The Struggle is Real...even for Vegans!

Since I'm mostly-vegan, you would think that I eat plenty of fresh vegetables, but I don't. In fact, getting more veggies into my diet is a struggle. I eat a lot of bean-based things, and more nut butter than anyone has a right to. I love crunchy things, like Beanfields chips, Peeled Snacks Peas Please, World Peas, and Earth Balance Popcorn. In fact, sometimes, popcorn is my dinner. (What? It's a whole grain!)

I tell myself I don't have time to cook (because I'd rather be reading). I'm trying to adult better, so I'm making an effort to cook... sometimes. So on my days off, I make a bunch of food to eat all week. It's easy to throw a bunch of veggies into a crock pot with some tasty broth, some wild rice, and some beans if I've remembered to sprout (or at least soak) the beans, but I haven't been good at planning ahead lately. 

Instead, I've been buying canned garbanzo beans and navy beans and making an amazing veggie loaf I got over at VeganRicha (http://www.veganricha.com/2015/11/chickpea-veggie-loaf.html). While I'm prepping the loaf, I roast some veggies. 

Roasted roots are easy, and I find them extremely comforting. Sometimes I roast cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. Roasting veggies takes little active time, and I can read or parent while they cook. They keep well, so I can make a lot on the weekend and reheat them all week. 

When I get bored of eating the same thing over and over, I turn to a few sites that often have recipes that fit my complicated dietary needs (Gluten-Free, Mostly-Soy-Free, Dairy-Free/Vegan-Except-Honey). Here are a few of my favorites:

Minimalist Baker (http://minimalistbaker.com/) creates recipes for a variety of dietary requirements, and literally every one I've ever made is incredible. Even conventional-dieters love this stuff.

21-Day Vegan Kickstart (http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome) has a ton of amazing recipes and offers meal plans that take the thinking out of what's for dinner. You get a lot of variety, and because the meal plans expect the main course from one day to be a side dish the next, you don't have to work hard for an exciting week of meals. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these recipes, many of which make vegetables downright luxurious.

Oh She Glows (http://ohsheglows.com/) has some really unique recipes that are plant-based, relatively simple, and often decadent while still clean. Do yourself a favor and try some of the "Overnight Oat Parfaits" for a quick and healthy breakfast that tastes like dessert. 

Vegan Richa (http://www.veganricha.com/) uses more ingredients that some of the other sites I look at, but they are clean ingredients, and most of the spices are available in our bulk section. The finished products are good enough to make over and over again.

Pinterest. I find something that looks good, pin it, and add notes about what I would change. Eggs in the recipe? Maybe I'll use flax or chia. A vegan Tiramisu that uses wheat-based lady fingers and heavily-processed, soy-based cream cheese? I'll link to a recipe for clean, gluten-free lady fingers and another recipe for quick, homemade coconut-cream cheese. 

Some others I check out on occasion are:

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/recipes-diet.aspx

http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/allergyfreerecipes.html

http://www.foodallergymama.com/category/recipes/