Forks Over Knives

I recently watched a documentary called Forks Over Knives and it was filled with incredible information.  Throughout the last few months I have been debating whether I should stay vegan or add dairy back in and be vegetarian.  This documentary sealed the deal.  I will be vegan for a long time.

This documentary discussed many studies done all over the world.  One of the studies in the U.S. proved that casein, the protein found in cow's milk, can actually create a cancerous tumor.  Decreasing dairy will literally dissolve the tumor.  Isn't that amazing? 

Another study in Norway found that deaths were increasing right up to when the German's invaded during World War II.  The German's took all of the meat for themselves and left only plant based foods for the Norwegians.  Deaths decreased dramatically over the German occupation of Norway.  Here's a chart to prove it:

Once the German's left the country, the people of Norway started in their old ways and added meat back into their diet.  Deaths increased.

One of the things this documentary discussed that was shocking was the people on the board of nutrition.  This board creates what we all know as the food pyramid (now plate).  Meat and dairy are two things that are very important in our daily diet, according to the food pyramid.  One thing that you may not know is that every single person on that board has financial ties to the meat and dairy industries.


When I tell people that I'm vegan, the first question is, "Where do you get your protein?"  Everyone around the world immediately thinks of protein in meat and calcium in dairy.  That's not the case.  It's a misconception.  We've been lied to our entire lives! 

I'm going to purchase a little book called The China Study.  I've started reading it online and so far it's awesome!  There's so much information out there that we don't know about, or that has been given to us wrongly.  That upsets me and it makes me want to do all the research that I can possible do.

After watching Forks Over Knives I've decided that I will be raising my future children vegan.

The End of 2011

Can you believe 2012 is just around the corner?  That means one more year left for civilization...according to the Mayans.

Let's look back on the year...

January 2011: My New Year's Resolution was to slowly become a vegetarian, then a full vegan by the end of the year.

March 2011: I became a full vegan.

May 2011: I took a trip to Mammoth Mountain, CA and had way too much fun for a work trip.
      I went to Boston for the first time and fell in love with the city.  It's big, but not New York big.  The streets are crowded with people, but in a pleasant way.

August 2011: Baby Walter is born on August 11.
     Family road trip!  We drove to Vegas and spent the evening with friends we haven't seen in years!  Then we drove to Carpinteria, CA for my cousin's beautiful wedding.  After the wedding we drove up to Lake Tahoe, another place I've never been.  I decided that it's overrated.

September 2011: Another family trip to Wisconsin for a week.  We only get back every couple of years.  Cheesehead for life!

October 2011: I get to meet Baby Walter!  I flew up to Boise for the weekend and spent it holding Walter, burping Walter, and handing Walter off when he needed to be changed.  Such a cute boy, that Dubya!

November 2011: Work trip to Copper Mountain, CO.  Not as fun as Mammoth...

December 2011: I turned 27!

My brother, Matt, comes home from New York on Saturday.  I'm excited to have him home, but he'll be here for two and a half weeks.  That's a lotta Matt!  Ok, ok, it's not just a lotta Matt.  I know that we're all going to be spending as much time together as possible, and that's a lotta family time! 

Happy holidays everyone!  The next post comes from the New Year.  Stay tuned for my 2012 New Year's Resolution!

New Year's Resolutions 2012

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away, which means Christmas is just a few weeks away, and my 27th birthday is a week and a half away.  This year has flown by!  I used to think that time went by so slowly.  Wait, isn't that a song?  "Time goes by...so slowly (slowly, slowly, slowly), time goes by....so slowly (slowly, slowly, slowly)".  Madonna?

During my school years, I used to tell my dad that my days were going by way too slowly, mostly because I hated school and didn't want to be sitting in a classroom all day.  He told me, "Wait until you get older.  Time will fly by.  I don't even know where the last 20 years went."  Whelp, here I am, flying through time. 

I have been going over a few things to try out for my New Year's Resolution. On the top of the list is a gluten-free diet.  Yes, that would mean I would be a gluten-free vegan.  Luckily, I already have the Gluten-Free Vegan cookbook! 

Another thing on the list is to read a book a week like I did last year.  I have really cut back on my book reading.  I think I've read like 5-7 books this year, quite a few less than my 52 the previous year. 

Maybe I should choose something really difficult.  Obviously my diet and reading have already been conquered, but what about exercise.  As much as I love to trail run in the summer and fall, what do I do in the winter?  Ski!  How about I make a resolution to ski 100 time this year?  I have already been out once, what's another 99 more?  How about running on the treadmill every day of the week?  I'd love to be one of those people that runs 5 miles every day!  The thing that is difficult for me is that I work in the evening and there is no way I'm getting up at 5:30am to run, as much as I wish I had the energy at that hour of the morning.  5:30pm is a better time for me.

Considering the world is supposed to end on Dec. 21, 2012, maybe I should vow to live my life to the absolute fullest through the entire year.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  Have you thought about what you'll do for 2012?

Dinner

Veggie burger, brown rice and brussel sprouts. Yum!

Just sometimes...

Most people think that being vegan is difficult and expensive.  It's neither.  I learned everything I needed to within the first month I was vegan, and I spend just as much money on veggies and whole grains that I would on meat and dairy.

Today is a day that I will say that being vegan is difficult.  I feel weird.  My heart is beating faster than usual, I'm shaky, and I feel really anxious and it can't be controlled.  I know exactly why.  It's because I haven't been eating enough.  What seems like enough really isn't.  A few weeks ago I counted my calories in one day.  I didn't even make it to 1,000.  Today, it's after lunch, and I haven't even hit the 500 mark.  I really need to eat more!

Some say that losing weight means cutting out calories.  That's true...to an extent.  Not eating enough calories can actually sustain your weight or make you gain more.  The key is eating the good calories.  I try to follow the Superhero plan, but that's where it gets expensive and difficult.  It would be even more difficult for me to get the appropriate amount of calories.  Obviously, eating under 1000 calories in one day is not nearly enough for me.  I should be around 1300 - 1400, which could be another meal, or a couple healthy snacks in the middle of the day.

Time to rethink my daily meals!

Carmela Soprano's Baked Ziti...veganized!

Last night I made an attempt at making one of my favorite dishes from before I went vegan.  I just changed up a few things and veganized it so I could enjoy this delicious novelty!  Here's the recipe:

1 box/package of ziti
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
1 package of mushrooms
1 (or 2, depending on how cheesy you want it) package Italian blend cheese, or mozzerella
2 jars marinara
Any other veggies you wish to add...green peppers would be a very good addition!

Cook ziti using direction on box/package. While ziti is cooking, brown the sausage.  Once the sausage is almost done cooking add the mushrooms.  Add the marinara to the sausage and mushroom mixture. Simmer until warm. 

When the ziti is done cooking, combine the marinara mixture with the noodles.  In a baking pan, spray with Pam. Add one layer of noodles, then a layer of cheese.  Add another layer of noodles, then one more layer of cheese.  Layer as many times as you'd like, I usually do two layers.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until cheese is browned and edges are crispy!

Enjoy!

Here's the veganized version:

1 box/package of brown rice/whole wheat ziti
1 lb. vegan Italian sausage (I prefer Field Roast)
1 package of mushrooms
1 package of Daiya mozzerella cheese
2 jars marinara

It's pretty similar, I'm just substituting the non-vegan items for vegan items. Done and done!  The cooking directions are the same, but the vegan Italian sausage doesn't take very long to cook.

