The biggest question I get on the Reboot because it’s a vegan menu is: “Where am I supposed to get my protein?” All foods are made up of macronutrients: Fat, Protein + Carbs. If you are eating a variety of plant based foods, they all contain some proportion of protein (yes, you can get protein from dark leafy greens!) This will ultimately add up over the day if you are varying your foods. You also want to make sure you are incorporating high protein sources of plant base food like:
- Nuts + seeds
- Beans + lentils
- Hummus
- Avocado
- Falafels
- Quinoa
- Veggie burgers
- Ezekiel bread (Note: It contains gluten + you should stay away from it if you have a gluten allergy!)
One of my favorite plant based protein sources is the lentil. Did you know that 1 cup of lentils contains 18g of protein?! That’s insane and it’s also super delicious. Although I’m not one to count calories, macros, carbs, etc. — here is a good rule of thumb if you are looking to see how much protein you should be consuming daily:
- 50% of body weight in grams for maintaining health – For example, 150 pounds = 75g of protein
- 75% of body weight in grams for burning fat – 150 pounds = 131g of protein
- 100% of body weight in grams for building muscle – 150 pounds = 150g of protein
If you want to add lentils to your diet, try out this tasty + hearty vegan lentil soup!
- ● 3 tbsp coconut oil
- ● 4 large carrots, peeled + diced
- ● 4 celery stalks, peeled + diced
- ● ½ white onion diced
- ● 2 garlic cloves minced
- ● ½ tsp of black pepper
- ● 2 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
- ● 2 14oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- ● 4 cups vegetable broth
- ● 3 cups water
- ● ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ● ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ● ½ tsp cinnamon
- ● 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Heat up a large pot on medium-low heat and add in coconut oil to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Sauté the carrots, celery, white onion + garlic with black pepper for about 7 minutes. Continuously stirring to make sure that the onions + garlic don’t burn.
- Once the vegetables are tender and the onions have started to become translucent, add in the lentils, tomatoes, veggie broth, water, coriander, cumin + cinnamon. Cover the pot and bring everything to a boil on high heat.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, simmer on medium-low to low heat uncovered for about 35 to 45 minutes until lentils are tender.
- Add in 1 tbsp of lemon juice and stir. Continue to let the soup simmer for another few minutes.
- Take the soup off heat. Either use a hand immersion blender or transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender to purée part of the soup and give it a thicker consistency. If it’s in the blender, transfer the mixture back to the soup and stir.
- Serve plain or over raw kale or spinach with optional avocado slices. Enjoy! Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze half for a later date.
With Health + Happiness Always,
Jax
PS – Only less than a week left to sign up for my 6 Week Nutrition 101 Program! Want to be healthier but don’t know how to take your health to the next level? This is the perfect program for you so don’t wait as there are only a few spots left! Email me with questions 🙂
