So yesterday, the 9th of April 2012, was the last day of my lent vegan challenge. I started this challenge to prove to myself that I could be vegan and survive, with the view of doing the challenge again next year and then maybe going vegan.
The truth is, my friends, I was scared. Like most people, I was afraid that being vegan would mean missing out on so much. I was afraid I'd have to just eat salad. I didn't think I could live without the animal products I loved so much, I didn't think I'd want to live without them. For what is life without cheese, ice-cream, warm milk before bed, and scrambled eggs on toast? Well, actually, life is pretty darn good.
A few days into my vegan challenge I noticed something, I had energy I never knew I could have, my mood had improved dramatically, my skin looked great, and, (come on, we all wonder about it when it comes to vegans!) my bowel movements were amazing. I don't believe I will ever have constipation again; goodbye increased risk of bowel cancer!. To sum it all up, I felt alive.
A few years ago I heard about a small study that was carried out to investigate anecdotal evidence that people find vegans more attractive than non-vegans. The study found that this might be so. I can now add my two cents worth to this discussion, it's true. I had noticed that my skin had improved, but other people obviously noticed more than this. Not only did I have people telling me how great I looked, I also got a lot of interest from members of the opposite sex in those 46 short days. Too bad for them that my relationship status didn't change along with my diet, but a win for Jeff :)
I have found that I don't actually miss animal products like I thought I would. I now know how crappy they were making my body feel because I can feel how alive and, dare I say it, pure my body feels now (yes, I've become one of THEM). As well, I have realised how much food I already ate that was vegan or could easily be made vegan. This happened when I went vegetarian too and I think it's one of the biggest boundaries to people becoming veg*an (meaning vegetarian or vegan). When you're an omnivore, which *cough* is actually what a vegetarian is, it's hard to see what you eat that doesn't contain animal products, or doesn't have to.
Anyway, the point of all this is that now that I'm on the other side of the vegan challenge, I see that it's really not that challenging. I feel great, I feel happy, I feel healthy, and I feel like I want to stay this way. So, inhabitants of planet Earth, you are now plus one vegan. Hooray!
So I guess that today is the day that So do you just like, eat salad? ceases to be a vegetarian blog and is transformed into a vegan blog. In essentials, it's still the same old friend. Same great food, same thought-provoking genius, same wit... ok, ok, maybe I'm getting carried away. But it'll sure as hell still be supportive of people just trying to become vegetarian. Or more vegetarian. Don't you worry about that. And it will still be filled with heaps yummy food. Yummy vegan food. Which it has been for the past 46 days and you're all still here. Self high-fives all around.
Happy (vegan) eating! :)
Showing posts with label Vegan Lent Challenge (the thing that changed everything). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegan Lent Challenge (the thing that changed everything). Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10
Monday 9 April 2012
Day 46 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with Sanitarium So Good Soy Milk.
Dinner
Fried rice.
Snacks
Some more dairy-free chocolates handcrafted by Jeff. In fact we ate all of these plus more.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with Sanitarium So Good Soy Milk.
Dinner
Fried rice.
Snacks
Some more dairy-free chocolates handcrafted by Jeff. In fact we ate all of these plus more.
Monday, April 9
Sunday 8 April 2012
Day 45 of vegan challenge.
Easter Sunday!
Breakfast
Some lovely chocolates that my beautiful partner Jeff hand-moulded for me. There is plain 'milk' chocolate and 'milk' chocolate with crispy rice bits. He's a keeper.
A Woolworths brand hot cross bun with Nuttelex.
Lunch
Went to the in-laws for an Easter lunch and had two Fry's Chicken-style Burgers, chips, and salad.
Dinner
Two baked potatoes which I baked covered in Nuttelex, with a sprinkle of salt and garlic granules. On my baked potato I had Nuttelex, corn, Masterfoods Bacon Chips, capsicum, and pineapple.
Easter Sunday!
