BEST VEGAN ALTERNATIVES + TIPS ON BEING PLANT BASED

After yesterday’s Instagram live I was so inspired by you all to share some tips on living a more plant based lifestyle.  I completely believe that it is a lifestyle, not a diet so you should never feel like you’re being restricted or limited.  Let’s get real, I couldn’t survive a diet at this point in my life.

Although I like to nourish my body with mostly healthy fresh foods I do still enjoy eating my favourite things at least once a day.  I’m human after all.  I whole heartedly believe that balance is key in everything that we do and how we fuel our bodies shouldn’t be any different.  My yoga teacher read that quote above the other day and I couldn’t help but fall in love with it.  That is what we need more of, being kind to ourselves and allowing our bodies to be treated with love and respect while keeping space for treats and relaxation.  

I have created a list of some of our favourite vegan alternatives at the bottom of this post that hopefully guide some of your decisions and help you more readily reach for plant based alternatives.  

For myself, becoming vegan was extremely easy because it was an emotional decision.  I know that isn’t the case for everyone but I do still believe you can be plant-based without having emotional intention.  My best advice would be to make small changes in your everyday.  I think in my own experience finding substitutes for all of our favourite things helped us be that much more successful.  Cheese, chocolate, milk, eggs…there is literally a plant version of all of the above that taste even better than the real thing.  Find options for the things you love and replace them.

If you take a peak at one of my favourite Pinterest boards (okay, I have a couple faves) you’ll see the thousands of options to delicious meals that are not only better for your body but better for the planet and the animals.  It’s basically a win win.  You can see my Healthy Meals/Veganizable Foods, Breakfast Ideas, Smoothies/Drinks and Vegan Treats.  The options are seriously endless.

I try so hard not to preach my lifestyle because I understand it isn’t for everyone but I hope this helps you guys and some of your questions you had.  I also never ever judge anyone for living the way they do and appreciate you all for doing the same towards me.  We are all so different and that is what makes each and every one of us so interesting.  

We often get asked if Harlow is going to be raised a vegan and to be honest we will most likely be feeding her what we are eating!   Lots of leafy greens, lentils, beans. fruits and veggies of all kinds and I think she will make out just fine.  We have talked to our doctor about this and he says it is perfectly healthy and isn’t worried at all but he is also super calm haha! So we are meeting with a nutritionist just because I want to better understand the nutritional requirements of a 6 month old (and older) to ensure she is getting all the nutritional requirements she needs.  Thankfully a lot of infant foods are fortified with things babies needs like iron, which can be found in infant cereals, but I want to make sure I am mixing proteins correctly and she is in fact getting everything she needs.  I just want to make sure I understand it all before implementing anything.  I also plan to store breast milk so we are able to continue to provide her with fatty milk after she is no longer breast feeding until she is able to drink a milk alternative.  We aren’t going to do perfectly I’m sure and I’m not planning on sending her off to birthday parties with tofu dogs in her hand but I will do my best to make sure she is eating the healthiest possible.  At the same time we are human and I don’t want to feel guilty for popping a frozen pizza in the oven or stopping to pick up veggies burritos because I am too lazy to cook.     

As always, I love having you stop by and hope you enjoyed this post! Always here if you have any questions.  The list of our faves is below!
Hugs,
Eleni 

Daiya Cheese– Tastes like shit on it’s own but is delicious melted on top of all your normal faves. I love to make grilled cheese (they have slices too), put it on my pasta, melt it on basically anything you like cheese on!
Silk Almond Creamer– Seriously, even if you have no interest in being more plant based you should give this a try.  SO good.
Oreos– So processed they are already vegan. 🙂
So Delicious Cashew Salted Caramel Ice Cream– Heaven
Daiya Mac and Cheese: It isn’t 100% amazing but if you add a little ketchup you can’t even tell the difference.
Field Roast Italian Sausages– SO good and lots of protein.
Vega Protein Powder– French Vanilla is my personal fave
Yves Quinoa Bites or Falafels– I personally like the quinoa bites way better.  Add them to a salad or a wrap. Love.
So Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches– They come in coconut and soy and they are SO GOOD.
Cleo’s– Vegan peanut butter cups…need I say more!
Becel Vegan Margarine– I like this over the other non-dairy ‘butters’ available and since I don’t use it too often I don’t mind that it’s margarine and probably not the healthiest. It’s the tastiest.
Daiya Pizza: Nice to have in the freezer for those lazy days.
Veganaise: You can basically make all your normal favourite creamy dips with this. Tzatziki is my fave. Let me know if you want a recipe.