2012 Vegan Kickstart

Although I feel very comfortable with a vegan, plant-based diet, I decided to follow along with PCRM's 2012 21-Day Vegan Kickstart.  I thought it would be a great way to focus on eating nutritious, healthy meals that don't incorporate a lot of highly processed foods.

The kickstart provides it's own meal plan, but, given my allergy issues and my comfort in the kitchen, I thought it would also be fun for me to track what I ate during the kickstart and save it here for future reference.  While the 2012 Kickstart runs from January 2 - 22, you can kickstart your own healthy way of eating at any time!  I hope my own menu shows that it's easy to follow a plant based diet both at home and on the go.  Like the kickstart suggests, feel free to modify this menu to make it work for you.  I don't recommend you follow it line by line (in fact, each week I'll identify the positives and areas of improvement for my self), but hopefully as an idea generator for how you might want to eat.

You can try anything for 21 days, right?

My meals will include home-cooked recipes, convenience foods, restaurant foods and family dinners.  Watch this space for my daily meal plans, including links back to blog entries with recipes.  I don't note what I drink with my meals and snacks, but it's either water or organic green tea. 

Week 1, Day 1: January 2, 2012
Breakfast: Kashi Golden Goodness Cereal with rice milk and blueberries
Lunch: Whole Foods Multi-Grain Avocado Rolls with cantaloupe slices and red grapes
Dinner: Pasta with Kale, White Beans and "Cheese Sauce," raw grape tomatoes, honeydew slices and blueberries
Snack: Flamous Falafel Chips with bruschetta and white bean dip 

Week 1, Day 2: January 3, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, avocado with grape tomatoes and sea salt, raspberries
Lunch: Leftover Pasta with Kale, White Beans and "Cheese Sauce, kiwi
Snack: Baby carrots and white bean dip
Dinner:  Vegan Black Bean Quesadillas and Kale Chips

Week 1, Day 3, January 4, 2012
Breakfast: Kashi Golden Goodness Cereal with rice milk and blueberries
Lunch: Leftover Vegan Black Bean Quesadillas, honeydew and cantaloupe slices, blueberries
Dinner:  Amy's Kitchen Tuscan Bean and Rice Soup, whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance
Snack: Kale Chips 

Week 1, Day 4, January 5, 2012
Breakfast: Leftover Vegan Black Bean Quesadillas*, green grapes
Lunch: Two slices of Whole Foods Mediterranean Vegan Pizza
Snack: Avocado with sliced grape tomatoes
Dinner: Amy's Kitchen Black Bean Vegetable Burrito, Broccoli, Mango

*Yes, I know no structured meal plan intentionally has quesadillas on it three times in one week.  But, this is the reality of not wasting leftovers, aka a reality many of us short on time and living in two person households (where one of the two people may be eating something entirely different) live with.  Also, it's fun to go vegan - you can have quesadillas for breakfast!  ;)

Week 1, Day 5, January 6, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, mango chunks, blueberries
Lunch: Sweetgreen January Seasonal Salad (subbed roasted broccoli for goat cheese and olive oil for pesto dressing)
Dinner: Cava Mezze Grill falafel bowl with rice, hummus, harrisa, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage and lettuce, pita chips**

**Props to Cava Mezze for posting a sign that not only noted which items were vegan and vegetarian, but also noting which items contained soy, as well as other common allergens such as gluten and tree nuts.

Week 1, Day 6, January 7, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, green grapes, blueberries
Lunch: Leftover Sweetgreen January Seasonal Salad, Flamous Falafel Chips, white bean dip, baby carrots, peanuts
Snack: Orange
Dinner: Whole grain bread with hummus, cucumber and onion, brussels sprouts, couscous salad, quinoa salad, fresh fruit salad***

***My husband's grandmother is very special.  She hosts family bagel dinners at her house, and was worried I'd be hungry because I'm not eating any animal products.  So, on her weekly Whole Foods trip with my husband's uncle, she went through all the prepared foods and bought a sampling of anything vegan that didn't have soy.  I had told her I would have been more than happy with a hummus & veggie sandwich and fruit, but she insisted.  

