What I Eat in a Day #1--Christmas Day!

January 01, 2017

My very first what i eat in a day! These are some of my favorite blog posts and YouTube videos to watch because honestly who doesn't love being a little nosy and wondering what it is that people eat in a day...and also for a bit of food inspiration!

This year was my very first holiday season fully on a plant-based diet! One of the main things that I was most concerned about was what I was going to eat over the holidays, as no one else in my family eats plant-based.

Breakfast

For breakfast on Christmas I really wanted to go all out and have something that is a complete treat! I went for a nice store bought can of cinnamon rolls. Now, I know, making them from scratch would have been much, much better probably, but I did a test run of homemade cinnamon rolls the previous weekend, and well....let's just say I need a LOT more practice. So, store bought ones were good enough for me!

I went for the Trader Joe's jumbo cinnamon rolls, which are vegan! As soon as I found that out I knew it was meant to be. They were so delicious and fluffy! They were basically everything I wanted out of eating a cinnamon roll--totally worth it!

I also had a black coffee along with my breakfast, which is an everyday necessity to start my day!


Lunch

Since breakfast was pretty indulgent, I kept lunch pretty simple and healthy. All I really needed was something that would tide me over until dinnertime! I went for a smoothie bowl that I just chucked a bunch of all of the frozen fruit I had in the freezer and topped with my favorite toppings, including my personal favorite packaged granola from Purely Elizabeth.

Smoothie
handful of baby kale
handful of baby spinach
frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
a few chunks of frozen banana
frozen strawberries
sprinkle of flaxseed

Toppings
ripe banana slices
granola
chia seeds
hemp seeds
cacao nibs
pumpkin seeds

Dinner

Figuring out what to make for dinner was probably the most challenging part of my first plant-based Christmas. I really wanted something that would still 'feel' Christmas-y and sort of relate to what everyone else in my family was having. After spending hours searching for the perfect Christmas dish I came across a nut wellington from Niomi Smart's book, Eat Smart. It was the perfect dish to go for since the rest of my family were having beef and turkey.

It turned out amazing! Mine was a bit undercooked since it was packed into the oven with the rest of Christmas dinner, but it still tasted great! The flavors were incredible and it is definitely something I would make again next year, but maybe baking it earlier on its own. The original recipe also calls for 2 eggplants to wrap the entire wellington in, but I was only able to get one, as I last minute decided on a recipe!

Ingredients
1/2 cup red lentils
1 onion, diced
1 tsp coconut oil
5 portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
5 sage leaves, chopped
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup mixed nuts, chopped (walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
1 large eggplant
pink himalayan salt, or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. In a saucepan, add the lentils with 1 cup water and bring to the boil. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked
3. Set a frying pan to a medium heat and grease with a bit of coconut oil
4. Fry the onion for 5-7 minutes and add the remaining vegetables, aside from the eggplant, and garlic. Let fry for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables have softened
5. Add in the herbs and apple cider vinegar to the frying pan and season well with a pinch of salt and pepper
6. In a food processor, pulse the mixed nuts until they become small chunks.
7. Add in the cooked lentils and vegetables and blend until fully combined, retaining some small chunks. Set aside.
8. Cut the stalk off of the eggplant and cut into wide, flat 2-3mm thick slices
9. Place on a large baking sheet, greased with a bit of coconut oil, and bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway
10. Once the eggplant has cooked, lightly grease a loaf tin with coconut oil, and line the tin with the eggplant slices however you'd like. I chose to pair the slices up and place them opposite each other, allowing enough to overlap at the top.
11. Pour in the wellington mixture and, using a wooden spoon, pack in and smooth
12. Fold the eggplant slices over the top and bake for 40 minutes
13. Remove and allow to cool before slicing!

As for sides for my nut wellington, I also made another recipe from Eat Smart, rosemary-roasted sweet potatoes, and some really exciting frozen peas. The rest of my family were having regular mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole, so I felt that my sides didn't differ too much from a usual Christmas dinner with my family.

The sweet potato recipe was super delicious and different from ordinary rosemary-roasted potatoes because it included nutritional yeast. I was a bit skeptical of this, but the subtle cheesy flavor was actually perfect!

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 3 whole and 3 with leaves picked
pink himalayan salt, or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. In a large saucepan, add in the sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 8 minutes, then drain
3. Add 1 tbsp of the coconut oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the nutritional yeast
4. Cover with a lid and gently shake the potatoes to coat them in seasonings and to fluff them up for a crispier finish when cooked
5. Grease a large baking sheet with the remaining coconut oil and add the potatoes with the whole rosemary sprigs. Scatter over the rosemary leaves
6. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until nicely browned
7. Remove whole rosemary sprigs before serving

Dessert

Earlier in the day after breakfast I baked some chocolate crinkle cookies. They didn't turn out as fluffy as I had planned, but they were still delicious! Sadly, I had absolutely no room after dinner to enjoy them, but I did try one right out of the oven! I definitely need to save room for dessert next year!

This was my first time making these and they did not end up rising like most crinkle cookies. I made small adjustments to the original recipe I used to better follow my diet, but trial and error is the best way to figure out baking! My mistake could have been using melted coconut oil, but also more baking powder or baking soda could be added, possibly. Regardless, they tasted just as amazing as I was hoping!

Ingredients
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
organic powdered sugar

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the cane sugar, coconut oil, water, and vanilla, mix well.
3. Mix in the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until smooth
4. In a small separate bowl, add in some powdered sugar
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and roll the dough into small balls, about 1 in.
6. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar until coated and place on the baking tray
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes and allow to cool

Claire
xx

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