I haven’t done one of these “Monday in Meals” posts in awhile, and now that I’m eating more of a vegetarian diet (it’s actually kind of vegan with the occasional meat and fish mixed in), I wanted to share a vegetarian macro meal plan (aka a sample day from my own personal tracking). This particular day is actually fairly close to a vegan meal plan – minus the marine collagen in my iced coffee and cheddar cheese in the Banza pasta that I had for dinner. If you wanted to make it vegan, you could easily swap the collagen for a plant-based protein powder and nutritional yeast for the cheddar cheese powder.
Personally, I don’t like to categorize my diet because I truly think different foods and lifestyles work for different people – and, really, what’s the point of a label on a diet anyway? It just seems so restrictive, right? Been there, done that! Long-time followers will remember my Paleo days, and, my gosh, that way of thinking was not good for me. Paleo as a framework is fine and a great starting point for cleaning up your diet, but I was soooo strict with what I ate, and it made me a little crazy. Granted, I was very sick at the time, but the diet restrictions made it even worse.
It just goes to show you that we’re all a work in progress, and it’s okay (more than okay!) to change what you eat as well as your thinking around food – and you don’t need to follow a specific diet to be healthy. Personally, I’m always striving to be my best self, so I love switching things up and seeing how I feel with regard to different foods, recipes, and habits. Right now, this no-name way of eating feels great to me! 🙂 Anyway, let’s get onto a recap of my meals from Monday.
As you’ll see, if there’s a will, there’s a way when it comes to hitting your protein goal on a vegetarian diet. My #1 tip is always to plan your day ahead of time in MyFitnessPal or another tracking app. Before you go to bed, plan your meals and snacks for the next day – even if it’s JUST your protein. You can always fill in the gaps later. That way, you’re not eating a bowl of egg whites at the end of the night! Want more tips for hitting your protein goal? Check out this blog post!
POST-WORKOUT: P 38 C 46 F 12
Gluten-free bread with Teddie Peanut Butter and banana slices + an iced coffee protein shake made with OWYN vanilla protein powder, collagen, SO Delicious creamer, and a tiny bit of spirulina
MEAL 1: P 39 C 40 F 22
Trader Joe’s Hi-Protein Veggie Burger with shelled edamame, roasted sweet potato, and Crazy Feta over arugula
FYI: I didn’t track the Crazy Feta, but accounted for it by over-estimating the edamame.
MEAL 2: P 14 C 20 F 19
Kite Hill Plain Greek Yogurt with sliced banana and chopped walnuts
DINNER: P 20 C 38 F8
Banza Mac & Cheese with baby spinach
DESSERT: P 18 C 20 F 17
Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels mixed into PB2 + hemp hearts – it was basically a peanut butter + chocolate pudding! 🙂
TOTALS: P 129 C 164 F 78 (1,915 calories)
P.S. I’m hosting a FREE 5-Day Macro Bootcamp at the end of the month. Make sure you’re on the list!