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!