Day 3 of 5 Day Healthy Vegan Meal Plan

Okay, so here's the day 3 meal plan. You can check out my previous posts Day 1 of 5 Day Vegan Healthy Meal Plan and Day 2 of 5 Day Healthy Vegan Meal Plan . 

As usual i take warm lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach.

For breakfast - I had smoothie with mango banana and oats which was very fulfilling and i could barely taste oats as it was so delicious.

I didn't feel hungry till 3 hrs. The texture was so smooth just like ice cream.

For lunch i had chickpeas with spinach curry and brown basmati rice.

For snacks i had slices of 1 medium apple with cinnamon. 

For dinner i made bhindi or okra with yellow and red bell peppers a bit different from other recipe styles with leftover rice.

I will soon share the other days in my next post. Be sure to follow me on instagram, twitter, facebook and google plus @moshmitra. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Day 2 of 5 Day Healthy Vegan Meal Plan

I really appreciate liking my previous post. As a healthy food eater, i recommend all of you to eat whole foods. I learnt that to be fit and having a healthy body comes from 80 percent of clean eating and 20 percent exercise. When i went vegetarian i was feeling better from the inside but not showing results outside. Though looks don't matter, but everyone wants a toned body which motivates us to be fitter. After exercising, I lost inches and people were complimenting me which gave me the push to be healthier in the long run.
So here is what i ate on the 2nd day:

Breakfast - So oats are the perfect choice for breakfast, it keeps you full and satisfied till lunch. It is full of fiber and having with fruits and nuts makes it more healthier. Oatmeal variations are endless, you just have to try. I had oatmeal with banana and cashew nuts. I have added unsweetened soy milk but you can have any other milk alternatives and i have added organic sugar just little for sweetness.

The picture doesn't look pretty though but it tastes delicious!

Lunch - Again beans and rice. I have cooked black eyed beans or chawli which i had with brown basmati rice. 

 Snacks - I again had hummus but this time i had it on multi grain bread. Can't get enough of hummus!

Dinner - Cabbage and peas with leftover brown rice. Though cabbage is not for this season, but i like to have all the veggies that i can get easily and mix it up every day.

I referred to Manjula's kitchen for recipes of main meals. And after dinner had few dark chocolate pieces for my sugar cravings :)

Hope you like this post! Do comment! Any feedback or suggestion is most welcome.

Day 1 of 5 Day Vegan Healthy Meal Plan

Weight loss diets are never sustainable. Losing weight is temporary and you will gain weight if back with unhealthy habits again. When on a fitness journey, be careful what you put in your mouth. There is no harm in having junk food if it's once a week but on a regular basis, eating healthy and nutritious food helps you in the long run. There are lots of vegan substitutes coming out but not healthy so make sure it is taken moderately. There are loads of fats, sugar, preservatives which does more harm than good. 

Most of the weight loss diets doesn't have a proper explanation and people who really need help gets confused. I have been struggling with my weight and after following plant based diet and exercising i saw results. Processed foods, excess salt, sugar or oil hampers weight loss. Being healthy is not just feeling good from outside but most importantly from inside. So i created 5 day healthy vegan meal plan to kickstart your fitness journey. Here's day 1 of what i ate :

Day 1

Drink a glass of warm lemon water on empty stomach for a healthier start. Green tea helps too, it speeds up metabolism.

For  breakfast i had oatmeal pancakes. As you may have seen my earlier post of vegan grocery haul, where i said that i will be having oats in breakfast with variations every day. This healthier recipe is by Joanna Soh and it turned out really great. Very fulfilling and tasty! 

I used organic sugar in place of maple syrup. 

Lunch - I made red beans curry and had it with brown basmati rice. Beans are full in protein and it is easily digested when taken in lunch. Beans and rice will keep you full for longer.

Portion sizes differ from person to person.

For snack i had carrots with hummus. I have never tried this combination before and it tastes amazing. It is so good as a snack. The hummus can be prepared at home for healthier version. This hummus with olive oil and olives was store bought.

For dinner i had cauliflower with potato curry and leftover brown rice. I try to cook rice once for lunch and dinner. We indians are so into rice  and everyone should eat their staple diet as long as it is healthy. For dessert i had two dark chocolate pieces. No calories are counted because calories are good and is energy when taken from healthy sources.

I have beans for lunch and veggies for dinner to get optimum use of nutrients and easily digested.
If you like this post do comment. Day 2 will be posted tomorrow!

Weekly Vegan Grocery Haul and 5 Day Vegan Clean Eating Plan

After overindulging on junk foods and limiting exercise since i moved to live alone I wanted to kickstart my healthy routine again. I always try to eat healthy, it makes me feel better inside and gives me energy to do lot of things. I am enjoying cooking currently as i have never cooked meals before, though i use to make smoothies and breakfast when i was living with my family. It's been three months since i am living alone and trying so many recipes. Vegan food is never boring, there's so much to it.

Anyways i made 5 day clean eating meal plan ahead and i did little bit of grocery shopping. Vegan food is not expensive as many think. We have fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, etc. We just have to be aware of getting natural and organic sources. Once in a while a treat doesn't harm but that shouldn't be the lifestyle.

