Vegan Lunch Time!

So I really have been eating 100% vegan. I have NO desire for meat and while other animal products may tempt me at times I haven't found it hard to say no and reach for something else. I really feel like this is a life style change for me; it feels great. I have even inspired some others!  :)

I'm not generally a very creative person when it comes to lunch unless it's some sort of sandwich or wrap because I love those. I have been trying to mix it up lately though. Honestly, I used to just have dinner leftovers a lot but I don't have many of those these days so it's not really an option. I do the 5 or so "eating opportunities", as my like nutrition textbook likes to say, vs like 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. So I try to even out the caloric intakes, get protein and produce multiple times a day etc. So these are just the more typical lunch type thing I have in the afternoon. I have been having a green smoothie, nuts or granola bar before the gym and then after the gym I'll have "lunch" followed by homemade juice or some crackers and dip later on.

Stuffed zucchini. These are the little zucchini squash. The mixture is a fake beef made from soy mixed with some spices and soy cream cheese. I hollwed out the zucchini with a spoon, scooped in the "meat" mixture and then topped with some homemade marinara! Yum. The fries are sweet potato steak fries by Alexia. I like them the best out of all that brand makes. I make my own often but I'll pick up a frozen bag for when I need something quick. I didn't eat everything on the plate as it was a fairly big meal.

This is a weekend lunch for me when I want to feel indulgent. Plus my husband likes this. It's a Mexican layer dip. This one has black beans, "queso", lettuce, tomatoes, onions...olives are good too or refries beans! These chips aren't healthy but you could make your own and this would actually be fairly nutritious!

"egg" salad!! Ohhh man this stuff is good...and versatile! It'll keep in the fridge so one batch made me two sandwiches plus extra that I had on some crackers another time.  Just drain a can of chickpeas and add it to a bowl. Add in around 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (or another colour), a few tablespoons of dill relish, tsp of sea salt, pepper to taste, tbsp of mustard and 1/2 cup  of vegan mayo (tip: the "reduced fat" mayo at Trader Joes is vegan. It is egg and dairy free! Took me a while to find it because it isn't marketed as vegan). Mash all those ingredients together, leaving some chunks.. you can add more seasonings if you'd like! 

"faux" grilled cheese sandwich. This one has some soy cheddar cheese, hummus and avocado. You can totally leave out the "cheese" and it's still delicious though. 

I'll do a juice post some time but here is a favourite of mine. This made enough for both my husband and I. 4 apples, 1 beet, 2 celery stalks, 1 orange, spinach and some chia seeds. Delicious! I use a Juiceman 550S juicer.

Spinach salad with tahini dressing + tortilla pizza which is just some pizza sauce I made, olives, tomatoes, onions and faux cheese on a whole wheat tortilla shell.