Goodness!! It's already the second week, wahoo!! *Singing* I'm almost there!! Almost there. . People down here think I'm crazy. But I don't care"
I mean a lot of people don't think I'm crazy, they have been interested. It has not been so easy. I can already count on one hand how many times I slipped. As I mentioned in the last post it's all due to spontaneous eating out. There are restaurants which can cater to a vegan diet, they are also few and far between. I have to say when I had my burrito and burger, not at the same time, it wasn't a magical or exaggerated moment as I was thinking it would be. The thought that came to be was, "I can totally be fine without it for a while." The longing for meat wasn't nagging at me every second, I did think about it so I'm glad it was more thought than hunger.
It also came to mind if I had to live in a world full of vegans, I would be one of the pickiest around. I really can't get myself to love kale or cauliflower or garbanzo beans as it is (somewhat). This past week was WAY, like WWWAAAAYYYYYY more enjoyable compared to last week. I prepared tofu teriyaki, pan-seared oatmeal (did not do the cream of wheat, will plan to do a small batch this week), and I didn't get to the butternut squash because the tools requiring to open such a hard squash was not at my disposal; I will also report about that tomorrow.
TOFU TERIYAKI: This was the best ever!! Hangry Vegans outdid themselves. This was super delicious and I loved how all the flavors and textures came together. The bowl I made from the tofu was: brown rice, avocado, julienne carrots and cucumbers. It was filling, mouth-watering, and it overall gave me hope. The hope I need for the rest of the month.
PAN-SEARED TOFU: Great for-on-the-go breakfast.I prepared it one night and took 5-10 minutes to heat up and pack for breakfast. The warm crunch of the oatmeal, where you can also taste a hint of the coconut milk, with the warm agave nectar and blueberries. It was a little decedent at one point, it also was a heavy breakfast.
CHAO SLICES: I confessed to Laura one day about how much I love cheese and eggs, more cheese because I was really craving a grilled cheese sandwich at a time. She suggested a couple of brands and when I went grocery shopping Chao was the first one I saw.
My very first experience with vegan cheese takes me back to my college years at UC Santa Cruz where I decided to venture to the unknown. The unknown became the known and what I found to know was vegan cheese is horrible. When I decided to be vegan for the month the thought of the cheese I tasted so long ago began to linger in my thoughts and taste buds. . . ugh!! I was hesitant, I was also near to desperate. The gooey-ness of the cheese I missed so much. Took the plunge and I have to say I was really skeptical. Chao cheese looks like cheese, SMELLED like cheese, and tasted so freakin' close to the real deal. I double checked the ingredients and low and behold it checked out as vegan. THE CURSE HAS BEEN LIFTED!!! Thank you Laura, there is so much other there I need to learn about. Vegan cheese,yes please!! Now once I can figure out my egg problem I have a real fighting chance to maybe extend this month.
That was mighty good and I'm still at awe eating it the second time. There are items I ate which I haven't posted for my recipes. Dinner was a little bit harder because of course I haven't planned ahead; this week I had, butternut squash soup baby!! That will totally last me and I'm glad I'm ending my day with something lighter than heavy. Here are the other things I ate (this past week) that are of course vegan which I have not mentioned.
Even though it's awesome I'm eating at home and saving a ton of money from going out, it kind of still sucks because I realized doing all of this and eating the way I do has turned me into someone who would have the vegan diet/lifestyle. Now I'm the hummus loving hippie with an obsession of coconut milk. It's difficult to eat out which makes it an obvious explanation why vegans ask lots of questions. Everything we eat can have a hint of dairy, honey, stuff. I never read the ingredients in the box as much as I had these past two weeks. I'm also appreciating the taste of food and creating those tastes. There is so much you can do with the spices and ingredients you have available as a vegan.
Other than my appetite and energy levels changing there are other things. My appetite, it's starting to curve more, eating less and being full faster; energy, I only need one cup of coffee instead of 2-3 during my work week. I feel lighter and going to the bathroom more. Recently this week though I've been getting bad headaches. There is no correlation with my change of diet, not that I see right now. With this 3rd week coming up I'm really hoping I can eventually be vegan for a whole week. I've had one cheat day every week; so 6 out of 7 is not so shabby huh?
This week I'll be taking a stab at making falafel, hummus, dairy-free ricotta "cheese" , and something with quinoa. First time for everything, can not wait and still much better than spaghetti squash ^___^.
