This is why I'm vegan...

Daryl and I ate pizza tonight for dinner. I had Tofutti (non-dairy cheese), he had Tombstone (pepperoni and sausage). I'd never tried Tofutti before, but it was pretty good (not as good as homemade, but since this is the last night of vacation I was feeling lazy). Anyway, as the pizzas were baking in the oven, I looked over the nutritional information on the back of the packages. It was pretty astounding, so I thought I would list some interesting parts here. As the title states, this is (mostly) why I'm vegan: 


(Amounts listed here are for 1 serving size, comparably. That works out to about 1/3 of the Tofutti pizza, or 1/5-ish of the Tombstone pizza.)
Calories:      180 (Tofutti)        277.50 (Tombstone)
Total fat:      7 g (Tofutti)        12.75 g (Tombstone)
Sat. fat:        2 g (Tofutti)        5.25 g (Tombstone)
Cholesterol: 0 mg (Tofutti)     30 mg (Tombstone)
Sodium:       320 mg (Tofutti)  600 mg (Tombstone)
Carbs:         24 g (Tofutti)      27.75 g (Tombstone)
Sugar:          6 g (Tofutti)         3.75 g (Tombstone)
Protein:       3 g (Tofutti)        13.5 g (Tombstone)


Keep in mind these are both prepared, pre-packaged, frozen meal items. Even the vegan one isn't going to be the best thing for you (hence the high sodium... but did you see the sodium in the Tombstone???). And the Tofutti pizza has more sugar than the Tombstone does, but it's such a small amount it hardly makes a difference. I'll gladly trade a lower protein content for less fat and 0 cholesterol, too! I'm not worried about the protein - I can sauté up some kale and beans, make a quinoa or couscous salad, or dip veggies in hummus for a snack. And these numbers don't even include all the crap in the ranch dressing I used to dip my pizza in! Wow - arteries, breathe a sigh of relief!


*Note: Tofutti does make their products with hydrogenated oils, which are pretty yucky. Some of their other products also include HFCS (yikes - blech) but this pizza did not. Again, NOT a health food by any means, but pretty nice in a pinch! 

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Go right now and read it! And then click on "follow this blog" so it looks like I have friends. Not that I need that to feel validated. It's just nice.

Life is happening all around us

Hence the delay in posts. It has also become apparent to me that my previous blog design was very popular and everyone was copying me. So it was time for a change.


School is busier than I ever imagined. My cravings for non-vegan food have been pretty intense and I have given into temptations on many occasions. The problem with this plan is that I actually like "regular" food this time, whereas last time I didn't. It's hard to cook my husband's pizza without eating a piece of it. Or 2. Or 4. Yes, that has happened a few times. And then we ran out of the vegan version of something, so I used the regular version. That doesn't happen that often, and it's usually coffee creamer. Plus, money is always tight and vegan food substitutions are very expensive. $6 for a personal-size soy cheese, rice crust pizza? And $9 for the full-size version??? Are you kidding me?? Maybe we'll just make pizza at home from now on.... 


Anyway, I feel guilty about cheating. I don't know if it really makes a difference in my health to eat vegan all week except for 1 or 2 meals here or there. When I do eat non-vegan food it makes me feel like a faker. That is what I do care about. But, my goal in all of this was to keep it affordable, and make a change for the better in my health. 


At church yesterday (we go on Saturday nights) the pastor preached about fasting. I've fasted certain things before (a particular kind of food, facebook, soda, etc.) but never a whole meal or more. I tried, but it somehow just didn't happen. I'm not saying being vegan is equivalent to a fast, but it is an effort to control what I put into my body. I don't want to be controlled by anything, but instead serve God. Like 1 Corinthians 6:12 says (paraphrasing), "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial". That kind of sums up my approach to veganism for me. So I'm trying to do better. And also update this blog more. 

One week down (Tofu Scramble recipe)

Well, it's been a week! It's gone pretty well, we've been eating good, and I only caved once and snuck a pepperoni off my husband's pizza. Him and his friend even went shopping for me while I was at work on Friday and got a bunch of vegan stuff I needed! There was a lady shopping in the store who helped them, who was apparently a vegan, but she had him buy pizza that wasn't vegan. (It has caseinate in it, which is derived from milk.) I ate it, though, since he thought he was getting the right thing. It was so sweet of him to go shopping for me! 


