Day 31: Success!!

Day 31? WHAT?!

So the great thing about being terrible at math is every once in a while you get a happy little surprise like forgetting there are 31 days in August and realizing you are done with your diet a day earlier than you thought!!

Yesterday was my 30th day and I finished out strong. No army crawling pathetically through the doorway begging for a slice of cheese or a marginally cooked steak. Nope! Just like every other day on this month long adventure I happily ate my vegan delights and plugged away at the endless influx of emails and meetings. What perchance may have been a small difference you ask? Well, you see I was dreaming of love. Heart-pounding, mind-racing, palm-sweating, all-consuming love.

......today I am having a pizza.

Yes, blink away dear friends as the heavens open up and the angels begin singing... (loud aren't they?)

Yes, today I am being reunited with my long lost love in a celebration of accomplishment and renewal of our bond. I can't watch the minutes tick away fast enough.


Don't get me wrong, I have really enjoyed this experience. I don't even think that it's technically over as I'm sure this has made a permanent change on my diet both in the way I think about food, and the way I treat my body. But you see, it's pizza. It's always been pizza. Pizza and I have been through so much and even when we were apart I mentioned him multiple times in these blog entries. He was my source of anguish and longing and yes, dear friends, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.... *sigh*

Eat alllll of this! 

So what to take away from this? What grand moral message to I have? What eye opening revelation to turn the masses to a vegan diet and stray away from the evils of animal products? Well, let's be honest.....it's hard. It takes thought and dedication. It takes research and patience. It takes an adventurous spirit with the new products you will be trying. But overall, it takes passion. Passion for a healthier mind and a healthier body. And, it takes a thick skin because trust me, you will be explaining yourself to EVERYONE.

There are a lot of misconceptions about being vegan and most people will expect you to show up looking like you're on death's door with nothing in your hand but a celery stalk. They will tell how it's not healthy, and you won't get enough protein and every other society driven stereotype that comes package along with the label. And you may feel discouraged and annoyed and want to quit, but I dare you to commit and not to notice a difference. Not to feel lighter and more energized. Not to watch a change not only in your mood and weight but in your skin and even the brightness in your eyes. (And no, not if you only eat french fries and coconut milk ice cream because yes...i know those are vegan too)

Oooh Grimaldi's, how I would fly to NY to be with you :)

It's something I think everyone should try. To test yourself, to see if you really are dependent on the diet you are used to and what you've always known. Plus it's an amazing way to learn discipline. This will impact my diet going forward and honestly I think it will be the way I eat the majority of the time. 

I plan to continue to use this blog to recipes and ideas and to challenge myself to go further into this diet and try new things. 

But not tonight. Noo nooo noooo. Tonight is a night for me a my love. MMMMMM

Day 29: Cheaters NEVER prosper

You've all done it...come on...admit it. Glanced at your neighbors test? Written notes on your palm? Or on the bottom of your shoe? Taken a short cut, the easy way, cut corners? If you are saying no right now you are probably the worst offender. I'll be honest, I've cheated...several times. So when I thought to myself "hey! it's my diet, i'll just cheat a little bit" I believed it was no biggy, right? I've gotten away with it in the past, why not now? Well i'll tell you why not. 

One dreamy wobbly flashback sequence later and I'm standing in a kitchen surrounded by some of my favorite people. The aunties and other family are here from Tennessee, some of them just drove for 3 days to arrive and they want a quick and satisfying dinner made with love. Enter the enemy: that satisfying delicious dinner came in the form of a meat & cheese lasagna. 

Now yes, I know what you're thinking. Unless this family is into some weird sort of water torture forcing everyone to eat the same thing then why did I have to eat it? Well no, I didn't have to, but I didn't want to be "that" girl. Making my own separate dinner, answering all the questions, and it was an emotional time so I didn't want to give anyone anything else to worry about. So after conferring with my lovely friend-cousin and my scaredy-cat conscience, I decided I would go for it. No one outside of this room had to know. I would just have a little piece and a lot of salad and all would be well. 

No, all would not be well. 

The next day, I thought I had the flu. My stomach was angry, my throat was raw, I was having cold sweats and was pretty sure I was going to fall asleep on my keyboard. No fun at all! Cheating is NOT worth it! And it was only Stouffers! Regret does not even begin to cover it. So now I know. Now I can actually see the difference in my system and how I have adjusted to this new diet. The scary part is that food like that could have such an adverse affect on my body!

Since I'm going all precautionary tale in this entry, I'll throw in another little "word to the wise" gem before I go. Alcohol? Yes, I know, I love it to. But alcohol does not love a vegan body. 

You tempting, evil vixen!

