Day 6

One of the challenges I am facing is the fact that I have to share my kitchen. My in-laws moved in last year and took over my kitchen. It was fine with me because I had a new baby and didn't spend any time in the kitchen anyway. I was actually thankful that they were there when my daughter was born because mothers of newborns could use all the help they can get. But now I know that I can't ever meet my kitchen goals as long as we have to share the kitchen, unless my husband's parents go vegan with us, which I don't see happening.

For now, I'll just dream of my vegan kitchen where no animal products could be found and everything is organic. I'll have space for my dehydrator, blender, and other kitchen gadgets. There will be no more boxes of sugary cereal and all of my daughters snacks would be full of nutrition, unlike the Teddy Grahams, Oreos, and other candy and chips that's cluttering my kitchen today. Ah...a woman can dream!

Growing up, my mother always told me to be thankful and to always make do with what I have and not demand more if it's not within reach. My dream kitchen is not within reach, but I will work with what I have. This will be the first year that I am excited about Spring cleaning and I will actually have the energy to do it!

I honestly feel that I'm permanently on the vegan wagon, but now I'm trying to get everyone else to hop on. It seems like my husband is a home vegan, only because he doesn't cook and he's been eating everything I've made this past week. I'm not sure what he eats during his lunch hour. I've been making my daughter Tofurkey sandwiches for lunch, but today she asked if she could have Lunchables for lunch. We had them in the refrigerator, so I threw one in her lunch box. For the baby, I told her caregivers at daycare that she is now a vegan. At least it will be easy for the baby to go vegan!

Speaking of the baby, my breast milk is flowing better and it's more creamy now that I'm a vegan. Just a few weeks ago, I was struggling to pump milk. The milk that I did manage to extract was very watery. I'm so happy that I can make my "liquid gold" more valuable by going vegan!

My next goal is to find time to exercise. I'm hoping to dust off my bike and start commuting to and from work. Then eventually I'll start running so I can build up my bone density. Right now I feel wonderful and I know that exercise will make me feel even better!

Days 4 and 5

My favorite part about being vegan is cooking! I took a hiatus from my kitchen when my baby was born, but now I'm back and I'm loving it. My mother is an awesome cook and she's my role model when it comes to the kitchen. No one ever leaves hungry when mom cooks. Now if only mom could go vegan...

I've been cooking up a vegan storm these past few days. I made my own cereal using oats, flax, coconut, peanut butter, maple syrup, and dried cranberries. It's amazing with unsweetened almond milk.

Using a box of portobello mushroom soup, I added veggies and soba noodles. Everyone loved this mushroom soup!

I made some Asian veggie wraps using peanut and hoisin sauce, Napa cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and water chestnuts wrapped in a tortilla.

We had a couple bags of tortilla chips laying around, so I decided to make a dip using quinoa, black beans, avocado, and pre-packed pico de gallo. This dip was amazing and I can't wait to make it again.

With all my fun-filled cooking adventures, I am succeeding at being vegan and loving it. People always tell me that it will be impossible for my appetite to be satisfied without eating meat, but now I know for sure that they are wrong. I never feel hungry and when I do, I eat a couple of grape tomatoes and I'm good to go until I can prepare the next meal.

On top of everything else, I feel great physically and emotionally. I could use more sleep, but my sleep clock is in sync with my 10-month-old baby who still likes to nurse at 3 a.m. Despite not getting enough sleep, I feel much better than before I started on my vegan journey, and it's only been 5 days. Just 5 days of no meat, dairy, or eggs and I feel wonderful!

I've decided that I'm going to kick my coffee habit now. I do enjoy having something warm to sip on during the winter months, so I'm going to look for some loose-leaf teas on my next shopping trip. For now, I'm going with the free bags of Lipton tea that is provided at the office.

Here's to another wonderful day! What am I going to eat next?

Day 3

Another successful vegan day! I had a green smoothie for breakfast using the leftover rainbow slaw, 2/3 cup frozen berries, one orange and one banana. The broccoli flavor was stronger than I thought it would be, so no more broccoli smoothies anytime soon.

After breakfast, I made my first vegan trip to Whole Foods. I've only shopped there a few times before and usually for organic greens, so I was unfamiliar with the rest of the store. So I spent most of my time browsing the aisles and reading food labels. I picked up some pantry staples and almond milk for my daughter. (She loves vanilla almond milk!) I didn't have time to prepare a shopping list beforehand, because I didn't know what to buy. After the trip to Whole Foods, the creative juices are flowing and I'm creating my family's meal plan. I will be returning the the store soon!