I have yet to find a vegan cheese that actually tastes good.  I thought I had found it with this Daiya brand, but that's a big negatory.  It's not stringy like regular cheese. Someone please help me find this cheese!  I know, I'll invent it myself.  Who's with me?

Walter

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to fly to Boise to meet Amy and Bob's baby, Walter.  We had so much fun, and I brought him his first cheesehead!  He's a little too small for it right now, but he'll grow into it soon enough.

I haven't been around too many babies in the past, so Amy was happy to show me what to do.  Walter is only two months old and I can tell already that Amy was a natural at taking care of her little guy!

Isn't he a cutie??

I feel awful that I can't be there to see him grow into a handsome little boy and one day a strapping young lad.  Maybe I should move to Boise, eh?

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Just made some vegan Mac & Cheese from Chef Chloe. Not as good as I was hoping. It's been difficult finding things that taste like cheese so I will be the first to admit it...Vegan "cheese" is crap!

A few words from Eating Animals, Part III

I just read one of the hardest things to read in this book. Foer describes the process of "thumping", which is what factory farm workers do to the runts of the pig litter.

"Picked up by their hind legs, they are swung and then bashed headfirst onto the concrete floor."

A Missouri farmer describes what he has done, which I won't type out here because I got to the point where I was crying so hard that I couldn't see well enough to keep reading. I've had to put this book down three times in 7 pages and collect myself.

Every time I sit down to read this book I think, "how could I have ever eaten meat and not know about all of these inhumane, immoral, and unethical acts that are going on in these factory farms. My heart is completely broken.

Now I have to go back to work looking like I just found out something awful, which I did.

Eating Animals, pages 132-137

Read 'em.  I'm crying.

A few words from Eating Animals, part 2

"Needless to say, jamming deformed, drugged, overstressed birds together in a filthy, waste-coated room is not very healthy.  Beyond deformities, eye damage, blindness, bacterial infections of bones, slipped vertebrae, paralysis, internal bleeding, anemia, slipped tendons, twisted lower legs and necks, respiratory diseases, and weakened immune systems are frequent and long-standing problems on factory farms.  Scientific studies and government records suggest that virtually all (upwards of 95 percent of) chickens become infected with E. coli (an indicator of fecal contamination) and between 39 and 75 percent of chickens in retail stores are still infected.  Around 8 percent of birds become infected with salmonella (down from several years ago, when at least one in four birds was infected, which still occurs on some farms).  Seventy to 90 percent are infected with another potentially deadly pathogen, campylobacter.  Chlorine baths are commonly used to remove slime, odor, and bacteria.

"Of course, consumers might notice that their chickens don't taste quite right -- how good could a drug-stuffed, disease-ridden,shit-contaminated animal possibly taste? -- but the birds will be injected (or otherwise pumped up) with "broths" and salty solutions to give them what we have come to think of as the chicken look, smell, and taste."

The next time you think you're making a healthier choice by eating chicken instead of read meat, go ahead and re-read this post.

A few words from Eating Animals

"KFC chickens are almost always killed in thirty-nine days. They're babies. Thats how rapidly they're grown. Salatin's organic free-range chicken is killed in forty-two days. 'Cause it's still the same chicken. It can't be allowed to live any longer because it's genetics are so screwed up. Stop and think about that: a bird that you simply can't let live out of it's adolescence."

Birds raised for poultry can't reproduce naturally anymore. Because of all the genetic alterations, they are all artificially inseminated. They are reproducing deformed birds. Since all factory farmed animals (even free-range/cage-free, which only legally means "access to the outdoors", and only occasionally) are in such tight quarters, they literally go mad, attacking each other, and sometimes killing each other. They are left there to be trampled, which causes disease to spread. These birds are what you eat.

Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer

I just started reading Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I'm about 40 pages in and I'm already blown away!  There are so many amazing facts in here.  Not only facts, but also really great questions for carnivores to think about.  I have already decided that the next time someone asks me why I'm vegan, I will say, "Read the book Eating Animals.  It will explain everything."

Brilliant!

I had to write a quick post about it.  Read the book!

PETA's Ingrid Newkirk

I just read one of the best interviews since being vegan.  PETA president and Co-founder, Ingrid Newkirk, sat down with Forbes to discuss animal cruelty on all levels. Ingrid even discusses religion and how animal cruelty relates to so many different points of view.  Here's my favorite part:


MT: What do you think makes humans ignore some cruelties?
IN: At PETA, we often say that the issue of how animals are treated isn’t just about them; it’s about us, how we behave.  It is about what we are thinking when we do violent things to others whom we find it difficult to relate to or whom we dismiss as too unimportant to take into consideration at all. A lot of people have culturally induced ethical blindness, but they can be cured! A lot of people profess to holding religion dear. One of the main tenets of Buddhism is that “all lives are equal.” Confucianism teaches us that “we shall treat everything in the world as one.” Jesus talked of being kind even to the “least of them,” of watching out for the smallest sparrow. Judaism and Islam have wonderful teachings about kindness to animals as a prime virtue. Whether or not we are religious, respecting others should be seen as just as important as looking out for ourselves, yet it requires discipline to change our bad habits that cause pain to animals. I think that the more we learn about animals, the harder it is to abuse them. For instance, that the average dog in a human family learns hundreds of household words without being taught them. Ants build boats to cross streams. Bats take food to nearby bats who are sick. Chimpanzees, crows, elephants, and even fish use tools. Octopuses learn how to open a jar simply by watching a person do it. Elephants cradle their dead relatives’ bones in their trunks, tears pouring down their faces. Little desert rats collect dew by rolling a stone in front of their burrow. Geese and pigeons mate for life, mourn, and become demonstrably depressed if a mate dies. All these things and many others have been measured, witnessed, studied, and published.

This part was very personal to me.  I have been criticized by family members for being vegan because it's not "God's way".  I beg to differ.  As Ingrid said above, "Jesus talked of being kind even to the 'least of them'."  I've never really known how to win this argument, but this is a great quote.  During the Last Supper, Jesus at bread and drank wine.  No meat.  Interesting, eh?


Ingrid really knows how to answer all of the typical questions (which is why she's the president), so the full article is definitely worth a read.  Here it is!

I Am Vegan

I absolutely love it when other's blogs inspire me. Today, I read Kiss Me, I'm Vegan! and the author decided to write her reasons for being vegan. She was inspired by This Vegan Life.

I decided to write the reasons for why I am vegan. So, without further adieu, here they are:

...because it breaks my heart to know that there are so many farm animals in the world being treated cruelly and inhumanely. I completely agree with what The Bible says on God putting animals on this earth for food. However, the people in Biblical times did not hold these animals hostage in small cages to fatten up, or cut of the beaks and feet of chickens so their only purpose is to lay eggs, or impregnate female cows so unnaturally frequent just to create milk. Humans used to work for their meat by hunting. Let's be honest, the human species has become a lazy one. What other species on earth keeps their food in cages?

...because I am living the healthiest lifestyle. I feel so healthy and have never felt so good about my body. Sure, I've lost weight, but the overall feeling of health is beyond the physical aspects. I haven't been sick since I started my vegan life, and since I've been taking my iron and multi-vitamin supplements, I have a ton of energy. In fact, I have so much energy that I have been pushing myself so hard out on the trails. I'm sprinting up mountains! It's the best feeling I've had in years!

