Day 22

Today is day 22! I can't believe it!! It's also St. Patrick's Day!! My favorite holiday! I'm really excited because Erin and I are going to make some vegan pistachio pudding pops tonight! mmmm u know ur jealous!! I tried pearled couscous last night and it was really yummy!! try it! I put asparagus in it, which I love. It's all about finding foods u love!! I'll let u know how the pudding pops turn out! bye!!

Day 21

So today was a good day. For breakfast I had a carrot cake cliff bar, which I didn't like too much. And then for lunch I made my brown rice with beans and kale. Yummy! I haven't had it in a while. I think tonight I am going to try a new recipe out of the book. Erin also found alot online to try. Did you know that jell-o instant pistachio pudding is VEGAN!! as long as you use nondairy milk of course! I was excited to hear that. It's one of my favorites!! One of the toughest parts of all this is struggling with not being able to cook for Brandon. One of my favorite things is to make him dinner at least a couple of times a week. He won't try any of this food though, and even the things that vegan books say are male and children friendly he won't touch! I don't know what to do. So, if anyone has any ideas, please share! He won't eat ANY beans or greens. He will eat brown rice, but that's about the only grain he'll eat. And he hates most vegetables. So I'm at a loss! Anyways, i'm off to do some research! Bye for now!!

Day 20!!

Ok, well I know that it is officially day 20, but I have faltered alot over the last week. With My friend Melissa in town, I ate out alot and restaurants just don't have many nondairy items. I did very good not eating meat though. I had a tiny but of corned beef yesterday as tradition for our St. Patrick's party, but that's all. Anyways, the point is that I am going to extend my little project for 30 days to get back on track. I am going to get back to the grains, beans, and greens thing today. Which I have actually missed eating! I felt alot better when I was being very strict. Melissa did show me some very yummy recipes though. She made grain stuffed eggplant with marinara sauce, lettuce wraps; and I finally made that raddichio pizza! It was GOOD! I also made vegan brownies out of the Kind Diet book and they were very good! I didn't even notice. Brandon even liked them!!
By the way, did you know that the veggie cheeses and dairy products aren't vegan!?! They contain casein, which is a morphine-like addictive chemical that is in real dairy. What's the point?! It doesn't taste that great anyways, so I think I'll just go without! I just wanted everyone to know for your own knowledge.
Well, Here I go! Back on track. I'll try to post every day from this point on!

Day 10

Hey there! Today was day 10. I am on vacation at Opryland and it is beautiful! The bad part is that I've faltered a little. I ate some dairy and seafood. I am back to fullforce tomorrow though. I hope that this shows you that's it's okqy to get off track a little. Just hop right back on and get going again! See you tomorrow!

Day 8

So, I faltered a little today and had a latte from Starbucks. If you know me at all... you know that these are my biggest weakness!! The thing is- I didn't even enjoy it very much! I mean, it tasted good and all, but the whole time I felt guilty for drinking it just for a moment of enjoyment. Also, almost immediately, my throat began feeling coated and flemmy (if that's a word) and my chest began to hurt. So, I guess it's good that I drank it, because now I know that I don't want them anymore! I feel liberated!!! haha!
Here are some pics of some of my favorite foods I've created. I'll post some recipes soon, so you can all try them. But you don't even need recipes. Just use your imagination and put some of your favorite things together and you'll be sure to love it!!

Pizza on whole wheat crust with vegan cheese,
black olives, portabella mushrooms, and baby spinach.




Brown rice w/ Sicilian Kale.



sweet potato and lentil stew




Couscous with steamed collard greens
and great northern beans

Day 4-7

Okay, so it's day 7, but I worked all weekend and couldn't get to a computer, so sorry about the gap. Anyways, I did really well this weekend- EVEN at work! I was so proud of myself. I ate my leftovers I took with me Friday and some fruit and a black bean burger Saturday. Sunday we made yummy homemade pizzas! Mine had a whole wheat crust with sauce, vegan cheese(which is surprisingly not bad), mushrooms, black olives, and fresh baby spinach. It was yummy!! I also made sweet potato and lentil stew that was really good with some Indian inspired spices. Erin really liked the stew. Last night was a true test!! Brandon and I went to The Brewery- one of my favorite restaurants where I love all things animal!! I did soo good though! I had a portabella sandwich, without the cheese, and chips and salsa! I was very satisfied and VERY proud of myself!
I am really encouraged because my journey is beginning to inspire other people! Erin is trying to be a vegetarian and a girl at my work is on the Kind diet path with me!! She used to be a vegan and the book has inspired her to pick it back up! It's nice to have soemone to talk to and share recipes and ideas with. I hope that this blog will reach a few others... IS ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE??? :)
I'm not sure what will be for dinner tonight, I may just open up the book and pick something out to try! Although planning my meals has really helped me stay on track, I think that spontaneously trying new recipes has been the best part! So try it! Just look online and make a new vegetarian or vegan recipe! I bet you will be surprised at how good it is! -and you won't even miss the meat!

