get 25% off your first order with my affiliate link) and I love the flavor (organic coconut sugar helps) and the lift it gives me!
Girls: Both are hooked on the So-So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurts. They are an easy and quick morning grab and I just pair it with granola and fruit. They both easily eat the whole thing.
Lunch
Kaitlyn: Twice a month Kaitlyn eats lunch at her preschool. True to form, I often forget about it until the day of and end up scrapping together what I can. Yesterday it was a cheddar cheese tortilla wrap, blueberries, snap peas, and cashews. She uses a PlanetBox lunchbox.
Hailey and Mom: When Kaitlyn has lunch bunch, we treat ourselves with a lunch out. We try to get something new each time and yesterday we tried the new smoothie bowl options from Juice Bar.
Hailey went with the dragon fruit bowl (dragon fruit purée, avocado, mango, mint and almond milk topped with granola, pineapple, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, bee pollen and local honey) and I chose the turmeric bowl (apple juice, mango, turmeric, avocado, maca, banana, strawberries, granola, almond butter, cashews, coconut flakes, local honey). They were both delicious!
Snack
The first day of spring brought the arrival of pollen season in North Carolina, and I’ve been trying to adjust all week- feeling a bit more tired than usual and tending to a dry, hacking cough. Pleasant. I attribute the fact that I PASSED OUT on the couch during the girls’ quiet time to this season change. I startled myself awake just in time to get Hailey to her 2:30 gymnastics class, then grabbed a quick pick-me-up.
Mom: A flat white made with Almond Milk.
Kaitlyn: A croissant.
Hailey: A post-gymnastics cheddar tortilla wrap.
Dinner
I’ve really enjoyed checking out new cookbooks to try from the library. It’s a great way to get a feel for them before committing to purchasing them. With my focus on simplifying things around the house, I really only want to buy cookbooks I know I will cook from a lot. So far, none have really fit that bill, but Chloe Flavor might just be the one I commit to. The pictures are stunning and the recipes all look like food I’d want to make and eat on a regular basis. Last night’s dinner, Tempeh Bacon BLTs, were SO SO good. I tried to find the tempeh bacon recipe to link to, but the one online is drastically different from the one in the book, so maybe try to check it out at your library too!
Mom: Tempeh BLT with avocado, chipotle spread, and red onions with asparagus on the side. I LOVED it.
Girls: Tempeh BLT with avocado and mayo, asparagus, and quinoa salad. Hailey downed everything. Kaitlyn didn’t touch the quinoa salad, ate half of her asparagus, and INHALED her tempeh BLT. Inhaled, y’all- it’s that good.
David: Ate two tempeh BLTs and asparagus. He said that he wouldn’t call it bacon-flavored, but liked it overall and would eat it again.
And that’s it! Unless you count my two cups of Throat Coat tea. Oh pollen…
I guess it’s time to start taking alfalfa, using my air filter, and tipping back the local honey.
What are you eating lately and loving?
Are allergies getting you? How do you handle them?
Patricia Pines says
I enjoyed reading your post. Have you always been on a plant based diet? I’ve started making small changes in my diet and it’s amazing how much better I feel. Also, do you slice your sourdough bread before you freeze it? I bake a lot of bread but I’m never sure how to freeze it for future use.
Thanks!
Brittany Dixon says
Hi Patricia! We’ve always eaten very veggie-heavy but have really cut down on the amount of animal protein we consume starting about 2-3 months ago. It took David a couple weeks to adjust but we are both feeling pretty good on it! In full disclosure, I felt good before too, but I’m enjoying all the new recipes this has opened up for me!
Yes, I let the sourdough cool, then slice, then freeze it in my FoodSaver- and just pull out a slice when I need it!
Whitney says
David’s comments and reactions to new/different food you make are the best!☺️ Such a good sport!
Abby VanderWyst says
Great post! Where did you find your tempeh? I want to try the recipe for our family now!
Laura says
I get mine at trader Joe’s. Organic and the most affordable I’ve found.
Brittany Dixon says
It’s usually in the produce section (in the vegetarian/vegan area) of most grocery stores I shop at!
laura says
I made the pinch of yum kale caesar salad last night and my kids (6 and 4) had three helpings each and more out of the bowl as they cleared their plates! I also made veggie burgers from Family Food on the Table: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/simplified-veggie-burgers/ They were so easy with steam in the bag peas/carrots and edamame and so good! I cooked them all on our pancake griddle.
I made a chicken fried rice recipe, but substituted edamame for the chicken and everyone devoured it for three days. We don’t really eat soy, other than edamame and tempeh. Speaking of tempeh bacon – Peas and Thank You has a great recipe and uses it in a “reuben.”
I’ve been following your plant based eating blog posts and look forward to them because it’s helped me recommit to the same desire for my own family’s eating. So, for that, thank you!
