One of the most-asked questions I have gotten while beginning my vegan journey is:

“What do you eat?”

Right off the bat, I want to say, “Uhhhh, food. What do YOU eat?” But, although tempting at times, being a smart-ass doesn’t get you very far in helping others to understand veganism. This question is so weird though! It’s basically an on-the-spot dietary recall. Take a minute right now and think about how you would answer that question: “What do you eat?” Should I start listing off what I’ve consumed in the past day or the past week…? I eat hundreds of foods, what do you want from me?!

All sarcastic eye rolls aside, I pretty much eat everything that I ate B.V. (Before Vegan) except with the following adjustments:

If it contains meat – Substitute tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, and/or beans OR use a mock-version of the product I use the word “substitute” only because I cannot think of any other word to describe it. Products like tofu and lentils are their own stand-alone foods and not substitutions for another food, but for purposes of explaining how I possibly live without meat, “substitute” will have to do.

If it contains cheese – Omit or substitute dairy-free cheese

If it contains milk – Substitute soy/almond/cashew milk

If it contains butter – Omit or substitute plant-based “buttery spreads”

If something doesn’t fit into these categories, I just figure it out. Scratch that . I don’t even need to figure it out because the Internet exists and people have already figured most everything out so I take their solutions and execute them for myself. Also, there are countless foods/recipes that do not need adjusting at all so there’s that. Seriously, it’s (vegan) cake.

Just in case you’re looking for a more specific dietary recall-like answer or want to try a meal plan yourself, here is my basic cycle of eating broken into a scale of Go-To (quick, easy, frequent/daily) and Feeling Ambitious (recipes that involve cooking, occasional/weekly):

Breakfast

Go-To: Oatmeal with Peanut Butter (PBFit) and Banana

Feeling Ambitious: Tofu Scramble; Avocado Toast; Veggie Chickpea Omelet ~*~*~ I like to add Chipotle “Sausage” in recipes or on the side for an extreme protein boost

I swear there’s oatmeal underneath! Tofu Scramble on Toast Chickpea Flour Omelet

Lunch

Go-To: Salad (spinach, black beans, corn, dairy-free cheddar cheese, salsa); PB&J Sandwich; Leftovers Wrap/Salad

Feeling Ambitious: Sriracha Black Bean Burger Wrap; Thai Peanut Tofu Wrap; Mac ‘n Cheese and Hot Dogs

Mac ‘n Cheese and Hot Dogs Sriracha Black Bean Burger Wrap

Dinner

Go-To: Stir Fry with Tofu/Tempeh/Seitan over Brown Rice; Burrito Bowls

Feeling Ambitious: Tofu Sweet Potato Curry; Spaghetti and “Meat”balls; Sloppy Joes; BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches

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Snacks

Day-Time Snacks: Baby Carrots, Soy Nuts, Edamame Green Peas, Almonds, Apples, Peaches, Nectarines, Strawberries, Celery & Peanut Butter, Veggie Sticks, Plums, Pistachios

Desserts: Banana/Oat Cookies, Dairy-Free Ice Cream, Coffee with Bailey’s Almande, Smoothies, Oreos

Banana Oat Cookies with Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips Cashew Milk Ice Cream (literally SO delicious!) Bailey’s Almande and Coffee

Going Out

Go-To: Chipotle (Veggie or Sofritas), Flame Broiler

Vegan Restaurants: Green American (Phoenix/Tempe)

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants: P.F. Chang’s, Mellow Mushroom, Sakebomber (sushi), Caveman Burgers

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Of course, I am not able to include ALL of the amazing dishes and recipes I have come across over the past month, but I hope this selection can paint a decent picture to the age-old question: “What do vegans eat?”