I eat nuts, seeds, legumes, lots of dark leafy greens, lots of fruit, and many veggies. Scan the "What Did You Eat" thread for specific meal ideas that I can't remember off the top of my head in the moment. Protein is found in many fruits and veggies along with nuts, seeds, and legumes. They just don't have large industries paying big bucks to widely promote them on commercials, billboards, and in schools and such. Here's a helpful site with a list:
Plant-Based Protein Charts - Rebel Dietitian
I cook food as well as eat it raw...we mostly steam or roast. Making time one day a week to do some serious prepping goes a long way in helping to make it all happen on a consistent basis. Cooking extra to freeze is rather handy, too. I use a food processor and a blender once in a while, and a Yonana's nice cream machine. Crock pots are a great tool to have, too. During the summer I like to grill lots of veggies and mushrooms. I also have a spiral slicer (that was a gift) that I use to cut zucchinis and other veggies with to make veggie noodles. All of my kitchen gadgets were bought used at thrift or consignment shops or via craigslist, unless they were given as a gift, so the cost of acquiring them was kept way low. I actually prefer to juice by hand than I do using that big clunky machine.
Mornings are for hydration only in my world (used to be polar opposite). I drink lemon water upon waking, then have an herbal infusion of some of my favorite herbs like burdock root, red clover, sarsaparilla, stinging nettle, etc., then have some fruit juice, then I finally eat something around noonish or so, have a healthy snack in between, then have dinner around 7ish. I try like hell not to eat after that, rather only sip on more herbal infusion with ginger, or some veggie stock, or eat cucumber chips instead of greasy ones, etc.
I choose fruit as my first meal each day, sometimes it's a half of a cantaloupe, or a huge chunk of watermelon, or freshly picked berries, or a banana wrapped in leafy greens of some variety or on a romaine lettuce boat, or a blended smoothie made of bananas and other fruits with hemp seeds and greens. I try to eat seasonally as much as possible, and grow as much stuff as we possibly can ourselves, both in pots and in the ground.
Lunch is usually a huge salad of some variety topped with chick peas and hemp seeds and a favorite dressing, or a chickpea salad (made like tuna, chicken, or egg salad) served on a romaine lettuce boat topped with cherry tomatoes, or sliced veggies dipped in homemade hummus or dressing, or lentil and veggie soup, or green split pea and veggie soup (adding curry is always a hit), or leftovers from last night's dinner.
Dinner is usually a roasted or grilled something served with a steamed something or a salad. Unless it's tomato season. :o) I'm not much on desserts after learning more about food combining and late night eating, but when I do make some, it's usually black bean brownies, chickpea blondies, medjool dates stuffed with a nut of some variety and dipped in dairy free chocolate, etc. I don't drink with my meals (no more than a cups worth of liquid with the meal if I feel I need to) but rather 20 minutes before or after, and in between. I'm constantly sipping on lemon water.
I make a vegan taco "meat" with soaked English walnuts and serve it on a romaine lettuce leaf, topped with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and a cashew vegan "cheese". It's also good to make taco salads with. I crush some tortillas first, then top with salad, then top with taco "meat" (or black beans if I don't have the taco meat made), then top with salsa, and I also drizzle a bit of my favorite papaya poppy seed dressing on it.
Baked sweet potatoes are another favorite that don't require any additional seasoning. I don't do rice and very very little tofu. I'm not a big soy fan. Once in a while I'll buy a meat replacement, but only if it's on sale. I enjoy quinoa in cold and hot dishes. I only use gluten free pasta. I make a chickpea flatbread that's good to help with cravings. It can be seasoned however you wish to suit the palate. When I have bread cravings, I go for a gluten-free variety and toast it really well. I add dulse granules (sea vegetables) to most of my cooked dishes and on top of salads and such.
I still eat fries, potato wedges, onion rings, potato chips, and such (my weaknesses are starch and oil), but definitely suffer afterward via acne, lethargy, increased body pains, etc. I make it a point to read all labels and don't buy stuff with added sugar, like peanut butter, or any other ingredients I can't pronounce. I steer clear of artificially sweetened, flavored or colored anything as much as possible. I keep it as real as I can with the thought of buying things that cause the least harm as possible to other living things, including but not limited to self, most especially when it's on sale or on the reduced produce rack. Keeping my mind geared towards what I can add to enrich my health/life rather than focusing on the lack of the unhealthy, yet very tasty things I used to be hooked on helps big time, otherwise, I land myself in some huge cravings. Hope that helps paint a clearer picture.
Cronometer is a cool place online to go track your nutritional intake for free. I often find it interesting to have folks, especially those who express great concern for my vegan eating habits as having me bordering on multiple deficiencies, go enter their own current fare to see just how nurtured they are in their choices. It tends to be rather eye opening and shocking. Many may be well fed, but they're severely malnourished. Our greatest wealth is truly in our health, or so it seems to me after all my experiences. May we all find our fortune.
