Big news you guys! Guess who actually managed to sleep in [past 6 AM]! 😀
I can’t even tell you how surprised I was when I checked my phone yesterday morning and saw a lovely 6:09 staring back at me. Laugh all you like, but for someone who sees 4:30 AM far too often, anything after 6 is huge. Nevermind that it probably had everything to do with the fact that I couldn’t fall asleep the night before and was still wide awake when midnight rolled around — it’s still better than going to sleep at 12 and waking up at 4 😯
So hey! Happy Wednesday! 😀 Or I guess I should say… Happy What I Ate Wednesday. I usually share a full day of Tuesday’s eats for these posts, but I’m switching things up and showcasing last Friday instead. Why Friday? Because Fridays during Lent mean a day of abstaining from meat for me, and I thought it would be interesting to show you guys how I build my meals when I don’t have meat at my disposal. I know I just professed my love for carbs, but that doesn’t mean I ignore proteins and fats. I feel the best when I eat a well-balanced diet, and even though chicken is probably my meal-time protein of choice, there are definitely a good amount of meatless sources that I enjoy as well…
Breakfast… [ egg whites and Greek yogurt ]
Eggy bananafied oats layered with plain Greek yogurt, roasted almond butter, and cinnamon.
I’ve never really been one to eat meat first thing in the morning (except for when I’m on vacation, apparently), so meatless breakfasts aren’t ever a problem. I almost always add yogurt to my finished oats (try it and thank me later), and every so often I’ll toss in an egg white or two while they’re cooking to up the protein a little more. I only use the whites because I prefer the texture they give, but one of these days I’m going to have to try plopping a fried egg on top of my oats like one of my favourite girls. Actually… I think I’ll give that a shot tomorrow.
Lunch… [ chickpeas and cheese ]
Dr. Kracker Seedlander crispbread, roasted kabocha, mozza cheese, an orange, and maple almond roasted chickpeas.
The snack plate lives on! I’m pretty sure I’ll never get tired of these, mostly because it’s so easy to just swap out the individual components if I start getting bored and end up with an entirely different meal… which is perfect on the days where I’m going meatless. Mozzarella cheese isn’t my favourite, but I toss it on pizzas and needed to use up some of the leftovers before they went bad. And the chickpeas? The result of some very successful experimenting in the kitchen. Remind me to share the recipe with you guys, stat.
Dinner… [ kidney beans and eggs ]
Pumpkin Chili Mexican Scramble
Dinners are usually where I’m most likely to include meat, so they take a little bit of extra thought on Fridays. A lot of the time I’ll just end up making some kind of breakfast for dinner, but there are those rare occasions where I crave something a little more savoury. This dish has been in my meal rotation for years and years now, and I’ll probably be making it for years and years to come. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s tasty, and it’s satisfying — winning all around.
Snacks…
Although I can definitely remember a handful of occasions where I got hit with a strong enough craving for grilled chicken to reach for it when snack time rolled around, that’s more of an exception rather than a norm. My snacks are, for the most part, meatless by nature, so nothing too out of the ordinary here…
Honeydew. Side note… does anyone else ever cut open a melon, only meaning to eat a few slices, and then end up polishing off at least half of the dratted thing? Story of my life… every.single.time.
Chunky Monkey Snack Bites… Two, because everyone knows that’s better than one.
A bowl of white basmati rice cooked in coconut milk and topped with plain Greek yogurt and a spoonful of almond butter. And cinnamon… always cinnamon.
Dagoba beaucoup berries chocolate with a spoonful of almond butter — no better way to end the night.
I hope you guys have an awesome Wednesday, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud! 😀
What’s your favourite meatless source of protein?
Melons… can you eat just one slice?
What was last night’s dinner?
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I want your lunch! Also I love that dessert idea of chocolate and Ab- yum! My favorite meatless protein source is tofu or black beans. So good!
I adore your lunch idea, snack plates are one of my favourite type of meals – a bit of everything that you love on one plate.
Everything looks delicious – your photography is always so great!
Last night’s dinner for me was sweet potato black bean chili topped with avocado and scooped up with tortilla chips.
For someone who claims to not enjoy cooking, your meals look pretty damn good lady!!!
That scramble looks unbelievable! And so does your lunch snack-plate. Merrr…I need to get back on the cooking grind. I’ve been so busy lately that take-out has been happening far too often.
