I’m very efficiency focused.  I like to be able to measure what I’ve done and tangibly see the results.  I like to achieve goals and give myself a little pat on the back upon doing so.  Man do I love checking something off my list that has been a work in progress for weeks or months (anyone struggling to get all their tax documents together??  Can I get an Amen!)

At the start of 2020 I said I wanted to make an effort to eat more plant-based meals.  Well, that is not a SMART goal – specific, measurable, attainable, yadi yada.  So I wanted to circle back to that and figure out how, at the end of the year, I can say I achieved it.  

I’m a menu planner so each Sunday I make my list of meals for the week.  As a first step, I wanted to ensure at least one dinner was plant-based, meaning heavy on vegetables and fruits and if I could swap out an animal-based protein for something plant-based I would.  An important note about my menu planning is that I aim to get two dinners out of every meal (again, I like efficiency and don’t want to spend 30-45 minutes cooking every night but also want to eat homemade, healthy meals).

In January, here’s what I did –

Week 1: I just swapped out regular meatballs, I usually buy turkey meatballs from Trader Joes, for this plant-based version.  They were truly tasty.

Week 2:  Made fajitas without the chicken and steak and instead did some yummy cuban black beans with rice, avocado, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese.

Week 3:  Tried a new lentil soup recipe that was not amazing, but it was tasty with fresh bread and olive oil and spices for dipping (disclaimer: I can make myself eat anything that I believe to be healthy).

Week 4: I attempted Korean beef wraps and instead of using beef I used these Beyond Beef plant-based crumbles.

In February –

Week 1: I went crazy this week and went for two dinners (aka four!).  Ravioli soup and fresh bread, and butternut squash risotto with sauteed veggies.

Week 2: I did a broccoli mac and cheese with collard greens and white beans on the side.

Week 3: I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner so made a green chile quiche that was deeelicious.

Week 4: This is the only week I’m slacking on. Will likely switch out shrimp for chicken in a fried rice. That’s kind of a cheat I think.

Learnings:

– Soup is a very easy way to increase plants and reduce animal products.  I can pretty much make any green leafy item, carrots, celery, beans, onion, and whatever else is in the fridge into a tasty soup.

– I have a tendency to use cheese as a substitute for meat, but that is still not the healthiest.  Step in the right direction though.

YOE Update – The Year of Enough

This has been an interesting mindset to examine within myself because I don’t consider myself a material girl (cuz we’re living in a material world…).  So far, I have largely been trying to check my knee jerk tendency to see something and then immediately go online and buy it.  Kind of a double-edged sword this “get it instantly” world we now live in.  There’s no longer the gratification of saving and working toward something, it seems to only be “I want it, I must have it NOW.”  Saw a hilarious comedy special on Netflix by XXX where he said the next phase is for Amazon to send us stuff before we even order it – they need to predict what we want before we even know.  Funny and sad.

Nothing majorly measurable with my YOE efforts except the pause I’ve been trying to insert before a purchase.  I figure if I wait a day or two and forget about it, I really didn’t need it.  If it keeps popping into my mind, I’m trying to be more creative with how I could get a used or recycled version.

Anybody else trying to enjoy what they have more?  It’s a freeing feeling to have all you need (and I understand the privilege baked into that statement).