This morning I made a tofu scramble. I've seen recipes for several here and there, so I just threw some things together. The recipe is as follows:


* Extra firm tofu, diced into small pieces (how much you use depends on how hungry you are - I used about 1/3 of a block, but that was a little too much)
* 3/4 tsp. turmeric
* 1/2 tsp. garlic

* 1/2 tsp. herbs de provence

* Salt and peper to taste
* Roma tomato, diced

* 1-2 scallions, sliced
* Sprinkling of Daiya mozzarella cheese
Heat skillet with canola oil over medium or medium-high heat. (This came out a little soft this time, so in the future I think I will increase the heat at first, then turn it down.) Add tofu and scramble until it begins to cook and brown slightly. Add spices, stirring to mix, and cook a minute more. Throw in your veggies (bell peppers or mushrooms would be really great in this, too). Add cheese at the end - it doesn't take long to melt.


This was really good, the only thing I think I'd change is to increase the heat at first to see if I could cook the tofu to a little bit firmer texture. My husband even tried it and said it was good! Yay!

Last night I had a craving for brownies after seeing some non-vegan ones at church, so I made some last night. I followed this recipe, but the consistency turned out a little funny. The taste is very good, but they were really goopy when I first took them out of the oven. Now, after being in the frig all night, they're a little too chewy. I'm not sure what the problem is... I'll have to play with them a little bit more. Look for an update on those soon!

VEGAN!

Well, Monday has been here and is now gone. The transition went over fairly smoothly, and I must say I have been doing very well. The only thing I've missed so far is ice-cream (or chocolate, I'd take either one), so it looks like I'll have to try some coconut milk ice cream the next time I'm at the store. Dillons actually has a better selection of vegan ice-cream than Hy-Vee does (shocking, I know). Hy-Vee far surpasses them in all other areas of health food, however.


I've been in back-to-school meetings all week so far, and they aren't even close to be over yet. I was worried about finding foods I could eat when they provided lunches for us, so I've been packing little snack-type foods for myself. There has always been something there for me, however, so that's been nice. I actually got to talk to some teachers about being vegan yesterday. I sat down at our table with my plate of veggies, PB and crackers, and fruit leather and the first question they asked was if I was on a diet. I explained I was vegan, and they were actually really interested. One of the other guy teachers even informed me that Tony Gonzales (formerly of the KC Chiefs) is now vegan, because he thought it helped his performance! How cool is that??


Lunch time is wrapping up for me now, so I need to go prepare my mind to soak up more new information. Off I go to another meeting this afternoon! (I will put up the recipe from last night soon, until then you can access it here. Scroll down the list, it's in alphabetical order. )

Monday's getting closer!

So, my husband's reaction was not as bad as I thought it would be. I told him Thursday night over dinner that I really wanted to make the switch to vegan, instead of just vegetarian. At first he was afraid I wanted to become a weirdo (because we all know that all vegans are "weirdos", lol) but then I explained my reasoning, he read my blog, and he decided it was a good thing. *Whew!* I was afraid it would be more of a struggle than that. It's my body, and I decide what I put in it, but I still need to honor my husband, and listen to his opinions, too. I am so happy he's behind me 100% and very supportive! That will make this so much easier. And, as he told me today, all the food I don't eat - he gets to! Ha, not quite what I was going for, but that's okay.

Monday will be a big day in a couple ways. I start my new job (attending new teacher orientation) and I start being vegan!! I am so excited about both of them, but also a little bit nervous. I still need to meal plan a few meals for the week. We may need to make a quick run to the store for a few vegetables and tofu, in order for me to have something to eat! I made a trip to Hy-Vee here in town on Thursday, to check out their health food section. I really liked that they have some locally-produced tofu, as well as a fairly wide variety of other food products! They didn't have the kind of soy cheese I wanted, but they do have TWO vegan brands! That's more than I can say for Dillons.

Well, I'm off to search for more recipes now, and enjoy the rest of my weekend!

Findings and musings

I just love starting out on a new adventure! It's so much fun to make a plan and put it into action! I've been gathering my thoughts and recipes this week, and will start my diet transformation on Monday. I would love to drop everything right this second and run toward veganism with my arms thrown wide open, but that simply isn't practical. That would, if nothing else, require spending money we don't have. And one of my goals is to make sure this venture is AFFORDABLE! That is why I will be planning out our weekly dinners ahead of time. It's going to require trips to other grocery stores, I know, but hopefully I'll be able to get most of what I need at our local Dillons. The closest Whole Foods is over an hour's drive away, sadly, but there are a few (much smaller) health food stores that are closer.