Thank you for the inspiration!
xoxo
Ahh, I love this post so much — maybe for obvious reasons, since I am a meatless gal. That pumpkin chili mexican scramble looks SO good. And “eggy bananaified oats” has got to be the best name for a dish ever. This post rocks. And yay for sleeping in!!! I wish I could say 6 am was sleeping in for me… I’ve always been jealous of morning people 😉
I am always and forever a fan of your food, but never in my life would I have thought to pair rice, coconut milk, greek yogurt, and ab together. Rice gets such a bad wrap these days, but I forgot the magic that comes along with rice pudding (that’s been spoonified 😉 ) Since I only eat seafood around these parts I really enjoyed your meat-less meals, there’s only so much I can do with seafood (I know you are probably gagging, I apologize!)
Never have I ever had just one slice of a melon. Especially is this ratchet heat. In Arizona I think we live off watermelons in the summer. It’s typical for me to eat half a large watermelon (daily) when our temps climb to 115 degrees. It’s so easy to reach into fridge and grab a slice, or 6 😀 How did the egg with oats go? If you approve I might give that combo a go tomorrow! I’ve done it with pancakes…but I have a feel the texture of oats and a runny egg might skeeve me out 😯 merp.
Feeling**
It was actually pretty good! But I didn’t leave the egg too, too runny, and I paired it with some maple syrup and a sprinkle of sea salt, which made for a pretty killer combo. That being said, I still prefer just adding the whites to the oats.
My favorite source of [meatless] protein is DEFINITELY nut butters. ALL the nut butters. There’s no way I can cut up ANY fruit without snacking on a couple of pieces. Same goes for anything I have to prepare for dinner. Half goes into my belly before I can even put it INTO something lol.
Last night’s dinner => Salad with sautéed peppers, red onion, and corn in garlic + pepper topped with beans, garlic hummus, and a splash of rice wine vinegar. SO delicious!
Have a great day, lady, and hopefully another full night’s sleep tonight!
I wish you would have invited me over for this day of eats 🙁 Everything looks SO good!!
I don’t know how in the world you manage to wake up that early so often! I’d be a zombie! I’m glad you were able to sleep past 6 yesterday!
My favorite meatless source of protein would be nuts, beans, or eggs! I’m not vegetarian, but I do like to make a couple meatless dinners each week for health and budget reasons.
It looks like a great day of meatless eats. I typically don’t eat meat too often so this wouldn’t be too hard to go meatless on Fridays. I really like oatmeal with Greek yogurt but almost always forget to add some in the mornings. At least I always remember peanut butter!
I am a huge and I mean HUGE fan of cottage cheese and greek yogurt for some meatless protein. I love eggs too if those count haha and peanut butter is my number one love without a doubt!
Last night’s dinner was tilapia, current obsession, cauliflower, and some carrots with a side of avocado! It was delicious!
Oh cottage cheese. I adore the stuff but my stomach doesn’t always seem to share that love. I’ll eat it anyway every now and again, though — it’s just too good.
I really need to start trying this snack plate thing. I think I’d totally do it every day if I worked from home or something. But I guess there’s no reason why I couldn’t pack one to bring to work…sometimes I do it without meaning to but I eat the food throughout the day instead of all at once. Gotta love a variety!
Pumpkin Chili Mexican Scramble? Adding that to my ‘must try the minute I get home’ list.
Also. Cinnamon and I have become major friends this week. It’s an awesome spice – great for regulating blood sugar! Oh, and tastes – amazing. 🙂 Happy Wednesday!
That pb dark chocolate night cap….#twinning! I seriously die of the cuteness of your lunch snackity plates every darn week. They will never get old! Teach me your waaaayyyzzzzzz.
I’m drooling over your lunch plate- I want everything on there! I love super nutty crackers, too, so I need them in my life. Sometimes I go an entire day without eating meat unintentionally. I think eggs are my favorite non-meat source of protein!
I am surprised that I became vegetarian so easily. I never missed my main sources of protein ever. I used to eat so much chicken I would joke that I should start clucking yet it gave it up and never ever looked back. My favorite meatless protein sources are chick peas, greek yogurt and probably egg whites. I like regular eggs but use the whites more often for oatmeal and pancakes and find they fill me up without weighing me down.
Coming from Louisiana, every Friday during Lent was fish fry Friday! Do you eat fish at all? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to have it fried (although, let’s be real, it IS delicious) but there are a million things you can do with it (if you like it)! I love your meatless meals, though! I am always looking for new Meatless Monday ideas. Doing Meatless Monday has been such a challenge for me, but I have really enjoyed it 1000x better than I thought I would! It’s gotten to the point where I don’t have to make the decision every Monday – I just know I’m going to do it!
I’m actually not the biggest fan of fish, BUT this is something I decided when I was a picky little kid and I haven’t really given it a chance in years and year. I’m thinking about trying it out to see how I’d feel about it now, though, because it has so many health benefits and would be great for some added variety.
