Lately I’ve been eating a lot more Vegan. After cutting dairy out of my diet a couple of weeks ago (in hopes of healing some ‘tummy troubles’) I’ve found myself eating a lot more plants-based foods and a whole lot less animal products. I’ve found that nixing dairy has already boosted my mood, up-ed my energy levels and even reduced my sugar cravings.

I went ‘vegan’ for a summer once and I absolutely LOVED it! …sadly, one drawback of a vegan diet is the reduced consumption of protein. Sure, vegetables have some protein, but you have to eat SO many just to come close to the amount found in meat… at least that’s what I thought! I mean, we NEED meat for the protein, right?! Well, it turns out that you can actually get plenty of protein from completely vegan sources! So whether you’re a hard-core vegan, or simply looking to cut down on the amount of animal products you consume, here are my favorite vegan-eats, loaded with plants-based protein!

BANZA!! You guys can imagine how pumped I was to receive several boxes of gluten free pasta, but I was REALLY excited when I found out that that it was LOADED with protein! A 3.5 oz serving has 25 grams of plants-based protein, 13 grams of fiber and only 6 grams of fat (less than 1 gram saturated fat.) Banza uses real ingredients like chickpeas and pea protein to make their pasta vegan, high fiber, protein-packed, soy-free, low Glycemic Index, non-GMO and gluten free! Their pasta is also lower in net carbs than traditional pasta! 

We actually made the shells for dinner tonight. We cooked up some red onions, red and yellow peppers and a few mushrooms. A little zesty marinara sauce added to the veggies created the perfect topping for these yummy shells. My mom LOVED the meal. To be honest, my dad kind of missed ‘the meatballs’ but he really enjoyed both the flavor and the texture of the pasta. (It’s one step at a time with my dad.) Check out http://www.eatbanza.com/ for more info on this delicious pasta! 

Betty Lou’s!! I just love this company! Betty Lou’s creates a wide variety of healthy options, but today I want to share some of their vegan-eats with you. Their Organic Just Great Stuff Bars are made with freeze-dried fruits and veggies and they make eating healthy easy! They’re gluten-free, vegan, soy-free and contain 4 or 5 grams of protein per bar. Loaded with antioxidants, these nourishing bars come in fun flavors like, Superberry-Acai and Chocolate-Dreams-Green. Delicious!

Betty Lou’s Nut Butter Balls are sure to keep any vegan full and satisfied between lunch and dinner. They are chewy and tasty and really worth looking for! Packed with a nourishing blend of rice and pea protein, each treat contains either 4 or 5 grams of protein! With fun flavors like Spirulina Ginseng, Almond Butter and Cashew Pecan these little treats taste more like dessert than a healthy snack! Some of the nut butter balls aren’t vegan (they contain casein-free whey) so be sure to check the labels! Here’s a link to the website so you can shop for yourself- http://www.bettylousinc.com/!

Have I convinced you that it’s possible to eat enough protein even if you limit your meat and dairy consumption?! How about trying a “Meatless Monday” next week, or simply grabbing one of these energizing eats instead of the usual ham-and-cheese sammie?! I guarantee you’ll be surprised at how much you love these goodies. You might even find yourself forgetting the meat all together! The healthy goodness and the variety of delicious high quality flavors will surely make you (and your tummy) smile!