Back in September, we decided that we were going to start following a whole food plant based diet. We made this decision, knowing that it’s better for our health, our wallets and the planet. I have not regretted our decision one bit and we are committed to this new lifestyle. I call it a lifestyle because it is not just about what we eat.

Going into this, we knew that we would have to spend more time thinking about what we eat, planning our menus to make sure we had something for every mealtime, including sweet treats, and it has to be easy to make. Before we got going, I knew that we would have to make a few meals in advance. We don’t have much time in the evenings, which has led us to eat cheap, processed, junk foods in the past. I noticed lots of people online would premake or prepare meals in advance. So this is what we do. How sustainable it is long term, I don’t know. But for now, every other Saturday, we’re cooking for most of the day. This is what we make.

Dinners

Chickpea stew – My sister’s recipe, and I’m not sure I’ve got it right. Chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, red pepper, onion, spinach & lots of spices to make it hot and spicy, especially paprika. I love paprika.

Skin Glowing Curry – Planet Organic. Mine has a thicker sauce than the picture on the Planet Organic website and we don’t put in LoveRaw Immunity Blend, because we’re not near a Planet Organic. This is really nice and goes well with steamed kale.

Three Bean Chili – Forks Over Knives. This is amazing and we enjoy ours with a jacket potato and any veg we have. It is super hearty and I use any beans I can get my hands on.

Minimalist Baker’s Smashed Black Bean Taquitos. (Link takes you to a video of Easy vegan Life making them, as the recipe is from the Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking cook book, which I can heartily recommend.) While I didn’t have the green chili ingredient that Dana uses, I just chopped up a few green jalapeno chilies and it is super tasty. This meal is really easy, and very tasty, especially if you make your own salsa and guacamole, like I did. It doesn’t take long either and goes well with fresh corn on the cob and sweet potato wedges dusted in paprika.

Everyday Stir fry – Keep it Vegan by Aine Carlin. We’ve been eating this for a while and it is delicious. It’s turned us into soy sauce addicts. If you’re interested in a vegan or whole food plant based diet, then Aine Carlin’s book is a great place to get started.

I saw a similar roast by @agirlvstheworld on Twitter and this worked really well. It took 45 minutes and was cooking away nicely Sunday evening, while I was making some of our lunches for the week ahead.

Lunches

This grated salad is another recipe I pinched from my sister. It consists of grated carrot, grated courgette, sauerkraut, chopped pepper, chopped tomatoes and salad, mixed together with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s delicious and best eaten a while after the dressing has been added.

This might sound ridiculous, but I’d never made a tomato sauce before! It’s ridiculous because it’s so easy and this one is especially. Plus it’s delicious and has become a weekly lunch staple. This is Warming Pasta, which I make with cherry tomatoes, and you can find the recipe by Healthy Living James here.

This chickpea tuna melt has to be eaten to be believed. The consistency is uncannily like tuna and the vegan cheese works really well in this. You can find the recipe here.

Another of Healthy Living James’ recipes, the carrot and coriander soup. This is delicious and easy to make, perfect for a late evening tea. I have soup every Thursday, as I get home late from the gym.

Breakfast

Most mornings I have chia seed porridge but on the weekends I like to have something different. This is some of Delicious Ella’s granola, with natural Coyo and as much fresh fruit as I can get!

Snacks

I refuse to live a life without treats. Being vegan or wholefood plant based shouldn’t change this, which is why I was really happy when Phil said he wanted to make these Almond Meal Chocolate Chip cookies by Minimalist Baker. They are easy to make and, if they make to the freezer, you can eat them frozen. Trust me, it works!

At the moment, cooking and eating this way is definitely helping me. While weight loss is not my goal, I’ve lost over half a stone. I’ve got more energy and it means I can get myself to my spinning class after a hectic day of work. We also have less waste going in the bin, both recycling and landfill, and our food bill has gone down. Pretty much a win win. Hoping to get some lovely autumn and winter recipes to try soon too. Gotta love the winter veg!