...because I'm avoiding all of those deadly diseases. Did you know that when you're a carnivore, your intestines are lined with animal fat? That doesn't just go away with a quick detox. I am avoiding several kinds of cancer just from that area of my body. I'm also avoiding heart disease, diabetes, and so many other harmful things.

...because I have amazing bowl movements! This is something most people won't discuss, but leave it to me! Thanks to my BFF and college roomie, I have no problem whatsoever discussing my bowl movements. I'm proud to say that I have the softest stool in the world...and it's regular!

...because I've never tasted such delicious and flavorful foods in my life! Before I went vegan, I had never heard of quinoa and millet, or umeboshi plums and daikon. I am eating so many vegetables each day that in my six months of being vegan, I'm pretty sure I've passed myself up on the veggies I ate throughout my entire life. I'm eating whole grains and natural foods, and they all taste amazing!

There are so many other reasons to go vegan, even if it's just to lose a few pounds. But be prepared to change emotionally. I didn't feel this way about farm animals when I first started. Now, it's my reason for staying vegan, and it's an incredible feeling!

Giving up dairy

I just read the latest post from the blog Kiss Me, I'm Vegan. This post is titled The Top Fifteen Kiss-Worthy Reasons To Put The Mozzarella Cheese Stick Down And Finally Kick Your Dairy Habit!

1) I need to learn to not read these kinds of posts at work because I end up tearing up at my computer.

2) It's a really great list of reasons to give up animal's milk and kick the dairy out of your diet completely.

If you're considering going vegan, I know this list will help you make the final decision. Here's the quote that made me cry, and one of the reasons for why I became vegan back in March:

“The very saddest sound in all my memory was burned into my awareness at age five on my uncle’s dairy farm in Wisconsin. A cow had given birth to a beautiful male calf… On the second day after birth, my uncle took the calf from the mother and placed him in the veal pen in the barn—only ten yards away, in plain view of his mother. The mother cow could see her infant, smell him, hear him, but could not touch him, comfort him, or nurse him. The heartrending bellows that she poured forth—minute after minute, hour after hour, for five long days—were excruciating to listen to. They are the most poignant and painful auditory memories I carry in my brain.” - Michael Klaper M.D

This quote really hit close to home because my family is from Wisconsin and I grew up eating meat and cheese. If I knew at a younger age what was actually going on in all those farms we drove past, I think I would have changed my diet much sooner.

Are you ready for some football?

I am a huge Packer fan! I was born into this world with a cheesehead on my head. My parents had a Packer onesie for me and my brother to wear when we were babies. Both of my parents were born and raised in Wisconsin. My mom is from Milwaukee and my dad is from New London, a small town about an hour west of Green Bay. Both were born and raised as Pack fans. We bleed green and gold.

We threw a huge Super Bowl party when the Packers beat the Patriots in the '96, and another party when they lost to the Broncos back in '97. I have pictures, but they're not digital.

We were going to throw a huge party for this last year's Super Bowl because we were remodeling the house and it would be have been the perfect place to hold this party, but the renovations weren't complete and we were stuck in the teeny tiny back office space...just the three of us. See below. We are VERY excited.

Like I said, we bleed green and gold. This blood runs through our family. Here we are at my aunt and uncle's house in Waupaca, WI for a regular season game in 2009. This will happen again on September 25 when the Pack plays daaaa Bears. Too bad they're not at home. I would be there in a heartbeat!

Lately, I've been keeping up with the Packer training camp and watching videos from interviews to see how things are going. When I was in Vegas last week I went to the sports betting area and saw that the Pack are at the top for bets on another Super Bowl victory!

The Pack will open the season on September 8 when they play the New Orleans Saints on their home turf. Get ready for a bunch of Lambeau Leaps!

Chocolate Beer Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey Buttercream

To be honest...

Since I wrote the post on things to cut out of my diet until August 10, I have had two pasta meals. I decided that I need to write down my goals and have them in front of me at all times. Today is a new day and a fresh start, so here are my goals (which I will literally write down and keep near me always):

1. Stop eating 3 hours before going to bed. In The Kind Diet, Alicia talks about how it's better for digestion and a restful sleep to go to bed on an empty stomach. For me, I should stop eating by 7:30 each night. The issue is that I have a second job in the evenings. I leave work at 5 and start my 2nd job at 5:30, so I eat dinner at 5:10ish. By the time I get home at 9 or so, I'm hungry again. This leads to my next point.


2. Portion control. I have always been a big eater, meaning I eat a lot of food at each meal. I need to have more snack foods around so I'm not starving by the time I have my meals. I need to concentrate on eating my meals at the usual times, but snacking in between. One snack at 10am, another at 3pm, then another right before the cut-off at 7:30. It's 10am right now and I'm having one of my amari and seaweed rice cakes!


3. Drink more water. The last few days I've had some serious dehydration headaches. It's starting to get hot here in Utah (finally!) so drinking tons of water is key. I get these headaches and then I start drinking water. I need to drink water before the headaches start and avoid them.


4. Stay Superhero. I've recently taken on a full superhero diet, but haven't been doing very well with it. I need to be much more strict and really cut out processed foods, eat tons of whole grains and veggies, cut back on fruits, nuts, and soy milk. I might need to get back into this next week since I'm dog sitting and working so much this week, that I don't really have time to cook these healthy meals. I've been resorting to the Simply Asian microwaveable noodle bowls and Near East couscous.

That's it! It's good to write these things down. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to go get a big glass of ice water!

Lundberg's Amari with Seaweed

Lundberg's Amari with Seeweed Organic Rice Cakes are delicious! I saw an blog post on The Kind Life about them, so I thought I'd give them a go. I am always looking for healthy snacks to have at 10am and in the afternoon before dinner.

TRY THEM!

Until August 10...

Last night I decided that in order to meet my goal weight by August 10 I need to give up a few things.

• Bread -- which I rarely eat any way, but I'm including tortillas, pitas, chips, stuff like that
  
• Pasta -- this is going to be the most difficult part for me...pasta is my go-to food!
• Alcohol -- now I might not give it up entirely (I've already stopped drinking on weekdays), but I plan to scale way back. I know I will still need my brewski on Friday nights after work.

I've already given up so many other foods this year, so why not a few more?

I'm really really really going to try to give up sweets, but sugar shows the body that it's full. I might need to find something extra super healthy and sweet to snack on after meals.

Jillian Michaels

There's something about The Biggest Loser that makes me want to run on the treadmill. When I was doing treadmill workouts, I would put that show on and it would make me incredibly inspired. To think that those obese people are running and working out for five hours each day to make themselves healthy and happy and I'm sitting at a desk all day, maybe getting in a 30 minute run, is kind of depressing.

I'm constantly looking for inspiration. I think I have plenty of extrinsic motivation, but I struggle with the instrinsic, which is the most important.

Jillian Michaels can be very motivational. I just read this article from Fitness Magazine and Jillian has a really great quote after being asked what's the best way to motivate yourself:

"Ask, What do I want? For a twentysomething, it might be to wear a bikini. For a 70-year-old, it might be to live to 100. Next, form an emotional connection to your goal. Then when you choose between a bagel and egg whites for breakfast, you make the choice with your goal in mind. That's what I do. I'm extra­ordinarily mindful about making decisions."

I think this is good instrinsic motivation. I want to look good in a bikini and I know that eating unhealthy things will not help me with that goal. I know that sitting on the coach instead of going trail running will not help me with that goal.

