This page will be of special interest to you if you are new to plant-based eating. When I’m eating at home I don’t use recipes very often, so I wanted to show you what I eat and how simple my meals are. Hopefully these photos of some of my past meals will give you a few good ideas.
You’ll see from the photos that you don’t need meat or fish to be the centerpiece of a meal. For me it’s usually potatoes, rice, soup, stew, or a big salad. You’ll also see that I tend to eat many of the same things over and over, like salads, corn on the cob, rice, steamed veggies, and potatoes.
Sometimes I have a few different dishes and other times just one. A meal can look any way you like as long as it’s comprised of plenty of nutrient-rich whole foods to fill you up. When you find a handful of dishes that you like, just rotate them and you’ll be set!
Above: Mashed potatoes and broccoli, with steamed yellow zucchini and kale, and a salad.
Above: Burrito made with black beans, cabbage, carrots, green onions and avocado, inside an Engine 2 Brown Rice Tortilla. Side of steamed cauliflower.
Abobe: Mashed potatoes (I just use the seasoned cooking water to mash mine), with sautéed vegetables on top (cabbage, red pepper, mushrooms).
Above: Steamed vegetables (green beans, green and yellow summer squash), green salad with chickpeas.
Above: I eat fruit every morning and often for my afternoon snack, around 3 or 4PM. For this one I added some chopped fresh mint, so good!
Above: I love potatoes, they are my favorite food. Mashed potatoes with some ground pistachios on top, with some steamed asparagus.
Above: A favorite snack: mango!
Above: Steamed broccoli with black rice and sesame seeds.
Above: Steamed vegetables over mashed potatoes, with carrot salad.
Above: Green salad with cut up veggie burger.
Above: Green salad with pinto beans and cut up and toasted corn tortilla, and steamed veggies with a side of macaroni salad.
Above: Another snack: Cara Cara oranges, kiwi, celery and banana.
Above: Steamed vegetables, with Tuno Salad over lettuce.
Above: A green salad topped with sautéed (pre-cooked) rice and mushrooms.
Above: Corn tortilla soft tacos with steamed corn on the cob.
Above: Mashed potatoes topped with sautéed vegetables using a little almond butter.
Above: Brown rice pasta topped with sautéed veggies and Navy beans.
Above: Baked acorn squash topped with steamed veggies and fresh cherry tomatoes.
Above: Green salad with avocado, and vegetables with a light sauce of sesame seeds and water blended with a little curry powder.
Above: Steamed veggies and rice with avocado.
Above: Mashed white potatoes and yams, with a green salad, including chickpeas and black beans.
Above: Mashed potatoes with veggies, corn on the cob and yellow beans.
Above: Mashed potatoes with fresh veggies; steamed veggies. I eat both of these plates full of food since it’s so low-calorie.
Above: Salad with chickpeas; Veggie Chili with Quinoa Cornbread.
Above: Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) with vegetables; Veggie Burgers with avocado and mustard.
Above: Baked fries that have no oil and are lightly seasoned, with hummus, ketchup and mustard on the side; steamed veggies.
Above: Another snack shot. Pears.
Above: Spaghetti with green salad.
Above: Green salad with steamed kale, broccolini and yams.
Above: Homemade applesauce for a snack.
Above: Green salad with steamed veggies and Delicata squash.
Above: Vegetable and bean soup. No recipe, just used what I had on hand.
Above: Baked yams and Yukon gold potatoes with avocado spread.
Above: Corn tortilla taco with yams and brown rice.
Above: Baked potato with penne pasta, kale, onion and marinara.
Above: Baked potato with veggies and salsa; green salad with sliced almonds.
Above: Fruit salad; plums in pecan milk. This could be a breakfast or snack.
Above: Simple vegetable soup with whole-grain noodles.
Above: Mashed potatoes with salad (cilantro, salad, avocado, cabbage, greens).
Above: Mashed potatoes with Sautéed mushrooms and celery; steamed green beans.
Above: A good example of a very simple meal: steamed curly kale, mashed potatoes with tomatoes, steamed corn.
Above: Baked yams and sweet potato with black beans and avocado.
Above: When I bake potatoes, I bake a lot, including different kinds and maybe some beets too.
Above: When company comes I make Oatmeal-lemon Pancakes.
Above: A productive farmers market trip yields the makings for many meals for the upcoming week.
Happy cooking!
