I just can’t resist a behind-the-scenes peak at someone’s life, can you? I ever-so-casually scan the headlines on celebrity magazines in the grocery store checkout lines. I can’t help but click on dramatic weight loss stories when I find them on food blogs. And I get such a kick out of real-life Instagram photos.
We’re wired for this stuff, so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised by the positive feedback on my springtime “week in the life of a vegetarian” post. I was happy to hear that you guys found some inspiration in the humble, everyday meals that never make it to the blog. Artificial lighting and all!
Since every week is unique, I thought it was about time to share another week’s worth of meals. This week was different for a few reasons. For starters, the weather has changed. It’s cold outside, the days are shorter and butternut is the new rhubarb. Instead of eating at home all week, I drove home to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. I attended a couple of house parties and went out to eat a few times while I was there. I thought you might like to see how a vegetarian navigates those situations.
Last time, when I talked about my vegetarian, whole foods philosophy, I forgot to mention that it makes me feel great! I have plenty of energy. I almost never get sick. My weight is healthy and stable. I don’t take my good health for granted, so I try to support it with lots of fresh produce and other whole foods… which can be done regardless of meat consumption. You’ll see that I did a totally imperfect job of it last week (cheese! pie! no regrets!), but I’m trying to ease back into healthier habits this week.
Before I go, I owe a thank you to this post’s sponsor, Nourish Snacks. They’re a really neat new company founded by dietician Joy Bauer (you may know her as the nutrition expert on The Today Show). They offer a variety of wholesome, natural, vegetarian snacks in grab-and-go packages. Their products are super creative and on par with the kinds of snacks I reach for on a regular basis—nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and popcorn!
You’ll see a few snaps of Nourish Snacks in the photos below. If you want to try them out yourself, use code COOKIEANDKATE for 10% off snacks through the end of the year! Check out their offerings here. I think I’ll send my baby brother a sampler pack to keep him fueled up through finals week.
Monday
Left, brunch: A couple of friends had been in town from Denver all weekend, so we met up for one last meal together at The Classic Cup on the Plaza. I’m generally uninspired by vegetarian breakfast offerings here in Kansas City (c’mon chefs, you can do so many fun things with eggs!), so I usually just order a veggie omelet. I was excited to try this new menu item, which consisted of seasoned rice, black beans, kale, poached eggs, salsa verde and loads of hollandaise sauce. Thumbs up!
Right, snack: I was working on my pumpkin soup recipe and decided to roast the seeds with a totally addictive combination of olive oil, curry powder, brown sugar and salt.
Left, dinner: Belly full of pumpkin soup, batch two, which I photographed the next morning.
Tuesday
Right, breakfast: I attempted to recreate a granola bircher muesli that I found in the Heathrow airport. Yogurt, honey-sweetened granola, shredded Granny Smith apple, honey and pomegranate. Oh, and some dark chocolate for good measure.
Left, lunch: Leftover herbed quinoa and pomegranate salad, eaten right out of the bowl. Typical.
Right, dinner: My first attempt at my roasted cauliflower, freekeh and garlicky tahini sauce recipe. I couldn’t stop going back for more, which meant I was on to something!
Wednesday
Left, breakfast: Reheated leftover apple crisp with some redeeming organic yogurt and leftover pomegranate.
Right, snacks arrive: My shipment of Nourish Snacks is here! So many fun varieties, I can’t decide which one to try first.
Left, late lunch: Final version of my my roasted cauliflower, freekeh and garlicky tahini sauce recipe. Obsessed.
Right: Road snack. Cookie and I zoomed home to Oklahoma that evening. That freekeh has so much fiber that I was hardly hungry for the rest of the day.
Thursday (Thanksgiving!)
Left, breakfast: I slept in late and didn’t want to spoil my appetite for Thanksgiving, so I just had a banana and some granola bites for breakfast.
Right, veggie turkey!: My aunt found a tutorial for a turkey vegetable plate on Pinterest (maybe this one?). My kind of turkey.
Left, lunch: Ok, this photo doesn’t do my mom’s meal justice! I was in a hurry to eat mashed potatoes already, so I didn’t bother making my plate look pretty. You’re looking at my great grandmother’s sour cream mashed potatoes, lots of roasted vegetables (sweet potatoes, bell peppers and cauliflower), raw bell peppers, cranberry sauce and a green salad. Not shown: pumpkin pie, of course!
Right: Where there’s food, there’s Cookie.