I wrote another post on Jillian back in January. I just re-read my answers to the questions she asked. I think it would be beneficial to go back to those answers every week.

Another show I'm totally into is Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. It's on Monday nights right after I get home from work, which is slightly inconvenient because it's too late to workout. It's the same basic idea as The Big Loser as far as helping obese people understand nutrition and the importance of exercise except the host, Chris Powell, concentrates on one person for an entire year.

So, my devoted followers, tell me what motivates you, both extrinsically and intrisically.

Kale Chips

I recently read that kale chips are one of the most healthy snacks out there, so I bought some kale and made some at home.

They were pretty delish! They are super easy to make. All you need to do is:

-Buy a bunch of kale
-Tear off the leafy part
-Place the leaves on parchment paper on a cookie sheet
-Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt
-Bake at 350 deg. for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.

Done! They're nice and crispy right out of the oven!

Lately

Lately I've been trying to be a superhero vegan. That means eating entirely organic veggies, nothing processed, no tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant, more whole grains, and cutting back on fruit and sugars. I have been doing pretty well, but I think I'm stuck at my current weight and I don't know why. I've been working out like mad lately. I pump iron 2-3 days each week, trail run about 3 times per week, and try to get out for an hour and a half to two hour hike on the weekends. I even did one of those cable pilates and yoga classes. The weight is still hanging out at the same spot, not going down at all. I understand that I'm probably gaining muscle, but I don't feel like the fat is going away.

GOAL: 145 lbs. by August 10, 2011

Current weight: 155...last time I checked, which was a few weeks ago. Yes, it's up 6 lbs. from May 14.

Wish me luck!

Feelin' Crafty

I have been feeling super crafty lately. I just created an account through a website called Pinterest and am having way too much fun finding ideas for my future house. Now all I want to do is decorate and paint walls and buy pillows with fun patters and textures. And I'm pretty sure I've come to the conclusion that I need to live in a big city in a skyscraper. I don't think I can afford that right now, but it would be ideal.

Cities I'd like to live in:

• Denver
• Chicago
• Washington D.C.
• Boston

I would honestly move anywhere with the right job, but those are the perfect cities for my first move out of the mountain town I've lived in for 26 years.

Can I please move now? I'm so desperate to live somewhere other than Utah.

Doesn't this look delicious? That's because it is! I made this for dinner last night. It's from The Kind Diet, Thin Mushroom Pizza.

It starts with whole wheat tortillas, topped with a tofu/vegenaise/lemon juice sauce, and sauteed onions, garlic, olives, shiitake mushrooms, and I substituted regular mushrooms for porcini, because I couldn't find them in Whole Foods. Oh, and it's topped with fresh basil. Here's the recipe if you're interested.

Yum, yum, yum!!

I'm having leftovers for lunch and dinner today!

Future Home

I have been watching a lot of HGTV and checking out decorating ideas online a lot lately. I'm definitely ready to move and start fresh. Through this process I learned that I love gray, mustard yellow, and burnt orange. I think these will be the colors I decorate my house with.






I also have a new favorite band. These guys:



Everyone should love them for their album artwork alone.

Vegan update: I decided to try Superhero for a month. I haven't been losing weight. I'm kind of stuck. I started working out, weight lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, walking on my lunch hour Tuesday and Thursday, trail running after work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and hiking on Saturday and Sunday. I might give myself Sunday off, but right now I'd like to be doing something every day. With that routine I can't image why I wouldn't lose weight, especially with the Superhero plan.

Father's Day Dinner

I made red potatoes with rosemary, veggies, and corn on the cob all on the grill for Father's Day. Of course, my dad's plate included a huge steak, but still. Pretty delish!

Trail Running

Last Friday was my first day out hiking. The whole month of May was very busy for me, and just before I left for New York there was still tons of snow on the trails. When I returned, the snow was finally gone! I hiked Friday and Sunday and am so excited to start trail running today. I know I will need to start out slow, since I'm not quite in running shape yet, but today will be great!

I took Babsy up on both days last week, but the first day I kept her on the leash in case there was more mud than I expected. On Sunday I let her off the leash, but she did get muddy paws with the snow melt coming across the trails in a few spots. It rained pretty hard last night so hopefully it's not too muddy. I know how much she loves going off the leash and having that freedom.

I still need to invest in some trail running shoes. I found a pair on Under Armour that look neat, plus I get 50% off since they're a sponsor of USSA. I might need to buy those soon. I did buy some nice Columbia hiking shoes from www.steepandcheap.com that were just $30! Whipped those out for the first time last week, so I still need to break them in.

Also, I'm hungry.

Pet Peeve

During my few months of being vegan I have realized the ultimate pet peeve, which I used to pose around vegans just one year ago.

As I said in my last post, my cousin came to Utah last summer for our grandma's funeral. She has been a vegan for many years and only tried to educate my family when we asked questions about the vegan way of life. In return, we came back with angry responses, which I now fully regret.

I have had those angry responses from both family and friends. My father was the first to criticize. His reasoning is entirely religious. God put animals on this earth so we can eat them. Then why don't we fry up my Golden Retriever, Babs? Why don't you boil your precious little kitten? I think those are legitimate questions for those who don't understand. This is one of the first things I read about in The Kind Diet and what ultimately made my decision to go vegan. It's a great question, don't you think? Why eat just livestock and poultry and fish? Why not go for the endangered panda bear or your very own pet? Maybe God put animals on this earth so we humans can eat them to survive, but let's think about this for a minute. God also put all of these amazing fruits, vegetables, and grains (half of which I hadn't even heard of until I became vegan) on this earth for humans to eat, too.

I'm one of those people that believes that all dogs go to heaven. I also believe that the rest of God's creatures go to heaven. This means they have a soul. How could my dog, Babs, the most loving dog on the planet, not have a soul? You have to have a soul to love, don't you? My dog loves me with all her heart, and that's proven every time I leave the house. My mom tells me she walks around sulking and lays in my bed all day waiting for me to come home. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Now I'm just getting side-tracked. I began this blog with a pet peeve. That pet peeve is simply judgement. Why must everyone around me judge me for being vegan? This makes me want to pursue this even more! If they think they're going to change my perspective on this, they're absolutely wrong. I'm the kind of person that when you push, I shove. Put me down all you want. So I don't eat meat, dairy, eggs, what have you. I feel amazing! I used to get angry pretty easily. Now, I feel absolutely no hostility towards anyone or anything. I feel so laid back and calm, it's actually hard for even me to believe. Holding the infamous Steinbach gene that automatically gives you a short temper and impatience was not easily avoidable.

And why does everyone want me to fall off the wagon? You all hope that I'm going to fail, why? I can happily tell you that I never crave meat...ever! I thought I would in the beginning, or even a month or more into it, but nope.

I will tell you the benefits of being vegan and the amazing life changes that I've witnessed, but I will never try to force being vegan upon you. You can eat whatever you want, so let me eat whatever I want. And stop judging me. Only God can judge me for my decisions, and I doubt he's judging me for being a healthy human being and taking care of His creation.

This concludes Act I of Chelsea's Venting.

And P.S. If any of you are thinking that I'm not getting my protein and calcium, you are wrong. I have done my research and have found many foods that fully provide my daily intake of both food groups.

Month 3: Vegan

I have now been vegan for 3 months, June 1 started month 4. I would have weighed myself on June 1, but I was in New York. I would have weighed myself this morning, but I'm just finishing up the monthly and thought my bloated-ness would have taken away from my real weight. I will weigh myself on Friday and keep all my amazing followers posted (I believe my followers equal approximately zero).

