Better Late Than Never

I am so sorry for neglecting to post for such a long time.

But the reason why I didn't is because... I am having almost no problem being vegan.

This lifestyle change I thought would be incredibly difficult to adhere to is barely affecting me at all in the psychology department, and every week I see the health benefits. I've already lost about ten pounds on the combination of the vegan diet and working out more often. I've never lost that much weight sustained evenly over two months before. The new jeans I bought just weeks ago are starting to slip down my belly - I'm going to need to start wearing a belt!

On the other hand, my doctor says I'm a little anemic. Not much, mind you - I'm really only just under normal levels. So I'm going to make up for that by eating more spinach and taking two iron supplements a day instead of just one.

I thought I'd make a list of the things that are making sticking to the diet difficult for me. Here they are.

• Girl Scout cookies - There is not a single vegan Girl Scout cookie that I have seen so far, and all of my favorites have milk and butter. Less than 2%, true, but they still have milk and butter.
• Cheese - Vegan cheese helps a TON and actually tastes pretty awesome, but there's something about pouring a handful of Mexican-style cheese over your food that makes things amazing.
• Chocolate - So much chocolate isn't vegan. And you'd be surprised how few health food stores stock non-dairy chocolate. It's a curse, but it's okay.

Thanks, everybody, for not making a big deal over me being vegan. And a heap of thanks for my mom, who continues to support me in every way she can. College food is going to be difficult without her!

End of Week One

So, I've survived Week One as a mostly-vegan.

Why mostly-vegan, you ask? Well, this journal is intended to be open and honest, so I'll tell you.

Sunday morning I had non-vegan cake and non-vegan ice cream, and Wednesday afternoon I had a mocha that had all the dairy fixings.

Still, I'd say just two slip-ups in this entire process so far isn't bad. I'm not going to give up just because I made a couple of mistakes; I knew setting out that there would be times when I would forget, or times when my resolve would break down under the brunt of something absolutely delicious. I decided before I even started that I would give myself permission to make mistakes... and then get back up on the vegan horse and try to ride again.

Don't think about that metaphor too hard.

I'll also share about my temptations that I bravely resisted. I was assaulted no less than four times this week with folks offering cookies, donuts, and hot chocolate. Thankfully, however, I was surrounded each time with friends who knew about my vegan commitment and encouraged me to keep it up (even as they chowed down). But I'll be watching you, Tyler... don't you think you can break me with donuts!

So! Vegan food I remember from this week:

Tofu Chops: My mom's favorite old pork chop recipe, with slabs of tofu substituted for pork. This was DELICIOUS. I think the tofu soaks up the onion and apple seasoning even better than the pork and its much, much moister; one of my biggest complaints about pork is about how dry it is. 4 out of 5 stars for the Tofu Chops!

Trader Joe's Middle East Feast: A set of felafels, pita bread, hummus, and a veggie dish. This was really tasty. I love Middle Eastern food but don't get to eat a lot of it; I'm beginning to think my lack of experience in ethnic foods is just because the old standby recipes are easier and more familiar. I had this for lunch and it was filling and tasty. 4 out of 5 stars.

Quinoa with Beans and Almonds: This one came out of my vegan recipe book and it was good, but a little bland, much like its name. Quinoa is a great little whole grain that is really delicious and has a wonderful texture, and this dish is what they call a "whole" protein; it has all the amino acids we need. It needed a little bit of spice; I think I'm going to try some strong, flavorful herbs the next time I have it. 3 out of 5 stars.

Trader Joe's Rice and Veggie Bento Box: OH MY GOODNESS, THIS WAS AMAZING! I'm thinking Trader Joe's is really the place to get vegan food. This delicious little package had nine different Japanese-inspired dishes in small serving sizes. I loved the spiced green beans so much I think I would have no trouble eating my veggies if I could have these every day! The only thing I didn't like about this meal was the edamame; but the high quality of everything else really made up for it! I can't wait to have this again! 5 out of 5 stars.

So, that was the best food of the week. Thanks to everybody who helped me out and cared! With everyone's support, I think this is going to be easy as non-dairy pie!

It has begun...

I am now officially VEGAN!

I got a vegan cookbook for Christmas, which is awesome because it means I don't have to go rummaging across the internet looking for tasty stuff since it's all right here in front of me!

Oriental-flavor Top Ramen is vegan. I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of that.

Almond milk is yummy on cereal. And most Chex is vegan, FYI.

Never put lettuce in a bean burrito.

I have found a vegan loaf of bread. HALLELUJAH PRAISE THE LORD!

I'm very excited for the rest of the year. I can't wait to try new foods like dairy-free ice cream and veggie burgers. Everybody wish me luck!

Ovo-Lacto Food Review!

So over the weekend I happened to be out-of-town. For most people this would mean "I'm on vacation, I can eat whatever I want."

For me, it meant, "Oh, hey, I can order a veggie burger at a restaurant and see what it tastes like!"