Breakfast
Some lovely chocolates that my beautiful partner Jeff hand-moulded for me. There is plain 'milk' chocolate and 'milk' chocolate with crispy rice bits. He's a keeper.
A Woolworths brand hot cross bun with Nuttelex.
Lunch
Went to the in-laws for an Easter lunch and had two Fry's Chicken-style Burgers, chips, and salad.
Dinner
Two baked potatoes which I baked covered in Nuttelex, with a sprinkle of salt and garlic granules. On my baked potato I had Nuttelex, corn, Masterfoods Bacon Chips, capsicum, and pineapple.
Saturday 7 April 2012
Day 44 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 mixed with the lass of the Plus Antioxidants. With soy milk.
Dinner
Leftover pizza from Thursday night, made by Tasty Goodness.
Snacks
Fruit toast with Nuttelex.
An apple.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 mixed with the lass of the Plus Antioxidants. With soy milk.
Dinner
Leftover pizza from Thursday night, made by Tasty Goodness.
Snacks
Fruit toast with Nuttelex.
An apple.
Some Leda chocolate rum balls, which were very yummy.
Saturday, April 7
Friday 6 April 2012
Day 43 of vegan challenge.
Brunch
Salted popcorn that I made myself, leftover cupcakes that my mum made the day before, and leftover pizza from Tasty Goodness.
Dinner
A curry that I tried to make using Pataks Korma Paste and coconut milk. It didn't turn out very well though and I don't know why. I'm no good at making curry from a jar! Every time I screw it up. Oh well, better luck next time.
Snacks
A Corn Cruskit while I was waiting for dinner to cook. Unlike the regular and light Cruskits, the corn and rye ones don't have dairy products in them. I didn't like the taste of the corn ones though! I'll have to give the rye ones a go.
Brunch
Salted popcorn that I made myself, leftover cupcakes that my mum made the day before, and leftover pizza from Tasty Goodness.
Dinner
A curry that I tried to make using Pataks Korma Paste and coconut milk. It didn't turn out very well though and I don't know why. I'm no good at making curry from a jar! Every time I screw it up. Oh well, better luck next time.
Snacks
A Corn Cruskit while I was waiting for dinner to cook. Unlike the regular and light Cruskits, the corn and rye ones don't have dairy products in them. I didn't like the taste of the corn ones though! I'll have to give the rye ones a go.
Thursday 5 April 2012
Day 42 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
I bought some marmite, imported from England, when I went shopping. I tried some on toast with Nuttelex. I only spread a little bit on because I thought the flavour would be quite strong. However, I found the taste a lot milder than Vegemite. Also, rather than being a thick paste like Vegemite (as I had expected), it was more like a syrup. It was quite pleasant in taste but the flavour is so mild that I think you'd have to use a lot to really taste it. I'll put more on next time and see how it is. Unlike Vegemite, marmite has vitamin B12. This is why I bought it. Vegan sources of vitamin B12 are fortified soy milk, tofu, and cereals. However, I don't really like tofu, fortified cereals that don't also have honey in them were hard to find/gross, and I don't think I really drink enough soy milk to be getting enough vitamin B12. So I bought marmite to add a bit more B12 to my diet. I'll see how I go.
I only had one slice of white bread to put my marmite on so I also had a bowl of Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 cereal.
Lunch
Leftover sausage and bean bake from the night before.
Dinner
It was my sister's birthday and we had pizza and cake at my mum's house. Mum had a pizza (a HUGE pizza!) catered for me by Tasty Goodness. Tasty Goodness is owned by Pixie, an old work colleague of my mum's. I believe all the food is vegan, though I might be wrong and some is only vegetarian. Some of the food is also gluten free. Tasty Goodness is often at the Gilles Street Markets, and Pixie also does catering large and small, and cooking classes. All her food is great! Here is an article written at the end of last year about the market stall. You should all go check it out! So affordable and delicious!
My mum also made me some vegan chocolate cupcakes from scratch. Mmm they were so good!