Ok, so I went to New York, with a detour to Boston where I had one spoonful of clam chowda, one piece of lobsta, and one muscle. That's it! I told myself before going that I would try small pieces of things. At least it was all seafood, and it wasn't all in one day. Some vegans eat seafood and fish, so I ok'ed it with myself.

I don't think I've ever felt so good about this change. I feel good mentally, physically, and spiritually. My complexion is amazing (I still get the typical zit every once in awhile), I'm still losing weight (not sure how much as of today), and I absolutely love telling people that I'm vegan. I've never been so proud!

I do have to admit that my reasons for being vegan have changef slightly. I am still doing it for the health reasons, but the animal rights reason has increased significantly. I think that health and animal rights are now 50/50. I don't ever crave meat or dairy products because every time I see a commercial for a cheeseburger on tv, I always think about what that cow had to go through to get in between those two pieces of bread. And then I think of the pain the cow suffered to get the milk from her utters to make the milk and butter in that bread, and the cheese on that meat patty.

One year ago, my vegan cousin was in town for my grandma's funeral. She had all of these facts and information about everything vegan and I didn't even bother to read them because I didn't agree. I was honestly judging her for her decision to be vegan and sort of looked down on her because of it. That is one of my biggest regrets. I hate thinking back to that time and realizing that I did that and felt that way about the vegan lifestyle.

Since I have been vegan, my dad keeps saying the word "diet". "Can you eat that on your diet?" I feel like he thinks this is a temporary thing and I'll be back on meat and cheese in no time. I don't know if I'll be a lifelong vegan, but I do know that it's something that will be a long-term lifestyle for me. I don't know that I like the word "diet" when it comes to being vegan. It's much more than that. It is a way of life. I haven't gotten to the point where I won't wear my leather boots, but I know that I'm heading in that direction.

Ooh! Like I said earlier, I went to New York and Boston last week and I had some amazing vegan food! I had a whole list of restaurants that I wanted to go to when I was in New York, but I didn't get to any of those. I did, however, have the opportunity to go to Peace O' Pie in Boston, a vegan pizza company. I'll be the first to admit that vegan cheese isn't nearly as good as real cheese, but this pizza was pretty delicious. We had The Classy, which is artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, and kalamata olives. It was a bit more expensive than a regular pie, but it was totally worth it. I was able to show my brother and a good friend that being vegan can mean eating delicious food. We also went to this place called Other Side Cafe, where I ordered the Buffalo Tempeh sandwich. Yum!

If any of you vegans are going to Boston or New York I have a huge list of vegan-friendly restuarants, most of which are entirely vegan!

Mammoth, CA

I'm back from Mammoth and I'm proud to say that I had WAY too much fun for a work trip. I made so many great friends and had the time of my life!

I weighed myself this morning thinking that I maybe gained weight because eating on the road is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Nope! I have officially lost 12 pounds since I started!! SO EXCITED!

I think I'm finally ready to come clean about my weight. So, about three years ago I was a hefty 194. Then I fell in love and lost 30 pounds. Stupid boys! So I was sitting at 163 for about two years, up until I started going veggie, which started around January 8ish. Then when I went fully vegan, on March 1, I was 161. Now, I'm happy to say that I am 149! This is literally the slimmest I've been in FOREVER! I don't remember ever being this weight. My driver's license from when I was 16 said 150, and that was a lie.

Starting out, my goal weight was between 140-145, so I'm so close! There might even be more weight to lose after I've reached that, too. One thing that hasn't really changed is my clothes size. I have gone down a size in pants, and my stomach is actually flat, which I don't ever remember not having a bit of a gut, so that's good. But I would have expected to be a smaller size in pants by now. I just bought my first pair of jeggings. They do feel a bit loose in the upper thigh and ass area, so maybe I could have bought a size smaller, but they still look good.

I have noticed lately (just in the last few days) that I have been craving food with meat. For example, when I'm drunk or hungover, I love greasy food. Yesterday on the drive home I really could have used a big beefy burrito. But as soon as I start thinking that way, I realize what I would be giving up, and what would be killed for me. Yes, my thoughts on animal rights have changed significantly since I started. But fast food is so convenient! If they had vegan fast food chains, or even vegan options in fast food restaurants, I would be a happy camper! But no, I have to go into Whole Foods to find a good snack or a filling meal.

Anyway, just thought I'd give an update since I haven't in a few weeks. Keeping this thing updated when travelling is tough!

P.S. Mammoth is AMAZING! Get there now if you haven't been.

Travels

This week is going to be a lot of work. I'm working my second job on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. I'm dog sitting Wednesday through Sunday. I have two personal days to use up by the end of this week, so I'm taking tomorrow and Friday off, which means I have a TON to do before leaving for Mammoth early Monday morning. Right now I should be organizing and gathering things to bring in the car, but nope! I'm to the point where I have way too many things to do, but can't bring myself to do it all. So here I am, writing on my blog.

On Sunday, I made quite a tasty Easter dinner for my family and a family friend. I made scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, chive biscuits, and a tofu fritatta (which was my substitute for the ham that everyone else ate). Once again, I did not take pictures. I really do suck at that. Our guest brought a vegan chocolate cake that was delish!

Weight update: I have lost 10 pounds since I started on March 1. All of my clothes are starting to feel loose, especially my jeans. I have three pairs of skinny jeans that aren't skinny anymore, so tomorrow I'm going shopping for jeggings, just as a quick fix. I don't want to buy pants until I've lost most of my weight and actually know what size to buy. I don't want to buy something now and then not fit into it a month from now. This issue is that I absolutely hate baggy pants. I don't know why, but it feels disgusting if they are supposed to be tight, but are loose instead.

So, in the last month, I have really been going crazy with spring/summer clothes. I bought a ton of dresses, tops, and shoes:

TJ Maxx: 2 dresses, 2 tops, 2 belts, 1 crossbody purse (for New York/Boston...it was a must)
Target: 6 dresses, 2 pairs of shoes
American Eagle: 1 dress (originally 4, but took 3 back), 1 tube top, 1 sweater
Famous Footwear: 1 pair of shoes
Keds: 1 pair of shoes, 2 packages of socks
MLB Store: 1 Boston Red Sox shirt (for the Red Sox vs. White Sox game I will be attending in May)

I'm hoping that's all, but it seems like I'm missing something. That's never a good sign.

This weekend I really need to do some spring cleaning in my closet. I have way too many clothes (2, almost 3, closets worth). It's time to put away the sweaters and get out the tank tops. Wait, maybe I should rethink that since it's snowing here right now...

Happy Earth Day!

Whelp

I haven't been doing a very good job of posting pictures of my delicious food, have I? I'm hoping that will change soon. I just need to REMEMBER!

Weightloss update: No change

I recently bought an iPhone. Here are my reasons for the purchase:

1) to be like all the cool people

2) to have a camera. I recently broke mine when taking this amazing photo of my family on Super Bowl Sunday. I propped it on top of the TV and down she came, bending the lense.

3) so I can have access to all of these amazing apps, especially the ones that help me know and understand being vegan.

I discovered this website called Barnivore and it tells you if the booze you want to drink is vegan-friendly. On this website, there are iPhone app recommendations for vegans. I downloaded those apps. Now, when I'm doing my travelling, I can easily hop on that app and check to see if what I'm drinking is vegan!

