Shopping for a VEGAN

On the go?
This is what I like to have whenever I work-out or at the office.

Lemon Mint Water

1 bottle/tall glass of Cold Water

1 small handfull of Mint Leaves

4 Lemon Slices or Splash of Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients in bottle or glass, stir glass contents or roll bottle back and forth. Enjoy. The lemon helps balance your acidic an alkaline levels, on top of being a great cleanser!

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How to Grocery Shop for
Packing Healthy Lunches To-Go 

Today I’m going to show you step-by-step as I put together a grocery list as if I were planning to take 1 lunch + 2 snacks on the go for 5 days of the week. I’ll walk you through each step as I plan the ingredients I’m going to buy and the meals that I going to eat and take on the go. You can follow this guide exactly as is, or simply use it for inspiration for your own snacks and meals.

So, for all of you that have just returned to school, or perhaps just vowing to start packing your lunch more (ahem, like me for example) this post is for you!

Planning My Shopping List

The first thing I do when I’m planning a grocery trip is take an inventory of what I currently have in my kitchen. This really helps me prevent waste because I can buy fresh ingredients that compliment the ingredients that I’m trying to get rid of. I’ve taken a look into my pantry, freezer, and fridge and these are some of the ingredients I’ll be keeping in mind when writing this week’s shopping list.

Ingredients on hand:

Pantry/dry: tri-colour quinoa, pumpkin seeds, cashews, dates, and raisins

Freezer: sprouted grain bread, frozen berries

Fresh/Refrigerated: bananas

Next, I want to focus on coming up with some lunches and snacks that:

• are easy to take on the go
• require minimal preparation and time
• use mostly staple ingredients that I usually have on hand
• and use lots of the same ingredients to minimize my shopping list
• are healthy and satisfying
• provide enough variation to keep my food interesting

I’ve assumed that the average person attends school or work 5 days a week and needs 1 lunch + 1-2 snacks per day.

Meal Planning – Lunches

For each lunch I’ve included a couple of links to examples of similar meals that I’ve posted on Garden of Vegan in the past. These are just meant to give you an idea of how you have customize any one of these ideas to your preferences and the ingredients you have on hand.

spicy baked tofu salad - baby spinach, baked sriracha & soy sauce tofu, brown rice or quinoa, chickpeas (optional), pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts (optional), avocado, and hummus or balsamic vinaigrette for dressing.

• Food on the go: sriracha & soy sauce tofu, pumpkin seeds, spinach, brown rice, avocado, grape tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette.
• Recipe: Baked tofu, baby spinach, brown rice, and avocado salad.

crunchy rice wraps - rice paper wraps filled with thinly sliced red bell pepper, carrot, cucumber and green onion + strips of baked sriracha & soy sauce tofu and sesame seeds with a spicy peanut sauce for dipping.

• Crunchy veggie + tofu rice wrap preparation photoset
• Crunchy veggie + smoked tofu rice wraps with spicy peanut sauce

vegan power bowl - base of quinoa or brown rice, sriracha & soy sauce tofu, chickpeas, and leftover steamed or sautéed veggies + toppings like guacamole, fresh avocado, sriracha, hummus, etc.

• Vegan power bowl (pictured above) – quinoa,  carrot, zucchini, sriracha and soy sauce tofu, avocado, hummus and tomatoes.
• Vegan power bowl – tri-colour quinoa, baked sriracha and soy sauce tofu, zucchini noodles, carrot, and avocado.
  

PB & apple sandwich - peanut butter, apple slices, cinnamon and hemp hearts on whole grain bread or English muffin.

• Almond butter + apples slices on an English muffin
• Toast with peanut butter + apple slices

leftovers - pretty self explanatory, I think it’s safe to say that you would have leftovers from the previous nights dinner at least once a week. A quick note on lunches and leftovers: You could totally have leftovers for lunch 5 days a week, this is probably the easiest way to pack a lunch. All you have to do is begin purposefully cooking an extra serving or two of dinner each night!

Meal Planning – Snacks

veggies + hummus - your choice of fresh veggies, this week I’d use carrots sticks, celery sticks, sliced cucumber, and broccoli florets with hummus (add 1-2 tbsp of hemp hearts to hummus for a protein boost.)

vegan berry yogurt parfait -  layer vegan yogurt with fresh or frozen berries, pack the granola separately to prevent sogginess.

homemade trail mix - your choice of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and other add ins like chocolate chips or banana chips.

chopped apples + PB - apple slices with peanut butter (or almond butter), add some cinnamon, dark chocolate chunks, or walnuts for a twist.

fresh chopped fruit - your choice of fresh fruit, this week I’d use orange slices, chopped apples, and green grapes.

crackers with pickles and smoked tofu - or sub smoked tofu for soy sauce and sriracha tofu.

quick and easy healthy sweets - Banana Chocolate Chip Superfood Cookies or PB & Chocolate Superfood Bites

ants on a log - celery sticks spread with peanut butter and a sprinkle of raisins

Props to I Love Vegan

Great lunch ideas, healthy and delicious!