A record of what we eat everyday for a period of 2 weeks. This experiment was done while we lived on land, during winter. All recipes are portioned for 2 people, except breakfasts (we don't eat the same thing).

Disclaimer: this food journal is a curiosity, it is not a perfect model of healthy eating. Proportions vary for every individual, as different bodies have different needs (age and weight are important factors). If you struggle with meal planning and meal proportions don't rely entirely on online content and consult a dietician.

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | day 8 | day 9 |
day 10 | day 11 | day 12 | day 13 | day 14

Day 1

Breakfast

Lunch

Bring a pan to high heat, add some vegetable oil and 1/2 chopped yellow onion, cook until browned, then add 2 minced garlic cloves. Cook for 1 minute, add 1 grated carrot, 1 grated potato and 113g (1/4) grated block of firm tofu. Cook for 5 minutes, add some ground cumin, black pepper and salt, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer veggies to bowl, process into a paste with an immersion blender or food processor, add 1/2 cup of powdered oats (quick oats that are ground into a powder). Shape into patties, and cook into a pan with a bit of oil until browned on both sides. Makes about 6 patties.

Dinner

Day 2

Breakfast

Lunch

Warm lentil salad:

Cook lentils with vegetable broth (for better flavor). Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, pour over lentils.

Roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts:

Heat over to 220˚C (425°F). Cut stem and remove outer leaves from brussel sprouts, cut in half. Cut sweet potatoes into thin wedges. In a bowl, mix olive oil, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, mix well. Add cut sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, mix until well coated. Spread the veggies on a baking tray, and bake for 30 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients together, and season with salt and pepper.

Dinner

Day 3

Breakfast

Lunch

Wholegrain wheat linguine pasta with a roasted beet sauce.

Dinner

Made spicy stir-fried chickpeas. Served up with some crackers I made with left-over buckwheat groats from buckwheat tea I'd saved. I swapped out the oats in the recipe for the buckwheat.

Day 4

Breakfast

Lunch

Wholegrain linguine with spicy garlic sauce

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente (6-8 minutes). Drain pasta, but reserve some of the cooking water, as it will be re-used to create the sauce. Don't rinse the pasta.

Heat pan to medium. When hot add 15 ml (1 tbsp) of olive oil. Add firm tofu (chopped into tiny cubes for more surface area) into the pan. Pan-fry for 3-5 minutes, then add brocoli florets. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer to another bowl for later. In that same pan, add more oil (about 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil) and 3 smashed (not minced) garlic cloves. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Remove garlic, minced it, and reserve it for later. Add red pepper flakes to your pan to infuse the olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Add cooked pasta, minced garlic tofu and broccoli, and toss to coat. Remove from heat, add salt and black pepper to taste.

Dinner

We ate out! We went to a Sichuanese and Thai cuisine restaurant in town. Shared 4 plates (for 3 ppl) consisting of:

Day 5

Breakfast

Lunch

Deconstructed pate chinois. This a type of 'sheperd's pie' i like to make that isn't baked, i just prepare ingredients invidually and them just throw them in a bowl together. I vary the dish a lot, depending what I have available. I used cauliflower, but sometimes I use sweet potatoes, white potatoes etc. Instead of scrambled chickpeas I sometimes used tofu (grated, seasoned and sauteed with onions) or brown lentils.

Cut the white cauliflower into small flowers. Steam in a basket over a pot of water for 5 min or so. Then process into puree with a handstick blender. I like plain cauliflower with a bit of salt, but if you want more flavor you can add a bit of vegan butter.

Add a layer of corn to the bottom of two bowls, add the scrambled chickpea, add the pureed cauliflower and then the marinated eggplants. Season with black pepper and top with some spicy marinades! I used some spicy marinated eggplants.

Dinner

Lasagna with sunflower seed parmesan.

Pour hot water over 140 g (1 cup) sunflower seeds, let soak for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse and transfer to a bowl. Add these ingredients to the bowl: 340 g (1 pack) of soft tofu, 45 g (3 tbsp) nutritional yeast, 5 g (1 tsp) garlic powder and 1.25 g (1/4 tsp) of salt. Mix, and puree using a handstick blender (or food processor).

To make marinara sauce, bring a pan to medium heat with a bit of olive oil. Add 3 minced garlic cloves cook for a minute, then add 5 g chili pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Add one 795 ml can (280 oz) of diced tomatoes (no salt or spices added), 1 diced (cubed) zucchini, 30 g soy protein, 5 g (1 tsp) dried oregano and 15 g (1 tbsp) of tomato paste. Bring to high heat, then lower to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Finally, mix in 45 g (3 tbsp) of nutritional yeast, fresh basil and salt.

Preheat oven 176 C (to 350 F). Cook lasagna according to package instructions. Coat bottom of 9X13 baking dish with marinara sauce, then add sheets of lasagna. Add another layer of sauce, then add the sunflower/tofu 'cheese', then more lasagna. Repeat until you have 4 layers of noodles. For top of lasagna, add a layer of sauce and top with some Sunflower seed parmesan. Place lasagna on middle rack of oven, bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Day 6

Breakfast

Pancakes!

Mix soy milk with apple cider vinegar to create 'buttermilk', let stand for 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract, mix well.

Mix dry ingredients together, then add soy 'buttermilk'. In a pan, heat 5 ml (1 tsp) of vegetable oil (or vegan butter) at medium heat. When pan is hot, add 30 ml (~2 tbsp) of batter into pan. Help spread into wider circle using the back of the spoon. Cook until bubbles form on the top, then flip, and cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat for rest of pancake mix and serve with maple syrup!

