2-Day Vegan, Gluten-Free Meal Plan to Reboot Between the Holidays

The period between Thanksgiving and New Years is a special time filled with family, friends, celebrations and food…so much food.

You know I’m all about holiday snacks and seasonal sweets but even I get easily overwhelmed by how much less-than-healthy food I find myself surrounded with time of the year. Recently I shared a 2-Day Clean Eating Plan to Reboot Between the Holidays on MindBodyGreen.com (original link here) and I thought today I would share the plan with all of you!

The recipes are all all vegan, gluten-free (duh!) and easy to follow. They’ll help you get back in balance after a little too much holiday fun (nothing wrong with a little indulgence!). The recipes are portioned for one person so feel free to double or quadruple for the whole family. You’ll notice that the first night’s dinner makes a double portion and half is saved for lunch the next day- this is my favorite way to save time by preparing two meals at once. Enjoy the meal plan!

 Day 1

Before Breakfast: Have a glass of hot water with lemon to get your metabolism going and clean out your system.

Breakfast: Superfood Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 scoop of nut butter or handful of raw nuts
• 1 cup spinach
• handful of ice cubes
• ¼- ½ cup non-dairy milk (add until desired texture is reached)

Preparation

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Lunch: Protein Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups kale, shredded
• ½ avocado
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ⅓ cup chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• your choice of chopped vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, celery, etc.)
• salt + peper to taste

Preparation

1. Place kale in large bowl. Use your hands to massage avocado, olive oil and balsamic vinegar into kale until it’s slightly wilted. Stir in all remaining ingredients.

Dinner: Creamy Sweet Potato Soup With Quinoa

Makes 2 servings (save half for tomorrow’s lunch)

Ingredients

For the soup

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces (and peeled if not organic)
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoons gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free isn’t necessary)
• salt + pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat coconut oil in a pot at medium-high. Add onion and garlic and saute, making sure to stir often. After 5 minutes turn heat down to medium-low, cover and stir every 2 minutes.

2. After 10 minutes add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes cook for 15 minutes, or until ender.

3. Turn off heat and let pot sit until cool enough to handle. Combine in blender until completely smooth. Return mixture to pot and stir in tamari, salt and pepper.

For the quinoa

• ½ cup dry quinoa
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon water
• dash of salt

Preparation

1. Rinse quinoa using a fine mesh strainer.
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan at medium-high. Add quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes, stirring throughout.
3. Add water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let pot sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Day 2

Before Breakfast: A glass of hot water with lemon.

Breakfast: Green Avo-Apple Smoothie

Ingredients

• ½ avocado
• 1 apple
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½- 1 cup shredded kale
• handful of ice cubes
• ¼- ½ cup non-dairy milk (add until desired texture is reached)

Preparation

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Lunch: Leftover Creamy Sweet Potato Soup With Quinoa

Reheat last night’s leftovers and enjoy!

Dinner: Easy Vegetable Edamame Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame, or coconut oil
• ½ small onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups vegetables of your choice (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
• 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon nut butter of your choice (peanut, almond, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• optional: 1 teaspoon agave

Preparation

1. Heat oil in medium pan or wok. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 7 minutes, until lightly browned.
2. Turn heat down to medium and add all vegetables and edamame. Cover and let cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir tamari, nut butter, rice vinegar and agave (if using) together in cup. Stir into vegetables until warm.

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