Not Absolute: A Vegan-ish Story Update

Merriam Webster defines Absolute as a : free from imperfection : perfect b : free or relatively free from mixture : pure

I can tell you this, it has been 5 weeks since I decided to try leaning towards vegan. Prior to that, I wasn't even a vegetarian...probably the closest description was somewhat 'clean eating'...i.e tried to eat organic fruits and veggies, and grass fed, no hormone meat, etc. So it was a big change. And I *knew* it was never my expectation to change overnight.
I can claim that I am pretty much a full fledged vegetarian.  I have had meat twice in that 5 week period, and oh boy, it is no longer for me.  Not only was it not enjoyable...but it made my stomach sick.  And what I thought particularly interesting, is I wouldn't wake up hungry.  Why? Probably because my body was still digesting the meat. In my mind, a little gross to think about.
I have been able to get used to coffee with soy milk (if I get soy creamer from Trader Joe's even better).  I have had soy lattes from Starbucks.  I have had vegan frozen yogurt from a local chain called "The Skinny Dip".  I even had a fabulous vegan pizza from "ZPizza".

This being said, I do not claim to be "vegan".  I do order cheese pizzas, I have had milk, when we are out of Soy, and yes, I have been known to sprinkle milk chocolate chips on my vegan ice cream. However, the way I am currently seeing it, is that in 5 weeks, I have been able to NOT eat about 68 servings of meat (would've been 70 except for those 2 meat occasions).  I have also drastically lowered my consumption of dairy, even if it is not completely phased out.
I think there is an expectation from our society, that if you are trying something like this it needs to be all or nothing. I feel like I am just trying to do better when I can, and maybe with time some of the other things will follow suit.  I have to say, living in a more trendy area (Virginia Beach vs Rural Southeast Georgia) has made it alot easier, as restaurants offer choices. And although weight hasn't "melted" off as Kathy Freston says in her book.  I am 1lb down from 5 weeks ago.  This may not sound like much.  But when you consider the 10lb gain in a month I had last time, I tested the vegan waters, I'd say I am doing pretty well. And regardless of weight, I feel like I get to try more adventurous food choices than before (like the Skinny Dip offers 1 Vegan flavor, so the other day I had Peach flavored..because that was the choice...why not). I feel lighter.  My skin seems a bit clearer (although not today....used sunscreen on my face yesterday and so there is an uprising!!).

Nothing Died...a Vegan-ish Update

I have to say this journey is teaching me about myself...some things that I have learned; Some wins, losses, realizations.

• I have conquered vegan coffee.  I'm having coffee with soy creamer and Stevia. I think this was more of an aquired taste...not finding the "solution".
• I can do vegetarian pretty easy. Vegan is still a challenge.  But I'm leaning.
• Speaking of leaning....I realized I hadn't been letting myself lean.  I was outright trying to say no "X"...and going from an American diet, to vegan overnight, and that is a bit of a challenge.  I realized I can't let myself be black and white...I need to let myself have the gray areas and that's ok.  My nature tends to see a goal and work to get to that goal fastest.  I forget all I had previously said...that I was just going to be concious, and if I thought I could get by without the dairy, I would, and where I still really wanted it I would...and without guilt.
• Last night, after evaluating the above, and reading in Kathy Freston's book, "Veganist", its ok to take it step by step...and a good first step is just to cut out birds (chicken, turkey, etc).  I thought, I may get a burger while we are out to dinner.  After we got there, I realized I din't want to.  We were at Red Robin, and there, they will substitute the meat in any burger for a Boca Burger or a Veggie Burger.  I ordered my old favorite, a Whisky BBQ Burger, with a Veggie Burger instead of meat. This burger granted is not the healthiest choice on the block. And it has cheese which is what makes my version vegetarian but not vegan.  However, can I tell you....it was delicious, and tasted no different to me than the old favorite.  And Normally, I can taste a veggie burger (I like veggie burgers, but they cannot be mistaken for a burger). P.S. I also had their sweet potato fries, yumm.
• If you recall, as much of an animal lover as I am, this was more about health, and more about what I had been reading meat can do to the human body, and the added saturated fats, etc. Well, what is interesting, last night I was willing to throw that out the window and having a burger. And I didn't....and I felt happy that Nothing died for my meal. So maybe it is a little about that.
• Right now, I am content being a vegetarian. And I am trying not to set too many rules on being vegan.  I am totally down with having a burrito with no sour cream and no cheese (must have guac though).  I am ok with Vegan ice cream. I am ok with Vegan lattes and coffee. I am ok with not snacking on chunks of cheese. I'm ok with making smoothies without yogurt and just soy or rice milk. Not sure I can avoid ranch dressing, cheese pizza, or cheese on my burger yet. But I think I am leaning in just fine, thank you....and trying oh so hard, not to feel guilty for the things I haven't given up yet.
• I would like to say, I have an ax to grind with Kathy. If you remember I said last time I tried vegan I gained weight.  This time I am doing better....but my weight is just maintaining. I would just like to say, although this is about health....not weight loss, it is still so hard for someone who struggles as I do to read over and over and over in a book, how the weight will just melt off without even trying and without counting calories. I find this to be completely untrue. Granted....again, I have not been a perfect vegan.  but given in the last 2 1/2 weeks, I have given up meat, and reduced my dairy intake by more than half...I would think, if her addage is true, something would be lost.

