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When people hear about how many things I can't eat, often their first question is "So what do you eat?". To which I usually respond with a joke about just munching on celery and frying potatoes (potatoes may be the one true love of my life - aside from my dog, obviously. And my husband.). But of course I totally understand the confusion! When you take even one super common food off the table, a lot of people will initially be at a loss for what to feed you.
So I thought it might be helpful to give you peek into a week's worth of meals in the life of someone who can't eat a LOT of common things! ;)
Note: I like sleep a lot, so sometimes my weekday breakfasts are sad & rushed - don't judge me *too* harshly, okay?
Sunday:
Breakfast: Pancakes with maple syrup (Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix or Flourish Protein Pancake Mix)
Lunch: Toasted GF bagel (Little Northern Bakehouse) with cream cheese (Violife), some blueberries, and possibly some GF Oreos (yes, classic Oreos are vegan!)
Dinner: Chickpea Spirals pasta with store-bought tomato sauce (almost all will be V & GF), sprinkle of nutritional yeast and maaaaybe some vegan 'cheese' shreds on top (Nafsika's or Violife)
Dessert: Chapman's Rainbow Sorbet (sorbet is almost always dairy-free, and Chapman's is very allergy-aware and marks their nut-free and gluten-free products clearly!)
Monday:
Breakfast: Toasted GF bagel (Little Northern Bakehouse) with cream cheese (Violife) and a handful of blueberries
Lunch: Leftover pasta from Sunday's dinner (Chickpea Spirals pasta with store-bought tomato sauce (almost all will be V & GF), sprinkle of nutritional yeast and maaaaybe some vegan 'cheese' shreds on top (Nafsika's or Violife))
Dinner: "Bangers and Mash" - Beyond Meat Mild Sausages, mashed potatoes (using coconut milk & Earth Balance vegan butter), and air-fried asparagus
Dessert: Chapman's Rainbow Sorbet
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal (One Degree GF Oats cooked with water then mixed with a lil' coconut milk and a bunch of frozen berries)
Lunch: A box of GoGo Quinoa Shells & Vegan Cheese (it's like V & GF Kraft Dinner)
Dinner: Quick-and-easy Stir-Fry (GF rice noodles (these are my fave), frozen veggies, and instead of soy sauce I use light sunflower oil and a mix of Chinese Five Spices, onion & garlic powder, salt, & pepper to taste)
Dessert: Chapman's Rainbow Sorbet (it's a big container, folks)
Wednesday:
Breakfast: MadeGood Granola Bar, big handful of blueberries, and a Starbucks black tea lemonade (I am who I am and I accept that)
Lunch: Grilled 'Cheese' Sandwich (Little Northern Bakehouse GF Bread with Nafsika's Cheddar Slices) with Sunflower Kitchen Harira Soup
Dinner: "Burrito Bowl" (recipe at the bottom of this post!)
Dessert: GF Oreos and a lil President's Choice Coconut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Thursday:
Breakfast: Toasted GF bagel (Little Northern Bakehouse) with cream cheese (Violife) and a handful of blueberries
Lunch: Pasta Salad (cooked GF pasta (I like Catelli GF pastas), with cherry tomatoes, red onion, green pepper, chickpeas, and this vinaigrette recipe)
Dinner: Chickpea Spinach Curry (my husband uses this recipe for the curry, and this recipe to make our own AMAZING na'an)
Dessert: Daiya Chocolate Cheezecake
Friday:
Breakfast: MadeGood Granola Bar, a bunch of grapes and an apple, and a Starbucks black tea lemonade
Lunch: Salad (spring mix lettuce, spinach, frozen raspberries melted (to make the 'dressing'), and a healthy helping of Hemp Hearts)
Dinner: Potato Leek Soup (we use this recipe) with a side of balsamic-roasted Brussel Sprouts
Dessert: Daiya Triple Fudge Chunk Frozen Dessert (Ice Cream)
Saturday:
Brunch: Scrambled 'JUST Egg' with sweet peppers, onions, and mushrooms and topped shredded Nafsika's Cheddar vegan 'cheese', tater tots or hashbrowns, and Beyond Meat Breakfast Sausages
Dinner: Kitchen Sink Chili (you can find my recipe at the bottom of this blog post!)
