A Real-World Look At My Kitchen Routine in a Week

For people who enjoy a peak into another’s eating routines

Why do we read? Why do we follow?

Is it to pick up tiny nuggets of helpful information we can apply to our own lives?

Or maybe it’s about figuring out shortcuts to get our stuff done quicker.

Or peeking into someone else’s life, if only for a minute, hoping a little bit of advice will rub off.

I love posts that get into the nitty-gritty details of daily living. I’m not sure if it’s a fascination with productivity ideas, or if I really love the biography aspect of figuring out how different people live.

In any case, I realize that plant-based living differs from living life as an omnivore. I spend a lot more time in my kitchen, garden, and in prepping my meals than I ever did when I ate meat.

Curious how it’s different? I thought I’d share what I do throughout the week. Have questions? Just ask!

Sunday

My weeks start on Sundays. That’s the day we calendar what we’ll be eating every night for the week. If that sounds too binding, it really isn’t. I always know at least a week in advance if someone in my household will be out of the house for dinner. We simply mark that on the calendar!

Then, it’s planning time.

We spend the most time planning dinner. It’s when we spend time in the kitchen prepping, cooking, and sharing our days together. We each choose a couple of nights, and write down what our meal will be. It might be a meal we love and look forward to creating, or it could be something new we’ve recently read about in a cookbook.

Down it goes on our fridge board. (This is from a few years back, but I laughed when it came up in my photo memories. If you have a garden, you understand our sentiment here!)

Yes, we have fun with our fridge board, with photos and notes and drawings. We hadn’t cleaned it in awhile …

Sunday is also shopping day. I may visit one or even several stores to complete my shopping for the week.

Then, it’s time to cook!

Sunday is leftover night! Nope, I’m not talking about indulging in leftovers. Instead, we select a recipe that makes plenty of extras. Perfect for lunch planning throughout the week.

Simply the best chili I make

Monday through Thursday

It’s working and living time. I don’t make meal planning or prepping difficult. It’s a process.

We start out our mornings with a smoothie. Every single day. I’ve eaten this for breakfast for years.

The 5-Minute Plant-Based Smoothie

Then it’s onto lunches. My Sunday dinner comes in handy for a few days. If I make a big batch of chili, lasagna, or other meals with leftovers, I have lunch planned out the first few days of the week.

If I run out of leftovers, I love to craft simple salads that are Yum!

When you want a good healthy lunch, THIS kale salad is it! 🥬

It really doesn’t have to be complicated. I make sure I include a protein, as that’s what keeps me going until dinner. I’ll add beans or chickpeas, or mix up a batch of quinoa or farro. Add arugula, a few veggies on top, and whip up an easy salad dressing for a topper.

Skip Bottled and Make These Plant-Based Salad Dressings Instead

Snacks are important. I love apples in the morning. I love picking these up at the farmer’s market right now. If you keep them in a cool, dry place, they can last for months! And they’re so much better than what you can buy at the stores.

Nuts are equally as satisfying. A handful of pistachios or almonds is perfect for the three-o’clock hangries. I add a square of dark chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Then, it’s on to dinners. And that’s where my fridge board comes in handy. We’ve mapped out what’s for dinner on Sundays, and have most of what we need in our kitchen.

In the summer, we spend a lot of time in our garden after work, and try to incorporate as much of our home-grown fruits and veggies as possible into our meal selections. (Yep, we’re in the zucchini-tomato zone once again. But I love how fresh everything tastes!)

Friday

Fridays in our house are “free” days. We often do a movie-and-pizza night, or choose to go out if we have errands to run. Maybe a dinner out with friends, or simply choose to stay in and enjoy a quiet night.

But Fridays are meant to be simple - pizza night! I make my own pizza because it tastes so much better. (Yes, it does take time to let the pizza crust rise.)

Around lunchtime, I mix up my pizza crust dough.

Pizza Crust

• 300g of flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons of yeast

• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt

• 3 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 cup of warm water, or enough to turn it into a dough

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a mixer bowl, and stir until blended. Add the olive oil and water, mixing with a spatula until combined. Place it on a mixer stand and blend with a dough hook for a few minutes until well combined. Alternatively, you can knead it by hand until it forms a dough.

Cover with a towel and let sit to rise.

Preheat oven to 425F.

We divide it evenly into three balls, and roll out three individual pizza crusts. Top them however you please.

Place in oven on a cookie sheet or pizza stone. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until edges are golden.

Saturday

It starts with a trip to the farmer’s market. May through October we shop at our local farmer’s market for whatever happens to be in season. We’ll head over with several bags, and scoop up the fresh food from the dozens of vendors. We use our purchases to plan out our meals on Sunday.

If I’m home and feel like cooking, I might make bread, dessert, or a more complicated dinner. (Like my lasagna.) I might whip up a soup or two to leave them in the fridge for weekday lunches.

It’s also my day for reading. If I’ve picked up a new cookbook or two, I peruse them and mark the recipes I want to try. This can help me decide on what to make for dinner in the coming weeks.

Daily

Things happen. I think it’s always good to stay flexible. Sometimes, a meal just doesn’t work for you - like on a cool, rainy day in September. We had plans for a hearty salad, but suddenly, our favorite mac n cheese recipe sounded much better.

I keep my pantry fairly well stocked. I had a bag of our favorite pasta on hand, and all other ingredients were sitting on my shelves. I needed a jalapeno, so off to our garden we went to pick one fresh.

I combined it with a simple salad of chopped cucumbers and tomatoes - all from our garden. Then topped it with Kosterina’s Cucumber Lemon Balsamic Vinegar. Some oregano from my garden, a little salt and pepper … Yum!

So … that’s it, that’s a week in the life of a plant-based eater.

I believe good food doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be Gorgeous!

p.s. Did you like this message? It would mean a lot to me if you’d press the ❤️ below if you liked it, left a comment 💬, or shared it with a friend. I’m trying to grow this publication, and I depend on people like you to do so!

And if you’re new here, Welcome! 💐 I’d love to start sharing my message with you if you’re interested in all things plant-powered, proaging, or finding kitchen joy. Subscribe … and then explore my entire archive! Glad to share with you! 🙋🏼‍♀️