Every morsel looking DElish. I’m still off the meat train.
I just purchased black rice to try making some rice pudding!! Obviously going to smother it in cinnamon also
My thanks is looong overdue! So thank you Amanda for the magicalness that is yogurt in oats 😀 .
Eggs, yogurt and peanut butter are firm favorites…oh and Mum’s incredible vegan lentil dish.
Your Chilli Mexican scramble is goood. I remember when I -just- discovered it, I had it for dinner for 5 days straight!
yeeeeesss I just add oats and egg for breakfast this morning! And I’m intrigued by the roasted chickpeas – I’ve only ever had the Good Bean roasted chickpeas and liked them, so I want to try roasting some at home.
Meatless source of protein? Eggs! But if we’re going totally vegan…probably black beans.
I can eat just one slice of honeydew, because i’m not the biggest fan…it just tastes watery to me. Canteloupe and watermelon, however? All bets are off.
Dinner last night was an alfredo-ish pasta (made with Greek yogurt) with broccoli and shrimp.
It is very easy for me to go meatless for days and then realize, I haven’t eaten meat in awhile. I added Greek yogurt to my oats this morning and it was definitely a great decision. Creamy and delicious!
I am a bean fiend. Seriously, I love legumes, especially lentils and black beans. But, as with kabocha squash, too many beans does not a happy tummy make. I’ve never liked meat at breakfast and, although I do consume poetry and fish, I prefer meatless meals.
My father was raised Catholic. His family ate no meat on Fridays (every Friday, not just during Lent.) The suspicion is this was a ploy cooked up by the fishermen “Fish on Fridays” in order to up their profits. Anyway, when my father was in college, his roommate would order a pepperoni pizza every Friday night and sit with a slice in his had, staring at the clock until it struck midnight and he could safely consume pepperoni again.
I cannot eat just one slice of cantaloupe or watermelon. Have you ever tried freezing cantaloupe? Dangerous stuff. During the summer I keep opening my freezer door and popping a cube of frozen bliss into my mouth. Mmmmmm. Craving cantaloupe now.
I can definitely relate to suffering the wrath of too many beans 😆 And I’ve never tried frozen melons before, but it really does sound dangerous. I have enough of a problem with frozen blueberries, grapes, pineapples, and mangoes 😯
Oooh that dark chocolate and peanut butter looks DIVINE. Best combination ever. Hands down 🙂
My favorite meatless form of protein is DEFINITELY eggs. I eat them everyday, usually hard boiled. I also LOVE nut butters, but try to eat those in moderation since they’re so high in calories. I definitely eat it by the spoonful (just too freaking delish!).
Last night, I had some organic turkey meatballs from Whole Foods with a side of roasted brussel sprouts and carrots. My faaavorite dinner.
I’m a vegetarian, so I am especially loving this post! I’ve had a lot of people ask me where I get my protein because it doesn’t seem like you could get enough without meat. I actually find it to be pretty easy as long as I am creative in my meals. I eat a lot of almond butter, KIND Bars, and yogurt and always add extra protein powder to my smoothies. And I am more of a snack person than big meal person by nature, so I work to incorporate balanced snacks throughout the day 🙂
Giving up meat wouldn’t be that hard for me, although I do crave the occasional chicken breast on top of a large salad. Or a big burger in the summer. That craving for a jumbo turkey burger loaded with cheese ALWAYS hits me in the summer!! Mmmm chicken kabobs too. Ok, so maybe I can’t give up meat in the warmer months 😉
And as you’ll see from my post, I’m still rocking the snack plate as well. Why mess with a good thing, right?
That sweet rice rice bowl looks amazing! Did you just use coconut milk in the place of water?
I eat meat free most of the time, probably having meat or fish twice a week or so – saves a lot of moolar on the food shop! My favorite meat free protein sources are chickpeas, eggs and nuts. Last night’s dinner actually featured some fresh cod, a mixed veg stir fry with a couple of fried eggs and a pitta bread!
For the rice, I just sub out half of the water with canned coconut milk.
Thank you 🙂 I must give it a whirl!
LOVE all these meatless meals! I roasted chickpeas one time and boy were they so delicious! I kind of forgotten about them, so thanks for the reminder. I definitely have to do that again!
Favorite meatless source of protein? This is an easy one…peanut butter! I also like eggs too.
Can I be your vegeteraian?
Seriously, every single meal looks SO good – and I agree with eggwhites and greek yogurt in oats. BEST EVER.
I love any kind of fish (except sardines – yuck), eggs and all kinds of dairy – especially cottage cheese and greek yogurt/quark.
And despite having said that I am fed up with rice, this rice bowl sounds so perfect!! Reminds me of my childhood, my mom used to cook sweet rice for us.
