30-Day Vegan Challenge- Day 30

Yep, day 30-the longest I have been vegan ever! Hubby says, "you don't have to stop after 30 days, you know". I wasn't planning on it. I appreciate his support more than he will ever know. He also mentioned a new vegan restaurant in the area and said that we should go.  Very cool.

Yesterday I shared my cheese, purchased from Miyoko's Kitchen, with my coworkers. We are all a bunch of foodies so most of them are pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new things. I sent out an e-mail explaining that I was doing the vegan challenge- most of them knew anyway- and set the Herbs de Provence lavendar encrusted cheese out for people to try. One guy didn't like it, but everyone else was very positive and enjoyed the new experience. A few people asked for a link to the website and purchased Miyoko's cheese. (I need a commission. ;) ) Next time, I promised to bring in the Garlic Herb cheese which is a little more mainstream. Vegan cashew cheese rocks!

Off to enjoy my Baked Oatmeal breakfast. 30 Day Vegan Challenge- COMPLETE. I will continue to blog about my new vegan lifestyle- even if nobody follows!

30-Day Vegan Challenge- Day 23

First off...spaghetti squash with marinara sauce:

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  Every day gets a little easier with this challenge. Every day I share what I am doing with more people. I get various reactions. Most people, knowing that I have been vegetarian for years, are supportive of my decision. I do have to plan more, I do have to politely refuse to eat food that I love(d), like a box of Dunkin' Donuts that was brought in for a morning meeting at work.

  I try to keep meals simple which will be important with school starting up again- I'm studying to receive a M.S. degree in Food Science from Kansas State University. And by simple, I mean this:

  I have been trying to cook on weekends to alleviate the "what to have for dinner" stress during the week.

  Anyway, all is going smoothly, learning more every day. 7 Days to go- whoo hoo!

30-Day Vegan Challenge- Day 17

  Three words: APPLE BREAKFAST CAKE! My latest foray into the world of baking. The recipe came from the 30-Day Vegan Challenge book (of course). I may have added a little too much cardamom, but it still tasted really good. I love the breakfast recipes in this book- perfect for a weekend or if you are good at preparing meals ahead of time, these could be a weekday breakfast as well.
Pic of my Apple cake:

   Shopping has been challenging- planning has been challenging- however, I have made it through 16 full days of being vegan and am pretty proud of myself. Hubby is eating more vegan food as well. I have to give him credit for being so open about trying new foods/recipes. I currently have enough ingredients for kale chips, carrot/apple/ginger juice and another round of Baked Oatmeal with blueberries. Mike is out getting a vegan pizza right now.
  I have to say, I am definitely a fan girl of the vegans out there who are peddling the healthy/compassionate/sustainable foods messages- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Kristina Carillo-Bucaram, and Jenny Brown are my favorites. I wish that I could make a direct difference in peoples' lives like they do. When I win the lottery, I will be donating heavily to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, Colleen's work, and Beagle Freedom project- all worthy causes! Enough random rambling...
  Goal for next week: to join the gym again and work out 3 days- whether it be yoga or cardio/weights at the gym...a huge motivational challenge for me- wish me luck!

30-Day Vegan Challenge 4-6

  Sitting here on New Years Day eating my fruit bowl and feeling pretty good. I wish I lived in a warmer place with seasonal fruits available year round- oh well.

  An unexpected day working from home (roads were too icy to go to work) allowed me to make a delicious waldorf salad for lunch. The recipe came from "The 30-Day Vegan Challenge' and was easy to make and very yummy. My hubby enjoyed it as well. I replaced the seitan with a Tofurky sausage and added kelp flakes- so good!

  It has been an exhausting work week, so when hubby (Mike) suggested we go out for dinner on Tuesday night (Day 5), I was fine with it. We ate at Grazers, a new place that uses local produce and meat (sustainably raised, blah, blah, blah). Anyway, Mike told the waitress that I was vegan and asked what she recommended. The waitress was excited because her sister was vegan so she knew quite a bit about vegan dishes.She directed me toward a squash bean burger with a side of greens and a citrus (vegan) dressing and yummy rosemary sage fries, it was awesome! It was so great that the waitress was so accomodating. 

  Wednesday night (Day 6) was New Years' eve and I was headed to my sister's house for a gathering with a few other couples. I knew that it was very important to plan ahead, so I had ordered some vegan cheese from Miyoko's Creamery in CA- they make aged nut cheeses. I found out about this company from Colleen Patrick- Goudreau (author of the vegan challenge book). I HIGHLY recommend www.miyokoskitchen.com  - I ordered a package of 4 different cheeses and they are delicious- I ate some on crackers on NYE and was so happy that I spent the money on these little slices of heaven, I wish I had known about them sooner! Everyone who tried the cheese enjoyed it- FTW. I also ate some chili that my sister had made - yum! A successful and happy evening.

  Today is Day 7 of my vegan challenge- a whole week already, it really wasn't that bad. I have made a couple mistakes, but I guess it's part of the learning process. As I told my niece when she ate some meat unintentionally and was really upset about it- it's all about intention. I will keep moving forward with my new lessons...

30-Day Vegan Challenge-Days 2 & 3

  Last evening- dinner at a steakhouse. Not my idea, but my husband is a carnivore and he got a gift certificate for his birthday. I checked the menu ahead of time and found a couple of vegan items on the menu. I planned to order a salad entree, but when I saw the butternut squash mini quinoa burgers on the menu, I caved. The listed ingredients were all vegan, however as I was eating this yummy dish, I noticed a creamy, buttery substance at the bottom (I am thinking herbed butter). And what is the takeaway? Lesson #1: Always ask if a dish is vegan or prepared in butter when ordering- lesson learned.

  Today (Day 3)- Was in full on lazy mode- back to work after 5 days off for the holiday. Also, MIL's birthday brunch at a local restaurant. I ordered a beautiful tofu scramble with veggies made with olive oil. However- Lesson #2- assume that butter will be put on your toast and ask for dry toast. I didn't eat my toast. I felt guilty that I was being so wasteful.

  The rest of the day was uneventful food-wise. I need to exercise and I need to make sure to use some of the veggies in my fridge tomorrow...

30-Day Vegan Challenge- Day 2

  I began a 30 day vegan challenge inspired by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's book of the same name on 12/26/14. I have been a vegetarian for at least 15 years. When I say vegetarian, I mean no animal flesh- no beef, pork, chicken, lamb, veal, and no fish or seafood- essentially any sentient being with eyes. I want to take the next step; no dairy, eggs, honey- no animal products of any kind.

  The only blogging I have ever done before is surrounding a trip to Australia in 2011. While that was certainly a journey, I felt that I wanted to chronicle a journey of another kind. Probably nobody will read this or care, but I want to make it clear- I am not doing this to preach. I am not about judgement. Everyone has their own journey and I just want to document my own, mainly for reflection. Where did I start and where did I end up and more importantly how did I get there?

  Day 1- Yesterday was kind of a bummer, I was dealing with exhaustion from the holidays, another holiday without my Mom, exhaustion because of work, school, and caring for my furry friends. There wasn't much food in the house (which is definitely not a smart idea)and I didn't feel like shopping. I ate bread and pasta, dried cranberries, vegan Luna bars, and a banana and almond milk/almond butter smoothie. It was fine, but I will be shopping today. I know that my body needs greens. Off to make my shopping list...to be continued...