Mango Avocado Salad

So one morning I had Today with Hoda and KathieLee on, in the background.? Hoda was going on and on about this "salad" she can't get enough of.? It was Avocados, Mangos and a dressing.? No lettuce in this salad....which granted some salads are great...but you can really only have so much lettuce, and this was different.? And God knows I love Avocados.
So here is a recipe for a single setting (this with a little side, is enough to fill me for lunch).

1/2 Avocado, cut into little pieces (cubes, slivers...whatever floats your boat)
1/2 Mango, cut into little pieces

Then mix in a little dish:
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon juice, Lime juice, or a combo of both
1 tsp Olive Oil

Stir it around, and then drizzle over the cut up mango and avocado.? There is your lunch!

Vegetarian...check. Vegan...getting there. PLUS Recipe

It's been a week, before I decided to lean in to vegan-ish.  I can honestly say, I have definitely a full fledged vegetarian for the last 7 days.  Vegan...some days have been better than others. But definitely making progress. Here are a few pinpoints!

• I successfully went to Outback, and ate vegetarian (even though, there is no entree on the menu for vegetarians...I get that it is a Steakhouse...but it is also a family restaurant).  I had the salad...with ranch (I know ranch ain't vegan).  I ordered a la cart a sweet potato and seasonal veggies.  And yes, I used a fraction of the butter and brown sugar they brought me for the potato, and I am sure there was butter on the veggies...yes, not Vegan....but considering...DEFINITELY a lean in.
• Went to Trader Joe's for the first time ever.  Although I was able to get some things that seem like they will really help in the transition, I was surprised with how much they sell that is vegetarian, but not vegan.  I did get a veggie roll up sandwich which is vegan, and tasty. And I thought the hummus I bought was perfection, until I realized it was not vegan (although only a tad bit, if there is such a thing).  This was my realization....wow, this may be really hard...and I need to see about some recipes and snack options. Definitely more work, since you seem to have to make most of your items, to ensure nothing has been snuck in. HOWEVER, I would assume it makes it all the more healthy.

Also this week I read some more chapters in Kathy Freston's book "Veganist"....found the following, worth saying:

• Even skinless roasted chicken breast...the leanest of the lean, has 20% of its calories from fat...29% saturated.
• In the 20th century Americans have gone from eating 125lbs of meat per year to 200lbs. From 4lbs of cheese per year to 33lbs!
• There are so many stories in there of how a vegan diet reversed bad health.  It's ASTONISHING to me it isn't prescribed more, especially seeing as there are studies with data....it's not just a bunch of bru-ha-ha from environmentalists.