Breakfast
I bought some marmite, imported from England, when I went shopping. I tried some on toast with Nuttelex. I only spread a little bit on because I thought the flavour would be quite strong. However, I found the taste a lot milder than Vegemite. Also, rather than being a thick paste like Vegemite (as I had expected), it was more like a syrup. It was quite pleasant in taste but the flavour is so mild that I think you'd have to use a lot to really taste it. I'll put more on next time and see how it is. Unlike Vegemite, marmite has vitamin B12. This is why I bought it. Vegan sources of vitamin B12 are fortified soy milk, tofu, and cereals. However, I don't really like tofu, fortified cereals that don't also have honey in them were hard to find/gross, and I don't think I really drink enough soy milk to be getting enough vitamin B12. So I bought marmite to add a bit more B12 to my diet. I'll see how I go.
I only had one slice of white bread to put my marmite on so I also had a bowl of Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 cereal.
Lunch
Leftover sausage and bean bake from the night before.
Dinner
It was my sister's birthday and we had pizza and cake at my mum's house. Mum had a pizza (a HUGE pizza!) catered for me by Tasty Goodness. Tasty Goodness is owned by Pixie, an old work colleague of my mum's. I believe all the food is vegan, though I might be wrong and some is only vegetarian. Some of the food is also gluten free. Tasty Goodness is often at the Gilles Street Markets, and Pixie also does catering large and small, and cooking classes. All her food is great! Here is an article written at the end of last year about the market stall. You should all go check it out! So affordable and delicious!
My mum also made me some vegan chocolate cupcakes from scratch. Mmm they were so good!
Thursday, April 5
Wednesday 4 April 2012
Day 41 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Four slices of fruit toast with Nuttelex.
Lunch
Leftover pasta from the night before.
Dinner
Sausage and bean bake which I made with Sanitarium Sundried Tomato and Kalamata Olive sausages, since Jeff the olive-hater is away.
Snacks
Some sultanas.
A Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Bundaberg do not use bone refiners to make their sugar, unlike some companies.
A big scoop of Sweet William Chocolate Spread.
Breakfast
Four slices of fruit toast with Nuttelex.
Lunch
Leftover pasta from the night before.
Dinner
Sausage and bean bake which I made with Sanitarium Sundried Tomato and Kalamata Olive sausages, since Jeff the olive-hater is away.
Snacks
Some sultanas.
A Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Bundaberg do not use bone refiners to make their sugar, unlike some companies.
A big scoop of Sweet William Chocolate Spread.
Wednesday, April 4
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Day 40 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
A bowl of Freedom Foods Quick Oats with a glass of Sanitarium So Good Regular Soy Milk.
Lunch
Leftover curried chickpeas with rice. I forgot to photograph it but it looked like this except in a microwave container:
Dinner
I was exhausted when I got home so I jusdt made pasta with a made-up sauce. For the sauce I used carrot, celery, and red capsicum (which I put in the food processor), onion, garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I used Coles Organic Spaghetti, which is vegan. Also, look at that steam!
Snacks
A little Sweet William Chocolate, or four.
Breakfast
A bowl of Freedom Foods Quick Oats with a glass of Sanitarium So Good Regular Soy Milk.
Lunch
Leftover curried chickpeas with rice. I forgot to photograph it but it looked like this except in a microwave container:
Dinner
I was exhausted when I got home so I jusdt made pasta with a made-up sauce. For the sauce I used carrot, celery, and red capsicum (which I put in the food processor), onion, garlic, a tin of chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I used Coles Organic Spaghetti, which is vegan. Also, look at that steam!
Snacks
A little Sweet William Chocolate, or four.
Tuesday, April 3
Monday 2 April 2012
Day 39 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Fruit toast with Nuttelex and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Leftover vegie mach, made with pumpkin, potato, carrot, broccoli, and peas. Still steaming :)
Dinner
Curried chickpeas with rice.
