No Meat Meet-Up Vegan Potluck #4

I'm interrupting my usual Health Made Simple meal plan recap for a post about this Sunday's amazing No Meat Meet-Up Vegan Potluck at Crosstown Arts!

It was Day 14 on my 4-week whole foods, plant-based meal plan, and I stuck to those parameters throughout the day, but once it was time for the monthly potluck (they're always at 3 pm), I let myself eat all the things. I tend to overeat at potlucks, so I really focused on just trying a small bite of each thing. And I think I did pretty well considering the massive amount of food there. We had about 40 people show up (some were couples, so not quite 40 dishes but definitely 20-something different options!).

I brought the Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry that I was supposed to eat on my Health Made Simple plan. It's made without oil and has lite coconut milk, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and Indian spices. Served over brown rice.

Steven brought some delicious Tofu Pad Thai.

Two people brought Vegan Queso — one was storebought (and made with cauliflower!) and the other was homemade. Both very good!

Shay made her famous Vegan Pizza!

James and Clarita blew us all away with their vegan meaty Million Dollar Spaghetti! They used the new vegan beef from Simple Truth Organic, and it was very, very meaty. Would have fooled any meat eater!

Jen & Simon brought some fantastic Kimchi Fried Rice using homemade kimchi (made by our friend Stephanie). 

Someone brought Roasted Veggies, a welcome addition to my plate of dips and carbs!

There was an amazing Vegan Challah Bread!! So soft and sweet. 

There was Bhel Puri!! My favorite Indian snack!

And a man who arrived later brought this mind-blowing, veggie-filled African Stew. We had a lot of late-comers, and I was so full by the time they arrived. But I still tried small bites of everything. I did fail to get pics of many of the late dishes though. There was a great enchilada casserole, Daiya cheesecake, raw crackers with guac, pasta salad, and more!

My very favorite thing were my friend/co-worker Lily's Vegan Donuts from her vegan donut company, Darling Donuts! I had half of a cherry coconut donut and half of a (not pictured) maple stick donut.

Here's my first plate! And yes, there was a second plate, but it was much smaller.

What a great potluck!! If you're local, the next one should be Sunday, February 16 at 3 pm at the cafe at Crosstown Arts. Bring a dish to share and let's eat!

Health Made Simple for Athletes, Days 12-13

Friday morning on Health Made Simple started with my usual bootcamp workout at my downtown gym. I fueled with a coconut Larabar and then had a banana immediately after my workout for carbs. About an hour later, I had a Greens Fruit Flax smoothie with apple, spinach, banana, flax, and the last of my Complement protein powder. Luckily, I have another bag in the mail! This unsweetened protein powder is amazing.

Morning snack was Baked Corn Chips with Salsa made in the air fryer with lightly oiled corn tortillas. Yes, that's a tiny rubber ducky on my desk at work.

Lunch was leftover Veggie Tofu Stir-fry (pictured in my last post), and my afternoon snack was another bowl of fresh fruit (but I didn't add flax this time since there was flax in my smoothie).

Dinner was fun! The Health Made Simple plan called for Veggie Burger Tostadas on Friday night using one of the healthier burger patties, like Dr. Praeger's (I used the kale burgers). You cut up strips of veggie burger and toast them with vegan cheese on a tortilla, and then top with ketchup or mustard or whatever burger toppings you like. I just had ketchup on mine, plus a side of Baked Potato with Salsa. This plan is low on processed stuff, but I like that it still includes it sometimes!

On Saturday morning, Paul came to town and we planned a 16-mile run (well, 8 miles for him, 16 for me). So I fueled with my usual white bread Plain Bagel with Hummus.

Mid-run, I snacked on a chocolate Clif gel, a sesame rice ball, and some medjool dates. Post-run, I had this Tart Cherry Chocolate Smoothie with cherry juice, Vega Sport mocha protein powder, and banana.

Earlier that morning, I'd stopped by the Cooper Young Farmers Market for a treat from LuLu's! So I enjoyed my Chocolate Chip Cookie awhile after my run.

We stayed in and watched a movie Saturday night, so I made us the Pasta with Portabella Ragout from the plan for dinner. This simple dish has whole wheat pasta and a homemade sauce of diced tomatoes, garlic, herbs, onion, and portabella. I'd also picked up some olive bread from LuLu's, and that was really lovely on the side. Not pictured is my usual dinner salad.

Health Made Simple for Athletes, Day 11

Another day, another morning run! Thursday — day 11 on the Health Made Simple meal plan — started with a 4-mile easy-pace run. But first, I fueled up with a Simple Truth Apple Cinnamon Date Bar. And then after the run, I had my usual bowl of White Rice with Soy Sauce and Sesame Seeds for re-fueling. My real breakfast — a Banana Walnut Smoothie (bananas, walnuts, protein powder, water) — followed a little later.