Week 1, Day 7, January 8, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain everything bagel with Soy-Free Earthbalance, mango, pineapple, watermelon and blueberries****
Snack: Homemade kale chips
Lunch: Kim's Red Radish Tabbouleh from The Kind Life
Dinner: Green Frankenburger with corn & scallions, grapes

**** My husband surprised me with a homemade fruit salad this weekend, enough to last for three days of eating.  Makes my prep so much easier.

Week 2, Day, 1, January 9, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain everything bagel with Soy-Free Earthbalance, mango, pineapple, watermelon and blueberries.
Lunch: Leftover Green Frankenburger, Devon & Blakely make your own side salad (mine was mixed greens, carrots, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, onions, cucumbers, olive oil, salt and pepper)
Snack:  Mango, pineapple, watermelon and blueberries
Dinner: Leftover Green Frankenburger, mixed green salad with tomatoes and carrots

Week 2, Day 2, January 10, 2012
Breakfast:  Kashi Golden Goodness Cereal with rice milk and blueberries
Lunch:  The Final Leftover Green Frankenburger, Devon & Blakely make your own side salad (leftover from day before)
Dinner: Black Bean & Broccoli burritto with mozarella daiya, mixed green salad with tomatoes and carrots

Week 2, Day 3, January 11, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, mango chunks, watermelon, blueberries
Lunch: Make-Your-Own Veggie Sushi Rolls from Whole Foods - brown rice, carrots, avocado, green onions, spicy sprouts, cilantro and sesame seeds
Dinner: Elevation Burger Veggie Burger #2 with lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard, french fries

Week 2, Day 4, January 12, 2012
Breakfast:  Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, blueberries
Lunch: Chop't Customer Craft Salad - mesculun mix, chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
Snack: Fresh fruit salad
Dinner: Vegan Quesadillas with spinach and cheddar daiya, kale chips, avocado and cherry tomato and watermelon chunks
Snack #2: Peanuts

Week 2, Day 5, January 13, 2012
Breakfast:  Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, blueberries, watermelon chunks
Lunch: Roti falafel plate with hummus, tomato and cucumber and cabbage slaw
Dinner: Lavash with mushrooms, tomato and arugula, watermelon chunks

Week 2, Day 6, January 14, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, avocado and tomato
Lunch: Mom's vegetable barley soup, whole-grain everything bagel with mozzarella daiya
Dinner: Seasons 52 Vegetable Flatbread (made vegan by the chef), Farmer's Market Vegetable Plate (no tofu, double veggies), Fresh Fruit Mini Induldgence

Week 2, Day 7, January 15, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain everything bagel with daiya cheese, blueberries, raspberries
Lunch: Mom's vegetable barley soup, Food Should Taste Good "The Works" Chips, baby carrots, guacamole, garlic hummus
Dinner: Everything bagel with lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard, french fries******
Snack: Peanuts, blueberries, kiwi


****** This is what happened when I ate at an I-95 rest stop and was too impatient to wait in the Starbucks line.  If I had been patient, I could have had a veggie pita with hummus.  Lesson officially learned.

Week 3, Day 1, January 16, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, strawberries
Lunch: Founding Farmers Roasted Vegetable Sandwich (made vegan by eliminating the spreads and serving on an English muffin), french fries
Dinner: zPizza Make Your Own Pizza: Zucchini, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Marinara Sauce and Vegan Cheese on a Whole Wheat Crust

Week 3, Day 2, January 17, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, mango, blueberries, raspberries
Lunch: Roasted pepper and avocado sandwich, green salad with tomatoes, broccoli and carrots, fruit salad, potato chips
Snack: Slice of zPizza Make Your Own Pizza: Zucchini, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Marinara Sauce and Vegan Cheese on a Whole Wheat Crust
Dinner: Spicy Rainbow Stir-Fry

Week 3, Day 3, January 18, 2012
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, avocado and tomato, raspberries
Lunch:  Spicy Rainbow Stir-Fry
Snack: Mango and blueberries
Dinner: Cauliflower Steaks with Chile Corn Salsa, Andean Dream Chocolate Chip Cookie

Week 3, Day 4, January 19, 2012
Breakfast:  Whole grain toast with Soy-Free Earth Balance, mango, raspberries
Lunch:  Cauliflower Steaks with Chile Corn Salsa

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