WIAW #49

HAPPY AUGUST!

How the heck did that happen so fast?

As an intern, actress, model, and ice cream scooper, my schedule is pretty cray-cray sometimes. And sometimes it makes for awkward meal times - like when I have to leave the apartment at 4pm and only get back around 9 or 10. 3pm is too early for the last meal of the day, but I can't not eat from lunch to 10pm.

BWAHAHAHA, like my appetite would put up with that. Jokes.

So that's where the afternoon mini-meal comes in - it keeps me energized through whatever I'm doing, when I'm doing it over what's normally a meal time, and full until I can have dinner when I finally get back. Here are some fun vegan mini-meals.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my virgin coconut oil giveaway!

NOTE: A lot of mini-meals are also just plain old sandwiches or a bowl of cereal, but y'all know what cereal looks like and I wanted this to be fun and out of the ordinary. 

Everything tastes better with a side of a good book.

Black Beans and Green Peas on frozen mangos and trail mix (almond milk joined the party post-picture).

It's been a scorching July in NYC and sometimes a smoothie is what you need to even consider dragging yourself out of your air-conditioned apartment and out onto the sizzling streets of the city.

A grape and mixed berry smoothie swirled with chia pudding.

I didn't notice this while I was eating it, but the theme of the following mini meal is spheres (ish)!

Pinto Beans, Green Peas, Cauliflower, Potato, peanut sauce, nut butter, and a side of frozen blueberries in vanilla almond milk - so many flavors!

With the temperatures as they've been, I've really been preferring frozen to fresh fruit this summer!

Frozen mixed berries on green tea chia pudding with vanilla almond milk - pre-audition fuel.

Chocolate smoothies are good, too - just blend up some frozen soy milk (freeze it in ice cubes), some unfrozen soy milk, cacao powder, and some melted chocolate (I used chocolate chips). Yum!

This reminds me of those Hershey ads where the people swam through the chocolate lake...yum.

Also, trail mix? LOOOOOVE IT. I wasn't always a big pistachio or cashew fan, sticking mainly to the more traditional peanuts, walnuts, and almonds, but they really are quite tasty! And I love dried acai berries.

Pinto beans, frozen berries, trail mix, and almond milk - I forgot to take a pic until I was almost done with my bowl, but luckily I fill up toppings as I eat, so it's still as pretty as the beginning! Does anyone else do that?

I can't believe I actually had the audacity to turn on the oven this summer. Add to the heat, really?

Frozen super chocolatey frozen cookie/brownie delight thingy.

But these chocolaty delights, especially after freezing (haha, note a theme?) were well worth it.

Roasted kabocah, peanut butter, chocolaty delight

Especially when paired with nut butter and kabocha. Insert swoon of scrumptiousness.

Cashew butter mixed with peanut flour and rice milk - so good, try it! - as a side to beans, peas, frozen berries, and almond milk.

While I've only been being kind-of vegan and still having dairy now and then (and not obsessing about animal products in ingredients lists) I've found that vegan eats are actually pretty easy when you get into the hang of it!

Almond Butter, a frozen chocolaty delight, roasted kabocha squash, and some pinto beans

But I eat a heck of a lot of nut butter and beans. Luckily, beans don't have the same effects on me that they do on some people!

Mushed up kidney beans and peas with frozen mango chunks and blueberries in rice milk, with peanut flour sauce on the side.

Overshare much?

Anyway, I definitely went through a whole jar of almond butter in less than a week. Not a record for me, though :P

Rocket beans, peas, vanilla almond milk, frozen watermelon chunks, and peanut flour sauce in rice milk.

Anyway, y'all are probably wondering about the beans in all these untraditional places! I'm not sure how I though of trying it, but I'm glad I did!

Big bowlful of Pinto Beans and peas in soy milk, topped with peanut flour sauce (mixed with rice milk) and the best part of the watermelon. More peanut flour sauce for top-ups hanging out in the back.

Sometimes the best combos are the weirdest.

Oh haaaiii, big bowlful of lentils and green peas (almond butter mixed with peanut flour on the side).

Anyway, it all started with throwing some rocket beans and green peas in a pan one day (yes, it was grocery day and yes, my options were pretty slim):

What started it all...

It was so good that I ate it out of the pan with nut butter and Rice Dream ice cream!

Since I wasn't quite full yet, I tried some more rocket beans with roasted kabocha squash:

Nom nom nom.

And the rest is history.

Oh, guess what? I have Instagram now, yay!

So I'm still getting the hang of remembering that I can photograph my eats when I'm out and about now (score) so I only got to this cup of cheesecake soft serve (so NOT vegan but whatever - I'm not being strict) when I was halfway through my big, yummy cup last night. Still, YUM.

What's a combo you're loving lately?

Is your schedule pretty set, or are you all over the place too?

How fast do you usually go through a jar of nut butter? For me, it's like 3 days.