Meal Prep 10.2 - Pumpkin and pancakes and tuna?

Happy weekend!  Okay, I know that for most of you it's not the weekend, but it is for me!  I had yesterday off, I just work tonight and then I have tomorrow morning off, also.  Time to rest up and prepare for doubles all weekend!  That's why today was my meal prep day.  I'm going to make a few things tomorrow, too, but today was the main stuff.  I thought it might be fun to share with you all what I make to prepare myself and my kitchen for the long weekend!

So let's get started.  First, Brussels sprouts.  I like to just roast a whole bag of Brussels sprouts to pair with everything, or just eat as a snack on their own.

I cut off the end of the sprouts, and pull off all the loose leaves (anything that falls off with little to no effort) and then toss them all in a bowl with olive oil, garlic salt, and a little pepper.  Then, they go in the oven!  I roast them for about 25 minutes at 450, shaking the pan about halfway through.

While the sprouts were in the oven, I made chickpea "tuna" salad.  This is so good, you guys.  I had never had it before, but it was delicious.  I got the recipe from The Kitchn, and decided to try it for this week.  I added extra celery for volume.  I like adding celery to things because there are no calories in celery.  It adds volume, and fills you up, for no cost.  In this recipe, for example, it just makes the "tuna" salad go farther without adding any extra fat or calories.  Perfect.  (The recipe for this also calls for regular mayo and umeboshi vinegar, but I used Veganaise and red wine vinegar)

My plan for the tuna salad is to have it on sandwiches or wraps for lunch.  Yum!

Next, I steamed some broccoli and tossed that in a dish with some toasted sesame seeds, and then I made up a bunch of quinoa.  I don't have a specific plan for either of these, they're mostly just to have on hand as side dishes or additional dinners.

Lastly, I made pumpkin pancakes!  I'm so excited about these, friends.  I made a bunch of batter and saved it in a little squirt bottle in the fridge, and the extra I just made into pancakes and ate.  They're super delicious.  I thought these would be really good grab-and-go snacks or breakfasts for work in the morning.  I didn't save the link to the recipe, but I just googled "vegan pumpkin pancakes" and found it.  

So that's everything I made today, friends.  I'm definitely pleased to have everything prepped and ready to go.  I'm hoping to get a couple more things done tomorrow, and I'll be all set for the busy football weekend.  

Happy Wednesday!  Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

What I ate 9.27

Morning, friends!  Welcome back to my blog!  This post is a few days old.  Actually from Friday.  It's been another busy work week and I just didn't have a minute to sit down and write this out until now.  But, the "weekend" approaches!

For breakfast, pre-gym, I had steel cut oats, almond milk, half a banana, chia seeds, some shredded coconut, and a little agave nectar.  I love my oatmeal in the mornings, and I think I'm going to love it even more once it gets cooler outside.  When I got to work I had an orange and little applesauce.  You all know I love my applesauce.

I had my first go-round at meal prepping last week.  On Wednesday, I spent a few hours making meals for Thurs-Sun (my busiest work days) and put them in little individual containers and everything.  I was super excited.  The first thing I made was black bean and greens stirfry.  It's just brown rice, black beans, broccoli, kale, and soy sauce.  I tossed some leftover tofu in there, also.  I brought this to work with me on Friday to eat between shifts.  It was super good and really filling, and super easy to make and store.  I'll definitely be keeping up with this meal prepping and be making this one again.

On Wednesday, along with the meal prep, I also roasted a big bunch of Brussels sprouts.  Guys, I LOVE roasted Brussels sprouts.  They're one of the greatest things ever.  So I roasted a bunch of them, and ate some then (obviously), but then I tossed some in the fridge and freezer.  Then I had some for dinner Friday night, with some leftover rice.  I love the idea of roasting a whole bunch of Brussels sprouts (or any other veggie) and just keeping them on hand for quick snacks or sides.  

Anyway, that's what I ate on Friday!  I've been noticing a lot of cravings recently for meat.  It's definitely hard working in a restaurant that pretty much only serves meat.  I have a hard time watching a plate of ribs or a burger go by and not wanting some, but I've been really good!  I have had a few weak moments with baked goods (two or three bites, tops!) but I haven't had any meat since I started this.  So I think that's good!  The only other thing I've been craving is dessert.  Cheesecake sounds awesome, and cookies too.  I think I might have to make a batch of cookies to keep here, just to combat this sweet tooth I've come upon.

Stay tuned later for probably an outfit post!

xoxoxoxoxo