My MM: Kari’s Meatless Monday Menu
Oh man, Kari! Not only is this gal a vegan but she’s also a personal trainer who packs in swimming, metabolic training, and Muay Thai kickboxing in one day. How’s that for some Monday morning inspiration? Her menu sounds both super healthy and super delicious—especially that shake (and the chocolate covered coconut). Anyone else make a great morning shake they want to share?
Name: Kari
Hometown: Mystic, CT
My dietary leanings: I’ve been vegan for about 4 and a half years
My favorite vegetable: Sweet potatoes!
This morning I ate…
The usual for me – a shake with half water, half rice milk, a frozen banana, a spoonful each of peanut butter, milled flaxseeds, wheat germ, and cacao nibs, a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, and a scoop of SunWarrior WarriorBlend chocolate protein powder (so smooth and tasty – if you’re hunting for a delicious, non-chalky plant protein powder, I highly recommend it!). I’m a personal trainer and am on the go quite a bit, so I like to load up with protein and carbs in the morning. I was ravenous after my morning metabolic training session and swimming session, so I had some walnuts, a pear, and a slice of sprouted 7-grain bread (yup, plain – just wanted some carbs!).
Then for lunch it was…
A spinach salad with pineapple chunks, red pepper slices, curried maple cashews, and balsamic vinegar (recipe from For the Love of Salad cookbook), followed by a baked sweet potato with a bit of Earth Balance, salt, and pepper.
Finally for dinner I had…
An apple and a handful of brazil and pili nuts before heading out for muay thai kickboxing. After that, I didn’t feel much like cooking, so I made a sunflower-butter open-faced sandwich with strawberry-rhubarb jam made by my grandma.
Last but not least, dessert…
I had a few pieces (okay, maybe more like 8 to 10) of dark-chocolate-covered coconut that just came in the mail from nuts.com.
Pretty heirloom sweet potatoes via
Really? This hardly seems to be enough food for one day.
Lauren, It’s over 2,000 calories. I keep track to make sure I’m meeting my general macronutrient needs. This was a rather higher-fat than normal day (fat intake should be between 15% and 35% of daily intake, and this is around 30% or so), but it’s in line with my metabolic needs based on size (I’m 5′2″ and 112lbs) and activity level.
@Kari, it definitely sounds like nutrient dense food – which is great! I gave up on vegan protein powder a long time ago, I was just always so disappointed. But I’ll keep this one in mind next time I feel the urge.
I like all the nuts and nut butters. Lots or energy there. As a dancer I like this type of meal plan. It doesn’t seem like a lot of food but when you break it down there are a some of high calorie nutrient dense foods there like nuts and if you are heading into a high energy activity like say ballet (or I’m sure kick boxing although I’ve never done it ) small nutrient rich snacks are better ( for me any way) than a larger meal which would make it more difficult to move.
I agree… hungry even reading about it haha
Rebecca, Yes, some days my food volume is much higher but the foods are not as nutrient-dense. This was a very squirrel-like day for me with all those nuts and seeds! I was also skeptical of finding a vegan protein powder I like, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by both of the ones from SunWarrior. Also, I don’t just mix them with water. Adding a few other ingredients makes a huge difference.
Beth, When I’m training a lot in a day, my post-exercise meals are sometimes also my pre-exercise or pre-training-others meals, so I like to eat in bits and pieces so I’m not too weighed down. Fats are also slowest to digest and nuts are high in fats and calories, so I don’t need too many!
It makes me so happy to see a day in the food-life of someone who’s super active and vegan!! It can sometimes feel a little alienating to see vegan sample-days consisting of 1200 calories when I live in such a way that requires 2000 or so calories to maintain my weight/muscle. This has also definitely inspired me to try out a metabolic training strength session!
@ Kari, I know what you mean. I am often going from taking a class to teaching a class. I’ve always got little meals squirrelled away in my dance bag.