Becoming a Vegan

I figured to follow up on Menu Plan Monday a little better, I will try to post some of my dinners instead of just listing them. I also figured that this new endeavor would be a good time for a vegan update.

Today's dinner was a fine example of flexibility. I got downstairs and realized two things:

1. I had a lot of rice and lentils
2. I need a snack for tomorrow

and voila! My pasta and spinach was transformed. Instead I ended up with a pot lentils and a pot of rice:



It was delicious. I'm a huge saute fan, but I decided to see what happened if I just dumped the frozen spinach into the rice when it got near the end. It turned out beautifully and saved me a little mess.

Favorite way to eat lentils? I don't know that I have one, but I am particularly fond of a pita smeared with hummus sprinkled with lentils.

Onward.

All in all being a vegan is going great.

Upsides:

-I feel mentally better

-I am having fewer stomach problems, although this may be due to diet coke intake decreasing and water intake increasing or it may be due to

-Running. Which I loathe, but I have found my switch to veganism has also reignited the always present to varying degrees flame of change. Challenging myself physically has suddenly become important. I find that running does something ellipticals, stair masters, and stationary bikes can never hope to achieve: it makes you be athletic. Not active, athletic. And I like that feeling. I find it funny that as I approach 23 I'm already at the age where I want to start finding an adult soccer/volleyball league. I miss being coordinated and athletic. I miss it terribly.

Downsides:

-I have not reached adequate calcium intake.

On that thought, my friend Ashley (remember AD from the spoon rest?) has a blog called A Life Without Diets. She introduced me to FitDay.com which is kind of fun and I recommend you go check it out.

You can plug in what you eat and see what you're lacking. And do other things, but the lacking is what I'm worried about. You can tailor it to fit your own concerns.

Anyhow, I'm getting there. I have a hair update coming soon. Remember when I went "no poo"? In my hair update I will address the issues of transforming the rest of my life vegan.

Also, I signed up for and received my Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating via Vegan Outreach. It's free and if you want a guide on how to eat healthy with this kind of lifestyle, or I guess even some ideas on how to eat less meat, it's worth it. If you don't want the vegan propaganda, just the information, you only have to look at one of the guides they send. Things included:

-Substitutes for all your favorite meat products
-Menu ideas
-Recipes, a few
-Suggested Resources
-Ways to stay healthy on a plant based diet. Things to pay attention to: B12, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Calcium, Vitamin D, Iodine, Protein, Iron, and Vitamin A.

Enjoy!