A Working Girl’s Guide to Packable Vegan Breakfasts & Lunches

Way back in January when the year was fresh and New Year’s resolutions were percolating, I got inspired to try a new diet. I’m not the type of person to succumb to fads, but I am a fan of food journalist Mark Bittman, and I have several of his cookbooks (one of my favorites is How to Cook Everything Fast: A Better Way to Cook Great Food). I read about a book he published a few years ago called VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health…for Good. So many things about this approach to eating appealed to me, but it was nerve-wracking to begin. I had never even tried being a vegetarian, so why on earth would I leap to veganism? Could I really give up meat? Cheese? Dairy? Even for two meals a day, it seemed impossible. Five months later, however, I’m happy to report that I now almost exclusively eat vegan for breakfast and lunch, and I allow myself to cook and eat animals and their byproducts when we sit down as a family for dinner. I’ve maintained my weight and feel better than I did before. If you’ve ever been curious about veganism, trying Bittman’s VB6 plan is a great way to explore it. I’ve found it works particularly well for me because I bring my breakfast and lunch to work on most days, so it’s easy for me to have complete control over what I eat until I get home around 6:00 P.M. on weekdays. I try to stick to the VB6 diet when I meet friends for lunch or on the weekends, but I allow myself to cheat when circumstances make it difficult, and I don’t beat myself up over it.

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Breakfast

Before switching to vegan breakfasts, my first meal of the day typically consisted of Greek yogurt topped with fruit, or maybe a potato-and-egg breakfast taco from our campus cafeteria when I felt like being bad. Dairy and eggs are not options for vegans, so I had to switch things up. I basically replaced my morning yogurt with oatmeal. Instead of using those pre-mixed instant oatmeal packages, I use 1/4 cup of quick cooking oats (regular or steel-cut), add water, and microwave until the mixture almost bubbles over the side of the bowl. I let it stand for a few minutes before stirring in fresh or dried fruits, nuts, and maybe some shredded coconut or peanut butter powder. Every now and then I make a batch of overnight steel-cut oats in my slow cooker (Alton Brown’s recipe is a keeper—just substitute unsweetened nondairy milk for the half and half, or eliminate it entirely, to keep it vegan) and keep the cooked oatmeal in the fridge. I prepare cups of it to take to work with me and microwave it while I make a cup of tea.

Another easy and favorite breakfast is a homemade vegan breakfast taco, made with a combination of fat-free refried beans, soy chorizo, and potatoes. Have you ever tried soy chorizo? You can usually find it with the regular chorizo at the grocery store. It’s a really tasty chorizo substitute! I use whole grain tortillas and keep containers of nonfat refried black beans, cooked soyrizo, and cooked diced potatoes in the fridge. I layer the ingredients into a tortilla, wrap it in foil, and nuke it when I get to work. I top it with my favorite salsa for an easy, savory vegan breakfast at my desk.

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Lunch

Packing vegan lunches for myself was really daunting when I first started this diet. I honestly didn’t know where to begin. Now it’s part of my morning routine. And I’ve noticed that the contents of our pantry and refrigerator have really changed since Ryan and I started going VB6. We have much fewer processed foods around our house now. We are now mostly stocked with vegetables (lettuce, baby spinach, celery, carrots, beets, cucumbers, avocados, and broccoli are staples), fruit (berries, apples, bananas, peaches, citrus fruits—whatever is in season), jarred stuff like olives, artichoke hearts, capers, pickles, and relishes, vegan mayo (I’m a fan of Just Mayo), hummus, Wholly Guacamole minis (these are awesome!), unsweetened organic apple sauce, tofu (hard and silken), and pre-cooked grains or whole grain pastas. On Sundays, I often will make a big batch of some kind of chilled grain salad (quinoa, barley, couscous, orzo) that we can store in the fridge and eat as part of our lunches throughout the work week (good examples are the orzo salad and the couscous salad I list below). Our pantry is also stocked with a large variety of canned and dried beans (chickpeas, cannellini, kidney, black), salsas, oils, vinegars, vegan soups (Amy’s Organic makes some good vegan ones, but H-E-B also has some good store brand options, too), grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

