major sweet tooth.

it's kind of funny, because the whole point of going vegan was to eat healthier and be more aware of what I put into my body. however, since getting my copies of Vegan with a Vengeance and Veganomicon, all I've wanted to do is use the dessert recipes. I think I'm trying to clear out the fridge and cabinets of leftover things before I really get into cooking. this is what I've been cooking (sorry for crappy pictures -- my new camera should arrive tomorrow!):



tofu & sugar snap peas with a peanut sauce, served over udon noodles. my peanut sauce was too nutty for me, so the boyfriend ate most of this.



a vegan christmas! my first. chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, roasted garlic mashed potatoes (both covered in a vegan mushroom brown gravy), green bean casserole from FatFreeVegan (this was amazing!) and homemade whole berry cranberry sauce.



burrito, pre-roll up. here we've got some refried beans (whole foods brand with chili & lime: yum!), TVP with taco seasonings (cumin, chili powder, cayenne, garlic & onion powders), tomato, salsa verde, tofutti better than sour cream.



random mush of fiber-y goodness! short grain brown rice, black beans, corn and tomatoes.


and really, all of those meals were easy, filling and delicious, but all I want to eat is sweets. I don't know what's up with that, really. but these? these are the best thing ever:



raspberry chocolate chip blondies from Vegan with a Vengeance.

overall, I do feel much better this week than I have in a long time. I'm not *as* tired, I think I have more energy (despite giving up starbucks and diet soda all at once), and my stomach isn't as icky feeling. I did slip up and have some cheese pizza at work a few days ago. I do need to get better about planning my meals to take to work because that's when I become flustered.

so, the verdict is in: week 1 of veganism seems to be a success! stay tuned for week 2.

why vegan?

that's the question everyone has asked me. and to be honest, I couldn't really tell you an exact moment when it resonated with me. I knew that some of my friends are vegan, and I was always envious of their willpower to abstain from dairy, to read every single ingredient on everything, to require special orders at restaurants, to put a little more thought into their food. I also knew that every time I consumed meat or dairy, I felt like crap. headaches, stomach cramps, dizziness, constipation/diarrhea (TMI, sorry!), trouble falling asleep and getting good rest, and a plethora of other ailments, I figured that I needed to eat better, get more exercise, and also give up caffeine (but that's a whole 'nother story!). I requested some vegan cookbooks for christmas and as I flipped through them, I realized how creative they were. vegans got excited about their food! they weren't going to settle for a few ingredients mushed together to make dinner, they were going to make it full of flavor, lots of colors, fresh produce, and wholesome ingredients. as a carnivore, I would grill some meat, throw on some sauce, pair it with a side and that was dinner. as much as I love to cook, some nights it was really just about having a plate of food to put into your stomach versus having something nutritious and filling. as a former vegetarian (8yrs under my belt) and someone who went back to eating meat, I noticed my mood had change, along with the aforementioned "feeling icky" symptoms. so, I was ready for a change. I made it my new year's resolution to go vegan. and also give up diet soda and caffeine. goodbye, artificial sweeteners and starbucks. we were once in love, and those times were okay, but we have to part ways. I can no longer succumb to your powers. and lose some weight. all of these things *sort of* go hand in hand.

so, here we are. it's about a week after my initial declaration to do this. I've cleaned out most of my fridge (I'm still living with a boyfriend who will eat anything, so some stuff stays for him). I've got my copies of Veganomican (by the way, BUY THIS ASAP) and Vegan with a Vengance ready to use, with post-it notes by recipes I really want to try ASAP. hell, I even bought Skinny Bitch (and I will write about that below) to get myself ready for this. and I think I can do it. I know that I want to, at least. it's going to be a tough journey, as a lifelong lover of cheese and ice cream (although I *am* lactose intolerant, so I think that's my body's way of telling me to NOT eat those things). this blog will be here for my accountability, for me to write about the trials and tribulations of being a new vegan, and also an outlet for recipes and food pictures. I'm excited to start cooking and learning new things, that's for sure.

as for Skinny Bitch, I picked this up because a) I do want to lose a significant amount of weight (about 50-75lbs, though I'm setting small goals) and b) I did want to learn more about veganism, so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. I think this book definitely has a decent amount of pros AND cons. let's start with the pros, shall we? it's informative, explaining in great detail about the nature of factory farming and slaughterhouses (and really, if anyone is okay with eating a bite of animal flesh after reading those pages, then I'd be convinced you don't have a heart, at all.), and also an important guide of basic nutrition. you learn about nutrients you need, and how awesome whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruit & veggies are. it also tells you that IT IS OKAY TO EAT CARBS. I see so many people STILL talking about the low-carb craze. yeah, I'm sure it helps you lose weight, but carbs are needed for energy! regardless of whether it's bread, pasta, potatoes or just from veggies, carbs are not the devil. you can watch how many you consume, sure, but don't discount them completely. now, let's talk about the cons of this book, shall we? it can surely make any woman who has body issues feel like absolute poop about the way they look. as a self-proclaimed fat girl (I will always be a fat girl, even if I did lose 50-75lbs), I don't think fat is always unhealthy. I know that even as a meat-eater, I didn't consume a lot of processed food, I didn't drink an exorbant amount of soda (a diet coke every few days, mainly), nor did I consume snicker bars and doritos on a daily basis. I do a lot of walking, I drink way more than 8 glasses of water a day, I love fruits and vegetables, I always eat brown rice and eat whole grain pasta. despite doing all of this, I am still fat. it may be in my genes. not everybody wants to be a "skinny bitch" -- some people just want to learn to eat healthier, really. I think calling your readers fat asses every 5 pages isn't a great motivational tool, though some people do well with the "tough love" and whatnot. so, that's fine. if it weren't for the title and the boot camp mentality of the writing, I think it'd be a great tool. and this isn't going anywhere except down, so I'll end that right now.

anyway, I went to Whole Foods tonight after work and got some essentials. some tofu, tempeh, seitan (I've never used seitan before! it's "chicken style" and I'm sure I'll find a recipe somewhere, but I'm scared/nervous/excited all at the same time), lots of veggies, rice, quinoa, millet, short grain brown rice, organic refried black beans (mmm, veggie tostados!), various nuts and seeds (pepitas! yay!), and VEGAN CHEESE! I've heard nothing but raving reviews about Follow Your Heart cheese, so I picked up some monterey jack and plan on testing it out very soon. this new venture is pretty exciting and also a bit overwhelming, but I'm ready to get cooking. wish me luck.