Posted by Nicole
I have been thinking very seriously about something for the past few weeks.
It is why my lunch was the following:
- 4 cups POWER greens mix
- 1 romaine heart
- 1 white onion sautéed with 1/2T balsamic vinegar, 1t spicy horseradish, 1t red cayenne pepper, 1/2t black pepper
- 2T Cedar’s garlic lovers hommus
For the record, I think I was using a dog bowl…
And why dinner was this. Okay, it was more like a dessert:
- 1/2c oat bran
- 2/3c frozen strawberries
- 1/2T cocoa powder
- 1/2T cinnamon
- 1/2T sweetener
It tastes better than it looks, promise.
And a plum. Not from our plum tree, unfortunately; twas delicious nonetheless. And lots of other snacks: crunchy peanut butter, cashews, natural applesauce, carrots/celery with crazy amounts of hummus.
I have not had fish in about a month. Last time was probably at our wonderful Father’s Day BBQ.
I have been cutting back on eggs and dairy. Minus the greek yogurt I’ve been eating by the spoonful. Minus all the indulgent desserts in Illinois. You know what they say, “go big or go home.” Well now I’m home. I’m making some changes.
I have been buying new foods to try: lentils, tofurky, smart hot dogs, sweet potatoes, hummus (sooooo much hummus)…
And now the dreaded word. V-E-G-A-N.
Don’t get mad at me. Lauren already has that covered ;)
Hey, Lauren (and other disbelievers), LOTS of things are “accidentally” vegan.
- Envirokidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs (yea, I know you love them)
- Rice Krispies, Froot Loops, Golden Grahams, Plain Cheerios, Reese’s PB Puffs, (most) Chex, Kix, Trix, Life, Cocoa Puffs, Unfrosted Mini Wheats
- Hershey’s Syrup
- Kraft balsamic, italian, french, and catalina dressings
- Ragu pizza sauce
- Unfrosted PopTarts
- Lay’s potato chips, blue corn chips, stax
- Quaker Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes
- Oreos, Nutter Butters, Teddy Grahams (choc & cinn)
- Nature Valley Bars (apple, maple brown sugar, peanut butter, oats and dark chocolate)
- Ritz crackers
- Ruffles (plain, bbq)
- Sun Chips (original)
- Swedish Fish, Airheads, Cracker Jacks, Famous Amos cookies, Fruit by the Foot
- Triscuits (most)
- Wheat Thins (plain, multigrain)
- Kool Aid, Monster energy drinks, Red Bull
- Keebler Club crackers
- Kettle salt & vinegar chips, white popcorn
- Baker’s unsweetened chocolate squares
- Betty Crocker Bisquik, Aunt Jemima pancake mix
- Duncan Hines California Walnut Brownie Mix, creamy homestyle frosting (choc, classic vanilla, french vanilla)
- Hodgson Mill (bran muffin mix, white bread mix, whole wheat gingerbread mix)
- Jell-O (pistachio, banana creme, lemon, vanilla)
- Ore-Ida fries, tater tots
- Keebler Fudge Shoppe fudge pops
- Edys no-sugar bars, whole fruits bars
- Kashi frozen meals (some)
- Luigi’s italian ice
(TO NAME A FEW)
I was going to wait until I started my sophomore year at USC in a month, but screw it. I currently am lucky enough to have a beautiful kitchen to start cooking (vegan) in. I am going to be educated, learn through the process, and stay healthy. Keep in mind, I have been thinking about this for at least 3 weeks. I first mentioned my idea to Kelly while we were gyming a while back. I told Lauren only a few days ago while we were eating at Sopo, and she said it felt like we were breaking up. Don’t worry Lauren, I will still accompany you on food dates and cook up a storm with you.
While I’m “transitioning,” I should probably ditch my exponentially increasing addiction to soda. Why must it taste soooooo good?
I’ll be posting about how things are going, how I am learning more about veganism, and other related topics of interest. I already know I am going to do a full post on the vitamins and minerals that are often neglected in a vegan diet… mostly for my own benefit.
If you are interested in becoming vegetarian (or maybe vegan), check out this PETA article, “Making the Transition” for some tips and introductory information. Heck, wanna pledge to be vegan for 30 days? Click it or ticket. Not really though, everyone is welcome to their own food decisions!
***
On a different note, I am loving The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I’m going to be like Emma and abbreviate it (NRLW) for future reference. Here is a sneak peek of Lou Schuler’s wisdom.
“the muscles of a woman are capable of performing similarly to those of a man”
“there’s nothing a man’s muscles can do that a woman’s can’t”
I’m off to read more, I can’t wait to get to the workouts in the latter part of the book! Then it’s bedtime. Hopefully Blade and Zoe don’t wake me up too early tomorrow morning ;)
***
Q4U: OK SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, I need major advice for which vegan protein powder to buy–> (One that is NOT Sunwarrior. Or chalky. And preferably flavored and LOW-sugar)
I NEED MY PROTEIN. Help me.
Q4U: Any tips to ease my transition? All advice/recipes are greatly appreciated!!! Any vegan blogs I should start following for easy and creative recipes?
I already follow a few vegan blogs, but I really want some more. Other people’s ideas tend to spark my mind in creative ways.
18 comments on “That 5 Letter Word.”
