Health Made Simple, Days 39-42

Can y'all believe I've been on a meal plan for 40-plus days?! I'm sure you're all bored with it now, but I'm feeling so great! And don't worry — only two weeks left. Here's a recap of the whole food, plant-based meals (and some not-so-whole indulgences) I ate on Health Made Simple over the weekend.

Thursday morning started with a couple Emmy's Organic raw coconut macaroons and a little walk-run outside. I still can't run for very long on my foot, but I have a 5K coming up in a few weeks so I'm trying to test my foot on walk-runs. I miss my long runs SO BAD, y'all. After my workout, I had some white rice, and then I had a Kick-Ass Meal Shake (banana, walnuts, greens powders). 

Morning snack was celery and raw almond butter. For lunch we had a staff meeting at work, and that always means we have SO MUCH FOOD. I took a pic of my plate, but it's disappeared off my phone somehow. We had roasted veggie sandwiches, salad, tomato soup, and vegan peanut butter bars from Muddy's Bake Shop. I indulged in the white bread and dessert with ZERO guilt.

I had fruit as my afternoon snack (even though I was still full from lunch), and then for dinner, I had No-Chicken Noodle Soup from the Health Made Simple plan. This has lentils and whole wheat pasta with veggies and vegan chicken broth.

Friday morning started with an apple cinnamon date bar and a bootcamp workout at my gym, followed by more white rice. Breakfast was a raspberry banana smoothie, and morning snack at my desk was fresh fruit. Lunch was leftover no-chicken noodle soup, and I had baked corn chips and salsa in the afternoon.

And then it was time for another indulgence! My friends and I had dinner plans at Imagine Vegan Cafe. I could have ordered something really crazy like the "fish" dinner (fried Gardein fish, hush puppies, and fries), but instead I chose one of their healthier options — the Portabella Sandwich and Steamed Broccoli. This has portabella strips, vegan white cheese, and roasted red peppers. I tried to order it on wheat, but they accidentally brought it out on white bread. I decided that was a sign from the Universe!

On Saturday morning, I got up early and made the gluten-free Health Made Simple Whole Grain Pancakes with berries. I topped them with a little Reddi Whip coconut whip because why not? On HMS, they talk a lot about your MOTT (most of the time) and believe it's perfectly okay to have a little not-so-whole foodsy garnish (like vegan cheese or whipped topping!).

I went to yoga at 10 am and had a small snack-sized banana smoothie afterward. And then for lunch, I thawed some Black Bean Tortilla Soup that I froze last week. This was an HMS meal last week, and I purposely made extra to save for an easy lunch!

Afternoon snack was fruit, and then for dinner, I made Lisa's Tempeh & Rice Gumbo from HMS (Lisa is HMS co-organizer Sid Garza Hillman's wife, so this must be her recipe!). Very good! But I'll say, as a Southerner, this was not gumbo! It was Cajun-seasoned tempeh & rice soup. To be gumbo, you need a roux, but this was oil-free. But still very, very tasty. The tempeh was marinated in Liquid Smoke and maple, like bacon!

Later that night, Paul and I went to our friend Nicole's birthday party. And there was Vegan Chocolate Cake baked by my friend Stephanie (aka Poopie Bitch to any PPKers). I never pass up a chance to eat Stephanie's cake. Enjoyed every bite! I also had a vodka/key lime La Croix cocktail and a Sierra Nevada Tumbler brown ale. Plus, a few bites of veggie sushi!

Sunday morning started with a bowl of Steel Cut Oats with blueberries (hence the color), banana, strawberries, and walnuts.

Morning snack was fruit (cantaloupe, grapes), and lunch was leftover tempeh & rice gumbo. In the early afternoon, Paul and I went to Crosstown Brewing Co. where we had a couple beers (dry stout and raspberry gose for me!). 

We went home after that, and I got to work on dinner while snacking on baby carrots and oil-free dijon hemp-cashew dressing. Dinner was Smoky Mushroom Tacos (mushrooms, black beans, chipotle pepper). I loved them, but they were too spicy for Paul's heartburn issues. More for me!