Morning snack was a fruit bowl — pineapples, blueberries, kiwi — with flax.

I had a lunch meeting at Next Door in Crosstown Concourse. They have a super-healthy and delicious Roasted Veggie Bowl with quinoa, roasted broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tahini sauce. A perfect fit for Health Made Simple!

In the afternoon, I snacked on some whole wheat Wasa crackers with almond butter, but I forgot to take a picture.

And then here's my awesome dinner! It was just a simple Tofu Veggie Stir-fry, but sometimes, those basic meals really hit the spot. The tofu is marinated in soy sauce, garlic powder, and maple and then air-fried. The veggies were sauteed with a soy-agave-garlic sauce. Served over brown rice!

Health Made Simple for Athletes, Day 10 (plus donuts!)

Wednesday started with a 6-mile fartlek run (that's speedwork!), fueled by a PB&J Larabar (the best flavor!). After my run, I had my usual post-run bowl of white rice with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Then about an hour later, I had my first meal on Health Made Simple — a Greens Fruit Flax Smoothie with apple, spinach, banana, flax, and Complement Protein powder.

Morning snack was DONUTS!!!!! Sooooo not on the plan, but my co-worker Lily has started a vegan donut company, Darling Donuts, and she occasionally brings new flavors to the office for us to try. This time, she brought pistachio, candied ginger, and king cake. Of course I had to try all three, so I had half of the pistachio and a fourth of the other two. All were amazing! If you're local, look up @darlingdonutsmemphis on Instagram!

Of course, I felt the effects of all that sugar pretty much immediately. But it was so worth it! I wouldn't want to feel like that every day, but it's okay sometimes.

A couple co-workers and I had plans to meet one of my former co-workers for lunch at Global Café in Crosstown Concourse (where we work), and I wasn't at all hungry yet (thanks to the donuts). But I ordered this Vegan Fasolia and enjoyed it anyway! This is a Syrian dish with seared green beans and rice, and it's very tasty.

I had both of my snacks together in the afternoon (since the donuts took the place of my usual morning snack). This Fruit Bowl and Wasa Crackers with Cauliflower Hummus tided me over through a post-work meeting.

When I got home, I stuck another potato in the microwave and topped it with pinto beans, salsa, cilantro, nooch, scallions, and jalapenos (the same dinner from the night before!) and enjoyed with a salad with Oil-Free Hemp Vinaigrette (a Health Made Simple dressing recipe made with hemp seeds and spices).

Health Made Simple for Athlete's, Day 9

Tuesday started with a Simple Truth apple cinnamon date bar and a 5-mile run, and I felt so strong and fast! All this healthy eating seems to be paying off on the recovery front. I bounced right back after this weekend's back-to-back 12-milers! After my run, I had a bowl of white rice with toasted sesame seeds for some quick carbs.

About an hour later, I had the first meal on yesterday's Health Made Simple meal plan — a Banana Walnut Smoothie (2.5 bananas, 2 Tbsp walnuts, water, and Complement protein powder). Simple and delicious.

I had an early lunch because I had to be somewhere at 1 pm, so I skipped morning snack in favor of this big bowl of Lentil Soup with Wasa Crackers at my desk. Yes, I worked through lunch, but it was a busy day!

I had my two snacks in the afternoon — my usual fruit bowl (orange slices, strawberries, blueberries, flax seed) and this snack of Baby Carrots with Cashew Ranch.

That held me over until dinner, which was a GIANT Baked Potato with Black Beans & Salsa (plus nooch, cilantro, scallions, jalapeno, and lime juice). I love how simple the meals are on this plan. No fuss. Super healthy and loaded with good carbs. Yay for high-carb lifestyles!

After dinner, I was craving something sweet. I don't usually eat dessert at night, but I wanted something. I had some Emmy's Organic Coconut Macaroons in the pantry, and since they're made with whole food ingredients, I figured that'd be a healthy treat. Enjoyed with herbal tea while watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix (I'm getting inspired for a big decluttering goal in 2020!!).

Health Made Simple for Athlete's, Day 8

Monday was the start of my second week on the 4-week Health Made Simple plan from No Meat Athlete! According to this whole foods, plant-based meal plan, I was supposed to have a smoothie for breakfast (as well as pre- and post-workout snacks), but Monday is my one rest day from working out so I swapped out Sunday's breakfast on the plan and slept in until 6 am! That was a big plate of Tofu Scramble with spinach and onions. Plus, a side of whole wheat toast with Lantana cauliflower hummus.

I ate a half-pound of tofu, so I was pretty satisfied through my usual 10:30 am snack time, but by 11 am, I broke out my planned desk snack — Trail Mix with cashews, almonds, and cranberries.