Lunch

Had rice noodles with peanut sauce.

Sauce

Cut tofu into small cubes. Put 15 g (1 tbsp) of cornstarch in a bowl, add tofu cubes and toss until well-coated. Keep aside. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions.

Mix sauce ingredients (except for the water) in a bowl. Then add the water and mix until well incorporated. In a pan, heat some oil at high heat. When hot, add the minced garlic and the chili flakes, cook for 30 seconds, add zucchini and bell pepper. Add the tofu, cook until outside of tofu has crisped up. Add cooked noodles, then add the sauce overtop. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Serve in two bowls.

Dinner

Ate left-over lasagna from Day 5.

Day 7

Breakfast

Lunch

Today we had one slice of lasagna left over from day 5, we split that in two and served it with steamed brussel sprouts and hearts of palm salad.

Hearts of palm salad

Rinse brussel sprouts, cut stems, remove outer leaves, and cut in half. Place in steam basket over pot of water, steam until tender. I like to eat them as is, but you can season them with salt/pepper, vegan butter etc.

Cut hearts of palms into slices. Mix the salad dressing ingredients together until well incorporated, then add hearts of palm and mix until well-coated. Serve brussel sprouts, hearts of palm salad and lasagna into two bowls.

Dinner

Vege pate over slices of spelt bread, with spicy marinated eggplants, sauerkraut and veggies on the side. I made vege pate a month ago. The recipe makes 4 blocks, so I unfroze one this morning to thaw for dinner. My parents have a bread machine, so today I made some spelt sandwich bread with it. Started it after lunch and the loaf was ready for dinner.

Day 8

Breakfast

Lunch

Had chickpea salad sandwhiches. We also added some pickled japaleno peppers we had.

Dinner

Nothing fancy tonight. Had tomato pizza with olives.

Day 9

Breakfast

Lunch

Had chickpea salad sandwiches again! Since I had both left-over chickpeas and veganaise. See day 8 for recipes.

Dinner

Lentil chili

In a big pot, heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) of vegetable oil at medium heat. Add the onion, cook for 3-5 minutes until browned. Add minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the chopped carrot, parsnip and potato. Stir to combine and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add spices, cook for a minute, then add can of diced tomatoes and the brown lentils. Stir to combine. When chili starts to bubble, reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Optionally, you can transfer 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) of the chili to a blender or food processor, and turn it into puree to make the chili thicker. Transfer pureed chili back to pot, then stir in salt, black pepper and the red wine vinegar (or sherry).

Day 10

Breakfast

Lunch

Had left-over chili from day 9. Devine had it over wholegrain pasta (as a thick sauce), and I (Rek) had it as is, with some spelt bread on the side.

Dinner

Went to a Sichuanese and Thai cuisine restaurant in town.

Day 11

Breakfast

Lunch

Had a 'bahn mi' style veggie bowl based on this recipe. Instead of a sandwich, I served the veggies and tofu over short grain white rice (with a seed mix stirred in). I also didn't fry the tofu, I just grilled it in a pan until crispy. I didn't have radish, and used only carrots instead and it turned out great.

Dinner

Pizza! Had tomato pizza with a generous topping of olives, onions and artichokes.

Day 12

Breakfast

Lunch

Had rice noodles with peanut sauce.

Sauce

Cut tofu into small cubes. Put 15 g (1 tbsp) of cornstarch in a bowl, add tofu cubes and toss until well-coated. Keep aside.

Mix sauce ingredients (except for the water) in a bowl. Then add the water and mix until well incorporated. In a pan, heat some oil at high heat. When hot, add the minced garlic and the chili flakes, cook for 30 seconds, add zucchini and bell pepper. Add the tofu, cook until outside of tofu has crisped up. Add noodles, then add the sauce overtop. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Serve in two bowls.

Dinner

Had homemade poutine.

Preheat oven to 230 C (450 F). Cut potatoes into thin strips. Put cut potatoes in bowl and coat with vegetable oil. Add fries to a baking sheet, lay them flat so they don't overlap. Cook for 20 minutes, flip fries, cook for an additional 10 minutes. Traditionally, poutine is made with fried potatoes in oil, but I hate frying and so I choose not to do it that way.

Sauce

Mix all ingredients, except cornstarch, in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with 60 ml (1/4 cup) of water. Bring a sauce pan at medium heat, when hot, add the chopped onion and cook until browned. Add sauce, let cook for minutes, then add cornstarch mix and cook until thick.

Tofu topping

Mix all the ingredients together, let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour for better flavor.

Put fries in bowl, add gravy and top for tofu. I like to add marinated eggplants and sun-dried tomatoes on top as well.

Day 13

Breakfast

Lunch

Had 1 block of vege pate with crackers and a salad made with some left over veg and a dijon dressing.

Dinner

Had butter chickpeas, made using this recipe. This is an excellent recipe, and I usually make it in my pressure cooker (when on the boat) but since I don't have one at the moment I just prepared everything in a pot. I serve this over short grain white rice (i had no basmati on hand).

Day 14

Breakfast

Lunch

Had left-over butter chickpeas from day 13, had it over black rice.

Dinner

Had some rotini (made with ancient grains: sorghum, amaranth etc) sauteed in garlic, chili sauce.

Bring a pan at medium-high heat, add spicy vegetable oil (regular oil). When hot, add chopped onion and cook until browned, then add garlic (at this point you can add dried chili flakes, if you've used regular oil). Cook for 1-2 extra minutes, then add chopped green bell pepper. Sautee for an additional 1-2 minutes, add chopped sundried tomatoes and rotini. Season with salt and black pepper, toss to coat, and serve in two bowls.