As a final note in the weeks progress, I started the couch to 5k program today.  This program helps you to go from couch potato to begin running. The first run was painful, but one of the best workouts I've had in about a year and a half. Considering in the last year and a half, I've gained about 15 lbs, that says something.
BTW, as you read through all this.  I want you to know this is truly a decision I am making for my health, and to change my lifestyle. This is not a 'diet' for me. Nonetheless, I think as I am sharing my story. You should know, I am currently 205lbs. 2yrs ago, I weighed 170, and was trying to lose weight then. I'll let you know, how I find this lifestyle effects those factors. By the way, some of you may still have your jaws to the ground, that I posted my obese weight in a blog. However, come on....if someone looks at me, and I were to say I weigh 150, they'd know I am lying.  Who cares....I look the way I look.

And a recipe....

Tonight, I made some pasta pomodoro, as I'll call it.  Super delicious.

ingredients:
pasta (I used Trader Joe's Garlic and Basil Linguine...but I've made it before with Barilla Plus & Ronzoni Smart Taste)
tomato, chopped
basil, sliced (I picked it from my garden, YAY me!)
garlic, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cook pasta.  Meanwhile in a small skillet, saute all the other ingredients.  when the pasta is ready, throw over the ingredients.  I *can* specify measurements.  But in all honesty, you can use as much or as little of all of those as you like.

OMG, How Gross

I swear this entire blog is not going to be about vegan eating. But I HAD to share.

So tonight....I'm exahusted. Mostly mentally. And it is hot as Hades outside, and what was planned for dinner????? My good Friend, Kristen's, 5 can chili (see her blog).  I couldn't do it.  I couldn't face it. So what did we do?  Fell into an old habit and ordered pizza. 
Now granted normally I like thin crust pizza...either the alfredo one, or just plain cheese...maybe a veggie. But the kids LOVE personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut. So since we now live in civilization, where Pizza Hut will deliver...I ordered it. I ended up getting a medium pizza for the hubs and me. 1/2 Supreme for him, and 1/2 cheese for me. I know not vegan....but I wasn't ready to go there (although I am thoroughly intrigued, by a local pizza place that has organic pizzas, and advertises a vegan one....I think best, that my 1st vegan pizza experience be from a place like that vs pizza hut).
Anyhow, OMG it was so gross. The cheese was disgustingly thick. The crust so greasy.  And my stomach hurts.  I can't even explain how it hurts...it almost feels full, but crampy full...but it is not gas or indigestion....yet!  And I have heartburn....which honestly, I hadn't had in the last 4 days, even though it HAD started to become fairly common for me.
So 3 things I bring away from this. #1 I'm amazed that in just 4 days, I have adjusted enough, that it was as gross as it was. #2 Lesson LEARNED...that is not "cheating" or "treating" myself, it is inedible! #3 WHY am I trying to use my body as a guinea pig. Just eat normal....don't try to test the boundaries of what you can get away with as a vegetarian or a vegan. Just eat what you know is right. Duh....didn't I learn that last time around?


And seriously, I'll have to think of something else to write about tomorrow.  Maybe my France Fetish...maybe some Etsy Favorites, maybe my upcoming house projects, maybe how I plan to set up my table at the Etsy Craft Party.

Just a Few Vegan-ish Updates

OK, so I've been pretty heavily leaning in to vegan-ish for 3 days. I feel much less tired, and I feel light.

If some of you recall, last time I tried to be vegan, I gained 10lbs in a month.  I admittedly, ate a TON of bread and pasta, and made lots of delicious vegan desserts.  This time around....ummm, I'm not doing that.  I am taking things we are having for dinner, and altering mine to be vegan. Such as the burrito below.  My kids and husband had it with morningstar farms mealstarters faux beef crumbles (with added chili powder and onions).  They also had cheese and sour cream.  I was surprised with how delicious it was...not because there was no meat (I prefer black beans over meat)...but without the dairy. I've also been trying to have lots of fruits and veggies over a huge carb fest...although to be clear I am not avoiding carbs.

Well because of the weight gain last time around, I did want to track my eating on www.sparkpeople.com.  Guess what I have found?  Without paying much attention, I'm getting 15-25% of my calories from protein.  My calories have been reduced by 400-500 calories a day, without any hunger or feelings of deprivation. So far no cravings, and not really feeling "tempted", to be less "ish". I am still having cream in my coffee.