Snacks
I made some cupcakes for a gathering I was going to in the evening and I licked the bowl, all the spoons, and the beaters. Mmm... :)
These are the cupcakes, how gorgeous are they?! They are chocolate mud cake and I made them using a Deliciously Free cake mix from Coles, using Orgran Egg Replacer instead of eggs. I made the icing using Nuttelex, icing sugar, vanilla essence, and yellow food colouring. This was also the first time I had ever piped icing so it was very exciting!
I was the official provider of vegan snacks for the gathering so I brought the cupcakes, Arnott's BBQ Shapes, Coles Organic Sweet and Salty Popcorn, and Coles Spicy Guacamole with celery, carrot, and Arnott's Jatz to dip.
Breakfast
Fruit toast with Nuttelex and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Leftover vegie mach, made with pumpkin, potato, carrot, broccoli, and peas. Still steaming :)
Dinner
Curried chickpeas with rice.
Snacks
I made some cupcakes for a gathering I was going to in the evening and I licked the bowl, all the spoons, and the beaters. Mmm... :)
These are the cupcakes, how gorgeous are they?! They are chocolate mud cake and I made them using a Deliciously Free cake mix from Coles, using Orgran Egg Replacer instead of eggs. I made the icing using Nuttelex, icing sugar, vanilla essence, and yellow food colouring. This was also the first time I had ever piped icing so it was very exciting!
I was the official provider of vegan snacks for the gathering so I brought the cupcakes, Arnott's BBQ Shapes, Coles Organic Sweet and Salty Popcorn, and Coles Spicy Guacamole with celery, carrot, and Arnott's Jatz to dip.
Monday, April 2
Suday 1 April 2012
Day 38 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with soy milk and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Lunch 1: I was at the Oz Comic Con and the line for chips was huge (and I might get to the front only to find all the chips had chicken salt on them!) so I opted for a fruit salad. Not very filling though.
Lunch 2: After Comic Con my lovely mum took me out for lunch at Wild Thyme Organic Market and Cafe on Melbourne Street. I had a lentil and vegetable pie which the chef said was vegan. However, the side salad that came with it had cheese in it! Also the pastry was so buttery that I don't believe it was vegan. I know what butter tastes like. I don't think the chef had a clue what vegan means. Moral of the story, if the waitress can't tell you what's vegan and what's not, go somewhere else! Better still, if the menu doesn't tell you, go somewhere else!
Dinner
Dinner was vegie mash made with potato, pumpkin, carrot, broccoli, and peas, with a bit of nuttelex, that I quickly made, packed, and then wolfed down at my mum's house minutes before the movie we were going to see started. I was in a rush to eat and make the movie so I forgot to take a picture. However, there was enough for leftovers so it will be featuring as lunch in my next post.
Snacks
Some sultanas while cooking dinner.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with soy milk and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Lunch 1: I was at the Oz Comic Con and the line for chips was huge (and I might get to the front only to find all the chips had chicken salt on them!) so I opted for a fruit salad. Not very filling though.
Lunch 2: After Comic Con my lovely mum took me out for lunch at Wild Thyme Organic Market and Cafe on Melbourne Street. I had a lentil and vegetable pie which the chef said was vegan. However, the side salad that came with it had cheese in it! Also the pastry was so buttery that I don't believe it was vegan. I know what butter tastes like. I don't think the chef had a clue what vegan means. Moral of the story, if the waitress can't tell you what's vegan and what's not, go somewhere else! Better still, if the menu doesn't tell you, go somewhere else!
Dinner
Dinner was vegie mash made with potato, pumpkin, carrot, broccoli, and peas, with a bit of nuttelex, that I quickly made, packed, and then wolfed down at my mum's house minutes before the movie we were going to see started. I was in a rush to eat and make the movie so I forgot to take a picture. However, there was enough for leftovers so it will be featuring as lunch in my next post.
Snacks
Some sultanas while cooking dinner.
Sunday, April 1
Saturday 31 March 2012
Day 37 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with soy milk and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Baked beans and potato gems.
Dinner
Creamy pumpkin and coconut soup and two slices of wholegrain toast with Nuttelex.