For lunch, I grabbed two veggie sushi rolls from Whole Foods. I rarely buy prepared sushi because of the price, but veggie sushi is about $5 per roll as opposed to $7-$10 for a fish roll. Besides, I needed a quick lunch because the hubby and I were planning to watch Hansel and Gretel at the movie theater.

When we go to the movies, my husband and I usually share a large popcorn with extra extra butter. For my first trip to the movie theater as a vegan, I purchased a small kettle corn for myself and my husband ordered popcorn with a normal amount of butter this time. We habitually grabbed a big handful of napkins, but we didn't need so many napkins this time. I only used one napkin! It feels good not being greasy!

After the movie, I had to take my daughter to a birthday party. I declined the cupcake and ice cream offered to me. My daughter only had an ice cream cup. I have decided that for now my kids and my husband will be vegan only at home. I'm praying that one day they will completely follow a plant-based whole foods diet.

For dinner, I poured some store-bought tomato soup over chopped zucchini and warmed it in the microwave. I went to bed early because I was exhausted from running around all day. I didn't notice the hungry feeling so much this time. I'm ready for another vegan day!

Day 2

My second day as a vegan was a success. I had my usual oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast, two avocado sandwiches for lunch, chips and salsa and steamed veggies for dinner. Lunch had me completely stuffed. I used one avocado in each sandwich. Next time I'll use a half avocado each if I'm planning on eating two sandwiches.

I also made a vegan chocolate cake using a vegan cake mix I had purchased some time ago. I used applesauce for an egg substitute, coconut milk, and coconut oil. The texture wasn't as fluffy as a non-vegan cake. It was more like fluffy fudge. Nonetheless, my sweet craving was satisfied and I didn't feel hungry.

Some things I've heard from people who attempted veganism in the past is that they were always hungry and they were only satisfied with a double serving of meat. When I have those feelings after meals, I drink a huge glass of water, and that really takes the edge off my hunger withdrawals. If not, I'll eat more vegan food. If I'm hungry, I'm going to eat, but I don't feel the need to eat meat.

I feel great and I'm excited for day 3! Bring it on!

Vegan Day 1

My first day as a vegan went very well. I had oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast, chips and salsa with rainbow slaw for lunch, and a mushroom sandwich with green beans for dinner. The only thing non-vegan that I ate was a cupcake that my husband brought home for me. Sweets are my weakness. So today I am going to research vegan desserts.

I don't have anything significant to say about my emotions. It was just a normal day for me. On the other hand, physically I felt hungry shortly after having a meal. I'm guessing that's part of the addiction withdrawals from S.A.D. Thankfully it was nothing unbearable. I went to bed with my stomach growling, but today I woke up feeling more energetic than usual.

The next thing on my To-Do list is to give up caffeine, or at least cut down drastically and have a cup of coffee every now and then as a treat. I have a good feeling that I'll be able to eventually say goodbye to coffee forever.

I originally planned to "test the waters" of veganism, so I signed up for YumUniverse's 30-day challenge (#YU30), which begins February 1. But after watching Vegucated and Forks Over Knives, I decided to start early. I don't care whether or not that makes me ineligible for the #YU30 prizes. I'm challenging myself and the ultimate prize is my health. Yesterday was day 1.

I am amazed at how it has been scientifically proven over and over that the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is making us sick, yet everyone keeps eating animal protein and junk food. As I watched the patients in Forks Over Knives reverse diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, etc., my own heart ached for all my friends and family who have already passed away from these conditions. I think I'm on my way to becoming a food activist myself.

Chips and Salsa with Rainbow Slaw

Because I woke up today and decided I wanted to be a vegan, I had nothing to bring for lunch. So off to the grocery store I went, and this is what I came up with.

Chips and Salsa with Rainbow Slaw
1 bag Rainbow slaw (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Red Cabbage slaws)
1-16 oz tub fresh salsa (I like mild)
1 bag of organic corn chips (Kroger Simple Truth brand)

Fill a bowl with slaw, top with salsa, add some chips. Enjoy!

I paid about $6 for everything and I had two bowls before I decided I was full. I made sure to put the chips in the bowl instead of eating them straight from the bag. There is plenty left over, so I'm going to eat this for lunch again tomorrow!