P.S. On an unrelated to food topic- Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day in schools! So pick up The Grinch or One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and experience Dr. Suess' brilliance!!! Don't forget to nourish your mind and soul, too!!

Day 3!

Hi all!! It's Day 3: So last night Taylor didn't come over, so I'm saving the radicchio pizza for sunday. My sister made a very yummy weight watchers recipe though, that happened to be vegan(except for the cheese that she left out of mine). It was lots of veggies and beans with stewed tomatoes, and with a little inspiration from my silly nephews, we discovered that it tasted GREAT on blue corn tortilla chips... mmm. It makes me feel so good that because of my journey, they are all decreasing the amount of animal products they are eating, too. I'm afraid that there is no hope for Brandon though! haha! I also incorporated my brown rice and kale so I got my grain and leafy green in. This morning I had a bowl of oatmeal again, but only because it was so yummy yesterday I woke up thinking about it this morning! I'm doing really well so far. I haven't really had any cravings, except a little cheese one when Brandon waved a grilled cheese in my face last night- NOT NICE!! Other than that, though, I'm feeling GREAT(both physically and emotionally- that I'm not eating little animals or their babies)! I made some extra rice and greens to take to work tonight, so I won't falter. That will be the hardest place. and tomorrow I will have to come up with something. We do have black bean burgers at work, so that's probably what I'll have. GEEZ, all this talk about food is making me hungry! I'm off to create a new meal!

P.S. I took some pictures of the rice with Sicilian kale and my vegan cupcakes I made last night. Posts of them to come...

Day 2

so... Day 2: First of all, thank you everyone who has sent encouraging words. It really helps!! Secondly, I just want to say that I went shopping yesterday to restock my cabinets and it shocked me that it is WAY cheaper to eat vegan! I mean, even with high ticket items like white truffle oil (yum) and lots of produce, it was still cheaper to restock my whole kitchen then when I just go to pick up a few things. Just think about it; the main protein, which is the main cost for most people is meat, and a package of meat that serves 2 or 3 people is like $6 or $7. With a plant-based diet, the main protein is beans and a bag of beans(which makes like 10 servings, by the way) is like $2! I was pleasantly surprised.
Anyways, I made my first vegan dinner last night and it was YUMMY!! I made brown rice with beans and Sicilian kale to mix in. If you have never tried kale... TRY IT!! it's delicious. Even Erin loved it. I realized that I forgot to mention that the Kind Diet includes cutting out white sugar and processed foods. This is going to be the hardest part! However, I did it at breakfast this morning and it was very delicious! I had oatmeal with maple syrup and craisins mixed in! mmmm
I know many of you are skeptical, and so am I... but so far so good! I am cooking dinner for my sister in law tonight and she is very scared, HAHA! I hope to convince her though! I am making Radicchio pizza drizzled with olive oil and white truffle oil! Then some pasta with marinara sauce in case she doesn't like that. Wish me luck!

Hello!

Taking a nod from Julie and Julia, i am going to use inspiration from the book The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone to try to become a vegan. I know... CRAZY! However, I have never been much of a meat eater. In fact, I think I have always been a vegan trapped inside a chicken, fish, and dairy lover's body! This will be difficult, but after reading this book and learning about the damages that meat and dairy have on your body, along with the horrific treatment of animals, and the harmful affects on the planet, I am totally encouraged and ready for this life change. So, the plan is to slowly tranform my diet over 21 days, because that is how long it takes to change a habit. I will be making recipes from Alicia's book and telling you all about the craziness! It should be an interesting journey: battling with my oh-so-meat-loving fiance, ensuring my family that I am NOT a crazy hippie, and sharing the journey with you. So get ready!
Today is day 1: I will be heading to the Kroger(there are no Whole Foods or Fresh Markets in sight in good ole' Dandridge) to attempt to find the healthy, whole foods that I need to change my diet. Then, off to the house to clear out a section of my cabinets just for me and this crazy, exciting venture! So... WISH ME LUCK!!