Left, Thanksgiving dinner: Lots of greens topped with warmed, leftover roasted vegetables, feta, balsamic dressing and a few crushed blue corn chips. I liked it so much that I might have to make a post about it. Not shown: More pumpkin pie. ‘Tis the season.
Right: Tuckered out with her tongue out.
Friday
Left, breakfast: Breakfast options at my parents’ house are pretty minimal, so I brought some random packets of instant steel-cut oats (Country Choice brand) home with me. Here we have oats, peanut butter and sliced banana.
Right, brunch/lunch: Surprise! A birthday brunch for my cousin at his parents’ place. Coolest house ever. Can you tell they’ve lived all over the world?
Left, brunch: A less-than-appetizing shot (sorry) of a delicious plate of food. They had a huge buffet spread so naturally, I had to sample everything. Green chili grits, bagel crisp, cheese, broccoli and, yes, more pumpkin pie.
Right: Meet Mickey, a very friendly and energetic Jack Russell mix.
Left, post-dinner snack: For the life of me, I cannot find the photo of my dinner. My mom made us some simple tortilla pizzas, topped with more leftover roasted vegetables, and some basic green salads to go with them. Then she plunked down some stovetop popcorn next to me, so I ate it.
Saturday
Right, breakfast: I wanted something to tide me over until a bridal shower brunch, so I made avocado toast and topped it with pomegranate seeds and feta on a whim. I really love those flavors together (you’ll see them again soon!).
Left, brunch: A bridal shower for one of my oldest friends. Her mom, who reads my blog (hi Angela!), was really thoughtful and served me some butternut ravioli since the lasagna had meat in it. I would have gladly gotten by on salad, hummus and pita bread, but the ravioli was much appreciated.
Right, dinner: When you have a chance to eat your favorite nachos, you take it. Favorite nachos at my favorite college bar with my best friend. Done. (P.s. Those nachos were the inspiration for this nacho recipe.)
Sunday
Left, breakfast: In a hurry to head back to Kansas City. Instant steel-cut oats with Nourish Snack’s “cinn-sational” cinnamon-spiced apples and almonds on top! On the drive home, I ate leftover pizza that I stole from my parents’ refrigerator on my way out the door.
Right, dinner: I returned home to an empty fridge, so we went to Chipotle for dinner. I always opt for a vegan salad bowl (all of the salsas!), since they have a heavy hand with sour cream and cheese.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Nourish Snacks (don’t forget to use code COOKIEANDKATE for 10% off!). I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Kathryn
I absolutely share your love of a behind-the-scenes post! It’s always so inspiring to see what people actually eat and how they manage to make their lifestyle/diet work. Everything looks so delicious!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
I’m nosy too, so I love a peek into someone’s life! This does make me realize that I need to get back into a groove of real meals and less ‘potato chips for dinner’ situations : )
Tara
This post made me hungry! And those snacks from Nourish Snacks look great!
I hear you on the Chipotle thing. It seems they are my go to take out when it’s last minute, because I have to be gluten and dairy free, so I use 3 salsas.
Thanks for sharing.
Kate
Thanks, Tara! I love me some Chipotle. Does one of the salsas contain dairy or gluten?
Tara
To clarify: I don’t refrain from any of the Chipotle salsas because they contain dairy or gluten, I just only like three of them: mild (pico), medium, and corn salsa. My Chipotle order: burrito bowl with brown rice, no beans, fajita veggies, a mix of chicken and steak (sorry not a vegetarian) mild, medium, and corn salsa, and lettuce. I then order chips and quacamole on the side. Note: I split this with my 6’1″ husband and it’s enough food for us to have left overs. (Well, not of guacamole)
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
I love love love these posts Kate! You always *almost* turn me into a complete vegetarian. :)
Kate
Haha, awesome!
Jen Schoshinski
Hi Kate! Thank you for posting this! So many of my meat-eating friends and family think that being vegetarian means lots of work to prepare meals and/or boring, tasteless meals. Your week of yummy, easy meals proves them wrong. :)
Kate
Thanks, Jen! I don’t understand the idea that vegetarian meals are boring or tasteless. They’re so much more creative than standard meaty meals! Hope they change their tune after they see this post. :)
Aine @ Awkward Irish Girl Blogs
Looks amazing (especially the beautiful pomegranate avocado toast!), but please say you eat more than what’s pictured? It really doesn’t add up to a whole lot of food!