Lunch was more Black Bean, Rice, & Veggie Burritos with kale, mushrooms, brown rice, avocado, tomato, and salsa in whole wheat wraps. The ww wraps were smaller than the average burrito size (WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND LARGE WHOLE WHEAT WRAPS???), so I had two burritos! Enjoyed on my lunch break while reading the paper. I'm going to try to take real lunch breaks at work as often as I can. Sometimes, I work through lunch, and that's just not a good habit.

Afternoon snack was another Fruit Bowl with flax! Strawberries, blueberries, and nectarines.

For dinner, I got to try a recipe in my new Instant Pot! The Lentil Soup recipe on the Health Made Simple plan included both stovetop and pressure cooker directions, so I was excited to try my new gadget! So far, I'd only used it for cooking rice (I'm making a LOT of rice on this plan!). The soup turned out really, really well. It has lentil, quinoa, spinach, and tomato. 

After dinner, I had a Crosstown CDC board meeting at Midtown Crossing, so I treated myself to a nice Crosstown Brewing Co. Traffic IPA. Nothing like a good beer to celebrate a day of great food!

Health Made Simple for Athletes, Days 5-7

Friday was my fifth day on the whole food, plant-based Health Made Simple meal plan from No Meat Athlete. Friday morning started with bootcamp at my gym, so I had a Carrot Cake Larabar and some masala chai with almond milk before class.

Breakfast was another Strawberry Raspberry Protein Smoothie. Morning snack was Baby Carrots with Goddess Dressing, a tahini-based recipe on the meal plan.

Lunch was leftover red lentils and brown rice from Thursday's dinner, and my afternoon snack was another fruit bowl with flax (fruit every day!). Dinner was a classic Grain/Green/Bean Bowl with tahini sauce.

I had plans to go to my friend Stephanie's house for a full moon celebration, and I knew there'd be snacks. I figured I'd eat dinner and then graze at her gathering. But I had no idea she was going ALL OUT. When I arrived, she'd made Tea Sandwiches with cream cheese and cucumber, Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwiches, and Scones with Vegan Clotted Cream. Plus, another friend brought Vegan Taquitos with all kinds of dipping sauces. So I basically had two dinners on Friday night! 

Stephanie even made Moon Milk with almond milk, cocoa butter, butterfly pea powder, ashwagandha, and dried blueberries. She is AMAZING. 

On Saturday morning, I had a 12-mile trail run on my 50K training plan, so I had my usual long run breakfast of a Plain Bagel with Hummus (this one has cauliflower hummus!).

We had a tornado Saturday morning (while I slept!) and super heavy rain, but the trail was calling! As much as it sucks to run through muddy puddles with soaked feet for three hours, it's great practice since you never know what race day will be like. So I went out to Shelby Farms and ran two 6-mile loops on the very muddy Tour de Wolf trail. This stream crossing was knee deep! Yes, I was very wet the whole time, but it was fun!

I typically eat gels and blocks to fuel my long runs, but I get tired of sweet stuff. So I'm experimenting with some other real food options. There's a recipe for these Sesame Rice Balls in the No Meat Athlete Cookbook, and I've been wanting to try them for awhile. This was my first run with rice balls, and they were so good! A little challenging to eat on the run, but I love an excuse to slow down and walk.

After my run, I had a banana, and then I went home to another rice bowl with kale, pintos, and tahini. My friend Sheridan was in town for the day unexpectedly, and she couldn't stay long. But she wanted to meet up at Imagine Vegan Cafe. Since I had just eaten, I only ordered a Hibiscus Kombucha.

Dinner was a super carb-heavy bowl (yay!) of whole wheat Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans, and Potatoes. The pesto is oil-free and is made with basil and kale. It's really yummy! Enjoyed with a salad with goddess dressing.

On Saturday night, I had plans to go to our favorite gay bar, Dru's Place, for our friend Tyler's birthday. I'd planned to have one beer there and head home, but his friend Andy surprised him (and all of us) with cupcakes from Muddy's Bake Shop. And he got a vegan chocolate one especially for me. So I had to eat it!

One of the best things about eating whole foods all the time is, when treats like this are around, I feel pretty good about eating them! Like I've done so well, so of course I want that cupcake to go with my beer! Ha!

On Sunday morning, I had another 12-miler on the training plan (50K training is tough!), but I also had signed up for the Overton Park 3K trail race later in the day, so I just went out for 10 training miles. I had my bagel with hummus first! And I had another rice ball during my run. 

After my run, I had a blueberry peach smoothie. Then I changed into clean running clothes and headed back out for my race!

The race went well! It was still super muddy on the trail, but thankfully, there are no stream crossings in Overton Park! Post-race, I had a couple of Black Bean, Brown Rice, and Veggie Burritos with kale, mushrooms, bell pepper, avocado, tomato, lettuce, cilantro, and scallions. Really yummy!

And finally, for dinner, I had the rest of the leftover whole wheat pasta with pesto! Oh, and I had a Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter because I earned a beer after all that running! What a great, active weekend! My leg muscles are killing me, but it's a good soreness.