Snacks
The last of the Sanitarium So Good Vanilla Ice-cream and a drizzle of golden syrup.
Just a few Sweet William chocolates while curled up on the lounge watching the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 with soy milk and a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
Baked beans and potato gems.
Dinner
Creamy pumpkin and coconut soup and two slices of wholegrain toast with Nuttelex.
Snacks
The last of the Sanitarium So Good Vanilla Ice-cream and a drizzle of golden syrup.
Just a few Sweet William chocolates while curled up on the lounge watching the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries.
Saturday, March 31
Friday 30 March 2012
Day 36 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 (from flax seeds not sea kittens!) with soy milk.
Lunch
The first part of my lunch happened at work where I had an apple Leda bar and a tub of peaches in mango puree.
I had another bit of lunch at home, four Wholemeal Salada sandwiches. Two had Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter, and two had Vegemite and Nuttelex.
Dinner
As discussed in this post, I was in a difficult situation and had to eat a non-vegan dinner. It was at a Greek restaurant and I had some fried zucchini balls (which had cheese in them), salad made with lettuce, capsicum, cucumber, and feta cheese, some chips, some Greek flat bread, and a slice of Toblerone mousse cake. As I suspected, I began to feel sick not long after eating the cheese and I was actually glad that, as a vegan, I wouldn't be eating it anymore! I used to love cheese but after so long without it, when I did eat it, I didn't actually enjoy it at all. I didn't really find the taste pleasant. I don't feel great this morning either. Eating all that dairy laden food, I'm really glad that I chose to go vegan :)
Breakfast
Uncle Toby's Plus Omega 3 (from flax seeds not sea kittens!) with soy milk.
Lunch
The first part of my lunch happened at work where I had an apple Leda bar and a tub of peaches in mango puree.
I had another bit of lunch at home, four Wholemeal Salada sandwiches. Two had Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter, and two had Vegemite and Nuttelex.
Dinner
As discussed in this post, I was in a difficult situation and had to eat a non-vegan dinner. It was at a Greek restaurant and I had some fried zucchini balls (which had cheese in them), salad made with lettuce, capsicum, cucumber, and feta cheese, some chips, some Greek flat bread, and a slice of Toblerone mousse cake. As I suspected, I began to feel sick not long after eating the cheese and I was actually glad that, as a vegan, I wouldn't be eating it anymore! I used to love cheese but after so long without it, when I did eat it, I didn't actually enjoy it at all. I didn't really find the taste pleasant. I don't feel great this morning either. Eating all that dairy laden food, I'm really glad that I chose to go vegan :)
Friday, March 30
A conundrum
I have a bit of a difficult situation facing me. I am going out for dinner tonight with some old work colleagues. The dinner was organised months ago and I have not seen them for about the same time. When they booked the dinner, they were very concerned about making sure that my vegetarian dietary requirements could be met. Most places serve vegetarian food but these colleagues always worry that there won't be any food for me. They are very lovely and I really appreciated the effort they put in and the concern they showed. However, in the months since I have seen them, I have become vegan. At the present time it is quite unusual for a 'mainstream' restaurant to serve vegan food.
I really feel that I have to go, and I can't now turn around and say, "Oh I know you made such an effort to find somewhere that made vegetarian food, but I'm vegan now and there's nothing here I will eat". This leaves me with only one option. I must eat non-vegan food. I must eat dairy and eggs, thus supporting the very cruelty I want to cut out from my life.
This is a very difficult choice for me but I feel that I should support the effort that my colleagues put into having dinner with me. It does mean that my money will be funding the industries I no longer wish to support, and therefore feed the cycle of consume and demand, but at the same time I will be supporting people who have taken it upon themselves to learn so much about vegetarianism and accommodate their own views as a result.
So I guess this means that my vegan challenge will have to be suspended for one night so that I can support the gradually changing views of these old colleagues. I feel really bad but I know that at the same time I am doing good. I will therefore be extending my vegan challenge by an extra day (to Easter Monday), to make up for this day involving non-vegan eating.
