What (Lazy) Vegans Eat: Why Being Vegan Is Easier Than You Think

Today I'm going to debunk the common misconceptions that eating vegan is:Here are the reasonably-priced, easy-enough, delicious vegan things we shove in our mouth holes.But first, a few disclaimers...These meals adequately fuel both my husband and myself. I run about 20–30 miles a week and maintain an ashtanga yoga practice; my husband lifts several days a week and also has a yoga practice (with the occasional short run mixed in). That said, vegan does not automatically equate to healthy. These meals are relatively healthy when compared to the average American diet, but they are not strictly whole foods plant based and may not fit your specific dietary needs.Finally, I've noted the grocery stores where I've found many of these ingredients, but it's by no means an exhaustive list.  Now let's get to the good stuff. PizzaDo I miss pizza? Hell no I don't miss pizza, because I eat it at about once a week. Homemade pizza is one of our go-tos. Here's how we make ours:Throw on some veggies (I like spinach and diced red peppers) and cook at 425–450 degrees for about 12 minutes. Top with NOOCH! Boom. Burgers & FriesAnother easy staple that we make at least once a week. For the burger patties, our faves are:Most store-bought fries will be vegan, though we're partial to Hy-Vee's sweet potato fries. We use Orowheat whole wheat buns and sometimes throw some Chao cheese (found at Whole Foods) on that bad boy. NOTE: All of Field Roast's vegan meats and cheeses are delicious.BrinnerTofu scramble, featuring black beans and whatever veggies we have on hand—usually red peppers, mushrooms and/or spinach—has become a breakfast or, just as often, a breakfast for dinner staple. Nooch, turmeric, onion, garlic powder and buttery spread make this shit even more flavorful than your standard scrambled eggs. And it's easy as hell to make. Vegan waffles and/or pancakes are also usually on the docket. We're still searching for the perfect recipe, but this is the one I used in the picture above, and it was pretty tasty. We were tragically out of maple syrup, so I subbed some agave nectar.Field Roast makes a dope breakfast sausage, but I've only found it at Whole Foods, so it's more of a treat than an everyday staple. NoodsBeing vegan means never having to feel guilty for consuming all the hot, steamy noods you can. (IMO.) Some of our favorite recipes come from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Thug Kitchen. These cookbooks do have non-pasta dishes, but...pasta.DessertThis cake. THIS. MOTHER. FUCKING. CAKE. It is so, so good. This is the frosting recipe we have now used twice in the past week, and it's a winner if you like your frosting the same way I like my men (rich and thiiick). The cake recipe comes from Chocolate Covered Katie. It is absolutely delicious. I've made several of Katie's "healthy" vegan desserts, and while they all have been okay or good, this one deserves a damn Nobel Peace Prize, or the cooking equivalent. I also have consumed what is a frankly staggering amount of vegan ice cream. (Remember how I said this isn't a whole foods plant based diet? Yeah.) Here are my faves:Eating OutEating out is not as easy as it used to be, but it's also not impossible. Most Asian and Mexican places can offer you vegan-friendly options besides a sad ass salad with nothing on. (Nothing infuriates me more than getting stuck eating a sad ass salad because a restaurant's veggie burger is made with egg or some bullshit.)Chain restaurants are often shockingly vegan friendly. Google is your friend when it comes to checking on particular eateries, but my top picks for easy vegan eating are:There you have it. If you've ever considered going vegan—whether it's for environmental or ethical reasons or because you saw a scary Netflix documentary about meat—but have felt like it's an impossible lifestyle change, hopefully it now looks a little less daunting. Comment if you want to talk more about food, particularly ice cream. And, any fellow vegans reading, please comment with your favorite easy vegan eats!