Beginning of the year I had decided to simplify what is in my kitchen and the way I eat if you remember...
I did cut down the number of recipes I do on a regular basis... and kept the simpler ones!
I did change the way I had breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday...
Of course, if I did not have a growing teenage boy in my home and a loving husband who's job it to move around roughly 3000 lb of stuff daily I might be able to simplify furthermore... And this is why, in this post, I will address only the way I eat... because unless you are a kid/teenager or a very overly physical active adult, they way I eat can fit you.... and the calories restriction is actually good for you!
I want to start this series of post by telling you what is in my kitchen cupboard, fridge and freezer that I eat on a regular basis... It is of course, based on a whole food, plant base diet with little or no added oil/fat. After years of research and having a scientific background, I came to the conclusion that the McDougall way of eating is one of the simplest, cheapest and more complete one... and after years of using this program as a Dr, he has enough significant data to prove that it can guarantee you a healthy and long life...
I am not saying that everything I have in my home is perfect... and I am still working on improving it but for now, I think it is good enough! Of course if you have any tips, do not hesitate to share!
In my freezer:
Cooked chick peas and black beans - always ready to be used...
A few mason jar of left over home made meals for those days where I don't feel like cooking!
Homemade hummus - I make a big batch at once and freeze in small mason jar for weekly use portion
Flax seeds - whole
Whole grain bread - locally made
Frozen raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, peaches, strawberries
Frozen corn, green peas, spinach, green beans, broccoli
In my fridge:
Walnuts, pecans, almonds all raw... and in mason jars... a mason jar last anywhere from 2-3 months
Apple sauce
Homemade local raspberries and blueberries jams
Vegan margarine
Nutritional yeast
Salsa
Fat free Italian dressing
Teryaki sauce
Soy sauce
Lemon juice
Organic peanut butter
Maple syrup
Maple butter (which is just concentrated maple syrup and has no fat for my foreign readers)
Pickled beets (homemade and local)
Sun dried tomatoes
Roasted red bell peppers
Olives
Grounded flax seeds
Organic tofu (firm)
Organic unsweetened soy milk
Perrier water - to mix with ice tea... very yummy and much better then soft drinks!
Variety of fruits and veggies: carrots, celery, cucumbers, green onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, apples, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, avocado... mostly those!
And of course a variety of cooked rice, beans, hummus, left overs depending on when you look in it!
In my pantry:
Whole grain low fat cereals with no sugar added mostly...
Whole wheat or multi grains bread
Rye bread
Whole wheat or multi grains tortillas
Oat
Barley
Brown rice
White navy beans (dry)
Black beans (dry and one can of organic non-pba lined)
Chick peas (dry and one can of organic non-pba lined)
Red lentils
Brown lentils
Firm tofu
2-3 cans of ground tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes
Herbs and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, Italian, parsley, chili, cayenne, smoked paprika, coriander, turmeric, cumin, salt, black pepper)
Veggie broth
Pure vanilla extract
Pure lemon extract
BBQ sauce
Mustard
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Sambal oaelek
Rice vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Canola oil
Whole wheat paste
Rice vermicelli
Rice paper
Norri sheets
Unbleached all-purpose flour
Whole wheat flower
Brown rice flower
Bread crumbs
Corn starch
Baking powder
Baking soda
Raw cane sugar
Brown sugar (vegan version)
Raw pistachios
Raisins
Cranberries
Dates
Apricots
Teas (organic vanilla rooibos, fennel seeds, mint, jade citrus mint, herbal vanilla chai, pineapple, passion tango - last two are to make iced mix with sparkling water)
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Corn kernel
Bananas
Or course to this, you would have to add anything my son and husband like to eat... that I normally do not eat... but it is all vegan or course... and it is not necessary to have those items - personally I don't have them very often but sometimes as a treat I may be tempted... We are talking here dry roasted salted cashews and veggie burger for example!
This is it! for any recipes I will share with you over the next few weeks, you will find all you need in there! Unless I forgot something... In which case, I am really sorry...
Remember, I am aiming for a whole food plant base diet with little to no added oil.... and although this list may seems exhaustive to look at for beginners, it is actually way more simple then when I initially started my vegan diet 3 years ago!
The number of meal you can make out of those ingredients are endless.... and all this for a very low cost actually! Who ever said a vegan diet was expensive most likely did a very complicated one! Relying on highly process vegan food...
Dry beans, rice, barley and oat is fairly inexpensive where ever you are... especially if you buy in bulk!
Fruits and veggies can be a challenge in the winter months but this is why I get frozen ones... and add them to my cereals, oatmeal, pancakes etc...
So here you go! You can go grocery shop now if you don't already have those items in your home!!!
And for the next few weeks, we'll be cooking and baking all sorts of things!
But please remember, I am not a food blogger and have no intention to become one... the pictures won't be very frequent... I only wish to share what I eat because some of you asked...
Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
