Burritos, Belts and Blogging

It’s been over 105 degrees most days in North Carolina and unless you have a pool you should not be outdoors in this heat!  Due to all this heat, come Saturday night we had a huge Thunder-Lightning storm! It was great to be honest, it was needed and well over due. Sunday was another Rain/Thunder-Lightning storm. Which was good by me as we had a lot of “indoor chores” to do?

One of my major goals more than a chore is our Vegan Blog. It’s one of my favorite things to do daily! Trevor is a fantastic cook and he cooks Friday through Sunday and I cook Monday-Thursday. Trevor was in the mood for a brunch burrito!! He makes the best homemade food period but I literally love his made from scratch brunch or breakfast burrito!! He diced peppers, onions, tomatoes and black eyed peas with lovely spices/herbs. Added salsa and wrapped it in a flour tortilla and presto magico!! So good, we both had 2!  So filling!!

While Trevor was cooking, I was updating this blog. Trevor said " It's been nice to see my weight loss through my belt!! He said "I've gone down two holes in my belt!!" That’s huge in my opinion.  He loves seeing the weight loss, feeling the weight loss, feeling the energy gain and receiving tons of compliments at work!! I'm beyond excited and happy for him too.  As they say proof is in the pudding and “Going Vegan” has been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made as a couple and family!!

What do you do on a raining Sunday? Do you pull out ingredients and start preparing for the week? Put together any great Vegan dishes just on a whim? What’s your favorite dish, snack or full meal?

Shopping at Whole Foods Super Market

Our town is constantly rehabbing their retail stores/restaurants. North Carolina is always working on their old and bringing the state up to date with the new.

This has brought us a new “Whole Foods Supermarket” into the area. I must admit I have never gone into Whole Foods before. I was told by several friends that Whole Foods cater to Vegans. I informed Trevor the new Whole Food just opened and we should check it out. We all loved it including the kids.  Whole Foods is a beautifully decorated store, which is nicely laid out. It’s funky and earth friendly. The store is built to be energy efficient and I love that Whole Foods also has recycling center!  Whole Foods supports the earth by reducing, reusing and recycling!! Our kind of store!

We were on the hunt to see what type of Vegan products they have. There was quite a lot actually. We wanted Brown Rice Syrup, seaweed, rice cakes and other things to make up some meals during the week. We found what we were looking for and then some! We also decided to try their vegan pizza that is made fresh every day. The vegan pizza was spinach mushroom and I really enjoyed it; Trevor not so much on the cheese that seemed creamy as he put it. Skylar liked it as well and Britain and Luke wouldn’t try.

Trevor and I thought we’d get the kids ingredients to make our own “vegan pizza”.  We got home and immediately made the pizza, with Happy Tummy Pizza Crust that contains no wheat, yeast, dairy, egg or soy ingredients. Pizza sauce and we topped it with Daiya mozzarella style shreds. I over did it a little with the mozzarella style shreds.  Needless to say the kids took one look at it and didn’t wish to touch it! It also didn’t smell to inviting either.  I guess we should chalk it up to “practice makes perfect”. So I’ll do better next time.

Any new “super markets” you’ve found that cater to Vegan’s? Anything new that you tried? Any funny stories or yucky ones?

Luke Cool Lunch!!

Luke’s 2^nd grade class was having a camping party in class and going to make smores! I volunteered to help with the camping party. Luke’s teacher played her sound machine for the “woods, cricket effect”, made a fire in the center of the room with a fake fire machine and had the kids create paper logs. They also got to watch/listen to cool books on the computer that come to life as they are read to you.

Before the smores were ready, all the kids who brought their lunch in from home had to dig in while the kids who were buying lunch had to go to the cafeteria to collect their lunches. It was a half a day at school so all the kids were required to eat in the class room.

