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.....