Quick snack

I was a little short on time today but I decided it would be good to have a snack before dance practice tonight. So, here it is :)

"Chicken" tenders and string beans.

The tenders are from Gardein and they have a lot of really good products.

The specific kind I used today was their Seven Grain Tenders. They also have Chipotle Lime ones which are really good as well but I've had those before so I figure I'd tried something new. 

You can make them in a toaster oven or a regular oven. I went for the "short on time" option (as directed on the package) and put them in the microwave on high for 45 secs and then into the oven at 450 degrees for 8 mins. I would suggest turning them over for an additional 2 mins so they can be crispy on both sides. 

For the string beans, I just put them in a small frying pan with a little bit of water (maybe a fourth? I didn't measure it) and covered it so they could steam. 

Add a dipping sauce of your choice (mines was honey mustard from Whole Foods) and there you have it! 

A delicious breakfast

I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods earlier this week and found more of the natural waffles from Van's. I got blueberry (because I absolutely love blueberry waffles) and flaxseed (to see how it tasted). 

For this meal, I made two of the blueberry waffles with some tofurkey and spinach on the side. 

I heat some oil up (about a cap full) in a small frying pan and put in the cut up tofurkey pieces first. I let them cook for a little then added in the spinach. It all took about five minutes. Make sure to control your heat or the tofurkey will get darkened and crispy (unless you want it that way).

Colorful lunch

Baked sweet potatoes, tofu seasoned with turmeric, paprika salt and pepper and broccoli.

Cook the tofu first with a little bit of oil then add the broccoli and cover. The broccoli will cook with the stream from the water.

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks! 

Healthy twist on a classic breakfast

Being a vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean sacrifice, it just means taking the time and putting in the effort to make healthier choices when it comes to food.

We all love waffles (especially me), and there's no reason we shouldn't be able to enjoy them as much as our dairy eating friends. 

I found these really delicious Whole Grain waffles at Safeway. They have no dairy or eggs in them and they have a little touch of sweet in them already if you're not a fan of syrup (but let's face it, who doesn't like syrup)

I also found an all natural syrup at a local store of mine that doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup in it (you know, that addictive stuff that's super bad for you) and it tastes great.

Add with your favorite side of fruit and beverage of choice (black coffee, water, soy or almond milk) and you have a healthy alternative to a breakfast everyone loves! 

Protein bar

I'm not that big of a fan of protein powders and all that, but I found this protein bar and I love it. One, its vegan and two, it's sweet enough to satisfy any candy craving you may have. They come in a variety of flavors but I usually get the chocolate one. 

These really come in handy when you need a snack or are in a rush but don't want to deprive yourself of nutrients your body needs. I totally skipped dinner last night (yes, I know, not happy about it) but after dance practice, I had one of these and think that's a little bit better than if I had eaten nothing at all.

Try one and tell me what you think! 

Udon noodles with stir fry vegetables and tofu

Udon noodles prepared with pre-made Stir fry vegetables and tofu. The kind of tofu I used is called Wildwood and this particular one was super firm. 

The udon noodles came with a seasoning packet so I just used that. The seasoning comes in different flavors as well but I just chose original. Make sure to read the ingredients for the seasoning first because one of the packets I read said it had low fat milk in it. 

The tofu was cooked first and seasoned with soy sauce. 

Sweet potato, black bean, spinach dinner

Tonight, dinner consisted of two small baked sweet potatoes, homemade black beans and sautéed spinach.

To sauté the spinach, I put some oil (then water) in a small frying pan and added some salt, pepper and paprika.