Kate
Yeah, there was definitely more pumpkin pie and chips consumed than shown here! I was definitely not going hungry, I promise!
Alicia
OMG I love The Library bar and Grill! Boomer! Living in New York makes me miss the simple times of going to sit on the patio, get a drink, pizzas, and anything else right off of Boyd Street. Thank you so much for posting this!
Kate
I used to be a Library girl! Worked there for about two years, so fun. I always try to go back and get some nachos when I’m in town. Or go to Pepe’s for the vegetarian platter, I’m obsessed!
kristin @ W [H] A T C H
i seriously cannot get enough pomegranate right now. brilliant to pair it with dark chocolate!
Ann
I love the photo of Cookie sacked out on the sofa! My dog, Halo, is doing the same thing right now :) Thanks for sharing your meals
Kate
Haha, thanks Ann! Cookie says hi to Halo. Love that name!
cheyenne
i also love these little peeks into other peoples’ lives. all the food looks so, so good! i could totally go for some nachos right now.
xo, cheyenne
Marnie Schwartz
Thanks a lot! It’s great getting ideas on pairing foods for a meal – this gives me a challenge. I’m going to look at the Spring one.
BTW-I think energetic is a synonym for Jack Russel Terrier; I’m pretty sure I saw it in an online Thesaurus.. I have friends who are addicted to them and they are always bouncing off something or other.
Did you show Cookie the picture with her tongue sticking out? I wound’t, it could be very embarrassing and you wouldn’t do that to your crumb vacuum.
Kol Toov (all good things),
Marnie
Kate
Haha, no, Cookie hasn’t seen the photo. She has no idea she’s an internet celebrity! ;)
Hannah @ eating with alice
I love these posts! I always find it so interesting to see what people eat in a day. Keep them coming!
Lauren
Loved seeing Norman make an appearance! I’ll be graduating from OU in May. I love your blog so much and it only intensified when I found out you were an Oklahomie.
Kate
Hey thanks, Lauren! Norman is a special place. Boomer! Just kidding, I don’t have that much school spirit. ;)
Caroline @ carolinescooking.com
What a delicious looking set of meals! I always find it fascinating to see what others eat over a few days and you seem to have a great mix here. Given me a few ideas, especially for breakfasts.
Kate
Thanks, Caroline! Glad you found some good ideas in there. It’s easy to assume that my everyday meals aren’t worth sharing, but that’s not always the case!
Emily
You totally sold me on those Nourish Snacks. :) Just ordered a sampler pack!
Kate
Thanks, Emily! Hope you love them!
Alessandra // the foodie teen
Oh my goodness, everything looks absolutely amazing! I love seeing these types of post because I’m really nosy about.. ahem, interested in… what other people eat! Happy holidays!
Kate
Haha, thanks Alessandra!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health
It’s always fun to see what “normal food” looks like for a food blogger. I like that you did a twist on what it’s like to travel and eat out around the holidays too. I’m a vegetarian as well and it’s usually not too bad. There’s always cheese and eggs! But by the end I’m usually craving some plant protein.
I love the shots of Cookie too. So adorable!
Kate
Thanks, Sarah! I think it would be much more difficult to be vegan around the holidays. I’ll definitely be ready for some kale salads after Christmas!
laurasmess
Aw, I love these posts – both as I get to see what you eat and also because there are extra photos of Cookie! Such a cute little pup.
I’m trying my best to eat well over the holiday season too. Working in an office means so many boozy events with waaaay too much bad food. I find that I feel sick when I eat ‘normal’ packaged food these days so it’s great to see another snack that’s full of natural goodness. I will check out the website. Happy holidays beautiful (and hugs to you and Cookie!) xxx
Kate
Thanks, Laura! Good luck navigating office holidays, I know that’s tough! Happy holidays to you! Thanks for all of your great comments. :)
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats
Ahh was it the bircher muesli at the Pret A Manger in Heathrow? If it was I had that exact bircher muesli when I was flying back from Croatia and my layover in Heathrow got extended. It was so good it also inspired me to make a bircher muesli post (with apples and pomegranate)!
(Not the blogger) Kate
Ahhhhhhh, I LOVE these posts! I think non-vegetarians are always dubious/curious/impressed that vegetarians eat normal food.
And I don’t know why, but your weeks always put a smile on my face. Thanks. :)
ps. cauliflower + garlicky tahini? YES.
The Yummy Lounge
Loved this article, am true vegetarian and liked this idea of whole week very much.