12 Day Old Vegan

My last day in Miami. I grabbed a Larabar (Coconut Cream Pie) for breakfast.

Lunch time was a bit difficult. My family went to an Italian Restaurant. I had to ask a million questions about how the pasta was made and what was in dressings and sauces. I finally got a small salad, and angel hair pasta with garlic and oil. It was delicious! And although the garlic cheese rolls looked amazing, I was able to stay strong and pass on them...

I was traveling back to LA for the rest of the day. So I grabbed some french fries and a gatorade. Not the best choice, but the quickest vegan snack I could find before boarding. I ate all my left over peanuts on the plane. Again, I was able to sleep really well. I also had minimal back pain and just a little knee discomfort.

All in all it was wild and wacky day.

11 Day Old Vegan

Today was a challenge. I'm on vacation with loads of family. For breakfast we went to a greasy spoon. I ordered plain grits and a banana. For lunch we had all our family over. We made sandwiches. I was able to find a vegan boca burger. It was pretty good. I got raw vegan guacamole and vegan temple balls for dessert.

Dinner was a huge dinner party with all our friends and family. I just slipped into the kitchen and politely asked the caterers what each dish was that they were serving. I also asked if I could put my vegan boca burger (yes I brought one with me) in the freezer for safe keeping. They were so sweet. For dinner I had black beans and my boca burger (with more vegan guac) and plantains. YUM!

I hate being a bother and being rude, but a Lenten Discipline is about sacrifice. And sometimes you have to sacrifice blending in with the crowd to find out where the food you're being served is coming from. And surprisingly everyone has been very encouraging.

10 Day Old Vegan

Started the day off with a Larabar and a fruit smoothie. Don't know how much longer I'll be able to endure the same breakfast, but for now it's delicious!

For lunch I grabbed a bacon burger from Real Food Daily. Don't know what the bacon or the burger were made out of, but it was amazing! The bacon tasted just like bacon!

I took a flight from LA to Miami and for the first time had no back or knee discomfort. Usually on long flights my body shuts down, but this trip was awesome. I was even able to sleep for 2 hours comfortably. My friend suggested that the absence of dairy from my diet may be what is strengthening my back. Whatever it is, it's working! I hate a snack of triscuits and oreos and orange juice for "dinner." By the time I landed in Miami it was time for bed.

Vegans travel well. :)

9 Day Old Vegan

Today was another good day. :) I had a Cashew Cookie Larabar for breakfast, and a fruit smoothie. Then I had a vegan snack bar before lunch. I stopped at Real Food Daily for lunch. I sat by the actress Danica McKellar. I wonder if she is a Vegan...

I had the best Vegan Chicken Fingers for dinner. YUM! With Teriyaki sauce, edamame and brown rice. With a Popsicle for dessert.

So far I really don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I need to start taking a multi-vitamin. But other than that I feel in ship shape!

8 Day Old Vegan

Today was another good day. I had a PB Larabar for Breakfast. Then I went to work. At work I stopped in In and Out Burger for a Wish Burger. Which I thought was Vegan. Only after spending $1.36 did I realize it is in fact NOT VEGAN! (I didn't eat it.) But the Wish burger is only Vegan IF you get it without the special sauce. (boo). So I didn't eat it. I had pasta with a lime teriyaki dressing for lunch. With Oranges and hummus with carrots and celery. YUM!
I had a snack at work from Baja Fresh; some black beans and rice with their chips and guacamole. I had to ask for NO CHEESE sprinkled on top of the beans or Guac.

For my real hearty dinner I had an Amy's (Non-Dairy) Pot pie. DELICIOUS! I honestly can not taste the difference between that and the regular pot-pie.

And what better to have as a midnight snack than garlic fries (just plain fries sprinkled with garlic.)...

All in all it was a delicious day to be a VEGAN!

