Moving into week two, the vegan diet is going well so far. I still feel really good about doing this, and it hasn't been as hard as I worried it might be. I thought for sure I would have caved by now, but so far, so good. Focusing on what I can eat--instead of what I choose not to eat--has made a big difference. Of course, I have a loooong way to go, but I'm proud of myself for a good start. The fact that I am taking openly about this so much, telling coworkers about it, and even having dreams about it (!) makes me feel good that I am "for real" this time.
Two things that have definitely made the week easier: vegan BLTs and Mac & Cheese. Though Dan and I have loaded up on the usual vegetables, grains, legumes, tofu, etc., the reality is that, without the occasional treat like Mac & Cheese or a BLT, I will never make it. Adding in these treats made it a lot easier for me to keep with my plan and avoid giving in, throwing in the towel, and heading straight for the pizza place (there happens to be a very good one right around the corner from our house).
Here's a list of our meals this week, some of which are old favorites and some of which are new. I am very fortunate to have a husband who is totally down with a vegan diet and who happily cooks all of this delicious food (in exchange for my meal planning, shopping, and dish washing). And in case you haven't noticed, I rely a lot on recipes from Vegetarian Times--I look forward to my issue every month and highly recommend it!
Yukon Gold and Baby Spinach Masala with brown jasmine rice, Puppodums (a thin Indian cracker/bread), and Green Chutney
Native American Toasted-Pecan Soup with crusty bread and a salad
Mexican Polenta (sans the feta) with refried black beans and a salad
Mac & Cheese* with roasted kale
(*This recipe is really good and will totally satisfy my cheese cravings without requiring me to eat any non-dairy cheese. I was so in love with it that I scraped every last bit of sauce from the bowl.)
Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Bok Choy
BLTs (using Vegenaise and LightLife Fakin' Bacon) with BBQ chips
Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
And, as a treat, we made these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which we are still enjoying. :)
I'll be sitting down this weekend to plan out our meals for next week. I'm looking forward to the vegan meal plan, week two!
4 comments:
So glad it's going well!
I considered one of my two staple vegan + gluten-free + soy-free mac and cheese recipes a certified hit when the picky-eater 2-year-old son of a friend GOBBLED his up. It was chock full of veggies, too! Ha ha. They were just pureed, so he didn't know. I should put that on my menu for this coming week.
I've made that recipe you are referring to! In fact, I think I have both of the ones you've posted before, but the veggie one is the only one we've tried, and it was so good!
Seester, I am so proud (and slightly jealous). I hope to join you once I get my life under control...as usual, you have taken the hard road first and will help me along! :)
Happy to hear that vegan is going well! These recipes sound delish - I'm totally going to try them!
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