Plant-Based Meal Planner

I feel more confident that I can make a delicious meal with simple and few ingredients. I am also more excited about plant-based food knowing it can be very delicious! If your desire to eat more fruits and veggies feels overwhelming, try this reframe: how can I add more fruits/veggies to my meals today? Or to my meals this week? Take it 1 step at a time and you’ll get there. Rawk the Year is a fantastic resource that provides recipes, meal plan suggestions, and community support.

I feel so much better! I’m more fit, energetic and I’ve lost weight, too! There’s definitely a difference!!!! I love cooking so trying all these new foods has created a whole new world for me. I love experimenting with new spices that I’ve never used and I’m really enjoying the new flavors. There’s always a variety!

Favorite part is the meal planning, why? Because I can choose the healthy meals that I have for the week. It changed me in a way that I see meal planning as a way of life and feel the difference between eating unhealthy foods and healthy foods.

The driving force behind me deciding to go ahead and give this a try was my desire to get off of cholesterol and blood pressure medications. I am also on a toxin free journey, thus the need to get off of prescription meds, so Rawk the Year fit in nicely with that journey. Some days, depending on where I am, are better than others, as with any change.

However, I will tell you that even if I am in a situation where my choice for meals are not the healthiest, I find myself now making better choices. For example, if I am in a fast food or brewery restaurant or really any restaurant, I will now choose things like salad, or veggie plate or humus over pretzels with cheese or fried appetizers or burgers. I never thought I would like veggie burgers or black bean burgers (only beans I ate prior to this were green beans) but now I get excited if/when I see them on the menu. And, I usually then get them with all the veggie fixin’s and only eat half the bun. Again, nothing I would have ever done in the past.

Actually, when I meet my friends for lunch or dinner now, they ask which restaurant provides the best options for me….kinda fun. I have always enjoyed baking, but cooking, not so much, as there is too much flexibility for this project/program manager. That said, I am not good at knowing what I can replace/substitute, nor am I good at even knowing how to prepare/cut fresh vegetables or how to cook them. But, one of the beautiful things about Rawk the Year is that it is a community of people on the same journey with some of the same challenges, so you are able to pose your questions to the community and other Rawkstars as well as Rawk the Year staff will quickly respond and provide answers and/or solutions for you. You are also provided a weekly meal plan, you can swap recipes if you don’t like something on the list or move them to different days of the week depending on your schedule that week, and then you are given the detailed recipes as well as a shopping list, divided by sections of the store…..a dream come true for me!

Although I have always liked to cook, I am more mindful now about what I eat, how I shop and how I feel about food. I have also been inspired to take better care of myself in general. Rawk the Year is not just about food. It has influenced me to take better care of me by finding more balance. My coaching theme of “You bet you’re enough” is played out more fully in my world by taking better care of myself in so many ways including eating, drinking more water, exercise, rest, fun and sleep! Also my family benefits too!

I am paying more attention to what I eat, and planning a lot more. We used to just figure out what to eat for dinner each night at 5 pm, and then if we had nothing good and easy to prepare, we’d end up sending out for pizza or doing something very simple. Since joining Rawk the Year, I have been much more organized in my meal planning. Also – probably about 90% of my time (and money) at the grocery store is spent in the produce section, which is a huge shift for me!

My favorite part of Rawk the Year is the menu plans! I love them! The hardest part of meal planning for me is coming up with ideas for what to fix for dinner, or lunch. Now I have so many to choose from, it’s a challenge to decide sometimes.😄 I’ve explored several new ingredients and spices and brought things back into my diet that I hadn’t eaten for awhile. I look forward to eating again! I was always a healthy eater and ate vegetables at my meals and or snacks, not just because I knew they were nutritious but because I liked them. The Rawk recipes increased that by adding fun, delicious meals and snacks! It has exceeded my expectations and beyond. I’ve incorporated several recipes into my daily and weekly plans. Not only are the Rawk snacks and meals delicious, but they are filling and satisfying. Getting the right amounts of fats and proteins are so important for me due to my age. I felt so good after both the fall and winter cleanses. I don’t feel guilty about eating something that’s maybe a little higher in calories than what I used to allow myself, because I know it will satisfy me. One very important habit I gained from Rawk the Year, was drinking more water. That is so important for me for so many reasons! My cardiologist told me hydration was crucial for me and it has helped me immensely!

I was a part of the SGS community, having the smoothies, and doing the cleanses. But Rawk the Year has definitely helped me organise the meal planning. Having all the recipes in one place is really such a time saver. Before, I used to store and organise the SGS recipes in Onenote :). My favorite part about Rawk the Year most of all: the delicious recipes. The ease of meal planning, the shopping lists.

