Meet Haile Thomas, the 18-year-old health activist, vegan food & lifestyle influencer, and the founder/CEO of the nonprofit HAPPY (aka, Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth). Michelle Obama has said that “Haile is an example for all of you, what your little powerful voices can do to change the world.”
Read on to see what the teen vegan powerhouse eats in a typical week.
MONDAY
Starting Monday off on the right foot is always my #1 priority, because we all know how easy it is to fall into the “I miss the weekend!!” trap. In the morning, I’ll usually have some kind of warm drink since it’s typically pretty chilly (I’m talking 30 degrees or lower) during this time of year. I like to alternate between the biggest hug, a mug of super rich and creamy coconut matcha, golden milk, and lemon ginger or peppermint tea.
During my teatime, I really enjoy being away from my phone and doing some gratitude/intention journaling or just gazing out the window indulging in my obsession with clouds! That always starts my day on such a peaceful and positive note, and I can move onto emails or project planning with a clear and ready mind. Mondays are often my day just to catch up and get back into the groove of anything I was working on the week before. I almost never schedule meetings on this day because I want to ensure I can be fully dedicated to getting back into work mode.
Monday lunches are all about replenishing the energy I’ve used up in the morning and continuing the momentum. And because I’m an entrepreneur who works from home, I have the absolute joy of just getting up and heading over to my kitchen to make anything I’d like! Lunchtime also provides a much-needed mental break from any of the work I was focused on, which is so great. My go-to is a quick lively bowl with some greens, roasted veggies, quinoa, and either a tahini- or cashew-based dressing. These kinds of lunches leave me dancing, happy and rejuvenated! I’ll usually photograph what I eat to post on Instagram later in the week.
TUESDAY
Tuesdays are normally the start of meetings, interviews or recipe testing for the week. When I’m really busy and have video shoots, or I’m working on content for some of the awesome brands I get to work with, I try to make my meals ridiculously easy. I start the morning off with some homemade granola (Golden Milk Granola is my fave!), a little bit of oat milk and fresh fruit. It takes me like 5 seconds to put everything together in a bowl and head to my desk to start working for the day.
On busy days like this, I tend to rely on snacks more than anything as I don’t want to interrupt my concentration or schedule too much — sunflower seed pesto with fresh veggies, or avocado toast loaded with mushrooms, pickled onions and some tangy artisan vegan cheese are definitely go-tos.
My mom, sister and I tend to alternate the responsibility of cooking dinner throughout the week. If I’m still working around 4:30/5pm, my mom will start making one of her classics, like Jamaican Escovitch Tofu or Oyster Mushroom Curry with coconut rice. There’s literally nothing better than the sizzle of a skillet and the smell of rich, cultural spices wafting through the air. And when it’s time to eat? Her food is literally the definition of comfort, filling up my belly and spirit. Any day my mom cooks is my favorite day.
WEDNESDAY
When it’s super cold out or snowing and you live in a small town in upstate New York, heading to a yoga class or the gym isn’t really an option. Instead, I love using apps to get some movement in at home. I try to do this at least four times a week, because when I do, I can really feel the difference in my energy and mood! Getting my heart pumping always leaves me feeling physically, but even more so, mentally refreshed.
I have a bit more pep in my step as I start the day. My refuel varies from veggie tofu scrambles with lots of cheesy nutritional yeast to really fun and creative oats. Both are super customizable so it is never really the same experience each time I eat them. For the tofu scramble, I like adding shiitake mushrooms, colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes, onions and parsley, with my one true love, avocado, on top! For my oats, I really go wild with the combos because I believe oatmeal should never be boring…so you can catch pumpkin, sweet potato, almond butter, berries, candied pecans, orange zest, and more in my oatmeal.
Because it’s the middle of the week, I love spicing up my schedule to re-energize. If I’m not already traveling or working on a cool project, I like to go on cute mini adventures during lunch. Some of my favorite things to do include: visiting a u-pick farm or a new vegan restaurant for inspiration, going for a stroll and taking photos at an art park like Storm King, or heading to open skate at our local rink. It just adds a nice break in the part of my work that can be heavily screen based.
THURSDAY
If you can’t tell by now, diversity within my week is super important to me…or else I’ll go a little crazy! It keeps me inspired and energized. Thursdays start with some reading. I’m doing a 50-book challenge this year and aim to get in an hour or two of reading before I start the day! It’s so peaceful and fun for me to dive into a whole other world or a really interesting topic for a few hours before I dive into mine.
A little later, I start filming some videos for a course I’m working on for my nonprofit, HAPPY. This takes up most of my time during the day because there’s limited daylight, but it’s a lot of fun working on planning and production and then finally putting everything together when I shoot!