Travelling? Yes. I will be out of town throughout most of May. Starting on May 2, I will be driving to Mammoth where I will be working the Alpine National Coaches Academy for two weeks. I come home for a week and a half before flying to New York for a week, with a side trip to Boston in the middle. A few days after that, I might be driving up to Boise for my BFF's baby shower.

I'm definitely in need of these apps and a camera! The iPhone camera is surprisingly great.

Meals

I have not been doing a very good job of taking pictures of the meals I've been making. Two nights ago I made the most delicious Pad Thai ever. Last night I made a delish breakfast bake. Good thing I have both of them for lunch/dinner today! Tomorrow night I'm making Yam Burritos with the leftover yams I had from the enchiladas. Can't wait!

Bossypants

I am BEYOND excited to read this book. Buying it on Sunday with my 40% off coupon from Barnes & Noble!

Month 2: Vegan

I'm embarking on my second month of being vegan. Today marks 5 weeks, but since it's the first Tuesday in April (my next post on being Vegan will be on May 1ish) I thought I'd start this month out on a high note.

The first thing I'd like to mention is that as of this morning I have lost 7 pounds since I started my journey!! I was really skeptical on my losing weight, or lack thereof, because I read that some people don't lose weight at all, but I figured that since I'm not at my healthiest weight that I would lose at least a few pounds. After three weeks of not knowing if I lost weight (because I didn't have a working scale) and not feeling or looking like I was losing weight, I was honestly a little concerned. It was slow at first, but now it's to the point where it's dropping off...close to melting! 7 pounds in 5 weeks? I'm absolutely happy with those results. And it's the healthy way to lose weight!

Over the weekend I tried to do a juice feast. It didn't go so well. I borrowed a juicer from a co-worker and started the feast on Saturday morning. We got about three hours in before we decided to eat. We kept on drinking the juice (which was delicious), but started to crave food. I have learned on past diets that when I force myself to give up things that I need in my body, then start to crave, I do a 180 and overeat. I don't think I'm up for that kind of challenge just yet, but it was good to see how easy it was to make the juice and how delicious the juice was. The only exception? It's SUPER expensive! I think I bought $40 worth of vegetables and that lasted me one day.

I'm really excited for this weeks meals because not only are they vegan, but they are also gluten-free (thanks to my new cookbook, The Gluten-Free Vegan). I will be making:

-Yam Enchiladas with a Pomegranate Sauce

-Minestrone Soup

Then we will finish up the Apple Sage sausages that I bought on Sunday.

It's supposed to be pretty snowy this week, so I thought a hot soup would be perfect for the cold nights!

Oh! When I was doing the juicing, it leaves you with a bunch of shredded vegetables. So instead of throwing them all out, I decided to add it to some tofu to make a tofu scramble for breakfast this morning. There was enough left for lunch, too!

Ari Solomon

The Kind Life, Alicia Silverstone's blog, frequently has guests posts. Today's guest post was from Ari Solomon, the founder and owner of A Scent of Scandal. I think this might be one of the most profound things I've ever read about what it means to be vegan and ways to convice others of the same.

"If we're supposed to be eating things like meat, dairy, and eggs, why do we find slaughterhouse footage so disturbing? Certainly no one would ask us to emotionally prepare ourselves before showing a video of people harvesting broccoli, or picking apples. If eating animals and their "by-products" is so natural, what's with our revulsion to blood and gore?"

My reasoning for becoming vegan is leaning more and more towards animal rights because of arguments like this. I don't think anyone has a good rebuttal.

Read the full post here. I LOVE the ending!

Italian Sausage in Whole Wheat Pita

I came up with a meal all by myself last night. No recipes or anything! I went to Whole Foods and bought some Field Roast Italian sausages, whole wheat pitas (already in the shape of a bun) and some sauerkraut. For a side dish I used leftover bulgur wheat with radishes (from The Kind Life) and pickles! I really felt like grilling the sausages, but since it was snowing heavily (sping in Utah!) I decided to cook it over the stove instead.

I bought the Field Roast Apple Sage sausages as well, so I will be making those for dinner tomorrow night. The pitas came with eight and the sausages come with four in each package, so it's perfect!

I recently bought a cookbook called The Gluten-Free Vegan: 150 Delicious Gluten-Free, Animal-Free Recipes, so I cannot wait to start using it! This week's meals will come from there. I'm excited about this book because it has normal every day food in it, unlike The Kind Diet which has mostly foods that you would never think to make (but are still ridiculously delicious).

Weight Update: 6 lbs lost since March 1.

Week 4: Vegan

Today marks four weeks of being vegan.

Something really strange happened to me last night. I was working at the massage studio and one of the therapists offered me a Snickers.

Me: "I can't have that."

Him: "Why not?"

Me: "Because I'm vegan."

Him: "Really?"

Right from that moment a feeling came over me that is hard to describe. It was almost like an out of body experience. I know that sounds crazy, but this feeling was really great. It felt really good to tell him that I was vegan. I'm really excited to spread the word now.

Oh, I got on the scale again this morning. It's hard to tell since this $7 scale has really tiny numbers, but I think my grand total might be 4 pounds!!

This morning I made the Daikon Weight Loss Tea from The Kind Diet. It was surprisingly delicious and the shredded carrots and daikon were yummy! I also made scrambled tofu with leftover veggies that I had in the fridge and a side of avacado. This recipe is also from The Kind Life.

Last week's dishes were 80% delicious. I wasn't a fan of the French Fruity Lentils. Too many lentils in one bowl! I did, however, really enjoy the Roasted Vegetables and Couscous. That was my favorite of the week.

This week I'm making:

-Brown Rice and Carmelized Onions

-Polenta Casserole

...and I'll have to get back to you on the third.

I haven't been doing a very good job of taking pictures, but I'll do my best!

Side note: I'm doing a cleanse this weekend. It's started yesterday and am trying to drink 2-4 liters of water each day. That's a TON of water!! The cleanse will start on Friday, where I will be holding a Juice Feast through Sunday. The Juice Feast can be found here. This is something I should have done before going vegan, but it's better late than never! Am I right, or am I right?

Starting April 1, I will be giving monthly updates instead of weekly, but hopefully I can still add pictures and give updates on the meals I'm eating, maybe some reviews on them as well!

Quick Update

I finally bought a new scale. The official poundage that I've lost... drum roll ........ 3 pounds. I feel like I'm Monica on that Friends episode, The One With the Flashback, when Rachel asks her if she lost weight, but super sarcastically because she didn't have anything else to ask her. Then Monica says, "You're so sweet to notice! Yes! I lost 3 1/2 pounds!" Four week update tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Week 3: Vegan

Today marks three weeks of being vegan

I would like to point out that my boss brought in homemade peanut butter cookies and set the whole bag on my desk. I let them sit there without touching them for two days. They looked really delicious, but I knew they would probably have eggs and milk in them. I said no!

On Sunday I made Pecan Encrusted Seitan from The Kind Diet. I really misread the directions and didn't make it right at all, but it was still delicious anyway. I put it on top of some whole wheat pasta with veggie sauce.

I can't remember the rest of the dinners I'll be making this week because I literally wrote my list in the grocery store parking lot. Which reminds me...I tried out this new grocery store in Salt Lake. It's called Sunflower Farmer's Market. Really cool store!

Tomorrow night I will be remaking the Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew for my mother's company. This wasn't in the original plans.

