Turning Veganese

Before I get into the “meat” of this post, I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who has read the blog. I started the blog as a diary of sorts, a way to keep myself honest, and to document my cooking adventures and recipes. I’m so excited that Christie and Brent are sharing their recipes and stories as well. Finally, I am pleasantly surprised and so grateful for all the encouragement and support that I have been getting from friends and strangers. THANK YOU!

One of the challenges of being vegetarian or vegan is ensuring that you get enough nutrients. Allow me to make a callback to my post on Twizzlers: there are a lot of yummy vegan options out there, and I could probably go a day eating nothing but Twizzlers, but it’s not good for me and I’m likely to pass out.

I use an app called MyFitnessPal (introduced to me by Christie, natch!) and I love it because you can track with your iPhone, iPod Touch, or online at http://www.myfitnesspal.com. As long as I stay honest, the app helps a LOT in keeping track of not only total calorie intake per day, but carbs, fat, and protein as well. I have found it really useful since changing up my diet. Mainly, I try and make sure I meet my protein quota. Small changes such as replacing white rice with brown rice or quinoa have helped a lot in that regard. As a bonus, it’s reduced my carb intake, which used to make up most of my daily diet.

There are still challenges, though. I realized today that I have only eaten breakfast once in the several days. Now, allow me to make a confession here: I have had a horrible week of turning veganese. In the past few days, I have had a hot dog, chicken, pork, pizza, cheese, and bacon. My reason or excuse is that I have been so busy with work and life this past week and haven’t had time to cook. I am generally able to have healthy snacks throughout the day; that didn’t happen this week. I needed and craved meals that were hot, fast, and convenient.

I clearly need a strategy for making sure I eat well and eat vegan no matter what the situation is. What staples should I have on hand? What are quick, easy, and single serving meals I can cook? What frozen or pre-packaged meals/snacks are good to keep at work when I don’t have time to get away from my desk? How can I change up my breakfast options? How should I change my grocery shopping habits? These are just some of the things I will need to figure out if I’m going to be successfully vegan.

The next few days will be really fun for me: I’ll be on vacation for five days. I expect that half my meals will be bought at a restaurant and the other half I will be able to cook. Will I be vegan throughout the vacation? I have no idea. I’m going to try! And I’m looking forward to sharing my dining and cooking experiences with you.