I am incorporating more vegan meals each week. I have lost a little weight. Due to my schedule I haven’t been able to participate in many of the recent challenges. I have been trying some of the suggested meals and snacks. When I think about Rawk the Year, I often wished that I knew about the community and the vegan meals while my brother and I were caregivers. She was a picky eater. I struggled to try and fix healthy meals for her. I believe a lot of the meals and snacks and maybe some of the smoothies would have helped some of her health concerns. My favorite part is the encouragement from the community. I enjoy seeing everyone’s posts of their smoothies, snacks and meals. I like the app and the weekly meal plans. I like that you can substitute items or create your own meals plan. You have the option to print the plan out or save it to your computer. I love the helpful suggestions on where to find items in the store as well as substituting items that you may not like very well! You have the freedom to make it your own.

My favorite part of Rawk the Year is the recipe varieties, love the meal and grocery planner!

Rawk the Year has given my family such a different, great way to eat delicious food. I love that we can make snacks for our kids that are nutritious and fun to make. Before Rawk the Year I spent so much time looking through cookbooks and Pinterest to create a meal plan and it was exhausting! Now I can go one place, grab what I want, then shop my kitchen before I head to the store… and I don’t have to hand write a shopping list anymore! It’s a serious time saver.

Since joining Rawk the Year, I eat differently and I’m a work in progress. I am working to lose weight and be more active. It is nice to see in the group people talking about their struggles and their wins as it helps in motivation.

I have so many “go to” plant based meal options which are delicious and make weekly meal planning a breeze. There’s no need to spend hours searching for healthy recipes! I’ve got time now to work out six days a week and to pursue my hobbies. My energy is soaring and I feel amazing!

I am more conscious about what I eat. I have always been concerned about my health and well-being. But now I have some direction from people who have a purpose. A lot of people eat to live. And other people live to eat. I would like to be the former.

I’m taking the time for myself. What helped was the 7 day cleanse. I actually tried preparing the foods and drinks. I have stopped dri inking coffee in the morning and it’s the detox from for me. Hot water ginger, turmeric with the rest of the stuff are my favorite morning drink now. I’m taking baby steps but doing more.

At first, I thought it was just another “ food group” but I’ve been proven VERY WRONG! Not so… it’s so so much more than that. My favorite part is the camaraderie of all the people that make up this group! It’s like having hundreds of amazing friends all supporting each other through food struggles, life struggles and so much more!! I believe I’m the same person I was before joining, but have learned to be open to making new choices, and trying recipes that I’d never try, did, and surprised myself!! And now several of them are biweekly if not weekly!!

More in tune with nourishing my body instead of just blinding eating

I still find myself returning to the “old rut” but it is easier to dig myself out – I do not depend on caffeine to get through the day any longer. I still struggle with my sweet tooth and carbs (in the form of bread). I certainly make better food choices more often after joining Rawk the Year.

It has me so focused on fueling my body with plants, everyday. I feel my mind is more clear, my skin is amazing, and I think about my healthy food choices and plan for them. Before joining Rawk the Year, I had participated in Jen’s 30 day green smoothie challenge. By doing so, I began incorporating green smoothies into my everyday. I have followed that almost daily for 10 years. A couple years ago, I was debating trying the 21 day cleanse. It took me awhile to determine if I was willing to commit, but when I did, I realized it was the best decision. I don’t look back, just forward on how I can continue to be a part of this amazing community. The community, accountability, and most of all Jen and her amazing team provide all the details from grocery lists and recipes to prep ideas and meal plans which to me is so significant. It keeps the guesswork and planning out of it for me and I simply have to execute the plan! Now, I’m focused on fueling my body with plants, every day. I feel my mind is more clear, my skin is amazing, and I think about my healthy food choices and plan for them.

I feel more confident about my future. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more cognizant of the need to take care of all of me – mind, body and spirit. Rawk the Year touches on all of those facets. 14 months ago, I gave up alcohol. I told myself that I deserved chocolate and sugar – NOT TRUE! Well, maybe a little true. But, what should have been a temporary misdirection turned into 13 months. With the Winter reset, I quit sugar, processed foods, chocolate, cut down on caffeine, and I don’t eat much meat. I’ll eat those occasionally, but it will be the exception, not the rule. I have so many favorite parts of Rawk the Year. In no particular order: I’ve discovered I liked foods that I never would have tried before. The recipes are delicious. I’ve lost weight. It’s starting to show in the way my clothes fit, which is great. It’s still a work in progress, but the scale is going the right way. The weight loss is a byproduct, it’s coming off because I’m eating healthier. I’ve broken up with sugar. Sugar and I had a tight relationship for a while, but I kicked it to the curb. Not eating sugar has helped me control my appetite so I’m not starving every few hours or less. And, when I am hungry, I reach for a healthy snack, like roasted almonds. The challenges and cleanses. I always learn from them. The support. Any time I have a question, I can send an email and get a kind, compassionate, supportive and helpful response. Now, I feel more confident about my future. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more cognizant of the need to take care of all of me – mind, body and spirit. Rawk the Year touches on all of those facets.