As the kids started to collect and sit down to open their lunch boxes; they would walk past Luke’s desk. Two very cute little girls; Lauren and Sarah, came right up to Luke’s desk and commented on his lunch. Lauren said “wow, cool Luke you have Rice Cakes! They are my favorite.” Sarah said “popcorn too, you are so lucky!” Luke said “Yes, my Mom makes our popcorn homemade. Cool the girls said!

Luke then turned to me and said “Mommy, I didn’t want to eat the rice cakes as they look yucky, but now I want to try them.” It was the first time Trevor and I bought the kids rice cakes to make their lunch more healthier/vegan.  Luke then bite into a rice cake which was only flavored with sea salt. I didn’t expect what I heard next. Luke said “wow, Mommy this tastes like Cotton Candy! Then he swallowed and then said “but now it tastes like nothing!” I said “do you still like them though?” He said yes, and kept eating.

What a huge breakthrough with our pickiest eater!  “Going Vegan” here we come! ;)

How long did it take you to introduce new vegan foods and have your kids really like them? What reactions did you receive from their “first bite”? 

SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT!

Cheese it’s all around you!! It’s on burgers, lasagna, fries, tacos, nachos, sprinkled on spaghetti, it’s flavoring corn chips, popcorn, pizza and it’s crust!! You name it cheese is everywhere and I think it’s addictive to be honest. I remember giving birth to Luke our last baby #3 and enjoying being home with him. I was set to lose the extra weight I had left from delivery; which was about 6 pounds or so. I remember (7 yrs ago now) eating food that would be acceptable for my weight watchers points and feeling great. I also remember there was always an endless supply of shredded cheddar cheese in the fridge for my husband Trevor. No matter what time of the day it was; I would get something out of the fridge and I would look over to our cheese drawer and I felt as if I had tractor beam. Just like he UFO/Sci-Fi movies where the poor human would get beamed up; happening to me but drawing me to the cheese and wanting a handful and then another. I would grab a small handful, and think nothing of it. I would do this over and over again. So when I would weigh myself every Friday morning, naked on the scale I would get very frustrated that I maybe lost a pound but had worked out 5 days in the week, drank a ton of water and watched what I ate! Or was I?

I never ever would write the points down for eating several handfuls of cheese throughout the day! So the reason I am telling you this story is fast forward 7 yrs and now we are “Going Vegan” all of us.  The kids have been begging me to take them to our favorite pizza joint, called Bella Italia.  I have been saying no but tonight was different. The kid’s schools were running a fundraiser there and it’s hard to say no to helping out your child’s school. So I made a last minute decision to go there and have whatever vegan dish they had or what I could make up with the sides etc.

Well looking at all the pizza’s being eaten.  I was getting that “cheese craving”! I kept saying in my head NO, I need to stick to my new beliefs and new vegan diet! Well Skylar was watching me and she said, Mom if we are having our last Bella Italia pizza; so should you. That was it! I am like she’s right, it’s only been a month and I’ve been so good, not having any diary, eggs or milk! I deserve to have a proper good bye to my most beloved pizza! So I ate about 3 slices and OMG was that the best pizza ever!! The sauce, crust and OMG the cheese!! So delicious!! But can I also tell you that within about 20 mins or so of eating this gorgeous pizza, my stomach began to churn, I started to feel nauseous and then a hell of a headache started!  I guess the best way to describe it was “food poisoning!”  I mean think about it; I have detoxed my body for almost a month now, I have watched everything I’ve been eating to the wire and making sure it’s dairy, egg and milk free. And for one moment I give in and eat not one but 3 slices full of that gorgeous melted cheese!!

So not worth it, I am typing this with a sensation of a bad hangover! I feel absolutely terrible! I just want to go to bed and sleep it off!  Well I guess this is one “proper goodbye” for an old favorite food, I’ll never forget!!

Have any of you experienced anything similar to my “pizza poisoning?” Any slip ups with your favorite food, what were your symptoms and how did you make yourself feel better? Or did you just deal and sleep it off?