Today for lunch I went to Whole Foods and tried out the Tofu Spring Rolls. Very good! However, I wish I had a snack right now because I'm starting to get hungry. It's only 3:15.

I really wish I could tell you if I lost weight. My scale battery died and I've literally tried all the batteries in my house. All of them must be dead or my scale is done for. I'm going to the store on my way home to buy a battery to try out. If that doesn't work we'll have our answer. Anyway, I don't feel like I've lost any weight. Actually two weeks ago I felt as if I'd gained weight. That's not good. I've been doing all of this research and the weight should be "melting off" by now. It's not.

Overall, I'm really happy with my eating and I really do feel good (It helps that I got a hair cut too). I feel healthier than I've ever felt, even though I don't think I'm losing weight. I've never had so many vegetables in one day....and I've definitely never had so many beans in one day. Invite me over, I can prove it (hehe). No, seriously though, I've had really bad gas, so I read up on it. Apparently that's the toxins exiting the body. I wish the toxins would exit the body in other ways.

So, starting next Monday, March 28, I will be doing my first detox and cleanse. I haven't figured out which one I want to do so if you have any suggestions, I'm open to them! Right now I'm thinking of doing this one:

Monday-Thursday: Raw food diet plus 2-4 liters of water each day
Friday-Sunday: Juice feast

Doesn't sound too bad, eh? I found this one on Happy Little Vegans.

Hopefully I'll have an update on weight loss tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll be sticking to my delicious meals of veggies, whole grains, and legumes!

Here's what happened...

I think I figured out the lack of weight loss. I've been doing some more research and it seems like I'm not the only one has the problem from the beginning. I've been so excited about all of these delicious meals that I can make that are similar to the things that I was eating when I wasn't vegan that I didn't take nutrition into consideration. I knew I was eating a lot of vegetable, but I was also eating a lot of sugar and processed foods.

For breakfast I was eating Shredded Wheat and this week it's Chex cereal. From now on I will eat oatmeal, whole wheat bagels, or something else.

For lunch I was eating my leftover dinners.

For dinner I was making lasagna, thick soups with lots of carbs from sweet potatoes, and bread.

All of it was delicious, don't get me wrong, but since things weren't changing, I finally did the research, looked at what I was eating, and now know that I need to eat more natural foods. This week's dinners are being made from the Superhero section of The Kind Diet. Lunches haven't been that great and I'm still trying to figure out breakfast.

That meal plan that's in Alicia's book is really going to be useful when I go shopping this weekend!

Goodbye sugar, goodbye processed foods!

Week 2: Vegan

Today marks two weeks since I started my vegan adventure. I decided to go to our local Chinese restaurant called Szechwan. After looking at their menu and finding a vegetarian section, I didn't think it would be an issue.

All of the lunch options come with your choice of rice and a soup. Obviously egg drop soup has eggs in it, but I didn't think the hot and sour would have anything questionable, so ordered that. As soon as it arrived I noticed something in there that looked a lot like what the egg drops looked like. I specifically asked if the hot and sour soup was vegan and the damn waiter couldn't understand what I was saying. That's something that upsets me. You're going to have people asking questions and if you can't answer them appropriately, then how can you do your job? Here's how my conversation went:

ME: Is the hot and sour soup vegan?

WAITER: Hot and sour soup? Ok! (writes down order)

Come on!

So, I started eating this soup, not knowing what was in it. I eventually put something in my mouth that felt a lot like meat, so I spit it out. I ate less than half of this cup of soup before deciding not to finish it. I'm trying to be a full vegan here, not partial vegan. I have been doing really well, and today of all days, I had to mess that up. I'm pretty upset with myself. I shouldn't have ordered a soup. I had been warned, too. Everything that I've read says "Be careful when you go to a restaurant". You never know what could be added to your meal that you wouldn't normally expect.

All in all, I'm pretty sure I ate some egg today. And even worse, I was eating soup that had meat in eat. At least I spit out the meat.

Enough of that.

Last week's meals were really delicious, but I'm having a difficult time losing weight. I don't think I've lost any at all. But it's hard to tell seeing as my scale's battery died last week. I usually have a pretty good idea if I'm losing weight. I don't feel it right now. It's upsetting because one of Oprah's staff members said he lost 11 pounds in that one week of being vegan for the show. I suppose last week's meals weren't all that healthy. I had lasagna, enchiladas, and breakfast burritos.

My body didn't feel the best after that week, so this week's meals are all coming straight from the Superhero section of The Kind Diet.

-Traditional English Breakfast: I had this on Sunday. It was super easy and quick to make and was delicious. Broiled tomatoes, baked beans, steamed kale, sauteed mushrooms, then you add it all to a piece of french baguette. Yum!

-Nori Burritos (I think that's the title): I'll be making these tonight. It's basically tons of vegetables wrapped in a sheet of nori. Should be good!

-Green Beans with something...I can't remember, but they looked great. I'll be having this as a side to tonight Nori Burritos and tomorrow night's meal...

-Quinoa with something...again, I can't remember. I don't think I've ever had quinoa, so I really wanted to try it.

I guess the most disappointing thing so far is the lack of weight loss. I was really expecting to have lost 10 pounds by now. I guess I really do need to watch my white sugar and flour intake.

Week 1: Vegan

As of today, I have been a vegan for one week. I have been trying really really hard, but I'm honestly not entirely sure that every single thing that I've had is 100% vegan. For example, I had a bento box at Shoyu Sushi House which had teryaki sauce in it. What's in teryaki sauce? Anything non-vegan? I don't know! But I was really good about asking about what their tempura batter is made out of: flour and corn starch. I ordered the vegetable tempura bento box.

I was really close to eating some dry roasted peanuts the other day, but thought I'd look at the ingredients...just in case! Good thing I did. I found out that gelatin is in these dry roasted peanuts. Who would thunk! And I wouldn't have known that gelatin wasn't vegan without finding this list last week:

• Casein – a class of milk proteins often found in items marked ‘non-dairy’
• Ghee – a common milk derivative
• Albumen – protein found in egg whites
• Cochineal/Carmine – a coloring agent made from ground up beetles
• Oleic acid – fat from sheep or cattle
• Rennin/Rennet – enzymes from a calf’s stomach
• Calcium Stearate – a mineral usually derived from hogs and cattle
• Gelatin – protein from animal bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin
• Glycerides (mono/di/tri) – glycerol from animal fats
• Stearic acid – animal fats and oils
• Lecithin – phospholipids often from animal tissues and eggs
• Pepsin – enzymes gathered from pigs stomachs

I recently gave up my smartphone (because it sucked) and decided to go back to the ol' flip phone until the iPhone 5 comes out this summer. I'm saving $40 each month, but I'm also giving up a lot of advantages that would have been useful during this beginning vegan phase. This specific list would have been useful when I went out to IHOP the other day. Don't worry, I got the fruit bowl and the garden salad with balsamic vinegarette, sans crutons.

Tonight, I will be grocery shopping at Whole Foods instead of the regular grocery store. I will be making the following this week:

1) Whole Wheat Lasagna with Italian "Sausage" and Peppers

2) Tempeh Enchiladas

3) Breakfast Burrito with Potatoes, Veggies, "Bacon" and Scrambled "Eggs"

Every one of these recipes can be found at this new blog that I discovered, Little House of Veggies.

Pictures to come!

