Fuel Your Body With These Treats Without Meat

by | Oct 21, 2019 | Featured, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

By Samantha Robinson, a trainer at The DOGPOUND

Samantha Robinson of The DOGPOUND. Photo credit Alice Teeple

There’s no way around it. If you’re going to ask me about nutrition, 10 out of 10 times I will tell you that your body will thrive the most off a plant-based diet. As long as you consume enough calories from whole plant foods for your body weight, you will never have to seek out any extra nutrients. Not sugar, not carbs, not even protein! I find plants to be so remarkable because they obtain everything you need to survive. Also… let’s not forget that they are incredibly tasty!

There are many ways to tailor a plant-based diet in order to help individuals with specific goals, just like any other diet. For example, if you’re looking to gain more muscle mass, you are definitely going to have to increase your food intake. Although if you are like me and are more interested in staying lean, maintaining an “average” caloric intake (for my body) of plant-based foods helps keep me exactly where I want to be. Below I’ve given you a very standard example of what I eat in a day. By no means is this what I eat every day, as I love to eat a wide variety of plant-based foods. Feel free to make the recipes below for yourself and loved ones! And don’t forget to make them your own.

Plant-based
Chocolate Banana Smoothie. Photo credit Lisa Photios, via Pexels.com

CHOCOLATE BANANA SMOOTHIE:

Ingredients:

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup water (or aloe juice if you have a bad stomach in the morning)
  • 2 heaping tbsp. cacao
  • 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
  • 1 tbsp. maca root powder
  • 1 tbsp. ground flax seed
  • A tiny bit of cinnamon & vanilla extract (if you’re feeling extra)

Directions:

  • Blend it up and enjoy it! (Don’t forget to use your reusable straw)
Plant-based
Winter Kale Salad. Photo credit Elle Hughes from Pexels.com

WINTER KALE SALAD

Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup chopped kale
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 
  • 1/2 cup sautéed portabella mushrooms 
  • 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
  • 1/4 cup pepitas 
  • lemon, olive oil, salt 

Directions:

  • It’s a salad… you know what to do!
Plant-based

https://www.freshnlean.com/recipes/

Burrito Bowl. Photo credit Ella Olsson 

BURRITO BOWL: (Typical… I know, but I love them)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice 
  • 1/2 cup cooked black beans
  • 1 cup roasted sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 sliced avocado
  • hot sauce (if you’re feeling extra again) 

Directions:

  • Throw it all together in a bowl and eat it up!

We all want a diet that allows us to eat without guilt and find peace with our bodies. My goal is to help spread information on how a plant-based diet can be your missing puzzle piece. To some, the thought of loving your body may seem foreign and impossible. It is not unusual to feel uncomfortable and frustrated with your body, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok. By taking control over what you allow your body to consume, you will reach your aesthetic goals and most importantly, achieve a genuine, healthy body. When you are truly healthy on the inside, there is no doubt that you will look your best on the outside.

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