Seaweed Anyone?

In the office today, bright and early and rearing to go! I thought I’d make some new friends with “seaweed”.

It’s hysterical; I got so many crazy reactions to my offering this amazing delicious snack! Dried Seaweed Snack from Trader Joe’s is so incredibly delicious and so very good for you! Each small slice reminds me of California roll!!

I just cannot get enough of it and I eat the entire packet in one sitting or try and be disciplined and make it throughout the day. Keeps my energy up and it really does fill me belly!! I guess offering it at 8:45 am in the morning to non-vegan eaters is probably not a good idea. But I was so excited to share like a little kid bringing in an Apple for the teacher on the first day of school!!

I just went to several ladies and offered and got “the face, and Oh, no thank you!” Or “I’ll catch you later on that if I get hungry etc.” Well I tried.  It doesn’t hurt to share and have other’s experience new things. That’s how I am now Vegan, trying a new, exciting and much healthier lifestyle out that suits me just fine!  The good thing is at home, the kids love the seaweed, accept for Luke. Still my Mr. Picky eater!

 I tried to add  trail mix into his lunch today for school tomorrow and he kept sticking out his tongue and making those noises as kids do and pushing his hand at me to go away. I wish he’d be more open to trying. I think the rational side in children does not come into “brain play” for quite some time. I do hope one day he is more open.

What offerings have you tried to share with your friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. What reactions have you received good or bad? Any funny stories!!

End of Season Swim Pool Party!

The kids have worked their cute little tanned butts of this past 2 months on swim team!  It was really great during the awards ceremony to hear your kids names be called for their “trophies” and to hear that they all deserved MIP medal this season as well! All of our kids received Most Improved Player. Should read MIS for Most Improved Swimmer but there you go. My eyes began to water and my heart filled up with pride! I am so incredibly proud of our kids. Unfortunately Trevor had to miss it as he’s working his butt off for us in Houston, Texas!

The rest of the End of Season Swim Pool Party consisted of eating and a raffle. Now I was looking forward to not cooking and not having to think of my vegan meal plan through this night. I have had my husband gone for almost 2 weeks now and to not have to cook after a long day learning my “Broker in training ways”, getting kids off the bus, home work, and then rushing out to drive and get Sky from her school as this week they have introduced sports (volleyball try outs)! I can tell you I was more than pumped not to have to cook tonight!

Well my excitement was short lived as I got a look at the salad that I was going to eat. It had dressing all over it, shredded cheddar cheese, olives (yuck), pepperoni, and maybe one or two tomatoes! Not what I call a salad at all and certainly not a vegan one at that. Oh, did I mention there was blue cheese too mixed in (double yuck)!!

After I sifted through the nasty salad, I then just gave up as I literally felt my stomach do a double take. It’s been over a month now without cheese, or diary or eggs for that matter and anything remotely with those ingredients my stomach is not a happy girl! I also had the funniest reaction from someone who offered me a free ice-cream sandwich dessert. I said no thank you and she said “seriously no calories it’s so tiny, go ahead and enjoy it!.” I said “no thank you, not worried too much about calories, can’t have it, I’m Vegan”. And the lady actually jumped back from me. I think the word “vegan” is like an invisible slap across the face! I said “hey, don’t worry, it’s not like I’m a Nazi for Pete sakes!” The lady laughed and said actually my neighbors are “vegans” and they bring over the most gorgeous recipes! I then laughed!!  What irony!!

What have you experienced in a social setting?  What’s your day to day adventure being a vegan and telling people that you are? Any crazy reactions?

Being Vegan at the Work Place!

