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.....