Getting back into a plant based diet

We’ve decided to get back into a plant based diet to help with our overall health, along with the environmental benefits of not eating so much meat. We’ve kept up with minimal dairy in our diets and have none meat meals occasionally but going back to a plant based diet is going to be a big change, mentally as well as lifestyle. I find one of the more difficult things is to get past the standard meal setup in my head, you know the carbs, meat and veg. We will be having some small amounts of chicken, fish and eggs but the majority of our meals will be fully plant based

We’ve decided to take it a week at a time to start with and have more repetitive meals each day so we don’t get too overwhelmed. I don’t want to rush in and start trying to make all the new meals in the first week as that would create too much pressure and worrying. I’m not an extremely confident cook so repeating meals and getting comfortable with them will help me ease into the new plant based mindset.

I’ve started to clear down the cupboards and freezer to remove anything dairy based as I know this causes both of our digestive systems some issues. Although we will be eating some meat and fish I want to completely cut dairy out of my diet. I find I feel much better in myself and my skin is much better without it.

I think the biggest challenge is going to come when we’re eating out with friends or family but thankfully the majority of places now offer some kind of veggie or dairy free option. I’ve also put in for my first “dietary requirement” meal as part of a work event. This may not seem like a big deal but having to ask for something special and especially having to go for vegan felt a little awkward. I’ve just got my fingers crossed for a decent meal and not a salad sandwich..

Whilst starting this I’m reminding myself how much better I felt when we did this before. I want to ensure I give this my all and don’t think “oh this is just a one off” as the one off will easily become everyday again. I’d like this to be something I continue for ever more and not just for a few months.

Get ready for meal ideas and recipes in the near future.

Cornwall – Fifteen Cornwall

Before heading down to Cornwall we had discussed visiting Jamie Oliver’s restaurant – Fifteen Cornwall, as it wasn’t far from where we were staying and good food is always a great idea.  Whilst staying at Retallack we mainly made big ‘family’ style dinners at our chalet, so decided to start one of the days well with a trip to Fifteen Cornwall for breakfast.

The restaurant is located right on Watergate beach and the restaurant has is a big glass front and side which gives spectacular views out across the beach and over to Newquay. The beach itself is beautiful and we had a nice walk across it after breakfast. When you’re by a beach you always need to go for a lovely beach walk, being by the sea is definitely my happy, calming place.

For breakfast we got a spot right by the window, and after marveling at the beautiful views I ordered a pot of green tea and The Super Bowl. I’d decided I was having this as soon as I saw it on the menu, smoothie bowls are one of my major food loves and this one was made with my favorite Acai. It came out topped with yummy fruit, nuts, seeds & coconut, the whole bowl was filled with goodness and tasted as amazing as it looked!

The restaurant also does a range of other gorgeous looking food including smoothies, scrambled eggs and of course a full English. You can pick up some extremely pretty kitchen items and treats on your way out, I had to stop myself from buying it all!

I’d love to head back here to try out lunch or dinner, I’d imagine the views are amazing at sunset.

 

Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast has become one of the most important meals to me over the last few years. When I was younger I never really did breakfast and couldn’t really stomach food before 11am, now I’m dying of hunger if I’ve not eaten by 11!!

I take breakfast to work with me as I don’t have time (I’m unable to leave me bed any earlier) to get something before I leave.  I’ve started to get a good selection of yummy healthy breakfasts to get me through each week and thought I’d share some of those.

Over Night Oats

This is my go to work breakfast, because it’s so easy to make and because there’s so many different flavours you can do. These are basically oats and milk; I use Almond milk but any will work. I then add whatever flavour takes my fancy a few of these are honey, maple syrup or nut butter. I also sometimes add a teaspoon or two of chia seeds to get in some extra goodness. The pot goes into the fridge over night and then in the morning I spend a few minutes adding some toppings which are usually fruit, granola (more about this below), seeds or nuts. You can also make these up a few days at a time to make life even simpler!
Homemade Granola

A lot of shop bought granolas have added sugars and aren’t exactly cheap, I’ve now discovered making your own granola is really simple (mix some bits together and bake for a little while) I’ve started to make up my own. I then have it with milk, yogurt or my over night oats. Niomi Smart has a great Coconut and Cacoa recipe which is super yummy and gives you chocolate milk!
Smoothie Bowls

These are my weekend favourite and I’ve found a massive love of acai so I usually make them up with acai, blueberries, banana and milk. I then top with some more fruit, nuts and seeds. You can get acai in loads of different places and I’ve discovered it in the frozen fruit section of tesco recently. Obviously you can use any fruit you have around to make these up but bananas are great to use to give a good consistency. When I have any going rather brown I chop them up and freeze them to add to my smoothies.

Tea

I had to mention tea as part of breakfast because it’s unlikely I have anything else with the above. My favourites are standard breakfast tea with almond milk, peppermint tea or green tea. As my cup states a cup of tea solves everything and that includes being too sleepy to function!

