30 Day Lolita Challenge : Day 4

Hello, everyone ! 

Ooops, falling behind on the 30 Day Challenge again ; a ; I always forget how busy I end up when I come back to Leicester, where I'm studying at university. Going back home to Liverpool is always such a nice, quiet holiday that when I come back it's almost a bit of a shock haha.

I pretty much love all food, I'm not a fussy eater whatsoever, but I have a lot of dietry restrictions which means that I'm completely vegan and I try to eat a mostly raw, plant-based diet as often as possible. I've decided to do more meal-based things, because I thought that would be more interesting. I'm planning a post soon about becoming a student and having a vegan diet, because students aren't often able to afford expensive things, and people think veganism is too expensive for them - and I'd like to prove this isn't the case 

But, for now : 10 Different Foods I like


1. I'm not sure if this actually counts as a food but I love smoothies ! I make fruit smoothies all of the time, they're so quick and easy to make and you can literally put anything in them. I usually always use one banana as a base, some ice cubes (because I like my smoothies to be thick enough to stand a spoon up in them), whatever nut milk I happen to have, a spoonful of chia seeds and then I throw in as much fruit as I can find ! Smoothies are excellent for first thing in the morning because they're quick to make and you can take them on your way to work or school with you - I've devised so many plans for getting an extra 15 minutes in bed in the morning.

2. Cinnamon Sweet Potato Winter Salad was my absolute staple food this winter. It's so cheap to make and it's really warming and an excellent comfort food, which is what I needed when I was feeling homesick at uni Cinnamon and sweet potato is not a combination I would ever have thought of myself, but it's so delicious I find myself recommending it to everyone !

Warm Sweet Potato Winter Salad
recipe from Deliciously Ella

3. Porridge oats. I love, love, love porridge and I'll eat it for near enough any meal of the day, not just breakfast ! I always top mine with tons of fruit - bananas, blueberries, chopped strawberries - sometimes nut butter, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, agave syrup, dark chocolate. The porridge possibilities are endless. Also, porridge oats can be used for so many different recipes - my sister often makes me cakes using porridge oats, I make my own muesli by binding oats with agave syrup and then baking them with lots of fruit, and overnight oats topped with different fruits, seeds and nuts is one of my favourite breakfasts ever.

Overnight Oats from the amazing Oh She Glows

4. I have a severe peanut allergy, so I steered clear of nut butter for years, but recently I've become obsessed with it ! Almond butter is probably my favourite, but cashew, walnut and hazelnut are also amazing. I recently tried dark chocolate and hazelnut butter, which tastes just like Nutella but has a million health benefits ! Nut butter on wholemeal toast with chopped bananas is my favourite.

5. As are bananas by themselves ! I must honestly eat at least 4 bananas a day, they're just so good either by themselves or in literally anything.

6. I can't believe it's taken me until now to include this on my list but avocados are also one of my favourite foods. I love them in salads, in wraps, on sandwiches, just by themselves, and even in smoothies to give them a creamier texture. You can make all kinds of amazing dips just from mashing up avocado with chillies or lemon.

7. Hummus is another of my very vegan obsessions ! I pretty much have it as a side with everything I eat now. One of my favourite things to cook when I'm feeling lazy is brown rice with spinach and sweet potato and I always have a huge dollop of hummus with it - it tastes amazing ! But it's also great for as a dip with sticks of veg, or on toast or as a butter substitute on sandwiches.

Hummus and veggie wrap from
Seeds 'n' Smiles

8. What would a list of my favourite vegan food be without falafel ? I eat SO much falafel - I buy packets of mix that you make up into whatever size you want and fry, so it's easy to make burgers if you want, or little balls to put in wraps. Stick it on top of a salad or just have it with some hummus ! I love quick and versatile food, and falafel definitely ticks all those boxes.

9. These sweet potato brownies were something I tried recently and absolutely loved. You make them using raw cacao powder and medjool dates - which are delicious and taste like toffee - basically just mix it all up in a food processor and then bake it. They're so sweet and gooey, just as good as real brownies only with all the goodness of their healthy ingredients.

10. Finally, my biggest guilty pleasure - Oreos. I can only begin to express how pleased I was to discover that these are vegan ! Every so often, I'll buy a pack and cosy myself up in my room with my favourite movies or books, make a cup of tea and devour the whole pack.

Vegan Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes !!

Okay, that was definitely the easiest one of these challenges I've done so far haha. Usually I have to sit and think about my answers properly, I managed to bang all these out in about 10 minutes ! I love food way too much. If anyone is thinking about becoming vegan, I hope this was helpful and showed you that vegan food can be quick, versatile and exciting - along with completely delicious.

Next Challenge : 10 Items From Your Wishlist