Vegan Day 5 and 6

I veered off course once over the weekend. Given that it was once I don't feel like the whole week was an epic fail. Saturday was experimenting with tofu. I had a yummy tofu, lettuce and tomato sandwich with Dijon mustard instead of mayonnaise. Unfortunately Saturday night's attempt at heating up some rice and tofu in the microwave, topping it with some vegan chop suey from a thermos was not a taste bud thriller.

Sunday was another day with some tofu. I made Tofu Scramble from Ann Louise Gittleman's Fat Flush Plan Cookbook for brunch. The guys had a ham and cheese omelette. I discovered McCain's tater tots are Vegan. I had insisted that at least one meal during the week everyone was going to go Vegan. Since it was Sunday night dinner, however, I compromised and agreed to let the males go vegetarian. Big Lug and Kidlet enjoyed parmesan cheese on their pasta dish. There is now a note beside the Basil Tomato Sauce and Pasta recipe in my Pillsbury cookbook "next time try celery salt and pack fresh basil in measuring cup; no need to puree tomato sauce just small chunks". The Vegan Orange Cinnamon buns were very well received. I'm glad because one of my nieces is vegan. Now I have another desert I could make for her.

With no journaling over the weekend, I have no guide verse. I don't think it's coincidental that on Saturday I didn't take time to get a verse and veered off course. Given that Sunday's teaching time was in part about mission work, which reminded me that for some people going meatless isn't a choice, it's a fact of life; it was very easy to gracefully stay the course.

Vegan Day 4

I finally made it to Community Natural Foods. The staff there was very helpful and supportive. The only problem I had was trying to find something that was vegan, wheatless and yeastless. If you are a chocoholic, I heartily recommend their Chocolate Orange Brownie. It's in the raw foods section, its gluten free; it's a chocolaty orange burst of deliciousness with a hint of walnut. I also bought some Kale as an alternative to broccoli for calcium.
This time at work I ordered a side garden salad, no cheese and vinegar plus Bean and Mixed Pepper soup from home. I am definitely a person who needs to follow the food combining rules. I find that if I have no carbs, no dairy with my beans, I have no gassiness.

This going Vegan definitely isn't a drag. I've been doing things like normal, such as going swimming, working at a fast food restaurant, making lunch for my meatitarian husband. As with any eating lifestyle, it does require some thought and effort. As a believer in Nutritional Healing I'm no stranger to doing that sort of thing.

My verse for Friday was Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Vegan Day 3

Thursday was an easy going day. I wasn't too hungry and was definitely tired. That's not unusual when I've taken the late bus home from work. I saw Big Lug off to work, spent some time with Kidlet, caught a nap and ended up missing breakfast. I wanted something that was hot and I could sink my teeth into. I decided to make pan sautéed peppers, onion, mushroom, and diced tomato flavoured with basil and garlic to put between a couple slices of toast. I had planned to go shopping at Community Natural Foods by Chinook Station. I ended up vegging out at home and making do with things like broccoli for calcium and Bean Stew for supper. I also discovered when you're craving chocolate but aren't feeling too ambitious, mixing cocoa with peanut butter is a great alternative.

This morning when I made Big Lug his lunch, the chicken definitely smelled good. Thankfully it was frozen or I might have been tempted to have a bite. I am starting to understand why people who decided to go Vegan work at it progressively, starting out by eliminating red meat for a few weeks, followed by white meat and fish, hovering around Vegetarianism for a month or two before eliminating eggs and dairy.

The verse for Thursday was Psalm 98:4 Shout for joy to the Lord, burst into jubilant song with music.

Vegan Day 2

Due to working late, I decided to Wednesday's blog on Thursday morning. At work it didn't bother me being around meat. I felt very guilty, however, each time I goofed up a dairy order. As a long time user of Ann Louise Gittleman's Fat Flush Plan, I am no stranger to going dairy less for two weeks yet I was never bothered if I made the wrong milkshake or had to make a second attempt on an ice cream cone. For some reason as a Vegan it did bother me.
I made a smoothie using half a cup calcium enriched orange juice and half a cup of water, skipping the whey protein powder. Between Fat Flush and Canada Food Guide, I knew one serving of juice is half a cup. I enjoyed an absolutely yummy 13 Bean Soup for lunch. I had already experimented with a vegetarian version of it, leaving out the ham hock and using part water, part vegetable broth for the liquid to add extra flavour. I also had some steamed broccoli as one of my snacks. Work was easy. I've keyed in enough Southwest No Chckn, gone to the grill menu and click on "No Cheese" to know it would only take about 3-5 minutes to make a special salad. I topped it with Salsa, which was definitely a taste bud kick. That's not the entire menu of the day, just the key points.

My guide verse for the day was 1 Chronicles 16:29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.

Vegan Day 1

I got a lucky break. Big Lug was taken out for lunch and decided to make his own supper. I didn't do the best job of making sure to get two servings of calcium rich food. I probably only got one, through some Saucy Rhubarb and the trace amounts in everything else I ate.

Overall it was a very fun day. I got in some exercise via swimming with a friend and her daughter. Kidlet didn't notice anything different during the day time. Mom still made Dad his lunch; Kidlet had his usual breakfast with yogurt, and cheese at lunch. I do have a note in my journal "It's 8 p.m., I'm HUNGRY!" 3 cups of popcorn with a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and some seat salt later, I'm cheerfully blogging. My protein was obtained by having 1/2 cup of pinto beans as part of a Mexican chunky soup (or is it casserole since it was thick enough to eat with a fork?) and two tablespoons of peanut butter.

I will plead guilty, I never noticed until tonight how many ads during a hockey game involve meat products. The verse that helped me get through the day was Psalm 16:11 "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. The verse that helped me get through the evening is 2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

The Proverbial Redneck Vegan Challenge

Whether you're trying to extend your food budget, wanting to lose a few pounds or curious to experience the Vegan way of life, I invite you to join me in going Vegan for a week starting Tuesday, February 22. For me it's wanting to lose a few pounds. My inspiration was based on this blog: http://twomainemoms.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-week-as-vegan.html

I'll be relying heavily on my favourite health food store Community Natural Foods, located in Calgary across from the Chinook C-train station. I already eat fairly healthy so I won't have to buy too much. What I'll be buying from CNF are high calcium vegetables. Did you know there was a time when rhubarb was regarded as a vegetable? That's a unique calcium source.

I've got a batch of pinto beans cooking in the slow cooker that I'll be portioning up and freezing for ease of cooking. As for butter, Flora Flaxseed Oil makes a great substitute to put on vegetables, rice, hot oatmeal, even popcorn. As long as I make sure to have two servings of high calcium fruit or vegetable, the rest will fall into place. How hard can it be for someone who is in the heart of beef territory and works at a fast food restaurant to go Vegan for one week?

Don't laugh too hard.