Hi! Totally off-topic from your typical blog content, but I found out via your twitter that you are vegan. I've spent the six months trying to go vegan but I find myself struggling a lot. Do you have any tips for a newbie? Meal suggestions? What does a typical day of eating look like for you? Sorry for the randomness!
Omg I’m so sorry if this is a late response but this is a lovely ask to receive! My staples are mostly grains and legumes. I’m honestly not a huge fan of fruits and veggies as odd as that may seem.
Typical meals for me are spaghetti (just with a plain pasta sauce ofc) or easy recipes like this Lasagna Soup. I am very fond of lentils. I often chop up some potatoes and carrots, maybe an onion if I have any on hand, toss it all into a pot of veggie broth (Better Than Bouillon makes FANTASTIC broth bases, including vegan ‘beef’ and vegan ‘chicken’ varieties) with some lentils and a dash of cumin & garlic powder and let it cook til it’s thickened some and it makes a great soup/stew! (In fact, I’m planning to make a big pot of this tomorrow for BfA launch so that I’ll have something hot to eat while leveling.) You could also consider making sloppy joes! If you’re pressed for time and want a quicker version, Manwich sauce is vegan (if you don’t consider processed sugar to be non-vegan). I like to use a can of it with 1.5C of TVP (before re-hydration). Add a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce and cumin and perhaps some sauteed diced green bell peppers and you’re all good to go.
(I also tend to keep a few cans of this soup on hand, in the event that I’m too tired to cook when I get home from work. It’s pretty tasty!)
Alternatively, Gardein makes great meatless ‘meats’ that are great for easy meals when pressed for time, though they are a bit on the pricey side. I highly recommend giving them a try if you can find them in your store if you haven’t already! (Morning Star Farms also makes some good meatless meats as well. Their chik’n strips are great! Just watch out, some of their varieties are only vegetarian, not vegan. Though for transitioning the vegetarian options are good, too!)
For lunches on-the-go while I’m at work, I rely pretty heavily on sandwiches (PB&J, or sometimes Tofurky slices with faux cheese, whenever I feel like splurging) and hummus (roasted red pepper hummus is my favorite!) with chips or pretzels.
My diet isn’t particularly balanced because I’m a picky fuck, so I supplement for calcium by taking one of these every day alongside a multivitamin. And ofc, always be sure to supplement for B12 (the multivitamin I linked above contains B12), as it’s not typically found in plant foods (though some plant foods are fortified with it). If you’re against supplementation, just know that most non-vegans aren’t getting enough B12 either, and most of the food fed to farm animals is supplemented with B12, so technically its a supplement even if you are getting it from animal products! (Not that there’s anything wrong with supplements!)
B12 deficiency is no joke, and can cause serious nerve damage! (TBH I’d recommend everyone to supplement for it, even non-vegans.)
I’d highly recommend checking out Unnatural Vegan on YouTube. She makes fantastic content and talks quite a bit about vegan nutrition (though I certainly don’t follow all of her advice cuz I’m a lazy sack of shit who doesn’t eat very healthy regardless.) :D
Sorry again for this response potentially being so late! I need to check my tumblr more often, apparently! ♥