Dessert: GF Oreos and a lil President's Choice Coconut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Special Mention: we also regularly use these recipes, making gluten-free and/or nut-free substitutions as needed, and they're some of my favourites - One Pot Cherry Tomato Spinach Curry Pasta, Vegan Oyster Mushroom Calamari, and Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with BokChoy & Mushrooms.
And finally, SNACKS. I *love* snacks (and potatoes, if you haven't noticed that yet), so here's a list of some of the quick munchies I grab through my days!
MadeGood Granola Bars and Star Puffed Cheddar Crackers
SunRype FruitSource and/or Fruit-to-Go Bars
Actual fruit (berries, bananas, apples, grapes, etc)
Most potato chips are vegan, and a lot are designated GF (my faves are Miss Vickie's, Kettle Brand, and Old Dutch Popcorn Twists)
Popcorn (we pop your own kernels at home and add our own vegan butter, sea salt and/or nutritional yeast, or grab some White Cheddar Skinny Pop or Boom Chicka Popcorn)
Carrots or celery & red pepper hummus (there are lots of top-10-allergen-free hummuses in grocery stores!)
Corn chips & salsa and/or guacamole (you can find my personal recipe at the bottom of this post)!
Fries (like I said, I am who I am hahaha)
Now, I can't take credit for this idea - this recipe is actually my homemade version of the chain Mucho Burrito's Burrito Bowl based on a 'deconstructed burrito, without the wrap'. And of course, as someone who's gluten-free, leaving out the wrap works well for me! So, as promised, here's another quick-and-easy dinner recipe for you - my homemade Burrito Bowls!
BURRITO BOWLS
(vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free)
Ingredients:
For the 'bowl':
- rice (white or brown, whatever you have on hand works!)
- diced onion (fresh or frozen)
- sliced sweet peppers (fresh or frozen)
- minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)
- black beans (rinsed)
- diced tomato
- iceberg lettuce (for the 'crunch!)
- avocado
- Optional add-ons: Beyond Meat Ground 'Beef' , sliced mushrooms, roasted chickpeas
For the 'sauce':
- chili powder
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- cumin
- salt
- pepper
- water
Instructions:
1) Cook the rice to the instructions on your package of rice, and set aside when it's done.
2) a) If you're adding ground Beyond Meat to your bowls, start browning it in a frying pan on medium-low heat.
b) While the rice (and maybe the Beyond Meat) is cooking, get your vegetable frying pan going - start with a little oil of choice or water in the pan, and then add the onions. Once the onions start to become translucent, move them off to the side of the pan and add the garlic in the middle. After a min or two, the garlic will become fragrant and you can add in the rest of the veg you're frying (sweet peppers, optional mushrooms). Continue to fry on a medium heat, flipping/mixing often, until all the veggies are cooked through.
3) Prepare the 'sauce' by combining all the spices in the bottom of a measuring cup (measuring the individual spices with your heart, according to your taste preferences). Once they're combined, fill that measuring cup up with water to the 1 Cup line, and stir it well.
4) a) If you're adding Beyond Meat to your bowl, pour the 'sauce' (water and spices mix) over top of the cooked ground 'meat' in the frying pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated (and the ground bits are covered in the mixture).
b) If you're just adding black beans to your bowl (no 'meat), then add both the beans (and the chickpeas, if you'd like) and the sauce mixture to a frying pan and simmer until the majority of the water is evaporated (I usually drain the beans and pour the unused mixture that comes off down the sink?)
5) Grab bowl(s) and put the rice in them first. Then, layer in the beans (and optional 'meat', if desired), the veggies, the diced tomato, the iceberg lettuce, any other add-ons you'd like (eg roasted chickpeas), and top with a spoonful of mashed avocavo and/or some salsa. Mix well, and enjoy!
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