My Food Bibles

Since I’ve never been much of a cook I’ve found that cook books have been a great help with gaining confidence in the kitchen. They give you guidance with what to cook and instructions on how to not completely mess up your dinner!

Cook books have especially been helpful when trying out a more plant based diet. I’m not completely plant based right now, but I try to make a lot of plant based meals and snacks. I’ve gotten so much out of these so I thought I’d share my 6 food bibles with you.

The book I first started with was Cook like you give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen, my husband got it me as a Christmas present a couple of years ago, which was mainly because it looked fun, not because it was fully vegan. I have to admit I didn’t make loads from the book to start with but it did get me into the kitchen cooking up a nice mango curry, from scratch!!! I’m also in love with the Vegetable Noodle Soup with Ginger Miso Broth, it’s easy, so tasty and full of goodness.

When I made the decision to start really looking at my diet I discovered Deliciously Ella, straight away I needed her cook book and it really started my love of cooking and healthy food. I started with her second book Deliciously Ella Every Day and then quickly got her app too, you can also find lots of recipes on her blog here. Her overnight honey oats are the best and are amazingly quick and simple and her mushroom stuffed peppers are sooooo delicious  (yes they deserve that many o’s, if not more!).

As I looked around and started to watch quite a few youtubers I found Niomi Smart, and I also found she was about to release her first cook book (which I obvs HAD to get). Niomi is a great inspiration when it comes to changing your diet and lifestyle, the recipes in her book are yummy and simple. I really love making an Acai bowl in the morning and topping it with all the yummy healthy goodies, including the cacao granola which is also in this book.

Now we’re getting more into cooking for ourselves and eating more plant based/vegan food my husband also ordered the 2 other Thug Kitchen books. These have even more tasty meal ideas and they also have some extremely helpful tips at the back of them, which will seriously help you out if you’re new to this whole cooking thing like I was. These tips include all the basic food items, what they are, where to find them and how to cook them. I also have to say the thing I love about thug kitchen is that they make everything fun, but also don’t mess about and will tell you to get off your lazy arse  (or ass since they’re american) and get into the kitchen.

I’d really recommend you taking a look at some of these if you’d like to get started in the kitchen and are looking to get some healthier food into your life. These really have become like bibles to me, whenever I’m stuck for meal ideas I get them out and have a look through. They’re becoming a little worn and definitely have some pages covered in ingredients.

Since I drafted this post I found Ella’s first book at a bargain price of £8 in Lakeland, which I had to buy of course. I’m loving this and working my way through each section. I like to fold the corners down when  I find a recipe I really like, I think most pages have turned corners now!!

Healthy Eating Updates

It’s been 3 weeks since I posted about my change in diet and I thought it would be a good time to give you a little update on how things have been going. I’m currently sat drinking my hot lemon after eating french toast with maple syrup and blueberries for breakfast, which was lovely (picture above). I also have a lovely purring kitten snuggled next to me =)

When I started I was making lots of food from Ella’s cookbook and App, some of this I really liked, some I wasn’t so sure about. I’m also trying out more and more of the recipes as we go along, I’m planning on making a cake or some brownies at some point. Over the first week or two the main issue I had was my taste in foods and having cravings for ALL the fatty sugary foods, like give me them all now!!! This seems to have subsided and I’m feeling much more up for the chia breakfasts, fruit and nut snacks and vegetables at dinner. I actually got a little excited about pitas, hummus and veggie snacks when shopping last night.

Some of the things I’ve learnt are that –

• Medjool dates with almond butter in are SOOOOO good! They really are a great replacement for sweet snacks and you only need a couple to keep the cravings and hunger at bay
• Not everything is to your taste, feel free to amend and change things in recipes to meet what you like
• Cooking from scratch isn’t difficult or scary, it’s actually quite fun!
• I don’t need coffee and cake to make it through the day, and I actually feel better for not having it (sorry cake and vanilla lattes)
• Lindt 70% chocolate is great when you fancy something sweet and you only need a piece or two

I’m mainly now struggling with making dinners but I have to say the mushroom stuffed peppers in Ella’s cookbook are the best evening meal I’ve made. I team them with some Quinoa or Couscous to make a simple but scrumptious meal. Breakfasts and snacks have been the easiest things to change I love the chia seed puddings, I first made one with ginger and cinnamon spices and I’ve also made some with cacao powder which keeps my chocolate craving in check and is great with blueberries or strawberries. My morning coffee has been exchanged for a morning cup of green tea, I’m drinking the Pukka Supreme or Clean Matcha Green teas. I also like a nice cup of peppermint tea when at work and on the weekends at home its nice to start the day with a cup of hot lemon.

Since starting we’ve had the full list of Si’s allergies confirmed which means we’re not as limited as we could have been but we’re generally cutting out all of the processed food and cheap meat. We’ve also both lost  a bit of weight over the last few of weeks and are feeling more energetic, happy and healthy as a result. It’s going to be a long while before the full effects kick in and for everything to just become the norm but we’ve had a good start and I’m feeling confident going forward.