Dinner is a lovely, spicy, incredibly flavorful vindaloo using Beyond Meat’s sausage as a protein. With its incredible texture and flavor, this sausage is one of my favorite vegan products to experiment with from time to time.
FRIDAY
Fridays are my day for planning content for the week ahead. I make a list of all the recipes I’d like to share and photos I want to take for my Instagram. Then I double check my fridge and pantry for ingredients and map out what I’ll need to do for lifestyle shots. And because I am currently working on a book (!!!), I majorly prioritize writing at the end of the week and usually split my time pretty evenly between both activities. I like Friday to be just a really chill and reflective day, so I don’t usually schedule any meetings either. As I’m in the zone planning and writing, I love having something hearty to power me through — like roasted purple potato wedges with mashed avocado to dip in!
In the evening, I wind down work a little early and watch a documentary (I’m also doing a 100-documentary challenge this year!) or read some more with the fireplace crackling, some lo-fi music playing softly in the background, and my whole body wrapped like a burrito in the coziest fluffy blanket. This is the best time for hot cocoa and coconut whip!
SATURDAY
Saturday breakfasts are always kind of fancy — and I love it. My family and I go all out, making crepes, pancakes, tofu Benedict, or whatever we’re really craving at the moment. It’s so much fun spending time with each other in the kitchen, laughing, talking about anything, and combining our creative powers to make the best breakfast. We’ll set the table, bust out the apple juice from our local farm, and dig in — all smiles style.
The rest of the day is mainly spent working on the content I planned on Friday, so most of our weekend lunches and dinners end up being Instagram recipes!
Saturday nights are my favorite. This is when I really get to indulge in some self-care. I’ll throw on a face mask, deep condition my hair, take a magnesium soak, and binge watch Nailed It! or Worst Cooks in America. It’s honestly the best.
SUNDAY
Sundays are my day for more R&R but also for preparing for the week ahead. I’ll start the day off by setting intentions and goals for the new week. When Monday comes around, I’m more focused and work with a clearer sense of purpose. Then it’s time to head to the farmers’ market! Whenever I’m in town, I try my best to make it there. Then I can shop locally for everything I need for the next few days or any special recipes I’m developing.
The farmers’ market is always an adventure. Often I’ll find really amazing ingredients, such as Hen of the Woods mushrooms, sea beans or watermelon radishes, that aren’t normally available at my regular grocery store. There’s a lovely Indian food vendor who makes the best chickpea yellow curry with idli, so I always grab a container of their food for lunch before heading back home with my veggies and other fun stuff from the market!
The rest of the day I spend with family. We watch movies, do DIY projects, and have a pretty fun and sometimes pretty intense game night at our house that I always look forward to. It’s these moments that make the weekend so sweet.
3 comments
I don’t usually get sucked into advertising content but I cook frequently and buy a fair amount of kitchen stuff from your store locations or via the inter webs. I was unaware of the role in advertising of guest personalities as “Internet influencers” until recently and have paid attention to the marketing strategies of my preferred brands as they attempt to influence my buying and loyalty choices. Of course the key factor to influence a target audience is relatability of the person, appeal of the product or product line, and the easy transition (in the mind of the target) of switching to the influencers way of thinking about something. The four influencers you present in the piece regarding open kitchen (which you do not define so I’m left to come up with my own definition) are so removed from my personal experience as to be completely ineffective as an influence. An 18 year old from New York with no formal education in food science or culinary arts – seriously, her only credential is Michelle Obama? People – Her followers are not buying your stuff. A self absorbed visa dodging Australian pretty boy, serving food I would step around if it was laying in the sidewalk. A Twinkie clean food “guru” who obsesses with “bootie busting workouts” and oversized garments. Maybe, just maybe the farmer in Orgeon but I’m not a farmer so, I don’t know. At least she is in pursuit of an honest living. The other three are “taking meetings and eating avocado toast” as they dash about. I feel so uninfluenced and so oddly outside your target demographic. maybe you didn’t really want me to read all this tripe. Anyway seems like a lot of effort for zero traction. I do respect the effort. What the hell is an open kitchen? Define your product please.
I think what you said was very logical. However, what about this?
suppose you were to create a killer headline?
I ain’t suggesting your content isn’t solid, but suppose you added
a post title that makes people desire more? I mean A Week of Eating with Haile Thomas, the Teen Vegan Sensation and Founder of HAPPY | Williams-Sonoma Taste is kinda vanilla.
You should glance at Yahoo’s front page and watch how they create post titles
to grab people interested. You might add a related video or a picture
or two to get people excited about what you’ve written. In my opinion,
it might make your posts a little livelier.
Greetings! Quick question that’s completely off
topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly?
My website looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a
theme or plugin that might be able to fix this issue.
If you have any suggestions, please share. Thanks!