One Step Closer to Being a Hipster

I just got a bike!  And it has a basket! This summer I’m going to be riding around, eating at Vegan restaurants, recycling and reducing my carbon footprint.  I really should get some plaid and one of those hipster scarves…

Update for the two People Who Care (Hey Mom!)

This is who I will look like if I keep eating chips with guacamole every day.

So I’ve been vegan for about 10 days now and it has actually been easier than I expected.  I can’t say that I’ve been truly faithful to the diet since I had a hiccup one day but I have a legitimate excuse–I was at the Pulitzer Luncheon and everything they served had some sort of animal product in it and there was no way I was going to be fussy in front of these accomplished and talented people.  There’s a time and place for everything people.

Anyway, I think one of the reasons I’ve had the vegan thing easy is that I’ve been OD’ing on chips, guacamole, salsa and refried beans.  I didn’t think I would ever say this but, I need a break from deliciousness by eating nutritious foods.

Week 3 Mission:  reduce the amount of high salt foods and try to work in more veggies.  I only say this because I apparently have a freezer full of them and they need to be consumed and hell if I’m going to continue to pay $3.50 for a bag of tortilla chips.

Days 3 and 4

so.much.guacamole.

Day 2

Today I faced the challenge of making my first “vegan” meal.  My co-worker (and professional vegan) Heather, gave me a huge list of suggested meals and restaurants to get me through my “first weeks as a vegan.” One of her suggestions was black beans and rice with guacamole.  Once I read that, I was on a mission…until I got to the grocery store at 8pm and my stomach was eating itself.  Rice that takes 45 minutes to cook?  No way José .  (And I guess I could have gotten the 5 minute rice, but that would require me to dirty a pan and our kitchen sink is gross enough as it is.)

So I improvised.  Tortilla chips!  Sure, it’s not as healthy, but it’s just as tasty!  I threw those in a bowl, added some re-fried beans (the ones without the lard…ew!), salsa and guacamole, heated it up in the microwave and bam!–Mexican dinner. Sure, it’s not going to win a beauty competition anytime soon, but it was super filling and tasted delicious.

Scale of 1 (I want a cheeseburger NOW) to 10 (Give me more soy!) on how I’m managing the vegan lifestyle: 8 (some cheese would have been tasty on those improvised nachos, but I’m feeling strong!)

It Should be Noted

For clarification sake, I actually have a three reasons for this attempt at the vegan lifestyle.

First, I’ve always thought that it was weird that humans were the only species that consumed the milk of another species.  I stopped drinking milk in high school when this came to my attention and to this day, drinking a glass of milk weirds me out, in addition to the fact that I will feel nauseaus for hours if I do.

Second, I’m still not sure how I even feel about eating meat.  I’ve never had an active political stance on it, but due to the way that most animals are treated, I feel that I should reconsider.  If the meat and eggs are organic and farm raised, I would consider it.  However, since these items cost significantly more than their poorly treated counterparts, I feel like I should avoid them altogether.

Third, being a vegan seems to be a legitimate way to eat.  It’s not a crazy crash diet.  Sure, it’s going to take some getting used to (and I will definitely miss cheese burgers), but I feel like it’s an overall healthy way to live.

So, I’ve been meaning to try this anyway, it will just be easier to do this with a support system (what up Andrea).

And yet…come back her in two weeks and see if I feel the same way…

Day 1 Recap

Things we found out we CAN eat

• http://kindsnacks.com/
• http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/

Things we found out we CAN’T eat today

• Ranch Soy Chips
• Oreos (well I can, but Andrea can’t, contains wheat, the jerks)
• Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cheese Pizza

Day 1

Andrea: And I just ate millet bread. I don’t know what millet is. I think it’s what they feed chickens?

Me: I ate a block of cheese last night as a last goodbye and now I feel ill. I don’t want to eat cheese ever again.