Now don't get all high and mighty on me, I'm Irish, I thought considering my blood is 50% alcohol at birth anyways I would be fine. No my friends....Vegan trumps Irish any day of the week. Now this isn't to say you can't drink (I know, big sigh of relief) but just recognize that now 1 drink is about equivalent to 3 in the way your body is going to handle it. I spent last night on my bathroom floor from 4 beers. Yep, just 4. And today, I am paying for in strides. I highly considered if anyone would notice if I curled up in a little ball under my desk for the day.....I settled for a nap in my car on my lunch break instead. 

Moral of this enlightening and uplifting story....respect the changes that veganism is going to make to your body, both the good and the bad. Just recognize that it is a full body change to your system and things that you've always eaten, drank, done may require a little extra care. 


And think before you cheat. Yes, I know I should probably have learned that in a more moral way through school or work or relationships...but no, I learn all my best lessons through food :)

Day 23: Procrastination Recap

As I come up on the end to my one month goal I am realizing a few things: 

One: I am terrible at keeping up a blog (the whole goal was to write an entry for everyday's adventure.....yeaaa...even this entry was started days ago which is why it says Day 23)

Two: Food is challenging. Well, healthy food is challenging. It is so easy to fall into the trap of mindless eating. Stuffing my face with the closest food source and never even stopping to look at what is flying into my open mouth. But when you have to stop and be responsible for the meals; read labels, collect ingredients, put thought into the construction of a meal.....food can be quite challenging. 

Three: Cravings are a bitch. No lies, no happy BS, cravings are mean spiteful little creatures that sneak up behind you and invade every thought. Bitches. 

The last week or so that I have been horribly neglecting my blog have had quite a few adventures, updates and a rollercoaster of emotions both on a personal and culinary level. 

One of the things I tried to commit to along with the vegan portion of the diet was the healthy portion as well. Sure it would be easy to stock up on potato chips and coconut milk ice cream, sprinkle in some pasta and call myself a vegan. But that was missing the point. The point of this was to help my body regain the health it had been missing. So I went all in with brown rice, a TON of vegetables and fruits and healthy ways of incorporating the dreaded protein everyone thought I would be wasting away without. It went well, I felt good about what I was eating, look at me all healthy and stuff. 

Yep! But anyone who knows me knows that junk food is a lifeline for me. It literally can change my mood in .5 seconds flat. Hand me a good hot dog or salt & vinegar chip and you'll have a friend for life. I'm easy to please. So all this enlightened healthy eating was all well and good but where was the junk?! Enter my savior; Tofurky Italian Sausages. 

Hello new friend!

Now, I have also been known to giggle at the idea of Tofurky. There's no way it can be anything more than a gelatinous lifeform that people pretend is good enough to replace the real thing. Right? Well apparently I have been misinformed! On a lovely Blue Moon evening I grilled up some Tofurky dogs and enjoyed a seasonal Blue Moon and felt that same satisfied warm and fuzzy BBQ feeling that I do grilling up a good Nathan's (ooooo Nathan's.....*drool*) It was a pleasant surprise that I wasn't expecting and something I would be happy to make again. Also, because it was their Italian Sausages, I could imagine that flavor would spice up any plain spaghetti sauce VERY nicely.

Onward to further adventures and I finally decided to give in to the vegan masses and make my way to Native Foods in Culver City. I can't even count the number of recommendations I had to go to this place. It seems like a Vegan safe haven when you just want to enjoy a nice meal out. When I got there I was actually shocked at the variety on the menu. They had everything from pizza to burgers to sandwiches, and a great assortment of beers and desserts as well :)

I think I'm in love!

I settled on a Spicy Meatball Pizza with some Fried Chicken Strips to start with Buffalo sauce. To wash it all down I chose some of their famous Lavender Lemonade and a beer (hey! it's the weekend!) When the chicken came with that delightful meatball pizza, I was terrified but oddly excited. It looked so good! Could my pizza craving finally be fulfilled?! Let me tell you, I'm in love. If I could I would eat here every day. The meatballs (made from Seitan) were delicious and topped with a spicy marinara and pesto sauce (yum!). The chicken wings with the buffalo sauce were so crispy and really tasty! They had a great crust on them that wasn't too greasy or overwhelming. We also got a Bacon Cheeseburger which I tried and it was honestly REALLY good! They probably have the best vegan cheese I have tasted so far. Native Foods, you're my hero!

MMMMM Good!

