HAPPY 2021! Its VEGANUARY!
My fiance and I; Zoe and her husband are embarking on a month of vegan eats. We are dedicating this effort to supporting the veganuary charity in the UK. After a rather tough and arduous year, I’m hoping to start off this new 2021 with positivity and excitement. To be honest, I’m really uncertain about how this month will go, but I am excited to try and share new recipes that are simple/nutritious/budget friendly to help those of you who are trying to eat more plant based.
People have often wondered if Zoe and I are vegan. The answer is no. I have tried once, but because I didn’t eat a nutritious and balanced diet I started experiencing nausea and lightheadedness after a week. The key to making a vegan or plant based lifestyle work is making sure you are getting all the nutrients you need to function properly, so educating yourself, doing proper research and planning ahead are important to get started. As I have prepared for this challenge I’ve been learning so many cool things, so I wanted to share several tips:
- Going “Vegan” is not necessarily healthy if you are just eating lots of processed foods, vegan substitute meats and (too much) empty carbs.
- Protein is crucial: tofu, tempeh, beans (chickpea, black beans, mung beans), nut butter, nuts are all good natural sources of protein. You can make your life easier by making simple substitutes like chickpea pasta or edamame spaghetti instead of regular pasta to increase your protein intake.
- Vitamin B, iron and zinc usually come from meat, so its important to incorporate legumes, nuts and seeds, green leafy veg (spinach) and nutritional yeast into your daily diet.
- Chia seeds, hemp hearts and flaxseeds provide essential omega 3’s found in seafood. We will definitely be eating a lot of this.
- Meal prep and plan beforehand.
- Track your nutrients on an free app e.g. cronometer. Rather than focus on calories, focus on your micronutrient levels and protein levels.
And in honor of Veganuary, we will be sharing lots of vegan recipes this month. Starting off with this simple 4 ingredient recipe for chia pudding that we have been absolutely loving! I’ve eaten this for for breakfast and even dessert. It is so sweet, so creamy and so delicious!
I can’t believe I’ve stayed away from chia puddings for so long. I tried it a few years ago and did not like it at all, until I realized a few things:
- You have to add vanilla, it is literally a game changer! You smell it and taste it!
- Choose a creamier non dairy milk – soy milk or coconut milk is my recommendation
- Sweetener is a must – yes even for someone like me who avoids as much sugar as possible you really can’t eat chia pudding without it or else it doesn’t taste like anything
TOP KEY for good consistency: Make sure you let the pudding sit for 5 mins and mix again or else you will get a clumpy chia pudding!
Feel free to top this with fruit, chocolate, nut butter or maple syrup. I personally like it plain because its so delicious as it is! I will gladly eat this everyday instead of omega 3 pills!
(this is our chocolate and vanilla version together)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup non dairy milk + ¼ cup non dairy yogurt (you can use ½ cup of milk but we would recommend a creamier milk e.g., coconut milk)
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Set aside for 4-5 mins and stir again. Make sure it is well combined.
- Put in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight until the chia seeds have gelled up. Add desired toppings or eat as it is! Can last 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup non dairy milk + ¼ cup non dairy yogurt (you can use ½ cup of milk but we would recommend a creamier milk e.g., coconut milk)1 tsp cocoa powder (good quality)
- 3-4 tsp of sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- Garnish: Cacao nibs, chocolate chips/grated chocolate, fruit
- Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Set aside for 4-5 mins and stir again. Make sure it is well combined.
- Put in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight until the chia seeds have gelled up. Add desired toppings or eat as it is! Can last 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
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