Okay so here's what i bought- some lemons that might cost less if taken at market, but since there was less time, i had to take it from the supermarket. Be sure to always buy fresh fruits and vegetables from the local market - it's cheap and fresh. Having lemon water in the morning aids in digestion and weight loss and clear out the toxins. I am taking lemon water since 2 years, it really helped my digestion issues. I will try out this hummus which i am very excited about as i love hummus and it's a perfect snack. You can make hummus at home, it's easy and will be much healthier than store bought ones. Some carrots to go with this. Regarding soy milk as it's controversial food, taking moderately doesn't harm. I like to have soy products few times a month. 

Here's some veggies for the week - cauliflower, peppers, cabbage and okra(not pictured here).

I will be having oats for breakfast all this week but different recipes which i am going to post in my upcoming post. I will be taking few more things from local stores which i didn't get or was expensive at the supermarket- bananas, strawberries, grapes, apples, nuts, spinach, mushroom and peas. I don't like to buy all the veggies and fruits at once since it gets spoiled in few days. 
So do check my upcoming post which i will be posting daily of 5 day vegan clean eating meal plan.

Vegan Eating Out in Mumbai - Ray's Cafe & Pizzeria

I was craving pizza for long time but since i can't eat cheese the options were limited. I knew that Ray's Cafe and Pizzeria had vegan pizzas, sandwiches and salads so i went there on Saturday. 
The cafe is on a corner behind another restaurant so i had to search for it.

Pizza was on my mind so much that i didn't look around as there was a/c inside and i preferred to sit outside in the open air. But i loved sitting out in the open.

I ordered eggplant marinara pizza and veganopoly sandwich which came with fries and salad, so i didn't opt for another salad. I might have salad when i come next time.

I love the sandwich with all those veggies, it was kind of roasted and I might love this more than the pizza. The pizza was okay enough to satisfy my cravings. The fries were crispy and the side salad was good.  I highly recommend the sandwich even my non-vegan friend loved it.

Finished the meal with Kiwi Blast, it was really refreshing in this summer.

I will surely come again to try other vegan pizza and salads. After eating yummy meal, I went for a walk in Bandstand.
Keep checking my blog for sure. If you like this post, do comment.

Vegan in Mumbai Eating Out #1

Vegan options in India is easy and with a little bit of research you may find that there are lots of options out there in the city. When i started out as a vegan, I had difficulty in finding vegan dishes in restaurants mostly indian since most of the vegetarian dishes uses ghee, butter, cheese and paneer. But here is a list of the eating out options that i indulge on weekends.

1. Subway - Order a sub or salad with veg patty and veggies, regarding the sauces choose sweet onion and mustard. There used to be mint sauce now changed to mint mayonaise so can't have it.

2. Maroosh - Falafel with hummus is my favourite. They add pickle, jalapenos, olives and lettuce served with pita bread. Have it in wrap or as salad.

3. Amore - They have vegan sorbets - chocolate, musk melon and strawberry. I always prefer chocolate flavour.

4. Starbucks - Almost any drink can be made with soy milk. But be aware of the syrups as it contain milk. 

5. Cafe coffee day - They have vegan shake which i find it little bitter.

6. Ray's Cafe & Pizzeria - Vegan pizzas and sandwiches. Must have!

7. White Cub Ice-Cream - These are my new favourites. First dairy free parlor in India, found in most stores. Check out their 7 flavours. I had butterscotch flavour only yet to try the other ones :)

 Hopefully you may find this helpful to those newbie vegans in Mumbai, yet to try other eating out options. So keep checking my blog.

Trip to Alibaug, Maharashtra by Road

Me and my partner recently been on a bike trip to Alibaug, popular beach destination among Mumbaikars. The beaches are clean as compared to that of Mumbai. Alibaug is situated in Raigad district of Maharashtra. You can go by Road through Pen or take jetty from Gateway of India to Mandwa and then take bus to Alibaug. 
It took three hours by road stopping in between to enjoy the scenery. It was early morning so the weather was pleasant. We took the route of National Highway.

While on our way we took breakfast break at a nearby hotel serving local snacks. I had misal pav (sprouts curry) and sabudana wada (fritters made from tapioca pearls ) which are street foods favourite.

 

We went Kihim Beach first as i made a list of places to go.

Lots of resorts and cottages are available to stay on the way to the beach. Finally at 9.30 am we made it to the beach and nobody was in sight. The beach was okay since there was similar beach in Mumbai and was disappointed to see this as we have come a long way. We relaxed in a shed changed our clothes and walked towards the beach.

Had coconuts which was so yummy 

Then we headed to Negaon beach which was more 10 kms away and the temperature began to rise. Negaon beach was clean and had beautiful surroundings. Water sports are available for adventurous people.

Horse carriages were there and as an animal lover i was sad for their condition. People were enjoying the rides and couldn't see their agony. 

All in all this beach was good to relax which made our trip worthwhile in this scorching heat.

Then we headed for lunch. We missed lot of restaurants which were nearby and after a lot of searching we found good restaurant and had veg special biryani which was so delicious that i forgot to take a picture. We got home by 6 as it was one day trip and the Murud Fort was far too to cover in one day. Maybe next time!

You can check out the video of our whole trip to Alibaug

Let me know in the comments if you have been in alibaug and what were your experiences?