7 Day Old Vegan

A WEEK! I've completed one week. :) Feeling great. My back is feeling great too! I am still a bit tired. But when I do sleep, I sleep great! I had a fruit smoothie and a PB Larabar for breakfast. Brought Vegan cookies to work with me and the kids I was with loved them. Went to lunch at J's Kitchen (http://www.js-kitchen.com/) and had the best Vegan teriyaki "chicken" wrap ever! For dinner I had left over Vegan Pizza. And for dessert..TOFUTTI CUTIES. Delicious ice cream sandwiches (VEGAN)

6 Day Old Vegan

Today I felt GREAT! I slept a lot (still feeling tired) but once I was up I went crazy cleaning and organizing my closet. I sauteed carrots, mushrooms & spinach with a little of the soy vay sauce and added it to brown rice. Delicious!

For dinner I went to Pizza Fusion! It is not vegan, but it has vegan pizzas. :) I went with Greg & Andrew (who are being Vegan for Lent too) and my roommate Katrina. The pizza was delicious! Although soy cheese is very sticky!

5 Day Old Vegan

Today was a good day. I had Apple Sauce and a Peanut Butter Larabar for breakfast. Then I had a late lunch of Pesto Pasta, Salad and Edamame. I loaded up on dark chocolate covered pretzels (from Trader Joe's) and kettle corn (from the 99 Cent store) at a movie (Shutter Island, good stuff!).

Today I noticed two things. My skin glows. I woke up and looked in the mirror and thought, this is a good skin day. Don't know if there is a correlation with being vegan but just thought I would take note of it...

Also, I suffer from incredible back pain. I usually can't stand for more than a couple minutes without trying to find a seat or just plopping down on the floor. Today I was standing around at church talking to someone and I began to look for a chair to pull up. Then I started to think about my back. I realized that, although I had been talking to this woman for five or ten minutes, that my back didn't hurt. My feet hurt from standing. But my back felt...normal. I've never felt that. Even now lying in bed I feel no back pain (after a long day of helping my friend organize and re-arrange her apt). I'm not saying Veganism cured my back pain...but I'm just keeping note of it.

4 Day Old Vegan

Today is bad. My body is shutting down. I eat and eat and I still feel hungry. Starving. Still have a head ache. Being vegan is not as glamorous as Alicia Silverstone makes it seem...

I had a larabar for breakfast. Then I had hearty vegetable soup with fritos for lunch. I had peanut butter pretzels for a protein snack. Then I had Thai garlic noodles for dinner with an orange.

I need to start cooking more from scratch. Here are the two cookbooks I have...

3 Day Old Vegan

Today was a rough day. Woke up with a headache. I had applesauce for breakfast. Totally organic, no sugar-added. For lunch I had Tofu sauteed with carrots and mushrooms. With Soy Joy Teriyaki sauce. On toasted french bread. With pineapple.

Near the end of the day I still had a head ache and my friend suggested that perhaps I wasn't eating enough protein. I immediately had peanut butter on wheat thins. I felt much better. I had protein backed Vegan Chili for dinner. With Fritos. :P

I need to focus on eating more protein and less starch. We'll see how day 4 goes...



(This pic is for Kat...)

2 Day Old Vegan

Again I started off the day with a LaraBar.

I met up with a friend for lunch at The Grove. It is a really big popular outdoor shopping mall. I first went to the concierge to ask if they knew if any of the restaurants in the mall had vegan options on their menu. They had no idea. So I went to a few restaurants and asked the host. They all said "no" they had no vegan options. That kind of stinks. I went to lunch at The Farm. I had a plain salad with a vegan dressing (the waiter was in the know). And I had Sweet Potato Fries! YUM!

I had my homemade hummus and wheat thins as a snack later.

For dinner I had plain pasta with fake-butter and salt. I also ate some kettle corn popcorn while I watched Surivor! :)

Day 2 was ok. I feel totally bloated. I think I've gained some weight too. I need to get some more fruits and veggies in my diet and less carbs and starchy foods!


HOMEMADE HUMMUS INGREDIENTS

1 Day Old Vegan

I started the day off strong with a LaraBar. Cashew Cookie. Totally raw, vegan etc...

I went to Real Food Daily (a vegan restaurant) for lunch. I got Nachos. Yum! The plate was so big I had the left overs for dinner. With some Fritos and Fruit.

So far it's been pretty easy to eat Vegan. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Vegan for Lent

I am going to be VEGAN for Lent.

What is Lent?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent


What is Vegan?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan