People are somewhat surprised when they hear I've gone vegan! It's a drastic change that's for sure... but I can tell you I have not missed out on much and I actually enjoy it! The phrase "You are what you eat" has new meaning to me. Eating fresh food actually makes me feel like a better person vs. feeling "greasy" after eating at McDonalds. I'm still learning the ropes, but I'm discovering a few favorites that are my go-to foods.
My absolute favorite was discovered when I was sick with Shingles... my sweet friend Stacie brought me this delicious salad that I am HOOKED on. It's a spring mix salad topped with pomegrantes, pears, candied pecans and lime-cilantro dressing. (she also added feta cheese which we loved, but since I am vegan I have not added the cheese). SO delicious! Since pomegrantes are out of season, I won't be able to enjoy this much longer. I have one pomegrante left and I hope it's still good! I'll try and take a picture tomorrow and I'll post the recipe!
Adam has been so supportive of my new vegan lifestyle. He's a big protein guy, so I was honestly be afraid he would be like "you need to eat some chicken at least" or something like that. But even Adam has shown some interest in the vegan diet with it's many health benefits. His dad is mostly vegan... I say mostly because he does eat meat or dairy on occasion, but he follows the word of wisdom almost to a T, and stays very healthy that way. This has inspired Adam to maybe follow in his dad's footsteps and join me in the vegan lifestyle. His first act of support and sacrifice came in driving out of his way in a winter storm (with very bad roads) to get me pomegranates for my beloved salad. Last night he brought me home 2 new goodies to try... and I didn't even ask. He is just thoughtful that way. The first was a burrito from Amy's Kitchen.
Isn't the packaging pretty? I tell Adam all the time that I have yet to taste something bad that has beautiful packaging. Anyway, that's beside the point. This was SOOOO yummy! If you love indian food, then you'll definitely love this. I like tofu, but even if you didn't you can't even taste it. It just tastes like curry with chunks of potato wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. And this is something I can easily throw in the microwave for a quick meal! Completely organic and vegan. Seriously love it. Because of this, I am so excited to try more food from Amy's Kitchen brand!
Something else we've been eating a lot of is Chipotle. Did you know that most of the stuff they use to make their food is organic and even locally purchased? I get a burrito bowl minus the meat and tortilla and add lots of lettuce. Rice+black beans+corn salsa+lettuce. It's my favorite and the kids love their rice and beans too. We eat there a lot when I'm too lazy to cook. I doubt I'll ever get sick of that place!
For breakfast I eat a lot of oat meal and fruits. I've also considered cereal with almond or rice milk, but I am staying away from that for now while I try to lose weight. I also have started incorporating green smoothies into my breakfast routine! I'm actually quite excited to try this kale-pear smoothie I discovered today online!
One thing I knew I would miss though was chocolate. I love my chocolate. But a few days ago I read that dark chocolate was vegan! You don't know how excited I was! I honestly wasn't looking forward to tasting tofu cheesecake and other weird sounding vegan desserts. I had mentioned this to Adam and was so excited when he brought me home a chocolate bar!! An organic vegan dark chocolate bar by Newman's Own. It's so smooth and yummy. And I haven't scarffed it down like I usually would. I eat a couple peices a day, and it satisfies me while giving me that little bit of "sweet" that I crave!
I am hoping for some dark chocolate covered strawberries for valentines day!!
Anyway, I'm not 100% perfect at this. If I have no other choice on what to eat or am in a situation where something vegan is not being served and I need food, I just try to stick to it as much as I can but I don't beat mysef up over it. I'm doing it to be healthy- not because I am an animal's rights activist. I love animals, but I also believe God gave us animals as a source of food in moderation. So an occasional bit of meat or dairy, to me, is not going to kill me or my lifestyle.
But I do feel so much better about myself since eating this way... and it's not going to be as hard of a thing as I thought. Vegan food is actually quite delicious and I don't miss meat or dairy as much as I thought I would! Actually I don't really miss it at all!