Here's my burrito:

ingredients:
Archer Farms Whole Wheat Tortilla (from Target)
Brown Rice
Cilantro
Lime
Rotel Tomatoes (canned)
Corn (canned)
Low Sodium Black Beans (canned)
Avocado
Garlic Powder

1. Put the Rotel, Corn (drained), and Black Beans in a pot. Cook until a boil. Stir, and then set to low.
2. Make some guacamole....do this by pitting the avocado and removing the peel.  Drizzle some lime juice and shake some garlic powder on it.  Mush it with a fork until you've got guacamole. Add more or less lime and garlic to your liking.
3. Cook some brown rice.  After, add some lime juice to it.  Also chop some cilantro and mix it in too.
4. Warm up the tortilla.
5. Load her up.

I was very proud of myself that the cilantro came from my own garden (I'm waiting on the tomatos and peppers to grow). 
Also I tried just to load up the burrito with all the fixin's (my Texan streak coming out), so that I could be full from 1 burrito.

Becoming Vegan-ish

So for about 9 months I've been really thinking about the idea of becoming a vegan. My bud is vegan, and between watching intently what Alicia Silverstone, Kathy Freston, and Ellen Degeneres say about it and my buds life, I am intrigued.
Now i am an animal lover, but I am not into PETA, or thinking on it because of slaughterhouses.    Although if you saw the Oprah with Lisa Ling, going to a 'better run' slaughterhouse, it really is hard to want to eat meat...although easy to just block that out, and eat ignorantly (or at least that is what I do). And, it's not because I agreed with the book, Skinny Bitch.
What intrigues me is the arguements about what is good for the body, and what is good for the Earth, and connecting, and feeling good about who you are. Taking care of your body and soul. I'm not saying this as a bunch of mumbo jumbo.  It's things like this that I am reding in Kathy Freston's book, "Veganist":

• most Americans eat twice as much protein as needed...and twice as much as we did in the early 20th century.
• The American Dietic Association concludes a Vegetarian diet shows lower ishemic heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower hypertension, and a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes (a clencher for me), prostate, and colon cancer.
• it takes 16lbs of grain to feed 1lb of beef.
• Meat stimulates an insulin release (Dr. Barnard). Beef and cheese cause a bigger insulin release than pasta and fish more than popcorn. <~~this catches my attention as I am insulin resistant.

I thought you may be interested in these little factoids, and i may continue sharing them as I come across them.
Another big thing for me, is all the crap they do to meat...I feel like I can't trust it. Lots of chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics going into the animals we are injesting.

Anyway, so what the heck is "leaning in" to "vegani-ish".  "Leaning in" means its not going to happen overnight. This is a lifestyle change not a diet.  I'm not going to hold my feet to the coals to be perfect.  What I am going to do is be concious of my eating, and think about it, and make choices towards vegan. Vegan-ish to me means, I may be a vegetarian, and I may try to avoid dairy....but it may take me some time to give up the cream in my coffee.  And what if that is the 1 thing I hold onto....so what. It's not about perfection, its about being concious.

So yesterday, I was a bonafide vegetarian.  I had the following to eat:
Breakfast: Whole Wheat Cranberry Orange Scone and a Strawberry Banana Orange Smoothie

Lunch: Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with bean sprouts, avocado, tomato, and spinach

Snack: We went to the Strawberry Festival and I had a Strawberry Taco. Vegetarian....yes.  Vegan....no. It is a waffle cone, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Dinner: We grilled some zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, onions and corn, with some teriyaki marinade.  I also had a baked potato with butter (not healthy, nor vegan)

Dessert (I know twice in one day, but it was my anniversary): Some mint chocolate chip Vegan ice cream, made with Coconut Milk....super delicious.

So far today, I've had an Odwalla Bar and smoothie.  We are having black bean burritos for dinner.  I'm going to see if I can try it without cheese or sour cream.  I am hoping the guacamole picks up the slack.