Great way to start a day, hubby got up at 4 am to fly out by 6 am to Houston Texas this week and once again for 2 weeks straight it’s all on me. Not that big of deal as I’ve been in this routine since I gave up work 11 ½ yrs ago to raise my amazing/drive you crazy kids; but today was different. I started my new career as a Broker/Realtor today! I signed up with Prudential!! I got up early, worked out, got kids up (not so easy) and got showered and ready! So excited to get dressed in business attire, did my hair and felt really good to be just Kerri today. Not Stay At Home Mommy today. I can go to the office make new friends, learn a new trade and with persistent, positivity and determination I will land several leads to actual listings, buyers, renters, or investors! 

So far it’s been a great transition. The only problem is being organized to be “vegan” Kerri as well. I found it interesting when once again asked politely if I’d like doughnuts or anything that I cannot or just choose not to eat any further. I say no thank you and I receive response like “oh on a diet?” and I say no, just a Vegan. I then get response like “well I am not going off my meat!; I would never give up my meat!” or “why did you do that”. I truly feel Vegans are like another class in our society. We are shunned upon or made to feel like freaks for being not the norm and all it boils down to is consumption of  a selected food choice.  I try not to explain myself as to me that's justifying. But if someone is truly interested I will say a few things but that typically leads to the person inquiring getting offended by them feeling like they have to stand up for their beliefs. It’s truly funny; you are more than welcome to eat what you choose as well as I do! I am not going to judge you as it’s not my place but if you are my dear friend or family I might be more persistent to have you “try” it another way as I only love you and wish for you to keep you healthy, happy and around as long as possible!

Like I said this is all new to me and I just love my new “going Vegan, life change” and I wouldn’t go back for anything! 

What if any; have you experienced in the work place? What do you come back with any questions? Any suggestions or do you just not tell anyone?

Trying Vegan food; Vietnamese style!

Our dear friend’s son was turning 7 this Sunday and they were so sweet to invite us to help celebrate. We were thrilled to come and try some Vietnamese style foods! Our friend had worked hard all day cooking and slaving over her stove/oven.

 She made a beyond gorgeous Vietnamese buffet!! We tried, Vietnamese veggie rolls, tofu with lettuce and bean sprouts rolled up and dipped in soy sauce!  There was also a rice dish that was very good as well. There was plenty of non-vegan food and although I was tempted because it smelt so good; I was being very disciplined and didn’t try the “meat dishes”.

What fascinated me was the fact I was eating Vegan food, just made in a different Ethnic style! So cool, exciting and tasted wonderful. I am used to seeing books with “American Vegan recipes”. This was fun and fresh and just delicious. One thing I did notice was because it is Vietnamese food (not what I typically have stocked in our fridge, freezer or pantry) was after I ate I felt wonderfully full but heavy and slightly bloated, like when I ate before “going vegan”. I was full all day and had that over stuffed feeling. I was surprised but it made sense as to why I felt that way.  Any difference in our diet will react in many diffrent ways, from upset stomach, bloating, gas, heart burn etc. I was just glad all I felt was overly full.

What different Nationality/Ethnic group types of food have you tired “Vegan Style”? How did you feel eating it afterwards and would you eat it again?

Hitting a wall….

When we were eating our “regular meals/food” we never had a problem with putting meals together. We would get bored and try and change our regular food choices/meals up every so. Now it’s literally like learning how to eat again, ride a bike, learning to walk for the first time or a new language. It’s literally brand new and needs to be learned. This whole new “going vegan” is like anything new; needs practice to get it right!   We have hit a wall, what I mean is we want to do this, we enjoy being Vegan; we have experienced only great results from eating what is acceptable; excluding meat, eggs and dairy. But we don’t’ know any recipes off hand/by heart. We do not have all the ingredients and we are still emptying and slowly replacing our fridge, freezer and pantry. It’s only been 23 days straight; but we are so thrilled with the progress and learning we have accomplished thus far!

Trevor and I are adding ingredients, and whole grains and learning as much as we can with full time careers, raising 3 kids and not to mention their social life as well! It’s busy but I feel during this entire first year we’ll learn so much and we all as a family will become accustomed to a healthy fulfilling Vegan lifestyle!!