I'm also a bit worried about how my body will react. Since going vegan, I have felt so much healthier and I have so much more energy. Over my years of being vegetarian, there were a few times when I accidentally ate something containing meat. On these occasions I got quite sick, and it wasn't psychological! Apparently it's quite a common occurrence, that the more people cut out meat and animal products, the better they feel, but the reverse is true if you go in the opposite direction. I believe that cutting out dairy has been a big factor in how healthy I feel today, so I'm worried how I will feel after eating a meal no doubt covered in cheese. I guess only time will tell!
I really feel that I have to go, and I can't now turn around and say, "Oh I know you made such an effort to find somewhere that made vegetarian food, but I'm vegan now and there's nothing here I will eat". This leaves me with only one option. I must eat non-vegan food. I must eat dairy and eggs, thus supporting the very cruelty I want to cut out from my life.
This is a very difficult choice for me but I feel that I should support the effort that my colleagues put into having dinner with me. It does mean that my money will be funding the industries I no longer wish to support, and therefore feed the cycle of consume and demand, but at the same time I will be supporting people who have taken it upon themselves to learn so much about vegetarianism and accommodate their own views as a result.
So I guess this means that my vegan challenge will have to be suspended for one night so that I can support the gradually changing views of these old colleagues. I feel really bad but I know that at the same time I am doing good. I will therefore be extending my vegan challenge by an extra day (to Easter Monday), to make up for this day involving non-vegan eating.
I'm also a bit worried about how my body will react. Since going vegan, I have felt so much healthier and I have so much more energy. Over my years of being vegetarian, there were a few times when I accidentally ate something containing meat. On these occasions I got quite sick, and it wasn't psychological! Apparently it's quite a common occurrence, that the more people cut out meat and animal products, the better they feel, but the reverse is true if you go in the opposite direction. I believe that cutting out dairy has been a big factor in how healthy I feel today, so I'm worried how I will feel after eating a meal no doubt covered in cheese. I guess only time will tell!
Thursday 29 March 2012
Day 35 of vegan challenge.
Breakfast
Apricot jam and Nuttelex on toast with a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
It was shopping day and we had nothing in the house. I took some Freedom Foods Quick Oats (and a measuring cups to measure the water at work!), a tub of peaches in mango puree, a Leda Triple Berry bar, and a little Sweet William chocolate bar.
Dinner
My lovely mum shouted me dinner at the shopping centre. I had sweet and sour stir-fry made with rice vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and tofu.
Snacks
A little taste of the new Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter that my mum also bought me, isn't she nice! This peanut butter was really yummy but I don't really see a market for it. It kind of reminds me of the peanut butter used in confectionery, such as Reece's, but I don't see why you'd use it in everyday life instead of normal peanut butter. It says it's easier to spread but personally I've never found peanut butter difficult to spread. Anyway, I did like the whipped texture and it would be easier to use when making biscuits etc.
A spoonful of Sweet William Chocolate Spread. Mmmm...
Breakfast
Apricot jam and Nuttelex on toast with a glass of orange juice.
Lunch
It was shopping day and we had nothing in the house. I took some Freedom Foods Quick Oats (and a measuring cups to measure the water at work!), a tub of peaches in mango puree, a Leda Triple Berry bar, and a little Sweet William chocolate bar.
Dinner
My lovely mum shouted me dinner at the shopping centre. I had sweet and sour stir-fry made with rice vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and tofu.
Snacks
A little taste of the new Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter that my mum also bought me, isn't she nice! This peanut butter was really yummy but I don't really see a market for it. It kind of reminds me of the peanut butter used in confectionery, such as Reece's, but I don't see why you'd use it in everyday life instead of normal peanut butter. It says it's easier to spread but personally I've never found peanut butter difficult to spread. Anyway, I did like the whipped texture and it would be easier to use when making biscuits etc.
A spoonful of Sweet William Chocolate Spread. Mmmm...
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