I saw a lot of food there and looking so tasty…thank you…
I am starting to salivate. Must raid freezer and fridge or make a grocery trip! (Closest decent area is about a 45 minute drive…)
Thanks, Cathy! All lovely. i shared this on my blog’s facebook page.
These pictures and meal ideas are SO helpful to those of us transitioning to all plant foods! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Beautiful, delicious looking food! Thanks so much for sharing your meals.
This is the BEST!
Nice idea.
Eat more potatoes!
I’m sharing this…….
so glad to have found your website–having just started eating without oil, sugar, or salt–very hard to find recipes made this way! keep sharing please!!
Another idea maybe. My mom used to cook pinto beans and we would eat them over mashed potatoes with raw onion and vinegar. It is so good!
Super helpful, thanks so much!
Veggies look so good……nothing on them?
Usually not, just cooked with some herbs and spices.
How do you get the healthy fats you need? The food looks so beautifully displayed!
Hi April, fat requirements are quite low (7-10% of total calories), so I don’t worry about it really. Most foods contain some fat, but I also eat higher fat plant foods such as nuts/seeds, soy, flax, avocado.
Everything looks simple and yummy! I’ve been wanting to add more meatless meals and this has defiantly inspired me, thanks.
Everything looks delicious. How do yo store all you farmers market produce for the week without it spoiling? I’ve been eating CLEAN food a little over a month now. I’ve never felt better or had more energy. I do occasionally eat salmon and chicken.
Hi Eunice, wonderful! I don’t usually buy enough for the whole week, but like to keep it in plastic bins in the fridge. So a bin for potatoes, one for herbs/greens, one for carrots, celery, beets, and one for fruit.
I am just starting this journey…I love LOVE to cook and make meals…I am so inspired by your images…this is going to make life even easier. The pics tell the tale …you really don’t need recipes. Just keep things simple.
Thanks so much!
Welcome Carol!
The photos of the food look so appetizing! We loved your tu-no salad recipe! What temperature and how long do you bake the potatoes and beets in the glass cookware? I would imagine that cutting them in half may cut down the baking time, but I’m not sure.
Hi Doreen, I usually bake my potatoes cut in half lengthwise for an hour at 400 degrees. If the beets are the same size approximately, I think they would be done around the same time, but you can always poke the beets earlier to see if they’re done and then just remove them and put the potatoes back in.
I love your BLOG! Today is my first day of receiving it
I also have a question about the potatoes and beets.
Do you need to cover them a little bit, say for the first 20 minutes or so? This way they steam themselves because no oil is being used. And, do you use any seasonings? Thank you so much.
Hi Sheila, thanks!
I usually bake or boil my potatoes and beets. If I bake them, I do not use any water. If I boil, I cover them (cut up, beets peeled first) in water. I use a lot of different seasonings. I should write something up on this. But just whatever you like: garlic or onion powder/granulated, curry powder, green herb blends, etc.
These are amazing, inspirational ways of how to easily eat a plant-strong diet without tons of time spent in the kitchen or fancy recipes. Thank you!!!!
You inspired me. Came home from work and made mashed potatoes, sautéed onions and mushrooms, then added chopped asparagus and lots of spinach. So so so delicious – I’m keep your suggestions open on my computer for reminders of these great ideas. Thank you!!!
Susan
Sounds delish! Thanks Susan!
Hi. I was at true north from May to July and I miss your classes. Love your meal photos. Want to make most of them. I like to cook simple too. Makes life less complicated. Everything looks luscious I would like to be on your list.
Hi Laura!
Thanks for your comment. You can sign up in the upper left of my blog; just type in your email.
Wow, thanks Rosa! I love these too, so mmm!
Love your site, Cathy. Doing private consult this morning, and will be sharing your website. Thanks for all you do. Hope your cookbook is coming along!!!
Thanks Joanne! Yes, the book is coming along well.
Thank you for all the photos and ideas and recipe…can’t wait to try them!
Cathy
I out at True North last summer for a couple of weeks. I tried your food and it was delicious. I love that you are showing pictures of what you eat, it is so helpful. Thank you for sharing your recipes, pictures and knowledge with everyone. You are an inspiration.
Thank you Linda!
Your food is just beautiful, I am partial to the raw items, but my family would love all of your “recipes” along with their fresh, raw greens!!
Thank you for sharing your stunning food pics.
Peace & Raw Health,
Elizabeth Marie