First Night Eating Our New Way

Our first night on our plant based whole foods diet was a bit like being stranded on a deserted island.  We didn't know where to turn.  Scrounging through the pantry we found some oatmeal which we promptly ate for dinner.  It was the only thing we had that was plant based and a whole food and it got us through the first night.  Everything else in our pantry or fridge was processed, meat, or cheese.  Shawn made oatmeal with water - which I've always disliked.  Still do.  I don't think I really ate dinner that first night.

Breakfast after we our diet change includes more oatmeal. 

Oatmeal turns out to be a good example of the little, yet big, changes we've made.  Growing up, I always loved the little packets of Apple Cinnamon and Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal.  It was an adjustment to learn how to make GOOD oatmeal from scratch.  Now, I use almond, walnut, or banana milk instead of dairy; and my current favorite oatmeal is homemade pumpkin oatmeal with grape nuts sprinkled on top.  Now, I use dates for sweetener, and add in flax.  All those extra nutrients and flavor boosts were missing in my little packets of oatmeal.  Now I don't feel deprived not eating the little packets, I'm quite satisfied - and privately think I was a bit deprived before.

BTW, We've tried the steel oats, etc, and they are okay.  But for the most part we just stick to regular oats.  It's just easier and cheaper to get Quaker Oats in bulk at Sam's.  When we're on an oatmeal kick (we aren't right now), I will make a big bowl of oatmeal in the morning and everybody helps themselves.  Leftovers make great snacks or breakfast the next day.

Some time I'll post my formula for making oatmeal on this blog.  In the meantime, be encouraged that plant based whole foods eating does not mean eating bland boring foods day after day.  It means learning about a variety of new delicious foods.

Breakfast before our diet change breakfast would often be quite sugary.  

What Do You Eat?

One of the first things pioneers needed to think about before heading west was what to pack in their conestoga wagon.  Provisions for their new life would have been a primary concern, and they stocked up on a lot of plant based whole foods.  We can be sure they didn't pack twinkies or doritoes.

When people hear about our venture into a new world of food, one of the first questions people tend to ask is "what do we eat?"  The short answer is veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.  What this brings to mind for a lot of folks is some poor schlump gnawing on a carrot.  Not a pretty picture in my mind since I'm not fond of plain raw carrots!

I bet this cat doesn't like plain carrots anymore than I do.

A better answer to "what do we eat" might be: many of the same things we ate before - pizza, burritos, spaghetti, burgers...I just make them with plant based ingredients.  It's pretty hard to comprehend that these things can actually taste GOOD without meat and cheese, but I'd have to say our family is much more enthusiastic about our food now before our diet changes.  If you think about it ground beef and cheese do get a little repetitive.  Each dish varies so much with different veggies, beans, grains, and nut sauces.  An added bonus is the increased color on our plates.