I mean a lot of people don't think I'm crazy, they have been interested. It has not been so easy. I can already count on one hand how many times I slipped. As I mentioned in the last post it's all due to spontaneous eating out. There are restaurants which can cater to a vegan diet, they are also few and far between. I have to say when I had my burrito and burger, not at the same time, it wasn't a magical or exaggerated moment as I was thinking it would be. The thought that came to be was, "I can totally be fine without it for a while." The longing for meat wasn't nagging at me every second, I did think about it so I'm glad it was more thought than hunger.
It also came to mind if I had to live in a world full of vegans, I would be one of the pickiest around. I really can't get myself to love kale or cauliflower or garbanzo beans as it is (somewhat). This past week was WAY, like WWWAAAAYYYYYY more enjoyable compared to last week. I prepared tofu teriyaki, pan-seared oatmeal (did not do the cream of wheat, will plan to do a small batch this week), and I didn't get to the butternut squash because the tools requiring to open such a hard squash was not at my disposal; I will also report about that tomorrow.
 |
| My tofu teriyaki bowl: tofu, avocado, cucumber, and brown rice |
TOFU TERIYAKI: This was the best ever!! Hangry Vegans outdid themselves. This was super delicious and I loved how all the flavors and textures came together. The bowl I made from the tofu was: brown rice, avocado, julienne carrots and cucumbers. It was filling, mouth-watering, and it overall gave me hope. The hope I need for the rest of the month.
 |
| Pan-seared oatmeal for breakfast ^^ |
CHAO SLICES: I confessed to Laura one day about how much I love cheese and eggs, more cheese because I was really craving a grilled cheese sandwich at a time. She suggested a couple of brands and when I went grocery shopping Chao was the first one I saw.
My very first experience with vegan cheese takes me back to my college years at UC Santa Cruz where I decided to venture to the unknown. The unknown became the known and what I found to know was vegan cheese is horrible. When I decided to be vegan for the month the thought of the cheese I tasted so long ago began to linger in my thoughts and taste buds. . . ugh!! I was hesitant, I was also near to desperate. The gooey-ness of the cheese I missed so much. Took the plunge and I have to say I was really skeptical. Chao cheese looks like cheese, SMELLED like cheese, and tasted so freakin' close to the real deal. I double checked the ingredients and low and behold it checked out as vegan. THE CURSE HAS BEEN LIFTED!!! Thank you Laura, there is so much other there I need to learn about. Vegan cheese,yes please!! Now once I can figure out my egg problem I have a real fighting chance to maybe extend this month.That was mighty good and I'm still at awe eating it the second time. There are items I ate which I haven't posted for my recipes. Dinner was a little bit harder because of course I haven't planned ahead; this week I had, butternut squash soup baby!! That will totally last me and I'm glad I'm ending my day with something lighter than heavy. Here are the other things I ate (this past week) that are of course vegan which I have not mentioned.
Bagels with peanut butter
Pasta with red sauce
Vegetable pakora (TJ's)
Chicken-less tenders (TJ's)
Meat-less balls (TJ's)
Smart Balance Original
French fries (homemade)
Even though it's awesome I'm eating at home and saving a ton of money from going out, it kind of still sucks because I realized doing all of this and eating the way I do has turned me into someone who would have the vegan diet/lifestyle. Now I'm the hummus loving hippie with an obsession of coconut milk. It's difficult to eat out which makes it an obvious explanation why vegans ask lots of questions. Everything we eat can have a hint of dairy, honey, stuff. I never read the ingredients in the box as much as I had these past two weeks. I'm also appreciating the taste of food and creating those tastes. There is so much you can do with the spices and ingredients you have available as a vegan.
Other than my appetite and energy levels changing there are other things. My appetite, it's starting to curve more, eating less and being full faster; energy, I only need one cup of coffee instead of 2-3 during my work week. I feel lighter and going to the bathroom more. Recently this week though I've been getting bad headaches. There is no correlation with my change of diet, not that I see right now. With this 3rd week coming up I'm really hoping I can eventually be vegan for a whole week. I've had one cheat day every week; so 6 out of 7 is not so shabby huh?
This week I'll be taking a stab at making falafel, hummus, dairy-free ricotta "cheese" , and something with quinoa. First time for everything, can not wait and still much better than spaghetti squash ^___^.
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