I have noticed that it makes sense to pack the components of my lunch in separate little containers, so I can assemble my lunch when I’m ready to eat at work. I like sandwiches for lunch, so it was a little challenging to replace my standard turkey sandwich with a vegan sandwich. In order to get protein in my sandwiches (and to feel full and satisfied), I need hummus, nut butter, or avocado as the main sandwich component. These spreads can make your sandwich sad and soggy by lunchtime. My solution: pack the sandwich components in separate containers and spread and assemble when you’re ready to eat. I’ve also found that whole grain, 100-calorie sandwich thins make a great platform for vegan “tacos” and toasts.

Snacks

My favorite vegan snack is simple: good old raisins and peanuts (remember GORP from your Girl Scout days?). Cashews and golden raisins also make a particularly yummy combo. I like playing with different dried fruit and nut mixes. A mid-afternoon snack keeps me energized for the end of my workday.

Here are a few of my favorite vegan make-and-take lunches for dining al desko:

Gazpacho & Veggie “Tacos” Combo

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1 c. of H-E-B Gazpacho (This stuff is awesome. Keep containers in the fridge for a quick and easy lunch!)

2 Veggie “Tacos” made with:

1 H-E-B Bake Shop Thin Round (each half makes one mini-taco)

1 Tbsp. Vegan mayonnaise

chopped green olives

sliced sweet mini peppers

carrot ribbons

sliced cucumbers

baby spinach

To make tacos, spread mayo on half of sandwich round. Top with olives. Add spinach, peppers, carrot ribbons, and cucumbers. Eat taco-style. Repeat. (You can make variations of these with hummus or guacamole as the main spread along with your favorite veggies and nuts.)

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Hummus Toast & Orzo Salad Combo

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Toast a slice of good bread in your office toaster. When cooled, spread on hummus and top with sliced cucumbers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Toasts are super trendy right now. Play around with toasts. Some other vegan combos I like include:

peanut butter + Sriracha + cilantro

tahini + raspberries + agave + mint

mashed banana + pecans + cinnamon

vegan mayo + sliced tomato

mashed avocado + red pepper flakes

Orzo Salad with Cannellini Beans & Olives (Substitute water or vegetable broth for the chicken broth and omit the feta cheese to make this recipe vegan.)

Soup & Salad Combo

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1 cup of H-E-B Gluten Free Moroccan Style Sweet Potato & Quinoa Soup, heated in the microwave and topped with a handful of fresh baby spinach, a squeeze of lemon, and a dash of Tabasco

1 cup of Black Bean & Couscous Salad (Substitute water or vegetable broth for chicken broth to make this recipe vegan.)

These ideas should get you started if you’re interested in going on a VB6 journey. Mix and match and come up with your own ideas. My VB6 meals are constantly evolving and changing.

PS. The opinions on the various products in the post are my own. This isn’t a sponsored post.

Kelly
Kelly lives in Terrell Hills and is a full-time working mom of 4 in a never-a-dull-moment blended family. Her twin stepsons, Eric & Grant, are high school juniors. Her daughters, Eleanor and Sadie, are in junior high and elementary school. She and her husband, Ryan, are both attorneys. When she is not working and "air-traffic controlling" her busy brood, she and her family enjoy exploring San Antonio and the surrounding area.

1 COMMENT

  1. Mark Bittman is one of my favorites too! Have you tried any of the Oh She Glows recipes? I love her cookbook and blog – it’s my go-to for vegan recipes. I’m also discovering that paleo cookbooks have some great vegan sides, since dairy isn’t allowed on the paleo diet. Paleo main dishes are about as un-vegan as can be. 🙂

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