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Saturday night I had tofu for the first time in my life and Sunday I had a veggie burger.

Reviews:

Red-curry bowl with tofu: I love curry. My father hates it. I didn't realize I loved curry until three or four years ago when I had it for the first time and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, since my family basically never has a meal with curry and we rarely go to restaurants where curry is served, I almost never had any. So when I saw that there was red-curry on the menu at this restaurant, I was like "SWEET! I want curry!" This particular curry was NOT vegan; I checked, and the waitress said no. However, it cost $2 more to add chicken to the dish than to add tofu. So I thought, what the heck, I might as well try the tofu.

Most people tell you tofu is disgusting and slimy and rubbery and a billion other things. Here's what I think of tofu; it has a consistency that is basically like chicken, except a teeny-tiny bit chewier. And it tastes like curry when you put it in curry sauce!

Honestly, I think I enjoyed the tofu-curry as much as I would have enjoyed the chicken curry. In this capacity, tofu doesn't taste unusual at all; in fact, it tastes great! It was a wonderful meal and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 5 out of 5 on the tofu curry.

Veggie Burger: Okay, honestly, the veggie burger I had Sunday night was one of the best burgers I have ever had in my life. I couldn't even taste the difference between it and a normal burger; it sure tasted better than, for instance, an all-Angus beef patty from McDonald's. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and ate the whole thing up. I didn't think to check and see if I liked the patty on its own, but as a part of the burger, it was delicious. 4.5 out of 5 for the delicious veggie burger!

Okay, so, technically, neither of these foods were vegan. Both had dairy products in them. But right now is the two weeks before the New Year, when I start ramping up the number of vegetarian and vegan products eaten. While I will definitely enjoy my meat and dairy at Christmas dinner, the next week I hope to go ovo-lacto vegetarian, and then at midnight it's cold turkey.

Or cold tofurkey, as the case may be. :)

Who I Am and What's This About?

My name is Erienne. I live in Oregon, the ninth greenest state in America. I’m a senior in high school and an International Baccalaureate Diploma student. I’m a nerdy geek, and I love books, comic books, writing, art, and sharks.

In March, I will turn eighteen.

Hopefully sometime this summer I will get my first legitimate, real-world, not-just-weeding-the-garden, job.

In September, I will be attending college.

In November, I will vote for the president for the first time in my life.

My freedoms, especially my freedom to choose what I want to see, watch, do, and be, are growing and expanding amazingly. In just a few short months, I will be legally an adult. 2012 is the year of opportunity, of change and independence.

New Year’s is generally considered a good time to make a fresh start. The holidays are over, so you can safely start that diet without being tempted by delicious turkey dinners. For students, it’s close to the beginning of a new semester, so you can keep that A in Psychology that dropped to a B last term. Companies are thinking about taxes, so you have a little bit of breathing room to find the time for that exercise regime. Spending more time with friends, being more frugal with your money, appreciating the blessings you have more often; it all seems to be more likely when the old year has died and the next one is stretching before you.

That wonderful fresh day is coming up on us. So in accordance with that new start, I’m going to go vegan for 2012.

Over the past few years, my eyes have been opened to the way we treat our environment and the way we grow food. I’ve become committed to living green, but it’s been difficult. I currently live ten miles away from my school and four miles – uphill – from the nearest bus station. I can’t feasibly walk or bike to school or town. I have no control over what my family does or whether or not my mom uses plastic or reusable bags when she gets groceries, although I’ve done my best to influence that. I recycle as often as I can, but I feel like it’s just not enough.

The one thing I know I have control over it what I eat. Since animal farming contributes to an enormous amount of global warming and pollution, it’s generally believed that going vegan can reduce an enormous amount of waste.

I decided to test this theory by using the ecological footprint calculator at http://www.myfootprint.org/.

My score eating meat: 6.76 Earths would be needed to sustain my lifestyle.

My score eating vegan: 4.56 Earths would be needed to sustain my lifestyle.

Well, huh. Look at that.

I’m a little apprehensive about this change, though. Yes, I want to do it. Yes, it’s important to me. No, I’m not just doing it to prove that I can (although that’s a major factor.) But I’m not entirely sure that I can actually do it.

That is the purpose of this blog. During the month of December, I will be researching and digging deeper into what it means to make the switch. During that time I will have this blog up and running, cataloguing my feelings, fears, fantasies, and failures. As I come closer to that date – January 1^st, 2012 – I will continue to share what I’ve learned about the vegan lifestyle. And then I’ll make the switch.

This blog will continue throughout 2012. I’ll have you know I don’t want to become rich or famous or anything through this vegan blog. I just want to have some documentation of what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.

I’m nervous, guys.

I’m going to need your help.

I really believe I can do this, and I’m going to go cold turkey, all-or-nothing, no-meat-eggs-or-dairy.

Help me prove to myself that I can.