Creativity on the Menu

Periodically, I am asked "What do you eat?" when people learn I am a vegetarian. While it is nothing new to me (13+ years), some still seem to find it mysterious/confusing- but it doesn't have to be! This is somewhat of an unusual post for me, but I figured why not. This topic certainly comes up often enough in conversation!

For meal inspiration:

Pinterest is a fantastic source of inspiration on many fronts; lately I've used it as a resource for recipes. I generally shoot for 50% protein 50% carbs with each meal. There is no end to the nutritional information available online; use it to inform your choices. That said- I love fruit, have a major sweet tooth and don't pretend to have perfect eating habits. I make the best effort I can to choose food that will sustain my good health and active lifestyle- but do not follow "diet" style regimens (the Grapefruit Diet, Atkins, Sugar Busters,etc).

Here is what a typical "day of food" looks like for me:

For breakfast, with ample amounts of coffee of course-

photo by blondeponytail.com

                                             Peanut Butter Protein Bars and any type of fruit

For lunch or dinner, with steamed brocoli or sauteed veggies-

photo by lovesveggiesandyoga.com

                                                            Peanut Sauce Baked Tofu

For dessert- although sometimes nothing beats FroYo!

photo by chocolatecoveredkatie.com

                                            Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream or fruit or trail mix

For snacks- I'm actually trying these out tonight; we'll see how they turn out!

photo by undressedskeleton.tumblr.com

                                                        Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks


So there's what I've been throwing into the mix lately. Other favorite standbys are pretzels, hummus, fruit, greek yogurt, veggies, black bean burgers, avocado, sushi...I guess this list could go on and on because truth be told I LOVE TASTY FOOD !