Finally, I made an amazing breakfast discovery for those of you who, like me, can't handle sweet stuff in the morning. Trader Joe's has an AWESOME Soy Chorizo. It was made for me as a small breakfast taco, topped with some avocado and romaine lettuce. Soooooo good! I ate this two days in a row (haha!) Plus it doesn't have the intense fat content of traditional Chorizo and honestly, I like the taste of the Soy Chorizo a lot better. This is definitely a new staple in my breakfast ensemble!

So rounding the corner on my Vegan month, I'm not as sold as I would like to be. I definitely see the benefits of the diet and lifestyle I just don't know that I am ready to make that leap just yet. I think I need a more gradual approach to really become committed to this. I think the cold turkey was a great health cleanse and I am glad that I stuck to it. We will see from here. 

Or maybe I just really need a good pizza.....

Day 14: Food Dreams

2 weeks in? Really? Ok well, I'm not sure how I already got two weeks in but hey, I'm pretty proud of myself! I feel pretty good, I haven't noticed any drastic weight loss or anything (shucks!) but overall, I definitely can feel a difference now that I am actually paying attention to what I'm throwing in my insatiable stomach. 

The one thing I can't shake? The haunting nightmare invading my dreams and my day and inciting my temptation to the dark side? Pizza. 

Damn you pizza! You constant craving that I can't shake. I literally feel like an addict, convincing myself that all would be okay if I could just have one morsel, one small little slice of heaven. I could quit then, yes, I could stop, just one more before I say goodbye, I swear I won't eat the whole pie!

Sweet delicious pizza dreams

I even tried getting a pizza the other night without cheese. Just veggies, sauce and bread. Pathetic. Just plain stupid. 

But fret not, dear friends, I will not give into to this demon of temptation! I will not break my commitment! Instead, I cling to Google as my last remaining lifeline and hang on for dear life. 

Here are some pretty delicious looking places to try: Vegan Pizza In LA

They even have one in there where the cheese has that delicious melty look to it. 

Or, for a fun evening adventure I found this great blog where this lawyer turned stay at home mom talks about amazing recipes and ideas about being a vegan. Her vegan pizza recipe is one that I really want to try.

The great thing about that recipe is that, although it using vegan cheese, it uses a brand that is soy-free. Soy is so easy to overindulge in as it was the first thing on the market giving veg and vegan alternatives. But now, with the ever increasing popularity of this diet, we have choices and it's nice to know they don't always have to be soy. 

In the meantime, I am gobbling down my delicious Pina Koolada smoothie from Jamba Juice. They will happily replace their dairy alternatives with a soy sorbet (soy I know, but small quantities people!) and it is just as delicious. It makes for a light and filling breakfast when you are on the go with no time to cook.  

Another great quick vegan breakfast? Waffles with applesauce. People look at me like I'm crazy for this one but it's something my mom has done for me since I was a kid. Vans makes a great vegan waffle with berries. Just toast that up and top it with a dollop of all-natural no sugar added applesauce and some cinnamon and you have a delicious hand-held breakfast on the go! Low in calories and sugar too!

Once I tackle this pizza thing, I will be a Vegan Master! :)

Day 9: Strike One and Redemption

**Backdating this entry to when this affliction began...on Day 9**

Well, it was bound to happen. It was a speeding train and a brick wall and no brake pedal. I was bound to hit this unavoidable obstacle and have to find a way to assemble the tangled mess of scattered pieces around me.

I had my first "gross doesn't even begin to describe it" vegan meal.

I guess I should be grateful. Grateful this didn't happen sooner... grateful I got it out of the way... grateful it's over? Yea, grateful it's over, let's stick with that.

The memory is still so fresh in my mind, I struggle to write this without reliving each atrocious and mortifying bite, but let's start from the beginning.

I decided to grab dinner with a friend. Instead of seeing a guilty pleasure movie that shall remain nameless, we decided that we would take a tour of her very posh new condo and grab a "vegan-friendly" bite at an "anonymous" restaurant nearby. Excited that my oh so supportive friend would be willing to choose a place that supported my new and exciting lifestyle, I merrily skipped down the street and into the doors of this dark and cozy restaurant.

Upon glancing through the menu, I was pleasantly surprised at how many dishes were marked vegan or indicated that they could be made vegan. They even had a choose your own combo plate with so many choices I was instantly overwhelmed and never turned to that page again.

One intriguing entry in this large menu was the Vegan Mac & Cheese. A skeptic about soy cheeses and their ability to taste legitimate, I instantly thought this would be a delightful looking fraud that would not quench my craving. Curiosity got the better of me when my super enthusiastic friend jumped on board wanting to try the starter size of this meal. What came next, I could never have expected: 

What iiiiiis this???

Behold my terrifying meet and greet moment with this green little gem of vomit. This is what breeding sunflower seeds and cashew gives birth to, a green "cheese sauce" nightmare. 

