But, What do you Eat?

"So now that you are a vegan... what do you eat, there is nothing left?"

I just look at the people who ask me that and think to myself, are you walking around with sticks of cheese in your pocket and a slab of beef in your hand 24/7?  I mean seriously!  I eat anything I want that does not include meat or dairy.  They are the guidelines that I stick to, it makes it easy for me because I know that I don't have any restrictions over food, I just avoid meat and dairy.  In general I crowd out processed foods by filling up on whole foods first, that way there is no room for processed foods in my day.

There are too many whole foods to list down here, but in general a whole food is anything that comes in it's natural form or as close to it's natural form as possible.  So that is, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes and an abundance of super foods.

When your in the supermarket, stick to anything that is on the outside isles.  Buy all your fruits and vegetables first, then work your way to the health food isle, for things like quinoa, lentils, nut butters, seeds, and nuts, then to the freezer section for some frozen berries and edamame beans, then charge on to the self serve register and get your healthy little butt outta there!

So this is my method, I've been through a lot of trial and error and this works best for me.  I try not to give myself strict restrictions over food because I have found that it turns me into a food crazed maniac who's ready to binge on anything on my restricted list as soon as i get the chance.  When I say food restrictions I mean, I don't have a list running through my head saying, "I can't have chocolate, cheese, salami, tim tams, dips" etc. I just know that I am avoiding dairy and meat and I concentrate on finding foods that I can eat that fit my guidelines.

It really is changing up your thought patterns and looking at things in a different way.  Instead of concentrating on what you can't have, making that all you can think about; concentrate on what you can have.

Hope you all have a great day,

Nicole

xx

Zucchini Carbonara for Dinner

How does zucchini carbonara sound for dinner??  Sounds like it would be an amazing idea!

Seriously zucchini spaghetti is such a great alternative to pasta.  It cuts out all the bad carbohydrates and leaves you with a full belly and a smile from ear to ear knowing that you just ate something that tastes as good as it is for your body.

Why Zucchini - well its a great source of potassium, rich in vitamin A and contains minerals like iron, manganese and zinc.  Also it is one of the very low calorie vegetables, providing only 17 calories per 100g.  Try to leave the peel on as it is a great source of dietary fibre.

Ingredients:

Zucchini

Sundried Tomatoes

Goats Cheese

Garlic (crushed)

Salt and Pepper

Snow Pea Sprouts

Egg

Coconut Oil (or your cooking oil of choice)

(You can include all your favourite veggies, mix and match as much as you like)

(Try to use organic ingredients where possible)

Method:

- Start by heating a little oil in the pan.  Add in the garlic and salt and pepper heat for around 2-3 mins

- Add in the zucchini, cook on its own for around 2 mins or until it starts to soften

- Throw in the goats cheers, sundered tomatoes and snow pea sprouts

- In a bowl whisk the egg

- Slide all the food over to one side of the fry pan and pour in the whisked egg (as image above).  Allow the egg to cook through slightly before stirring everything together.  The egg gives the meal that creamy texture.

- Serve and enjoy!!

Why not give this healthy meal a try tomorrow evening.  Let me know how it goes for you.

Nicole xx