Matt and I have been eating a plant-based diet for almost two years now. We watched Cowspiracy, a documentary that addresses the effects of animal agriculture on the environment, and decided that we needed to make a change.
We ate animal products for over 25 years so we know, first-hand, how hard it can be to go from eating animal products to vegan overnight. We were pretty determined after watching Cowspiracy so we tried our best from the beginning, but there was definitely a learning curve.
Being honest, we allowed ourselves eggs and cheese for a couple months until we were comfortable with the transition. We constantly reminded ourselves that this was a lifestyle change that took time. We didn’t claim to know all the facts from the beginning and we are still learning every single day. That’s why we’re supportive of any open-mindedness about veganism. It’s important to not be so hard on yourself, remember that.
This month, many people across the world are participating in Veganuary, a pledge to eat plant-based for the entire month of January. We love this and applaud any efforts. Veganism doesn’t have to be hard. Starting small, with 31 days of plant-based meals, is a wonderful start.
To celebrate the start of the new year, and the beginning of Veganuary, we thought we can share a series of posts related to what we ate in our day. This should be pretty interesting because Matt and I aren’t together all day, everyday. We both have “9-to-5 jobs” and make our own food choices.
I think you’ll be surprised to see that vegans don’t have to restrict themselves to only eating kale and quinoa. We are foodies at heart, so taste is always top-priority. This isn’t saying that kale isn’t tasty, because I love a good kale chip here and there, but a lot of our meals are savory or sweet, and definitely always packed with flavor.
So let’s get started! Starting with January 1st, which was a holiday so we spent the whole day together, here’s what we ate:
For breakfast we made our favorite tofu scramble with roasted cashew crema with roasted potatoes on the side. We added green bell pepper, red onion, and kale. And of course, a cup of coffee with dairy-free creamer!
Lunch was leftovers from dinner the night before at one of our favorite vegan spots, Watercourse Foods. Matt ordered the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich (house smoked and pulled jackfruit with housemade BBQ sauce, broccoli slaw, and pickles on a kaiser roll) with fries on the side. I got the Cuban Sandwich (smoky shaved seitan with pepperoncinis, pickles, mustard, swiss cheese, and tofu bacon pressed into a hoagie). I also heated up some leftover roasted potatoes from breakfast.
Dinner we made our recipe for vegan lasagna. We tweaked the recipe slightly by chopping up some Field Roast burger and layering that in with the rest of the ingredients. Sooo good!
Lastly, we snacked on a Hail Merry tart. This was our first time trying the coconut one and it was delicious, just like the others. Our favorite is still the Persian Lime though – if you have it in a store near you, get it!
Okay — so that’s it for today! See? No salads! I hope this was interesting for you. Feel free to leave a comment or message us at mattandsteph@pastabased.com if you have any questions. Happy Veganuary!