My, ever optimistic, precious, little friend ignored all signs that something was rotten and through a voracious appetite tried desperately to convince me that "It's not so bad! It's actually growing on me!" No, sweet girl, no...you are being poisoned. This can only be described as eating slightly undercooked pasta drenched in sunflowers (and no I don't mean the delight of seeing a sunflower on a warm summer day, I mean the terror of eating a mashed up sunflower with sprinkles of cashew)

I would love to say that the dinner got better. That this mean trick was only the start of something amazing and satisfying. But alas, it just stayed stagnant at terrible and ended with us spitting up ginger flavored dinner mints on our walk home before they had a chance to kill us. 

I tried desperately not to wish ill on my dear friend. She was suffering her own "black death" punishment from this horrible dinner. But you see, she sparked something in this virgin Vegan....a craving for Mac & Cheese. 

Up until now I had only been combating an overwhelming craving for pizza. But as a self-proclaimed pizza addict, I've had 27 years to cope with this twitchy addiction. The mac & cheese, however....I hadn't even thought about it. I entered into the world of Veganism without a backward glance at that little devil and now, sunflower disaster and all, I missed him. 

So the next day, still shivering in fear from my previous night's dinner I was determined to erase this terrible taste. I went to my security blanket, Veggie Grill and got their version of VG Mac & Cheese:

Will you save the day?

Everything they make is so tasty and delicious, this had to be my saving grace! This would be the cure to my sad and pathetic ailment! Well......almost. It wasn't terrifying and it didn't make me want to vomit up my own stomach, but it wasn't hearty delicious, guilty, cheesy, Mac & Cheese. 

Needless to say, my horrible taste was only subdued by a less horrible taste and neither cured me. I remain on the hunt for a VG Mac & Cheese that will not kill me. My other supportive friend, probably in a desperate attempt not to see me throw myself off her roof, looked up some additional recipes that we are going to try together. As long as it doesn't turn out green, I'll be hopeful. And like my friend pointed out during our disastrous meal "Hey, at least I'm giving you material for your blog!"

Day 7: The Wonderful World of Coconut Milk

One of the biggest challenges that I thought about when choosing to become vegan was soy. It seems that everywhere you turn your only non-dairy alternative is Soy! Soy ice cream, Soy burger, Soy milk, Soy Water (ok the last one is a stretch but I'm sure it exists!) With all the studies emerging proclaiming a war against soy it was a mental tug-of-war trying to decide which side to take.

Enter my knight in shining armor....coconut milk (coconut oil would probably polish that armor up quite nicely too!). I ventured into this world on a rare chocolate ice cream craving and the trader joe's coconut milk ice cream was a delightful treat.

Now I find myself enamored with this little guy:

Try the Pina Colada flavor too!

A delicious alternative to yogurt and void on excessive amounts of soy this is a great mid-afternoon or morning snack!

I tried the Pina Colada and the Chocolate so far, both equally delicious. Just a note though, this isn't exactly the same consistency as yogurt. It's not that creamy spoonful that makes you smile in satisfaction like all the commercials. But honestly, who gets that excited about having yogurt instead of a meal?

Day 5: Weekend One, Here We Go!

Normally I reserve my weekends for self-indulgence and excessive amounts of guilt foods. After a long week toiling away in front of the computer screen, I find my best therapy is usually found in the last piece of a large pepperoni pizza. So as I looked at the clock quietly ticking away to the end of a Friday workday I wondered how this first vegan weekend was going to go. 

What would I drown my stress in? What would I do with my pizza and ice cream money? I won't lie, I did drool a little bit as I passed the In & Out on the way home. 

Determined to succeed I stared into the fridge half expecting the recipes and ingredients to jump out pre-prepared into my hands. I settled on grilling up some bell pepper/zucchini/onions with basil, oregano and garlic salt and added it to some capellini pasta with a splash of olive oil. All in all it was actually pretty delicious. A glass of coconut pineapple juice to wash it down and of course I treated myself to some chocolate coconut milk ice cream afterwards. 

Saturday morning was too busy to figure out breakfast so I scarfed down a nectarine in between walking Miss Roo to the pet store and giving her a bath. The afternoon was filled with some amazing homemade guacamole and vegan enchiladas complete with black beans, green chilies, and sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. I also learned thanks to another label reading session that I can still eat Kettle Chips which was a happy treat for my empty 4pm stomach. 