It’s likely no surprise – especially since I just professed my fondness for them again in Sunday’s post – but chickpeas are one of my favourite sources of protein. I’ve tried several variations of roasted chickpeas before, too, all of which were great. So yes, you better share the recipe soon. Please 😉 ?!
Also, I really need to try a scrambled tofu-version of your Mexican scramble one of these days. It’s not like you hadn’t been tempting me with your pictures of it way too often already.
Two is always better than one for sure. There’s even a candy named that one in Germany: Nimm zwei [literally translated: ‘Take two’].
Such tantalizing photos! My blog photos are always poorly lit and seconds away from being devoured…I could learn a thing or two from you! 🙂
Cannot wait for that maple almond roasted chickpeas recipe – they look so drool worthy! And that pumpkin Mexican chicken scramble = yum! Dinner at my house was leftover split pea stew – I love how leftover stew tastes so much better than fresh stew – at least at my house!
Growing up, my parents stuck to the meatless Fridays during lent rule too! I have been having a hard time getting meat into my everyday meals – most of my protein has been eggs and beans lately, but I think I need to bring chicken back…or maybe a double serving of those chickpeas! Though, I must say, every one of your recipes that I have duplicated, I have had a slight addiction with! 🙂
Happy Wednesday sweet lady – glad you got some shut eye – sleep is so underrated and 4 hrs of sleep can take its toll!
I find that dishes like chilis and stews always taste better as leftovers — it’s the same way with my Mexican scramble. The flavours just need a little more time to get up close and personal with each other 😉
The white rice and AB looks like such a good snack! I’m with you on the eggs – as much as I love me some meat I think I could live off eggs alone for a pretty long time!
Where has this mexican scramble been all my life? And sometimes I really like not having meat at all during the day. I feel…lighter? I don’t know. My favorite non meat protein is eggs- does that count? And last night was a protein waffle- was;t in the mood for meat! Usually if I have it for one meal (lunch) I don’t like it for dinner, too.
I definitely need that mexican scramble in my life.
Normally I would say ALL the greek yogurt, but I’ve actually been totally obsessed with chickpeas lately. Even as a snack they are just so darn delicious. 🙂 How do you make maple almond roasted ones?!
I’ll be sharing the deets next week 😀
It looks pretty good. I actually don’t mind going meatless now again. the only meat I eat (unless at a restaurant) is fish, eggs and steak. I don’t eat a lot of other meats myself. I don’t know I cannot cook them very well so that is probably why.
Hehe chicken is pretty much the only meat I feel comfortable cooking. I love the other stuff if someone else makes it, but I think I’m too scared of giving myself food poisoning 😆
It’s actually quite easy for me to go meatless, even without thinking about it much. Like on Sunday, I went “meat”less besides the salmon I had for dinner, but the fish was still Lent-approved I guess 😉 Oh, thanks SO much for the recommendation of Greek yogurt with oats. You may have already known how much I appreciate that 😉 I think eggs and Greek yogurt are my favorite meatless proteins!
Mmm the more you post those chunky monkey bites, the more I want to make them. And I do the same thing with oranges as you do with melons. Peel it open to have just a few segments, but then the whole thing disappears in no time…
Dinner last night: sriracha chicken salad + dried figs and Greek yogurt for dessert. It was light, but I was snacking all darn day yesterday!
Favorite meatless source of protein… Vegetables! I’m always surprised at how much protein some vegetables have.
Next year I should try out going meatless of Fridays during Lent. Although my church practices lent by customizing our bible readings for it, having special services, and encouraging everyone to give up/add something for 40 days, we don’t practice meatless Fridays. Still, I love fish, so that would be easy peasy.
Girl, how did I miss out on the recipe for your Mexican scramble? It looks freakin delicious! I will definitely recreate this recipe soon. Regarding your meatless topic – that has actually never been an issue for me. Since I am not really a fan of cooking meat myself, I rarely enjoy it at home and mostly when I eat out. So a lot of my days end up being meatless by nature.
Also: I’ve never thought that someone else whips up an improvised milk rice as a snack. I love to do that when I have rice leftovers 🙂 go carbs!
I’m not a big fan of cooking meat either. Chicken is pretty much the only one I feel comfortable working with, and even then I try to “get it over with” as fast as possible 😆 As for rice bowls… one of the best snacks ever. I’d eat sweet rice for breakfast more often if I didn’t love my oats so much.
Your Mexican scramble looks so good. I’d replace the kidney beans with black beans or pintos though. I don’t know why but I’m not a fan of kidney beans. Everything looks good actually. Have a great day, Amanda!