> i get overwhelmed at
>the thought of being vegan, though. would any of you mind
>posting a typical day's menu? including snacks? i don't
>think i'm educated on the subject enough, so i've always been
>part of the "too little to eat" camp when i think vegan. i'd
>love to learn more about it
There is SO much to eat when you're vegan if you look at it from the perspective of how many edible plants there are on Earth. (Looking at a restaurant menu, though, will often give you a 'there's nothing to eat" feeling!). Think outside the box, and look towards other cultures. Chinese stir-fries, mid-Eastern falafel and tabouleh, italian pastas and sauces, etc.
Also think of your favorite non-vegan foods and how you can veganize them.
Some typical food choices that I make(not all on the same day!). There are many types of vegans, so what appeals to one person might not appeal to another. Some rely heavily on meat analogs, like veggie "ham" and "chicken" slices, or veggie "burgers" and "hot dogs." Others tend more towards raw foods with an emphasis on greens and fruits. Others like a mix of international foods. Others are vegan junk fooders (probably one of the worst diets you can have!):
Breakfast:
Morning smoothie with either Vega meal replacement or my own mix of hemp protein powder, greens supplement, maca powder, blue-green algae and mangosteen (antiinflammatory), ground flax and frozen strawberries.
Steel cut oats with soy or rice milk, a touch of real maple syrup, ground flax, and maybe some chopped nuts and dried fruit or fresh blueberries. (Steel cut oats take longer to cook, but by making a large batch, you can save some for the next 2-3 days, chop it up, add non-dairy milk of your choice and microwave it to get a yummy, tasty cereal).
Ready-to-eat cereal with soy or rice milk.
More "traditional American" option: soy breakfast sausages with scrambled tofu and toasted sprouted grain bread.
Lunch/Dinner:
Mixed salad (no iceberg lettuce, but lots of dark lettuces, red pepper, avocado, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, other colored veggies) and an optional splash of vinegrette. OR bean salad with a variety of rinsed canned organic beans (garbanzos, black soy, kidney, green), pimentos, artichoke hearts, sliced black olives, anda splash of italian dressing, served on a bed of lettuce.
Tempeh mock 'chicken-or-the-egg' salad or as a sandwich filling.
Microwaved yam and/or lentil soup and/or sandwich made from 1/2 avocado mashed in between two slices of hemp and sprouted grain bread.
Stir-fried (in either cooking sherry or mirin---Japanese cooking sherry---and a splash of olive oil) veggies like zucchni, red pepper, onions, mushrooms, with either tofu or tempeh or seitan (or a combo) added.
A cooked grain like quinoa (good protein) or millet with veggies (to make a pilaf).
Snacks:
P.B or other nut butter spread on sprouted grain buns.
Raw nuts (soaked overnight to activate their enzymes, then dried before eating. Almonds soaked in this way taste a bit like cocoanut).
Fruits like apples and pears (low glycemic).
A green drink (green foods powder mixed with lemon juice and a sweetener, usually stevia...I've evolved to enjoy this type of thing, but would not have years ago).
1/2 avocado.
Hummus with raw veggies.
Larabars (raw vegan food bars with a maximum of 5 ingredients--most have 2-3---including dried fruits and nuts).
Vega bars (raw food, hemp-based bars).
Vegan Food bars (another raw food vegan bar).
