Sketch-free Vegan STUDENT Eating 101 - Breakfast

Hi everyone! Jenn here to show you how to eat vegan on a student's budget. Even though I'm not starting school until January I still feel like I'm in student mode since I'm living on my own in a student house and sharing a kitchen with 7 people. Oh lord. Any way, let's get on with the food!

So I'll separate these posts into 4 categories:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner and

Snack Attack!

And just bear in mind that not everyday can be perfectly balanced with the right amount of greens, fruit, grains, protein and fat sources. I have some days where I eat a lot of grains and some days where I eat a lot of fruit and some days where I don't really keep track. I however always try to get greens in even if it means mixing green powder with some water in a desperate attempt to down those greens! One other thing I should mention now that I'm on the topic of water. Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. It's just what you need to rehydrate yourself after sleeping all night. I have the glass beside my bed the night before and just drink it right when I wake up. 

Ok so what are some economical, nutrient dense, energizing breakfast options? 

Option #1: "Super Healthy"

Green Smoothie

It's a classic vegan staple! And it's so simple. Just fruit (fresh/frozen), handful of greens (or green powder) and water. So simple. 

It's funny, Jac and I just don't agree on what the best smoothie texture is. I like mine thick and creamy and jac likes hers a bit more like a slushie. So she puts ice in hers but I don't. It's all about what your preference is. 

If you like your smoothies creamy I suggest using half frozen fruit and half fresh fruit.

So for a perfect creamy smoothie I suggest the following fruits:

Frozen: Banana, Mango, Pear, Papaya or Avocado. These will give your smoothie an "ice creamy" texture.

Fresh: Oranges, Grapefruit, Berries, Pineapple, Kiwi

I usually add in another fresh banana just because.

Next add in a great big handful of greens. Some good options are Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Swiss Chard or a scoop of green powder. 

Next add in as much water as you desire depending on how thick you like it. Blend. and Voila!

The great thing about green smoothies is that you get your greens in early in the day. So if you don't have time to make a salad you feel better about just grabbing a few bananas, some oranges and a carrot as your lunch. That's whole food eating at it's best....

Now onto:

Option #2: "Comfort"

Buckwheat-meal with Bananas

This is soooo good. Really great for people who like a hot bowl of something in the morning, especially in the winter. Although I mostly have smoothies in the morning, I like to have a bowl of buckwheat once in a while to change it up. 

So all it is is a 1/2 cup of buckwheat groats simmered with 1 1/2 cups of water until absorbed (about 20 minutes). Mix in some cinnamon and chopped banana on top. So yums! And buckwheat is actually a fruit so it combines well with the bananas. Mix in a bit of coconut sugar or maple syrup for extra sweetness. You could also soak the buckwheat overnight and just heat it up in the morning in the oven for a couple minutes. 

I just love the texture of the buckwheat. It's a little chewy, sort of comparable to barley. It's especially good with coconut sugar mixed in.

Buckwheat groats are a little hard to find but if you live in Canada you can order buckwheat groats online at well.ca and it's free shipping! Also you can use coupon code "sketchfreevegancoupon: for 10$ off. 

Option #3: "I feel like ice cream..." 

Avo-Fro-Yo

This is the best thing since...pancake mix! Ok maybe a bit better than that. All you need is a ripe avocado and some type of frozen fruit. Scoop the avocado into your magic bullet or high speed blender and add a bit of water (so that you can easily blend it without shaking it constantly, all you magic bulleters out there know what I mean). Add in your frozen fruit such as banana, strawberry, mango, or whatever! This is also a good vehicle for any powders or concoctions you've been meaning to take like maca, vitamin C, ashwaganda, protein powder or just leave it as is! You could also add in carob powder, avocado's best friend! Blend it all up and you've got a super yums ice creamy treat for breakfast.

This one is made with frozen banana and pineapple. So yummy!

Sketch-free Vegan STUDENT Eating 201 - Lunch 

Coming soon to a blog near you!