Have any of you hit a wall, feeling frustrated or finding the new change easy going. Do  you have family support, friends or a spouse?

Any helpful tips/suggestions?

Going out for Lunch; is it doable or a dilemma?

Friday was a fun day!! ! Having lunch with my dear friend Dave, earning money off of Craigslist and the best part of my day was the fact my hubby Trevor was coming home today!! He had been gone all week in Walnut Mississippi and we all had missed him dearly!! Especially me!! I do not like it when he travels for business.

Trevor has some fun stories for eating out “Vegan” on his business trip which he will blog about later; very funny stories!!  I’ll start off today’s blog with my lunch experience at Bruggar Bagels!  There were no options for “Vegan Meals”.  No breakfast or lunch. But I did find out you can build or create your own salad and I love healthy fresh greens and fruits etc. I decided to have the Mandarin Medley and take out the goat cheese and the grilled chicken with a side of balsamic vinaigrette.

I got a large and it was beyond large! So gorgeous in presentation which included fresh romaine lettuce, a ton of mandarin oranges, almond slices, craisins (you all know by now they are my favorite!) and repeat! Just delicious, light and hit the spot!  Besides being a great salad the price was great as well for $7.00 plus tax it’s a great meal for any time of the day!! 

I was a bit disappointed that there are not readily available vegan dishes but at least everything is fresh and made to order if you want it to be! So for my first lunch date out; it was not a bad experience keeping my “Going Vegan” grove on!  No dilemma; completely doable!!

What have your lunches out experiences been? Are they are a dilemma or are they doable?

WATCHING WEIGHTLOSS & FUN WAYS TO TRACK IT!!

Veganism, what a term! Who’d a thunk a girl from Massachusetts raised on hot dogs, hamburgers, Mac n cheese from a box, baked beans, grill cheeses and my ultimate favorite in this world PIZZA!! A typical 70’s kid would at the age of 37 declare I don’t’ want it anymore! I had no idea this would ever happen. It’s amazing what we are raised on (I had healthier meals too; corn beef & cabbage, pot roast, steak every so, spaghetti and meatballs etc.) and what we see other people eat on a daily basis to be “programmed” as I like to call it as the norm.  But I like our “new norm”. I like the changes I am finding on a daily basis.  I have noticed my size 10 Italian hips which are not that big as I am not 100% Italian but close to it, have slimmed down to a very nice size 8.  I have noticed the cellulite start to disappear and this is a huge miracle and milestone as I have been trying to get rid of it for as long as I have had it and that started around age 15!! So for 22 bloody years it’s been a pain in my arse! Or in this case, my thighs! Ha Ha You’ll read BLOODY every so, it’s being married to my favorite British hubby for almost 16 yrs that has rubbed off on me.

 I’ve noticed my stomach no longer being bloated, my skin on my face and body more radiant, toned and the pigmentation that I am told with every facial that needs to be watched is looking much more even! My hair is just so much healthier, thicker and radiant. I’ve also tried not washing it as much. I am really going as holistic as possible these past 3 yrs.

Anyway, I’ve been more on a holistic kick for several years now and Veganism just makes more sense and flows with my new found beliefs!! I have had “small love” handles as I’d like to call them ever since I gave birth to our last baby Luke; almost 7 yrs ago now. After each pregnancy I would notice my body would ‘re-shape”.  I was always thrilled by the nurses comments on how amazed they were with how flat my stomach became after every birth!  I never had the look that I had a baby after each pregnancy but with Luke my body didn’t “re-shape” as it did with the girls. I noticed it was different and those annoying “small love handles” were not budging. But I tell you what!! They are now! I am literally “re-shaping” My body is looking more to when I was in my early 20’s; before children. Don’t get me wrong I have the stretch marks to prove it on my belly (luckily below the bikini line). But it’s AWESOME!! Since “Going Vegan” officially on July 1^st, I have lost.6lbs! I have more energy and I feel and look great!  Trevor has lost weight as well about 7lbs or more; I have noticed the differences too.  He’s been complimented at work and has enjoyed that very much!  

