vegan protein powder

Bob’s Red Mill and FitApproach sponsored this post. All opinions are my own.

One of my goals for this month is to focus on eating much more simple meals.  Simple breakfasts, simple lunches and simple dinners with a few more fun and complex meals throw in on the weekends. Simple, yet tasty, satisfying and nutritious. Simple Meals filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant-based protein.

For breakfast I flop between savory and sweet but whichever I choose I always go for something easy because this mama doesn’t have time to mess around at breakfast. For savory breakfast I love avocado on toast with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of chili flakes or a big bowl of grains with sauteed baby spinach and a sprinkle of tamari and nutritional yeast. When it comes to sweet you’ll most likely find me with a smoothie in hand or in a bowl topped with whatever we have on hand. Lately I have been loving smoothie bowls with frozen bananas, a splash of almond milk, sometimes the rest of my coffee that has gone cold and a scoop Bob’s Red Mill Chocolate Protein Powder (yes, I know I was surprised when I found out they made protein powders too!). I like to top it with more banana, some granola, coconut flakes and drizzle of agave. This smoothie bowl leaves me feeling energized, full and satisfies me until lunch time rolls around.  

As for lunch and dinner I like to keep it super simple – basically beans, greens and grains. I know you might be reading this and thinking well that sounds awfully boring. Well it does sound boring and can be but the key is to make it more fun with sauces and add-on’s that personalize your meal and make it more tasty.

For us beans, greens and grains meals will be happening most Monday-Thursday because those are some of our busiest days of the week. It allows us to it simply, healthfully and easily. It also helps to prevent us from turning to takeout on those nights when we just don’t feel like putting something together or are out late. I simply am making up a batch of grains and serving with whatever greens and vegetables that look great along with a plant-based whole foods protein.  So how am I jazzing things up? Well that’s when we break out the sauces from tahini to coconut aminos to hot sauces and barbecue sauces. I also love the addition of various fermented veggies (kraut, kimchi, ect). I also love adding avocado, hemp seeds and nutritional yeast to top things off.;

On the weekends we might jazz things up a bit more and have meals that take longer to prepare or even eat out. We often like to make pancakes and tofu scramble on the weekends for breakfast but honestly you’ll probably find us having the smoothie bowl I listed about because;it’s one of Neil’s favorite breakfasts. Lunch and dinner are usually a little more wild if we are in the mood or sometimes we just keep it simple. 

Keeping things simple helps us to eat healthier, have less cravings, and more energy. 

What are you go to weekday and weekend meals? How do you feel about the smoothie bowl? I’ll be honest when smoothie bowls first because a thing I was all like WTF but now I’m obsessed. If you are also a lover of them and are in PDX you must go to Kure and get one because they have the best smoothie bowls ever.