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hi Nicole!
i NEVER write comments on anything but i saw this and had to because i have been vegan since February and I’m loving it!! gosh i have so much to say! okay some tips…always check ingredient lists, even on products you think are vegan friendly. You would be surprised about how much stuff has hidden milk powder, casein, egg whites, etc in it (bread is definitely one to make sure you check!). Almond milk (not sure if you already drink it) is FABULOUS and is great for cereal, smoothies, anytime you need something creamy to replace milk. Flax “eggs” (3 tbsp water + 1 tbsp ground flax left in the fridge for 5-10 mins) can be used in pancakes, cookies, brownies, etc to be a replacement for eggs! Regarding the social aspect of it, you will definitely get skeptical looks and questions but don’t worry about it:) I’ve gotten, “WELL THEN WHAT THE HECK DO YOU EAT??!!?!?” more times than i can count haha. but just brush it off, don’t be timid and know that you are doing what is right for you at the moment! as for protein…beans, lentils, tofu, polenta, nuts, almond butter, spinach, broccoli, quinoa, cous cous, buckwheat, seeds, whole grain cereals, avocados, sprouted breads and tortillas…all fabulous sources of protein! for protein powder, I don’t use it all too often but when I do, i use vega sport vanilla! it is delicious but the big canisters are pretty expensive, so I just buy a few of the single serving packets at whole foods. also, to help the transition, rather than focusing on removing items from your diet, focus on the creative ways you can add new vegetables, fruits, and grains to your kitchen!
wow okay sorry for the epic novel!! have fun with it :)
mckenzie :)
KENZIE, I’m so glad you still check out my blog! Thanks for the epic comment :) So many good tips… I’m excited to try the new lifestyle, it will just take some getting used to. I know I will be getting weird looks and everything (I haven’t even told my mom yet, uh oh) and my steak-loving dad will probably not understand, but that’s okay. I’m pretty flexible with food and willing to try new things, so I hope I don’t have a problem trying tofu, tempeh, polenta, etc. I loooooove almond milk! I never really ever drink normal cow’s milk, so that will be an easy change. I eat eggs a lot– well at least the egg whites. I think I just need to find more creative breakfast ideas because I do love oatmeal, but I don’t know if I could have it every morning!!! What bread is vegan? It seems like most are, but I’m not 100% sure. I’ll check out vega sport, I’ll probably try a single-serve packet before investing the big bucks in a big tub of it. Thanks again!!!
yeah my dad is on my back about it all the time, but I just ignore him haha. And my mom was nervous because she thought it would be restrictive (its not!) and not too accepting at first but now she is really considering joining me!! Polenta is delicious if you just slice it and put it on the stove with a bit of salt and pepper (wait till the outside gets crispy and a little burned)! I love baked tofu but I’m strange and i will eat it plain right out of the package :) I’ve never had tempeh, I’m kind of scared to try it, lol. as for bread, I used to buy milton’s but it has egg whites in it (or at least the kind I used to get). I buy either Ezekiel or Alvarado street multi grain sprouted bread and i LOVE it. breakfast….I actually hate oatmeal! haha so I usually do green smoothies since I’ve gotten used to them in the mornings but I do love grapenuts or Ezekiel cereal with raisins and almond milk, bananas with almond butter, toast with coconut butter, homemade energy bars, big fruit bowl with almond butter drizzled on top. nothing too complicated! :)
Kenzie
OK cool… such good ideas! I’m going to be asking you lots of questions throughout this process, just as a forewarning ;)
no worries :)
I am not vegan or vegetarian! haha soo not too many tips for you from me !! my advice would be to look for whole grains and plants that have higher sources of protein, more beans, lentils, etc ( as mckenzie listed above) haha good luck girl!! PS- dessert for dinner? classic move :)
Thanks for the advice, I’m already excited to try my new lentils I bought, and will probably buy more beans soon. One 1/4c serving of lentils has 10g of protein and 11g of dietary fiber (44% daily value). Sounds good to me!! :)
Congrats!! I think it’s awesome that you’ve decided to go vegan. I admire it, because it’s one of those things I wish I could do. It takes a lot of guts to follow your heart and do something like that, ignore the criticism, and just do what is best for you!
I just got NROLFW and I seriously loooove it. Except the section that is all anti-cardio (it’s my sport!) but I really loved the section that discusses how crucial calories are and how important it is to fuel our bodies. It made a pretty big impact on me!
Quinoa is supposed to have the “best” source of protein for vegans because it is the only vegan food that has complete proteins- meaning all of the kinds of protein you would be getting from meat- or so I hear. I LOVE it though! I cook it and have it on hand a lot- It is really, really good with stir fry!
Also- as far as lentils, try a curry lentil soup! I make it with red lentils, onions, carrots, veggie broth, etc, and lots of spices! I’m sure you can find a recipe online. It is so filling and hearty- great for a winter day (or even chilled in the summer).
A vegetarian blog- (I think she rarely eats dairy or eggs, and most of her recipes are vegan)
http://wholefamilyfare.blogspot.com/
she also eats a lot of “raw” foods, which all look delicious and I really want to try them sometime..
Another- I don’t think she is vegan, but again- most of her recipes are vegan.
http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/
Good luck!!!
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I just bought jarrow formulas brown rice protein online, and I thought it was fairly similar to sunwarrior though it’s not sweetened and MUCH cheaper… I do recall that you did already buy some protein powder but y’know, just a heads up :))
<3
n
So good to know! Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered some sunwarrior from netrition.com for a somewhat discounted price, but I’ll be sure to check your suggestion out when I run out…. Which in all honestly, will probably be soon ;)
-Nicole
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