Getting Vegucated

Yesterday, I told my 5-year-old daughter that we're going to start eating healthy vegetables and asked her to try drinking a vegan milk. I gave her a choice between almond milk or rice milk. I choose not to drink soy milk because of the health risks to growing children. I'm glad that she's excited to try a new milk and on board with me adopting a new vegan lifestyle.

We stumbled upon Vegucated on Netflix, so we decided to watch it. The film was very informative, but I really wish I would have pre-screened it before watching it with my 5-year-old. I had to tell her to close her eyes during the slaughter house scenes. But she was happy when the chickens were taken to the farm animal sanctuary to live happily ever after.

In the film, I really like how Marissa chose three people from different walks of life. I can relate to all of them. Like Ellen, I am a mother with young children who need to eat more vegetables. I can relate with Tesla when she had issues with her family not respecting her choice to become vegan. I'm very certain I will have the same challenges. Brian reminds me a lot of my husband - a guy who's open-minded but may be resistant to change. Like Brian, my husband would hold on to a rack of lamb or plan a trip to Fatburger as a reward for eating vegetables for so long.

In the film, Brian made a comment about vegans being from outer space. A long time ago I was working in a retail store and a woman came into the store and heard me sneeze. Instead of saying the usual "bless you," she started talking to me about raw foods and how that is what I should be eating. The whole time, I kept thinking that this woman is from outer space or trying to get me to join a cult. So I understand how Brian and other people view veganism as something different and weird. I'm conflicted about my daughter being vegan and having to deal with other kids in school. I hate the thought of other kids thinking that she was an alien or belonged to a cult. I welcome any suggestions on how to deal with vegan kids.

After watching Vegucated, I have no interest in consuming animal products. The slaughter house scene of the pig being thrown in the scalding tub alive has been burned in my mind. I signed up for the #YU30 challenge that begins on February 1. I intended to use the time until then to simply transition more vegetables in my diet, but I'm ready to start right now.

I highly recommend Vegucated for anyone who wants more information about a plant-based diet and why it's a good choice for you, for your family, for the animals, and for the planet.

The Journey Begins TODAY

It's a new year, and instead of making a resolution, I've decided to make a lifestyle change. This blog is about my transition off of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) to a gluten-free plant-based diet. The journey begins today.

Most people have amazing stories about how they overcame health problems, but I've been lucky so far and just suffer from the most common side-effect of S.A.D. - obesity. Today, I'm 175 pounds and 5'4", which puts me right on the other side of the BMI charts to be considered obese. I've been overweight my whole life. I'm 31 years old and have a family history of diabetes. I suffered from gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, but thankfully I was able to control it by modifying my diet and I gave birth without any complications.

Over the years, I've watched loved ones valiantly fight losing battles against cancer. I've made donations to and participated in fund-raising events for cancer charities such as The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, St. Baldricks (yes, I shaved my head), and the American Cancer Society. I put all my heart and soul into selflessly helping these organizations in hopes that a cure is found. Then it occurred to me that cancer can disappear off the face of the planet if we all could leave the Standard American Diet behind. I still support these organizations, but, as the saying goes, prevention is the best medicine.

If only we could change the world just like that. Because I'm only human, I can start with myself and my children. My children are healthy, and I haven't been diagnosed with diabetes or cancer yet, so I'm making an investment in my family's health right now, so that my babies will stay healthy and I'll live long enough to see them have healthy babies themselves. My husband, who is the ultimate cheese burger, pizza, and chicken wing lover, may take some time to convince, but I intend to drag him along as much as possible. I'm taking advantage of the fact that he denies all ability to prepare a good meal for himself. So I do all the cooking anyway.

My husband recently began a six-week challenge with a friend to lose the most weight in six weeks. I thought six weeks is too short, but at least it's a start. I also have plenty weight to lose, but I want to lose the weight by permanently changing my lifestyle. I started by drinking green smoothies and eventually purchased a Vitamix blender so that my smoothies will actually be smooth.

I found YumUniverse™(YU) - a website promoting plant-based gluten-free vegan diet - through Vitamix's Facebook page. YU is hosting a Plant-Powerful 30-Day Challenge that begins on February 1. Part of the challenge is to keep a journal, which is why I created this blog. Although I would love to win a new Vitamix blender (because those things are expensive), I'm doing this challenge to kick-start a new lifestyle.

The challenge doesn't start until February 1, but because my husband has already started a weight-loss challenge, I can prepare our family for the YU challenge by adding more vegetables in our meals. Our transition to a gluten-free vegan diet will be a slow one, but I will keep my sights fixed on that goal.