A Peek Inside a Vegan's Lunch

When I talk about being vegan with friends and co-workers I am often asked the same question. So...what DO you eat? Everyone is always surprised by the variety of my lunches at work and what I make at home. So today, I wanted to give you a little peek into a typical lunch I bring to work everyday!

I tend to make extra for dinner so I'll have leftovers to throw in the lunch bag for the next day. Or I like to make some things on Sunday so I'll have options on days I'm not in the mood to cook. Last night I made a warm kale salad with sweet potato hash. Quick and easy! So I just chopped up extra sweet potatoes and opened up a can of black beans for today's lunch.

Lunch consisted of Sweet Potato Hash with jalapenos, kale, and spicy black beans.

The kale was raw, and I just threw it in the microwave with everything else so it would wilt a bit and warm up. For the spicy black beans I just add crushed red pepper, onion power, and chipotle chili powder to spice them up a bit. And my sweet potato hash is just sweet potatoes, chopped jalapenos, chili powder, and pepper with a pinch of cumin.

And of course I can't make it through a work day without my protein "shake". Each morning when I make Scott's smoothie, I throw some unsweetened almond milk into my Magic Bullet to-go cup, scoop in my personal favorite, GeniSoy protein powder, and blend it for 30 seconds. Protein in a hurry!

You can buy it online here:http://www.genisoy.com/Soy-Protein-Shake--Chocolate/p/GEN-041702&c=Genisoy@Shakes

This is my go-to at 10 am when breakfast wears off and lunch is not-ever-going-to-come-omg-i'm-gonna-die-from-starvation-feed-me-help!

I also bring a banana, berries, or grapefruit and pack granola or carrots to snack on if I get extra hungry.

And that's that! Some days it's salads, some days it's veggie sandwiches, other days it's rice & veggies, tacos, pasta, and on & on! I tend to stick close to Mexican food as I must have spicy food to survive.

Bringing your lunch to work is a great way to get in a meatless meal if you're looking to transition into a vegan or vegetarian diet. I'm also a pretty big preacher of bringing your lunch instead of eating out. Restaurant food is always going to have more sodium unless you eat salt by the spoonful at home. And I prefer to spend my money on things I'm not going to poop out the next day!$8-$13 a day for lunch? 3 times a week piles up to over $1500 a year. ON LUNCH. That's a vacation...

Now, I'm off to start the vegan chili and vegan sweet potato biscuits I'm making for tomorrow's Southern-themed potluck at work! Yum!


I'll leave you with my view on the weekends :)

Loveland Ski Area, February 2013

Scott and I on Lift 6, Loveland Ski Area