Then and Now.

The other day I started thinking about how drastically my eating has changed since my single years. And while getting married caused my eating habits to change a lot - because I actually had someone else to cook for - the real change came when I decided to go vegan a few months after Brett and I tied the knot. 

My reason for cutting out meat and dairy stemmed from stomach aches and pains after eating certain dairy foods (ahem, fro-yo). I started doing more research on the benefits of a plant-based diet and soon after that I decided to go vegan...cold-turkey. It's almost a year later I couldn't be happier with my decision! I feel great and don't have any more stomach aches (unless I eat a butt load of beans, but...)

I thought it would be fun to reminisce on what I used to eat compared to now. I find it funny the things I used to consider "healthy" only just a few years ago: low-fat, low-calorie, sugar-free, blah, blah, blah. Man, how much I've changed!

Breakfast Then:

I've always eaten breakfast. In fact, breakfast is what gets me out of bed most mornings! 

(Anyone else?) 

The breakfast I ate a few years ago actually wasn't much different than now.

Oatmeal with a banana whipped into it was pretty standard.

Breakfast Now:

Oatmeal with lots of healthy fats and added fiber.

1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 2 teaspoons chia seeds and a dollop of almond butter

All the added nutrients keep me full for hours.

Snacks Then:

Pretzels. I was addicted to them. Processed white flour. I think I chose them over healthier snacks because they were not very caloric.

Cereal. I was addicted to cereal too. Sugary goodness.

Snacks Now:

Green smoothies!

1 cup almond milk, 1 frozen banana and so so so much spinach!

I sometimes cross the line with the amount of spinach I add to my green smoothies.

If I do add too much, then I'll put in a couple drops of stevia to sweeten it up.

ALSO...did you know you can make almond milk with almond butter?

If I'm out of almond milk I just blend 1 cup of cold water with 

1/2 tablespoon of almond butter and there you go!

 

So many more nutrients in this snack!

For an afternoon snack I had one of my Coconut Cranberry Scones and some decaf coffee.

A few years ago scones would have been such an indulgence, and usually store bought scones are!

Now I bake my own scones with ingredients that I love and taste great together.

These scones may be my favorite recipes yet that I've created.

Check out the recipe (they're only 8 ingredients) and let me know what you think!

Lunch Then:

I used to be a same ol' same ol' kind of girl and would never vary my lunches. 

Carrots were my main form of vegetable throughout the day.

A typical lunch would be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with pretzels, carrots and some kind of low-fat, sugar-free yogurt on the side

I had "fat-phobia" and never considered trying to eat nutrient dense foods.

Lunch Now:

Lunch is always different now and since going vegan the amount and variety of vegetables I eat throughout the day has sky-rocketed! I'm always buying a variety of veggies and cooking them in different ways.

This salad is to die for. I'll be posting the recipe soon so come back!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas over Spinach with Sweet Tahini Dressing.

Dinner Then:
I loved to cook when I was single, but since it was just me I never made much for dinner.
I usually would end up eating another bowl of oatmeal, cereal or an egg sandwich.
Sometimes I would microwave some peas for veggies.
Quick, convenient and no variety.

Dinners Now:
I'm always trying out new recipes for dinner!
Some of my favorites have been African Peanut and Potato Stew, Moroccan Carrot and Raisin Couscous,  Curry Quinoa and the list goes on!
Veggies are always a part of dinner as well as some form of plant-based protein.
While this picture doesn't show any of that variety, it is what I ate for dinner today.
(I'm leaving for Ireland this afternoon so don't have much in the fridge!) 

This was an almond butter and jelly sandwich on ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread.
Such a great combination!
I also had an apple too.

Desserts Then:
I always tried to avoid eating desserts a couple years ago.
They always just seemed like a "bad" thing in my mind.

Desserts Now:
While I don't crave sweets very often, I do love a good dessert.
Since going vegan I've loved experimenting baking with wholesome ingredients so that I can get my sweet tooth fix while feeling good about what I'm putting in my body.
These cookies turned out amazing and again, I'll be sharing the recipe soon!
Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies

How has your diet changed over the years?

What foods did you used to consider "healthy" that you see aren't very healthy now?

Check out Jenn's blog Peas and Crayons for other recipe ideas!

Eat Consciously,

Faith