One interesting fact I found today (while reading an article on http://www.care2.com/ - thanks Ashley!) is that when purchasing maple syrup you want to look for a Kosher symbol on the bottle. A lot of vegan recipes call for this product (it adds sweetness and also acts as a binding agent, much like an egg) but some maple syrups have a small amount of lard added to them during the cooking process so they won't foam up. The worst part is that it doesn't say this on the label!

Also, if anyone is interested, I will be keeping a daily food journal. You can access it here, by going to my profile (it's on my list of blogs), or clicking on the tab at the top of the page. This is another way to keep myself accountable. I want to really make a change for the better in our lives. In addition to cutting out meat and animal products on my part, I would like to limit the sugar (especially the artifical kind) that we eat, and really make a push to recycle as much as possible. There's a recycling center less than a mile away, for crying out loud!

One last thing.... My challenge for this coming week, in addition to planning our meals and keeping both of us satisfied, will be how to handle the lunches provided at new teacher orientation and meetings. Should I bring my own, should I just go empty-handed and make the best of it? Maybe I'll bring a few snacks just in case the fare is not-so-veg-friendly. Suggestions, encouragements?

Beginnings

I am so excited about this new journey. It's one that really started almost 8 years ago. That's when I decided to become a vegetarian. After a while of doing that, I decided I was ready to go to the next level - vegan! Let me clarify by saying that I didn't completely adopt the vegan lifestyle, I merely ate vegan. I don't have the convictions necessary to warrant that extreme of a change. For those who do, I think it's great, but that was never my goal.

I grew up not being that fond of meat, which was funny, because we raised sheep and ate them, and my dad hunted anything he could. I'm comfortable with other people eating meat, even in front of me, but at the time chose not to do so myself.

Back to eating vegan. I began the summer before I left for college, and felt extremely healthy. I exercised moderately, nothing extreme, but still reached my lowest weight I had ever had in my adult life. I was down to a size 6 and could share clothes with my 5-years-younger sister! I was ecstatic! Then I left for college. Cafeteria food, for a vegan, was sadly lacking. I made it through the fist few weeks, then transitioned back to eating cheese, milk, and eggs. I continued working out moderately, but still gained the "freshman 15"... plus about 5 more pounds over the course of that first year. By the beginning of my second year at college I was uncomfortable with my weight, even though I was still in the average range. I continued to be a vegetarian through college and the next year after. Then I met and married my husband, and that began to change. In order to simplify things, I introduced some fish into my diet. I was okay with that, so I moved on to chicken. No problems there, so red meat was brought into the picture. That brings us up to today - for the past 10 months or so, I have not been a vegetarian. Most people are very happy with this, especially my family. I was fine with it at first, too. That is, until I started gaining weight. Granted, I was not working out as I had been in the past. I know that had something to do with it, and my husband and I are working on changing that, as well. Now, at the heaviest I have ever been in my life (172 pounds - I am sad to admit it, but it's true), I know it's time for something to change. I need to have control over what I put into my body. It needs to be good for me. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I should care for it as such. Do I think there is anything inherently wrong with eating meat? No. Do I enjoy eating meat? Yes. Is it something I am willing to give up for the sake of my health? YES! Food is just food, and I have placed too much importance on it lately.

I don't think it's fair to force my decisions on anyone, though. That is why, unless he chooses to join me, I will continue to cook meat for my husband. However, I still want to prepare healthy foods for us, so there are a few goals I want to meet:

1. I will prepare a meatless, if not vegan, meal at east 2 nights a week.
2. I will only buy organic meat, dairy, and egg products.
3. I will focus on incorporating all food groups into our meals, in the correct proportions.
4. I will purchase the food necessary to be a healthy vegan and still stay in line with our food budget.
5. I will plan our meals ahead of time, and purchase only the items needed for that week at the store.
6. I will acknowledge that this will be a difficult process, I will pray for God's strength, and I will stick with my plan!

I am very excited! This is going to be an interesting journey. I'm not exactly sure how I will start it, but I know I need to find ways to keep our food affordable. I also need to stock up on good vegan recipes - so good that my husband won't even know they're vegan! Wish me luck!