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!!