LUNCH - JUNE 10

Had a panini for lunch today using more of my bread from Panera. I just used a few veggies I already had around: spinach, red onion, and cherry tomato, plus feta cheese. The side is edamame in the pods-- just defrosted and sprinkled with kosher salt. Edamame is a great side or snack when you're wanting something salty. Perfect alternative to potato chips!

Protein punch: 21g

DINNER - JUNE 9

My cousin cooked again... yea! He made a pasta with veggies like swiss chard and beet greens that came fresh from my uncle's garden. For those who think they hate beets, you might only be thinking of the weird pickled variety. When they are prepared this way... they are delicious!

I also had some foccacia bread I picked up earlier at Panera. Earlier in the day I had a handful or two of mixed nuts. Dessert was cantalope (again - fresh from the garden... gotta love that!) Looking back, I had a really good day fruit-wise. (that doesn't happen that often without trying)

Apparently the pasta, bread, and nuts (the nuts account for a lot) have about 24g of protein... so today's protein total is roughly 52g.

LUNCH - JUNE 9

Lunch at Panera Bread today! I have been living in a small town and that has made it a lot tougher to healthfully eat vegetarian (but it absolutely can be done). Still, today I went to a bigger town (although still not huge) where I could actually go out for lunch at a healthy place with real food (read: not fast food). Yea! They even had my favorite-- black bean soup. As you can see, I like to get it in the bread bowl with an apple on the side. Can you believe they offer more bread as a side with this? No wonder Americans have so many weight issues.

I ate every drop of the soup, but I didn't finish the bread bowl. That makes it a little tougher to figure out the protein, but I'm estimating I ate about half. According to Panera's website that is still 11g... and that's without the soup! Here's where it gets tricky... one page of their site says the soup is 6g, another says 13g (both for 12 oz.). Hmm... My Livestrong Daily Plate (where I usually find nutritional info) says a bowl is 8g (and that is 'verified'). That sounds about right and it splits the difference, so that's what I'm going with.

Protein Punch: 19g

BREAKFAST - JUNE 9

2 Egg whites (hard-boiled) with just a tiny bit of butter and S&P
4 Strawberries

Protein Punch: 9g

DINNER - JUNE 8

Morningstar farms black bean burger on whole wheat bun with guacamole and my dad's yummy onion rings.

He slices up onions very thinly and soaks them in a mix of buttermilk and hot sauce, then coats them in flour and fries them in peanut oil... so bad... but oh so good! I actually think they taste better (and are probably a little better for you) than the restaurant variety.

Funny... you can see the shadow of me taking the picture in the shot! I will try to avoid that from now on. He he.

BREAKFAST - JUNE 8

Same cereal... different day

DINNER - JUNE 7

Not my healthiest food day ever. My tummy wasn't feeling all that well so I was wanting pretty plain food.

I did however eat the kind of angel hair pasta that is really enriched and high in protein, so that helps.

Lunch was a simple veggie burger with lettuce and tomato.

Daily protein: 45g

BREAKFAST - JUNE 7

As promised-- a not-so-great-for-you meal of a wheat bagel and butter. I've always said I'm not perfect.

DINNER - JUNE 6

Dinner last night was such a treat! My cousin who used to be a chef cooked for us and made Calabacitas with zucchini, red onion, fresh corn, and sour cream topped with pickled onions and avocado. I had never had calabacitas before so he showed me how to make them. I love trying new food! He is not a vegetarian but he is thinking about it... and if you can make such great veggie food, why not?!

No nutritional info for this post because I don't even know all the ingredients he used in the side dish! The main ingredients are sweet potatoes and black beans - two very healthy foods I wouldn't have thought of putting together but that worked very well. Thanks, cuz!

LUNCH - JUNE 6

Vegetarian chili

This is leftover from the other night... it was unusually cold! I think it will probably be the last time we have this for awhile now.
This is a great meal because my omnivore dad really likes it. (He is very open-minded and supportive)
We use Morningstar Farms crumbles and he swears he can't even tell the difference!
I like it with reduced fat shredded cheese and light sour cream.