Food

So far, the food I have been making has been delicious! Last night I made Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms, Leeks, and Peas. This recipe came from The Kind Diet and it was super good!


I also made one of the most talked about desserts in vegan history, Alicia's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. I didn't have the actual cups to put them in, so instead I resorted to my Swedish history and used my Dala Horse pan that I picked up at Ikea.



Yes, his leg is missing because my mother wanted to dig in right away.

I also made the Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew recipt over the weekend, but didn't get a picture of it. Shoot! I do have some leftovers for lunch today, so hopefully I can grab a quick pic of it later on.

So far so good! Tomorrow marks one week of being vegan!

I'm Vegan!

Today is the first day that I begin my journey as a vegan. Last night was the first time it really hit me. No more milk, no more cheese, two of my favorite things in the world. I don't think I'll have a difficult time without meat but the milk and cheese are going to be tough. Good thing I had a ton of cheese and crackers at my Oscar party (and by party, I mean me and my parents sitting in the living room watching the Academy Awards together eating snacks and drinking wine/beer).

I have even decided to not buy any clothes until I have lost the appropriate amount of weight...which I expect will happen in the next month or so. I have already lost 2-3 pounds just by adding a few vegan meals into my week.

I think the hardest thing for me will be finding all of these foods. I went shopping on Sunday for my meals for the rest of the week and ended up spending quite a bit of money (and time), so I'm nervous about the overall cost. I hope that I can find brands that are reasonable, and honestly, I don't know if I'll be able to use Alicia's cookbook for most of my meals. She has a lot of ingredients that I found to be quite expensive. For example, she calls for non-dairy chocolate chips. The only non-dairy chocolate chips I could find at my local grocery store were vegan and $10 for the bag. I might need to check out Whole Foods, but that might be even more expensive...at least they'll have more options.

One of the things I had a hard time finding was maple syrup sugar. I have decided to cut out white sugar and white flour as a part of my going vegan, so Alicia uses this maple syrup as a substitute for sugar...but I couldn't find the granulated form.

So I have a few meals planned for this week:

1) Spaghetti with meat sauce. This meat sauce is made with Smart Meat, which is basically vegetables. I looked for tofurkey, but my local grocery didn't have it. I also noticed that this Smart Meat had egg white powder, so I'm not sure what that means, but I can't imagine it's vegan. I'll have to look for a different brand.

2) Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew: This recipe comes from Alicia's book and sounds DELICIOUS! She adds a lot of spices to her meals, which I happen to have already.

3) Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms, Peas, and something else that I can't remember: Another recipe from Alicia's book.

I will also be making the peanut butter cup dessert that Alicia has in her book, and I've heard that they are amazing! I'll be making those tonight!

For breakfast, I've been having my usual Shredded Wheat with soy milk. Lunch will be Thai Kitchen (not Simply Asian like I thought) rice noodle bowls. They're only $1.65 for each bowl and super tasty! They keep me full until dinner, which is rare.

I do need to keep an eye on my soy intake. With all the new studies, they've found that soy has been linked to thyroid issues.

Ok. Day 1 being vegan, action!

T Minus 4 Days

I will officially be a vegan in 4 days (March 1). I'm really excited and have already been trying some vegan meals. Yesterday for lunch I had a Simply Asian rice noodle bowl that was delicious! For dinner I finished off that couscous with tomato lentil that I made on Tuesday. This morning, I had Shredded Wheat with soy milk. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda like the soy milk. For lunch I will have another Simply Asian meal (and for lunch tomorrow).

But for dinner? For dinner I will be enjoying a BK Big Fish sandwich from Burker King. I had the meal (#12) the other day, but I was in such a hurry that I didn't get to enjoy it. On Monday I am planning on going to El Chubasco to enjoy their fish tacos one last time...and while I'm there I might as well scope out their vegetarian options since I go there like once a week for lunch!

This weekend, I might need to order a vegetarian pizza. I had one last weekend and it was DELICIOUS, but since I won't be able to order out pizza it might be good to start with that. Davanza's has a veggie pizza that looks quite delish, but I'll need to add artichoke hearts. Love 'em! Or maybe even their margharita pizza. I love margharita pizzas!

I've been doing a ton of research on vegan foods. I'm really nervous to search through the ingredients on everything to make sure I can eat it. Hopefully I'll know what I'm doing within a few weeks and not have to worry about it.

After researching, I found out that there are tofu dogs, sausages, and even beer brats!! Can you believe it? One of my favorite things to eat is Johnsonville Beer Brats, so I am so happy to see that those will be an option still. And in the summer when I do a ton of grilling I can toss on a couple of tofu dogs. My cousin told me that there's a company that makes flavored tofu sausages. I was ecstatic to hear that! What great news!

4 days of fish, cheese, milk, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, butter....I better hit up IHOP one last time...

Tomato Lentil Couscous

I made the best dinner last night. I made salmon, which will probably be my last meal of fish, with couscous. Not just any couscous, but the recipe on the back of the Near East Couscous with Tomato Lentil. Basically, you make the couscous, then add garbonzo beans, diced tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, and onions. DELICIOUS!

I thought I was doing good on the vegan side of things, but realized that this kind of couscous isn't the most healthy. I need the whole grain...I think. The flavored kind are just SO good. I need to do more research. I know Near East has wheat couscous. Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil? OK!

I always forget about the recipes on the back of the box/bag. There's a reason why they're on there...because they're amazing! I'll have to take a picture of my dinner last night (sans salmon) because the image alone will make your mouth water!

Ugh

I need a vacation ASAP! The next time the office is closed and I get an official day off? May 30. That's right. Memorial Day. We go from Jan. 1 all the way to May 30 without a break. I am in desperate need for a vacation!

This place looks perfect!!

It's been 16 years since I've been to Miami. That beach would DEFINITELY do right now.

Basically, I need a beach. Any beach will do. I just want to lay in the sun [work on my tan], drink margaritas, and waste the day away. Is that too much to ask for?

Now, who knows someone that I can stay with in Miami? Pretty sure I can get myself there, and I'm basically surviving off of very little food at this point in my almost-vegan diet. Seriously, who can I stay with. I need this....stat! Also, who would like to join. I'd love some company!

So, it's been two days since I've had meat. The last time was when I had shrimp at the Indian restaurant on Tuesday. I know it's not that long, but I'm feelin' good!

Seriously, who owns a beach house or someplace within walking distance from a beach...and is willing to let me stay there?

First Vegan Snack -- and Lunch

Today I had my first vegan snack. I checked the ingredients, and right there on the package it says "Dairy Free". It was even gluten and wheat free, which is always an extra step to healthy!



My local grocery store was having a deal on these snack bars that I've been wanting to try. I picked one up and, wouldnt'cha know, it says everything you need to know right there on the front of the package, so you know exactly what you're eating.



Kind Healthy Snacks are pretty great, and they served as my lunch today! I tried the Mango Macadamia + Calcium bar today, along with another one that I can't think of.



Not all of these bars are vegan, so you just have to read the label and make sure it says "Dairy Free". I ended up buying three of them, one of which I gave to my mother because it wasn't "Dairy Free".



I had two of these for lunch about 3 hours ago. I normally would be hungry by this point in the day, but I'm actually holding over nicely.


Isn't it kind of precious that this company and Alicia's diet are both called Kind? They both really are kind...to my body! SNAP!

Anyway, I feel like I might blog too much. I hope some of this is getting to someone who enjoys reading it! A good day to you, sir or madame.