Trevor introduced me to a new IPhone app. It’s a Weight Tracker called Track Weight. The icon is a dark blue outline aruond 2 white feet. You pay $.99 for it, but then you are able to put in your height, weight, age, starting diet date, start weight, goal weight and goal date. You are able to see how much BMI you are and what your fat and water percentage are as well. It’s so much fun to keep track; especially when you are losing weight!!

Have you noticed any body changes, hair changes, skin changes, and overall weight loss since you started your Veganism?

I ho I ho it’s off the cheese and dairy we go!!

 I actually only loved one type of cheese growing up, processed cheese! Mac n Fake Cheese. I would love when my Mom would buy boxes of the stuff. It seemed there was a never ending supply of it in our house. I never knew what “real cheese” tasted like. My husband Trevor actually introduced me to “real cheese” which was cheddar or mild cheddar. Cheddar cheese is a huge fav in England and having a wedge or two for a snack is the norm.  I thought it was very strong at first but after a while like anything you acquire a taste for it. It’s really interesting; Trevor and I have been feeding our kids cheddar cheese ever since I can remember. My kids have been huge lovers’ of cheese, the fake kind and the real kind. Since we have been “Going Vegan” and informing them we are not eating diary, eggs or meat it was a struggle at first but it’s been almost a month now and a new routine has popped up. I am getting questions from the kids; “is this vegan, can we eat this?” It’s awesome that they are aware and care now as to what is “vegan” and what is not.  I wanted to use up the cheddar cheese we had left in the fridge and strangely enough I’ve been told by all of the kids they don’t want it anymore. Especially from Luke since he’s lactose intolerant and he can have anything dairy but liquid milk. He is a huge lover of yogurt, cheddar cheese, pizza cheese, ice cream etc.

They all said it’s not vegan so they don’t’ want it! I was so taken back. I thought they’d be happy using up what we had left of our old food ways but the kids are saying “no thank you” and regardless that I am shocked I am more than happy to respect their wishes.

There was one thing the kids did ask for well just Britain and Sky; they are our milk lovers like I am. Luke is lactose intolerant and so that makes it easy.  They asked if we could buy one last Strawberry and Chocolate milk. I said yes, an individual bottle but that’s it. They really enjoyed that last bottle of flavored milk and are very happy to drink either original or vanilla Almond milk now. It’s been refreshing today to see how they want to be healthier and seem to be transitioning very well.

I’ve also noticed I do not like the smell of cheese anymore. I think once diary is out of your system your body starts to reject the scent of it, taste etc. I actually took  a very small bite of a grill cheese last week and had to spit it out! I just don’t like it anymore! It’s been a very interesting transition and I am enjoying all of these stages.

What “old foods” have you been ok with giving up, any foods that now make your nose scrunch up? Any hang ups that you are having a hard time with letting go?

SWIM TEAM & MEAT-LESS MEATBALLS!!

Ever start your day knowing you have absolutely no time and you can see the day gone already? That was today. From start to finish! I am learning very quickly what a “new routine” can bring! A.K.A. CRAZINESS!!

We have all 3 kids in their year round schools now, Skylar is in her new year round Charter School in one town 20 mins plus away from home and Britain and Luke are in their year round school as well 10 mins away in our home town. This sounds simple, not a lot of time in between but add that to traffic and carpool lines and we are talking a full hour from leaving our house to dropping all of them off “on time” and getting back to our home a full hour plus later!!  All the planning in the world still doesn’t make your day go as smoothly as possible. J

