Happy Monday all! Today is not just any Monday, today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so really I should be saying . . . Happy MLK Jr. Day! With that being said, I hope that if you are off on this beautiful holiday that you are being productive and/or doing something to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Now as you all should know by now, I’ve been fasting (no meat/animal products) for the pasts two weeks and I must say, it has been a wonderful and pleasant experience. Being a regular meat eater, consuming most meat and animal products for almost every meal of the day, I had it in my mind that this fast was going to be extremely difficult for me, but I was pleasantly and immediately surprised. After getting through day one successfully, I thought to myself that was too easy and too smooth. Then day two came and same thing, so now I’m positively thinking and saying to myself, “I can actually do this” . . . “I am doing this!” It was at that moment, I affirmed to myself that I have the self-disciple, mindset, and food needed to help keep me on course for these 21 days.
Week one went by semi-fast, but not really because I was just starting out and I was trying to figure out, what the heck I was going to be eating (though I had some ideas). I didn’t really plan much ahead, I just dived into it which I don’t recommend. Normally, I prefer to be organized with my meals when I’m fasting or dieting. Therefore by doing so, I don’t go crazy trying to put something together last minute or break my fast/diet. Moreover, I literally purchased all of my groceries on day one for the meal ideas I was set on. My meals for week one consisted of: (breakfast) either an oats and fruit smoothie or overnight oats. For lunch/dinner, I made a chickpea salad, vegan red beans and rice, and my spinach medley penne (most if not all recipes are in my previous post). I really have to give a big shoutout to both eatplantsandprosper.com and Pinterest for giving me amazing plant based meal ideas because babyyyy when I tell you had it not been for those two sites, I have no clue how I would have gotten the flavor I crave in all my usual meals.
Week two was a great week. I was feeling more confident in my fast journey and was more in tune with my intentions set for fasting which felt great. My meals for week two consisted of: (breakfast) just about the same as week one with a few new additions including skillet potatoes with pepper and onions, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches on Ezekiel “bread”. For lunch/dinner, I made a vegan caribbean plantain curry, and an avocado & spinach pesto zuchinni noodle dish accompanied by some garlic-ginger-soy roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes.
Moreover, being that I am a snack junkie, I made sure to find Daniel fast friendly snacks aside from fruits and nuts (cashews, almonds, and peanuts) to eat in between meals. I was able to also snack on some popcorn, other popped-corn snacks, multigrain rice cakes, and 100% fruit bars. In addition to having my snack cravings met, I was able to find a Daniel fast friendly restaurant which I already loved —Chipotle. I reserved Saturdays as my “cheat day” to get Chipotle’s veggies bowl with brown rice and no meat of course.
As I enter into my final week of fasting, I feel more alert, aware, present, and focused as I near the finish line. Although my fasting journey for January is coming to an end, My wellness and purpose journey continues. So to kick off the final week, I made an amazing vegan chili that, I’ll be posting following this.
(left to right) Plantain caribbean curry and Avocado & spinach pesto zucchini noodles with garlic-ginger-soy roasted cauliflower, and sweet potatoes .. Plantain Caribbean Curry Recipe
