My Plant Based Journey
In the mist of learning about Spirituality and my inner self, I started hearing a message saying try plant based eating. Initially, I ignored the message and assumed it was me paying attention to a social media trend. The more I brushed it off the more I heard the message. I’ve always been a meat eater. I use to call myself a meat-a-terian. My favorite food was meat lovers pizza from Pizza Hut. I lived for a meal with lots of meat. Giving meat up wasn’t something that was ever on my radar.
At the beginning of 2019 my daughter and I decided to only eat chicken, turkey, fish and vegetables. I did it for about a month and my daughter did it when she felt like it. Since it was only me consistently doing on this new eating plan I decided to stop and try something else. I didn’t realize it was Spirit leading me until I was on the plant based journey for several months. When I first started I told myself I would only try it for a week and see what happens. The first week was easy so I decided to do another week and then another week. The next thing I knew 3 months passed and I was still on my plant based journey. I enjoyed this new eating style and I didn’t miss eating meat, cheese or dairy. I even started making YouTube video’s about it. Here’s the link if you want to hear me talk about my progress on this journey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOwR3XRJJnw
I looked and six months had passed and I was still on my plant based journey. I found all types of good recipes. Chili, French toast, buffalo cauliflower, and so much more. This new eating plan allowed me to try food I’d never had before like chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, quinoa, and couscous. I was opened to trying new things as long as it was simple. I liked easy recipes so I leaned toward recipes that had a small amount of ingredients. Around month 6 or 7 I started to venture out and try ready made items in the store. I started buying what I call process foods. I started to get bored with what I was eating and wanted something that wouldn’t take a lot of work to make and gave me more of a variety. This wasn’t part of the original plan but I was still staying away from eating meat. Not to mention that I was doing something I never imagined my mind or body could do.
One day I went to Whole Foods and saw they had all types of items available for people who were geared toward plant based eating. I started buying veggie burgers, plant based cheese dip, and vegan mayonnaise. One thing I quickly learned with buying ready made products is to READ THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE. The front of the package will say veggie burger but the label on the back will say this item has eggs or milk in it. Be careful with what you buy from the store. If you don’t mind cooking you can always make these things yourself and know exactly what you are eating.
I started finding recipes that required more ingredients but were still simple to make. I’m kind of a picky eater and I usually remove any ingredient I don’t like. To me this is my journey, my path, and I can navigate it however I choose. If I want to remove something I will do it and not give it a second thought. I always leave avocados, red bell peppers and sour cream out my recipes. The dish always end up exactly how I wanted it. Either way, life is trial and error. Do it the way you want to, how you want to and when you want to. That includes cooking too.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes and tips from my plant based journey:
- I only use almond milk (unsweetened original) and coconut milk.
- I only use vegan butter.
- I only use spelt flour.
- I only used coconut sugar, maple syrup, and agave as sweeteners.
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
I love buffalo cauliflower wings. Mainly because they are spicy. Most of the foods I eat are usually pretty spicy. If they aren’t already spicy I’ll add my own spice or jalapenos. This is a dish you can make as spicy or mild as you like.
https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-cauliflower-buffalo-wings/
Overnight Oats
Simple. Simple. Simple. If you are into food prepping then this dish is for you. You can make this recipe the night before or days before and it will taste good regardless of when you make it. I use mason jars to make mine since they already come with a lid. There are a variety of ways you can make this dish. My favorite way to eat it is with cut up apples. Yum.
https://simple-veganista.com/healthy-overnight-oats/
Creamy Chickpea Noodle Soup
Love! Love! Love! This is a hearty meal that will fill you up in no time. It’s a meatless version of chicken noodle soup. To me it taste better than chicken noodle soup because of it’s richness. This is the perfect meal for those cold winter days.
https://midwestfoodieblog.com/chickpea-noodle-soup/
Chickpea Salad
This is meatless version of tuna salad or chickensalad. I used almost the same ingredients I used when I made tuna or chicken salad. It’s also my go to dish when I’m having guest and I need an appetizer or finger food.
https://ohsheglows.com/2015/07/21/chickpea-salad/#recipe_1907
Lentil Chili
This chili recipe is one of my daughter’s favorite dish. It’s a great meal if you are wanting to have left overs for the next day. Once you make it a couple of times it’s becomes pretty simple too.
https://www.veganfamilyrecipes.com/red-lentil-chili/
Flowing With My Spirit 