WHY?
Well it's three-fold.
1. Curiosity. Can I do it? Will I be in hell? Will I even notice the difference? Will I feel different?
2. I want to change the way I shop/eat/cook for my family. I want to explore our options. I want to see if there are any variations on the normal things I usually cook. Vegan chicken nuggets? Vegan cookies?
3. I want to cut down my meat intake greatly. Chances are, I won't stay a vegan after the week is up, but hopefully we can cut down our meat intake to only once or twice a week? Maybe even less.
SO...I was supposed to do this little experiment this week. The timing would have been perfect...but my mom had to go & break her arm. It really threw us off. Thanks Mom. {{kidding!!}}
So, I'm doing it April 8 - April 14.
No meat, cheese, milk, bacon (bacon!), etc. I'm weirdly excited about it. And of course, I will be blogging my way through it and sharing the ups & downs of it all.
So...(I say SO a lot don't I?) I extend the invitation to you. Care to join me?? We could partner up on the blogs and chat our way through it. If you are, just leave a comment or email me!
The first thing I did when I decided to do this was search recipes & blogs to follow. Which means only one thing...Pinterest! {{jazz hands}}
Quinoa Sushi
2 things I've never made but excited to try.
Walnut and Tempeh Vegan Tacos
because let's be real...I need tacos.
Mmmm...sprouts...
Vegan Red Velvet Ice Cream
drool.
A few of the blogs I have found so far.
I'm open to tips, sites, recipes. Please do share!!
18 Comments
may the force be with you my firend.
ReplyDeletefriend.
ReplyDeletefirend was funnier :)
DeleteGood luck! The most strict I was able to be was Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. No starch/sugar/fruit...low fat limited dairy. THAT was hard. I think I'd starve to death if I tried to be a vegan
ReplyDeleteOooooh so much good food. Hummus is so delicious. The lemon and garlic... yum...
ReplyDeleteSprouts are probably one of my favorite foods too. Such a fun texture.
Vegan and GF blackbean brownies are oh-so-delicious.
Good luck :)
The quinoa sushi looks AWESOME. Good for you for giving veganism a shot! I did a week of vegetarianism in January which quickly became almost 6 weeks of vegetarianism- I loved doing it, and in fact miss it quite a bit. I've tried to cut meat out of my diet since, but I love it too much to quit it entirely. Quinoa was definitely a great substitute for me! Good for you for doing so much research too :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really tempted to join you but i live and eat in a boarding school where all my food is shopped for and prepared by someone else so it's not really possible. Sounds like a great challenge though - well done for doing all the research though, and good luck!
ReplyDeletePs - I get a lot of recipes off cleaneatingchelsey.com. Check it out :)
thanks :)
DeleteEeek! I applaud you; I could never do it. I tried for 2 days once... huge fail. BUT I am pretty weak when it comes to food. I always "cheat." I'm excited to see how you do! Good luck =)
ReplyDeleteOh and also, Alicia Silverstone's book,"The Kind Diet," has some really great recipes that I still use today, even though I'm not vegan. Whole Foods has great vegan recipes too!
ReplyDeleteOh man I would kill for a Whole Foods around here. We have a pretty sad selection of Alll-Natural/Health food stores. Thanks for the book recommendation! :)
DeleteI could never go a week without dairy products! But I did find this essay today that made me think of you:
ReplyDeletehttp://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/how-to-go-vegan-without-wanting-to-kill-yourself/
Hope it's helpful!
these look awesome! I love quinoa. we don't buy much meat at all, mainly a budget thing, so we're not vegan or vegetarian, but I'm not a huge fan of meat anyway. I am planning to attempt a lemon detox that week, with coming back from Costa Rica, so maybe I'll blog that along wih you :)
ReplyDeleteThat would be great!
Deletethe tacos look yummy. I may have to try making them that way. I often use the morning star crumbles for vegetarian/vegan tacos and burritos and they're not bad. super easy because you just keep the bag in the freezer, and then heat it with your favorite seasonings. My favorite vegan meal is portobello burgers. use big portobello caps, breifly marinaded in balsamic vinegrete (i make my own, one part evoo, one part balsamic vinegar, and a bit of mustard) grilled or cooked on on a hot pan. I also grill bell peppers and then grill up some rolls. totally delicious, i never miss the meat. I saw a cool post on ametuer gourmet about making cauliflower steaks, but I haven't tried it yet.
ReplyDeleteI am an omnivore, but I try to only eat meat a couple times a week. just make sure you still get lots of protein and iron in your diet~
ps...this chili is my favorite meal to make when entertaining vegan friends of mine: http://adventuresinweekdaycooking.blogspot.com/2010/05/sweet-potato-black-bean-chili.html
Wow thanks! I LOVE Portobellos.
DeleteThe Vegan Stoner is a fun vegan website with easy recipes. My husband went vegan, with a focus on whole foods at the beginning of the year. My daughter and I eat mostly vegetarian at breakfast and lunch, but he cooks dinner so those have been vegan. He always cooks something delicious and filling.
ReplyDeleteMy friend is coming out with a vegan Southern food cookbook this summer. Her blog is vegancrunk.blogspot.com if you want to check it out.
Thanks for the suggestions! I just checked out the Vegan Stoner & I'm hooked!
DeleteComments are my favorite...