Brittany Dixon says
Isn’t that kale salad amazing?! Hailey loved it too! Kaitlyn, well, she ate a bite I think 😉
I’m going to look up that veggie burger and the reuben- thank you!
Laura says
I love reading other’s food diaries, and enjoyed your insta story! All the food looked really tasty! My breakfast and lunch is pretty standard, and dinner always different. I think my family might eat a lot more than yours though 🙂 Yesterday: very large (like, seriously big) mug of coffee with half and half at home, eggs, black beans, half a tortilla and cheese for breakfast at work at 9, chips and salsa at 10, for lunch at noon a pre packed lunch bowl: quinoa, grilled salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, kalamata olives, romaine lettuce, tomato, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, banana for snack at 4, body pump class from 4:30- 5:30, dinner ready in crock pot at 6- chicken curry with basmati rice, and multi colored cauliflower with glass of whole milk. Snacks after dinner from 7- 10 pm: handful of chocolate chips, tangerine, pistachios, glass of homemade hard cider. It sounds like a lot when I write it out, but between teaching/ walking all day, nursing, and exercise I am hungry! My boys mostly each the same except their lunch is always leftover dinner from the night before. I was also suffering from allergies and sinus issues for the past few years, and tried a lot of natural remedies, but finally found relief with a daily spray of flonase (generic multi pack is very cheap at Costco). I only need it during allergy season, but it works wonders! That allergy sluggishness is the worst!
Brittany Dixon says
Well your whole day sounds delicious! I laughed at the glass of milk because David’s brother and his family are the same way- always have a big glass of milk and it’s just something do foreign to me. They love it too though!!
You’re totally right- allergy sluggishness is the worst. I’ll have to check out flonase. Thank you!
Liz says
Do you ever read “Oh Dear Drea” blog? She is a vegan and wrote an amazing cookbook, “The Plantiful Table” which has great recipes and beautiful pictures of her little family.
Just thought I would suggest it! Have a great day.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I haven’t, but am going to see if my library has that one! Thanks!
Erica says
I have the book Chloe’s Vegan Desserts (same author) and it is great! I gravitated toward vegan dessert recipes years ago because my husband is lactose intolerant. I think her book has a vegan version of basically any dessert you could possibly want to make and also has some muffin/coffee cake/donut recipes. I highly recommend it! I’ll have to check out her other book too!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh that is so good to know! I’ll have to see if the library has that one. I could see the girls having fun with it 😉 THanks!
montessoriishmom says
I love checking out cookbook from the library for the same reason. I haven’t heard of that one but it sounds great, I’m definitely going to look for it!
Brittany Dixon says
It may be my favorite so far in terms of being husband-approved! I can’t wait to try a few more recipes and decide for sure.
Tracy says
Have you considered making your own matcha latte instead of the pre-made mix? I noticed a serving has 16g of sugar.. that’s a lot! I make mine with matcha powder and almond milk plus sweeten to taste. I also like to add peppermint extract 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
I have tried making my own before and failed as far as taste goes- ha! I love your addition of peppermint extract and will have to try that next time. I agree, it is a lot of sugar (the first ingredient is even coconut sugar!) but since it’s the only thing I have with added sugar and I like it SO much, I’ve given myself a little pass on it for now 😉
I’ll have to try your method when I’m ready to switch it up, so thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
I don’t want this comment to come through as judgmental because it is NOT at all. I’m simply curious… I’d say my family eats more Paleo style (we don’t follow any specific diet, but if I had to label our diet, that would be the closest one). That said, we definitely eat meat, but a ton of fruits and veggies, too. For the most part, we don’t eat simple carbs.
I know you and David have tried Paleo. Do you find you eat a lot more sugar when eating plant based? The yogurt, granola, smoothes, etc. all (while still healthy) have so much sugar. I get horrible headaches when I eat too much sugar. While I love the idea of trying a more vegan way of life, there just seems like there’s a lot of sugar involved.
Brittany Dixon says
Hey Nicole; I’m totally open to discussing it so never hesitate to ask!
In general I don’t feel like we eat more sugar than before- maybe a little? The yogurts are high in sugar for sure, as is my matcha latte, but for the most part, it’s the only added sugar we eat. (The smoothies were a special treat and not our norm).
I did find for a week or two we were eating more processed carbs (pasta, breads, etc) so I dialed back a little on those, but for the most part, I feel it isn’t much more added sugar. It is an adjustment and I’m still learning so much, so I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it in another month or so!
Overall, I still feel good and David has lost some weight and is feeling really good too. As always, if something stops working, I’m totally up for adjusting things!
Melissa says
I haven’t seen tomatoes that lovely in months! Minnesota winters get long.
Brittany Dixon says
These were hydroponic tomatoes, which I have the best luck with in the off season, but I really can’t wait to a legit, homegrown, backyard tomato!