What Vegans Eat

This weeks What Vegans Eats comes from 12 year old student Ben. It’s very inspiring! And that homemade fruit cake looks so good, I need the recipe! Over to Ben…

Name: Ben Parrish

Age: 12 (very nearly 13)

Occupation: Student

Vegan Since: October 2015

I have been vegan for nearly 5 months. I am a student and live with a family of 2 non-vegans. It’s definitely been hard but I’m managing. During the week I take lunch into school instead of buying the vomit-tasting food at school, which has about 1 vegan option of a fruit salad – which was most likely made a couple of months ago. At home my parents (who aren’t vegan) eat vegan dishes with me and my sister, who are vegan. I tend to eat as healthily as possible and I exercise a fair amount throughout the week after school. However, over the past week I have come down with a virus so have been eating a bit extra than usual and exercising less

Throughout term time I wake up at 5:30 and leave the house at about 7:45 to catch the bus. Over the course of the 2 hours I am awake for I will drink about 2 cups of green tea. One of my favourites is the berry boost by Tetley which really energises me for the day.

I apologise in advance if my week in food is quite boring – my motto is easy, transportable and filling!

Day 1/8^th February

Breakfast: Porridge topped with sunflower seeds, raisins, cranberries and a drizzle of agave nectar

Snack: Handful of raisins, sunflower seeds and about 4 almonds

Lunch: My ‘Whatever is in the house’ Superfood Salad (See below), and a banana

Dinner: Cauliflower Tagine with Couscous

Day 2/9^th February (Pancake Day!)

Breakfast: Wholemeal Pancakes topped with organic cocoa and hazelnut spread (So good I didn’t get a picture!)

Lunch: My superfood salad – again!

Snack: A slice of wholemeal toast with Vitalite and Marmite

Dinner: Lentil and Potato curry

Day 3/10^th February

Breakfast: Mixed Fruit Museli with organic soya milk

Lunch: Homemade minestrone soup

*I had gone straight from dance class to watch my sisters gym and dance display so had to eat dinner in the car within 10 minutes*

Dinner: Whole Earth Peanut butter sandwich with a banana and a Nakd bar (Gingerbread – the best!)

Snack: A few cubes of dark chocolate

Day 4/11^th February

Breakfast: Porridge with a banana, sunflower seeds and agave nectar

Lunch: Lentil and tomato soup with a banana and trail mix

Snack: Post workout out ‘Super greens’ Protein shake

Dinner: Vegetable Risotto

Dessert: Baked Bananas with Vanilla Booja Booja ice cream.

Day 5/12^th February

Breakfast: Porridge with a spoon full of cocoa and hazelnut spread

Lunch: Carrot and coriander soup with a banana and some trail mix

Snack: Pumpkin ‘9 Bar’

Dinner: Pasta with a homemade pasta sauce

Day 6/13^th February

Breakfast: ‘Supergreens’ Banana Protein Shake with a big bowl of fruit

Lunch: Flat bread with falafel, rocket and hummus

Dinner: Fry’s Mushroom Pies with sweet potato chips and broccoli

Day 7/14^th February

Breakfast: Smoothie bowl topped with walnuts, desiccated coconut and banana

Lunch: Beans on toast

Snack: Slice of homemade, vegan fruit cake

Dinner: Linda McCartney sausages with baby corn and savoy cabbage

My ‘Whatever is in the house’ Superfood salad

Very simple and easy, I added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to two tablespoons of olive oil and added about two handfuls of rocket to it and coated it all in the dressing. I then added some cooked quinoa and pearl barley and some chickpeas, cucumber, chilli and red onion as well as some chopped almonds. I also decided to add some curried mushrooms.