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.

A Tale of Two Diets

5:58 PM Melanie:this weekend i ate SO much

Meredith: but it was vegan stuff so whatever

it’s good for you, right?

Melanie: i hope so

Meredith: unless it was refried beans again

Melanie: i mean, i hope the massive quantities of tortilla chips are good for me

Meredith: hahaha

eh, can’t hurt

Melanie: yeah

5:59 PM nothing processed in it

Meredith: well depending on what chips you buy

Melanie: i only get the ones with 4 or less ingredients

corn flour, oil, salt

Meredith: i’ve never even checked

i’m saving up money now for the bypass i’m gonna need in 30 years

6:00 PM Melanie: HAHA

Meredith: maybe even 20 at the rate i’m goin

Melanie: probably a smart investment

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…

Daily Crush

In honor of my becoming a (potentially temporary) vegan, I thought I’d post a famous, good looking one. Natalie should be a crush regardless because not only is she extremely cute, but she also seems to be the most down to earth, intelligent and normal actress around–and she also happens to be a vegan.

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.

A Potentially Dangerous Experiment

Today my friend Andrea had an unfun discussion with her doctor:

Andrea: “uh, just got your test results back from last week, and you are allergic to MILK, EGGS, AND WHEAT”. BALLLLS!

Yeah, that sucks. Considering our diet consists mostly of cheese, omelets and pasta. And, um, of course with veggies, yeah.

So why do I want to go vegan (other than to support Adnrea?) One of my co-workers is vegan and I’ve considered becoming a vegan for a while since it’s a healthy diet and I really should not be eating as much of the crap I eat anyway. However, I’ve only been thinking about it because I mean, really, ACTUALLY doing it is really hard! (Also, I shouldn’t be eating dairy anyway since I’m lactose intolerant, but whatever. Details.)

So now, with Andrea’s actual inability to eat these “bad” things, I’ve decided to try it with her–kind of. She can eat meat and I can eat bread. We’re going to cheer each other on/complain to each other a lot while seeing how long it takes either one of us to crack and eat either a piece of cheese or scoop of ice cream. I’ll try to document it here, but not like this crazy chick on self.com–no one wants to see that. Wish us luck!