As with any chili, the great thing is that you can really use whatever is in your fridge and pantry... in this case:

• Jalapeno peppers
• Green bell peppers
• Onion
• Garlic
• Black beans
• Kidney beans
• Morningstar Farms crumbles
• Tomato paste
• Vegetable broth
• Lots of spices!

(That is what I remember anyway :)

Protein Punch: 35g

BREAKFAST - JUNE 6

Blueberry morning cereal
1% organic milk
Strawberries

Protein Punch: 12g

DINNER JUNE 5

This is a super healthy meal I got from a friend (who isn't a vegetarian, but likes to eat meatless meals quite often because of the environment.)

I actually find myself craving this if I haven't been keeping up with healthy eating habits (hey, no one is perfect!)

I don't really have exact measurements, just rough estimates. That's what makes cooking like this fun... you make it your own!

To make:

• Cook brown rice as directed
  
• Heat EVOO in a pan over med heat and add some chopped garlic (about 1 clove) and onion (about half)
• Add a container of spinach and cook down (I told you this was super healthy!)
• Add chopped tomato (about 1), fresh oregano, and salt & pepper... let simmer for a bit
• Add feta cheese and stir in before serving over brown rice

Protein Punch: 11g

LUNCH

Egg salad pita-- pretty basic lunch:
2 hard boiled eggs
low-fat mayo
pita bread
lettuce
Protein Punch: 17g

BREAKFAST - JUNE 5

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post, but I'm going to do better!

Breakfast today was pretty simple, another English muffin and PB, but very tasty and nutritious.

Protein Punch: 12g

Tips for going veg

People often tell me that they have thought about going veg, but aren't sure how to do it. I had trouble at first, too. Like many, I ended up eating a bunch of pizza and pasta and (obviously) feeling really bad. I now know how to cook veg and I eat a wider variety of foods than I did before (no, really!) but looking back, I would have been better off following these tips:

1. Spend a few weeks trying out lots of vegetarian foods you may never have tried before: tofu, hummus, and edamame were a few of mine.
2. You don't have to go cold Tofurky (he he). Try starting with a few meatless meals per week, then go veg for a few days in a row.
3. Think about how to change up the meals that you already eat. For example, if you like grilled chicken on top of your salad, try hard boiled eggs or throw a handful of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) on intead. You'll be adding meatless protein.
4. Eliminate one type of meat at a time. For example, I rarely ate pork, so that would have been easy for me to eliminate.
5. Take note of the meatless meals you're already enjoying all the time anyway... you might be surprized!

Everyone is different so what works for some won't work for all, but these are some ideas to try. Above all-- have fun with it!

Lunch - Thursday May 28

Leftovers from last night's dinner

Breakfast - Thurs. May 28

Whole wheat English Muffin
Egg
Reduced-fat Colby Jack cheese
Red grapes

Protein Punch: 15g

(Used a great tip I read once - crack an egg in a coffee mug and zap it in the microwave for less than a minute - fits perfectly on an English muffin)

Total meals and nutrition - Wed. May 27

Lunch: Leftover stir-fry (protein: 18g--see pic from Tues.)
Dinner: Veggie fajitas (tortilla, onion, stoplight bell peppers, reduced fat shredded cheese, low fat sour cream) and black bean dip w/tortilla chips (protein: 22g)
Total daily protein: 53g

Breakfast-- Wed. May 27

Whole wheat English muffin
Peanut butter
Watermelon
Red grapes

Protein Punch: 13g

Total daily nutrition

Including (sorry, no pics):
Breakfast burrito: tortilla, reduced fat shredded cheese, 2 eggs, salsa (protein 23g)
Lowfat cottage cheese (protein 14g)
Wheat thins, red grapes, and watermelon

I have had about 85 grams of protein today

Dinner: Panini

Ciabatta bread
Spinach
Feta cheese
Roasted red peppers

Raw broccoli
Raw cauliflower
Hummus

Protein Punch: 26g

Lunch: tofu and veggie stir-fry

Brown rice
Baked tofu
Broccoli
Carrots
Stoplight bell peppers
Peanut oil
Soy sauce

Protein Punch: 18g