what a vegetarian eats

I saw a post over on ‘Cookies and Kate’ about what she eats in a week as a (mostly) vegetarian. I am pretty nosy and intrigued by what people eat and thought that others might be too so I thought I’d share a week in my ‘kitchen’.

I have been vegetarian for almost nine years now. I’d never been a big meat eater but when I moved to London I realised that being vegetarian was actually a thing. When I studied my degree in Environmental Studies the environmental benefits of a mostly plant based diet were solidified in me.

With a move to Italy I have lost out on a lot of the convenience vegetarian foods you have in London and have had to adjust to that. Also I am now not so strict about ‘vegetarian cheese’. The items in stores just aren’t labelled like they are in England.

Also after 8 years of not buying leather shoes I have given in slightly. I am just tired of not having comfortable shoes that last. Sadly, as much as I eye out leather tote bags I don’t feel they are essential and will not be buying one. I hope one day I might come across a beautiful second hand one though.

Here is what I ate a couple weeks back. I think generally since the move to Italy my cooking is a lot more homemade and colour is a big player, although I kind of had a lazy week in the cooking department. I am also trying to eat healthier but my snacks are definitely still an area to work on. I tried to take pictures of all my meals but I am afraid they didn’t all make the cut or were forgotten. But you get an idea from those above.

Monday

Breakfast | fruit salad with banana, pear, nectarine, greek yoghurt and hazelnuts (I think they are my new favourite)

Lunch | salad with half and avocado, couple sliced radishes and couple spoons of cannelini beans. I also had a small chunk of baguette left over from the weekend.

Dinner | a light spring mac and cheese.

Snacks | a few too many tastings of carrot cake that a friend was experimenting with.

Tuesday

Breakfast | vegan nutty apple fritters

Lunch | left-over half apple from breakfast, salad with beetroot, cannelini beans, grated carrot and two artichoke hearts (from the jar), plus a piece of Slovenian smoked cheese.

Dinner | veggie burger topped with beetroot and a tomato salad side. We don’t eat these often as the veggie burgers cost twice as much here as they do in London.

Snacks | dark chocolate topped rice cakes. I would have stopped at three but Tim took so long to come home I ate six! Once a bag of something is open in the house it is dangerous.

Wednesday

Breakfast | strawberries, nectarine, greek yoghurt and left over raspberry coulis

Lunch | ricotta, tomato salad and herbed warm spelt flat-bread. Seriously this is like heaven in your mouth.

Dinner | Tim tutors and only gets late home on Wednesdays. I made another lazy meal which still needs work. Corn and zucchini fritters made with chickpea flour. Not even anything with it! But at least they are vegetables inside.

Snacks | I found the biscuits in the cupboard that a friend had brought over on the weekend. Oops. One too many of those.

Thursday

Breakfast | I had a craving for peanut butter. Vegan pancake for one with peanut butter and banana on top.

Lunch | half avocado, handful of radishes and some more spelt flat-bread.

Dinner | polenta (made it too runny, oops), with a bean, tomato, zucchini ‘sauce’.

Friday

Breakfast | oats with a grated apple and almond milk

Lunch | left over beans and veg from last night

Dinner | half a mushroom pizza (Roman style pizza which is a thinner base) and then a scoop of gelato for dessert

Snacks | 2 nectarines.

Evening | Went out for drinks with friends. Had 2 prosecci and some snacks at the bar. Apertivos are supposed to be before dinner but you get snacks in the bars with your drink: crisps, bread sticks, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, nuts etc.

Saturday

Breakfast | A pancake is sometimes the perfect carrier for jam. It is just like eating toast and jam, no?

Lunch | A sandwich from a coffee shop – brown bread with grilled vegetables and cheese

Dinner | Store bought mushroom ravioli with tomato sauce (‘home made’ with can of tinned cherry tomatoes, garlic and a spoon of red pesto) and peas. This is my version of super lazy food.

Snacks | Afternoon apertivos (mini gherkins, sundried tomatoes, pickled onions and tomato, crisps and prosecco of course

Sunday I totally forgot to take note or capture anything. I think it was pretty much a repeat of Saturday except I probably had some cereal for breakfast.

So what do you think. Are your eating habits similar? Anything you are going to try? Why don’t you share what you eat. I’d love to find out.

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