I'm starting to feel more confidant about this vegan thing. Starting to realize that it's not cutting out as much as I originally thought. It takes a bit more time and planning to put a meal together but at the end of the day it's a more gratifying experience understanding every ingredient that is being placed within my stomach. And yes, I realize, I'm only 5 days in so I haven't hit all of my roadblocks just yet but I feel lighter after each meal, I have more energy in the day, and I kind of enjoy the confidence gained with each successful dish.  

Even with this heat, I don't feel the need to lay lifeless in the middle of the room, clinging to a fan and a cold drink for dear life. The heat is there but I can still cut through to actually live through each day. 

Tomorrow I aim to tackle a good baked potato. I have to find a way around the cheddar cheese and bacon topping but I think some seasoning and maybe some broccoli may be a good compromise. 

One day, when I'm daring, I will try to find a solution to my pizza addiction, but don't tell pizza yet, I haven't yet broken the news that our relationship just might be ending...

Day 2 1/2: 1 Part Sweet Potato 1 Part Uneasy

So usually these things begin with a grand statement of purpose, a goal, a dream of world peace. They also usually begin with "Day 1" but I've always been a procrastinator so you get "Day 2 1/2" and we'll back track a bit. 

Flash back to a few weeks ago when on a slow night I decide to venture over to the good 'ole Hulu and check out a lovely little documentary called "Forks Over Knives" (check out more info here: www.forksoverknives.com ) After a very informative and slightly disturbing 90 min ride, I had come to a life altering decision.....I wanted to be a vegan. 

I'll give you a moment for the "shock!" and "awwww!" Yes this tricky little documentary had shown me one clear fact: I don't want to die. I mean I have no grand illusion of immortality (yet). But I don't have any interest in running my arteries into the ground and fighting the big C. No, i'm not going to preach that Vegan is the only way to go, so please, put down your pitchforks and crookedly painted signs. 

Goodbye old friend

Truth be told, I already struggled with my own morality regarding eating animal products. Many of you know that I am big on only using products that have not been tested on animals, and I try to be as environmentally conscious as I can (There now you have my grand statement.) 

After watching this documentary, along with many unfortunate heavy eye-lidded afternoons followed by desperate attempts to inject caffeine intravenously into my blood stream, I realized that I may not be the healthiest person on the block. And so, with a tearful goodbye tour of all my favorites eats and treats, I embarked on this Vegan Experiment with my life. And 2 1/2 days in....it's fantastic!!

Alright alright, you caught me, I'm lying. It's not all daisies and roses (although that amounts to most of my diet now.) It's challenging and takes a lot of thought and planning. My shopping trip to Trader Joe's amounted in a plethora of vegetables and a desperate text saying "We can't eat anything!" 

Day 1: Inspired and ready to go, I realized I had one; done absolutely no shopping in preparation and two; don't really want to spend every morning of my vegan life eating instant oatmeal. Night wasn't bad at all. Now, that may be because I spent the night curled in a tiny ball with a migraine (not diet related more a symptom of the disease called work). But a delicious homemade wrap complete with sautéed onions and mushrooms, spinach and beans was nothing to turn your nose up to. 

Day 2 was a lesson in the importance of planning. I'm not a big breakfast person, never have been. This usually means I resort to something simple and alas, egg-related. Rather than fry my brain on the effort, I just walked over the handy dandy gym across the street from work and got a delicious vegan smoothie complete with peanut butter, banana, almond milk, dates and hemp protein. Lunch consisted of another wrap made with leftovers from the night before and delicious (no sarcasm there) spicy fried rice with tofu from a local Thai restaurant. Definitely going to that place again. I repeated that for dinner and finally made my trip to Trader Joe's for some food. 

• Note about shopping as a Vegan Virgin: READ LABELS. Companies have become very smart realizing that people want to be "healthy and nutritious!" but they are still slipping some not-so-vegan-friendly ingredients into their foods. Be prepared on your first shopping trip to spend a lot of time in people's way reading tiny labels and putting a lot of things back on the shelves with a big sigh. 

And now, on Day 2 1/2, I've got this down! (fake it till ya make it people) for breakfast, I chopped up some sweet potatoes and some apples, drizzled some honey on them and microwaved them for a few minutes to soften them up. Then I sprinkled some cinnamon and I'm not gonna lie, twas pretty tasty. For lunch I let my brain take a break and hit up the vegan oasis of The Veggie Grill nearby (www.veggiegrill.com). If you haven't tried this place, I would highly recommend it. Even as a carnivore there are some tasty treats there when you feel like having a leafy day. 

I will say with 1/2 a day left on day 3 I am feeling pretty good. I think I can tackle this and really enjoy this vegan lifestyle. That is, until I am PMSing and some blind craving sends me pummeling down the bakery aisle taking out small children and old women without mercy. Until then!