So breakfast being the first and most important meal of the day needs to be planned efficiently as well. With only having 45 mins to get the kids up and ready and fed and out the door, there is not much wiggle room. I’d get them up earlier than 6 am but that in my opinion is pushing it and not allowing my kids to have a full night’s sleep and to be as productive as possible in school. So when our waffles run out, we need to be more “vegan” in our breakfast choices. My new found fav is oatmeal with craisins and Agave!! I am seriously CRASINS’ about craisins! Ha HA

Luckily Sky and Britain are more willing to try the oatmeal and enjoy it than Luke. But I think if he gives it a try he’ll really enjoy it. This could take month or a year! Let’s just be honest!!  So as you can see your day pass by in a blink before it’s even started, making vegan snacks and dinner choices have to be easy, tasty and quick!!  So that is why I chose to make wheat penne pasta, marinara sauce and Trader Joe’s Meat-less Meatballs! A.k.a Spaghetti and meatballs with penne pasta!  This was a very easily prepared meal, very tasty and filling. The kids needed a filling dinner for their last swim meet tonight! They were going to be swimming for almost 5 hours and I needed food in them that would suffice and sustain!  Those meat-less meatballs are the bomb and I would recommend them highly!! All of my kids (besides picky Luke) liked them. I loved them and thought they tasted better than the Turkey meatballs we switched two years ago.

Wheat Pasta, Marinara Sauce and Meat-less Meatballs is such a great meal, easy and very effective in keeping us all healthy and full. What’s especially cool is you can double up the amounts and have left over’s (my personal fav) for the next day or another day in the week. With a crazy lifestyle as we and most people have these days; “Going Vegan” and sustaining a vegan lifestyle needs to be as easy as possible. Planning your weeks’ worth of a menu is the one of the more productive ways we try to be in this family .Of course that is out the window right now as we are just learning so much and changing so much all at the same time!!

How do you keep your “vegan” diet going on when you are bombarded with crazy sport schedules and just life in general?

NEW SCHOOL, NEW BOOK… INFORMATION IS POWER!!

Our day started with a very eager 7^th grader to be!! Sky finally started her new Charter School with uniform today!! She totally rocked her uniform and is so gorgeous just like our other two gorgeous kids! I feel they all should be models!

As I was driving them all to school today I reminded them to not share their lunches or snacks  to or from the other kids. We will have to remind the kids every so until I know we are good to go and rocking our new vegan lifestyle.

When we applied for the past two years to be accepted to the Charter school for Skylar, Britain and Luke, I thought it was so cool to not see the “junk food” vending machines or Soda machines. That says a lot about the school. But to see “Got Milk” vending machines, full of Vitamin D milk; water as well, it was awesome and makes you think what other schools “are truly capable” of setting up and have sold on campus for the good of the kids and teachers. I was very impressed with this.  Now that we are “Going Vegan” I need to remind Sky, Luke and Britain that they cannot have milk anymore or share drinks and just go for water.  Even though I am 100% committed to changing our diets and the kids diet to vegan; I still have guilty feelings knowing they are going to have it harder as kids and especially with all the temptations in school. I really do feel torn but their health is far more important than allowing it to happen.

I’ve just started reading “The China Study” a couple of weeks ago now. “The China Study” is by author T. Colin Campbell, PHD and his son Thomas M. Campbell II.  It’s a very good and informative read!! The scientific studies and results will floor you!!  With our new found beliefs and “life change” attitudes we need to read up on all the information as possible. Just like education in school, we can never have enough learning as we get older. Information is truly Power!!

What do you read about Veganism; what are your fav’s and why? Any great books you would like to recommend? Any helpful hints on how to keep your kids vegan in school with all those temptations?

NOT RAIN RAIN GO AWAY BUT RAIN RAIN STAY AND FILL UP MY RAIN BARRELS!!

Trevor, the kids and I are a pretty GREEN Family! We have 6 recycling bins, we have trained the kids to recycle, and they don’t ever throw something away without typically asking “is this recyclable?” We have changed our lawn mower from an engine powered one with gasoline to the “old fashioned” kind that require your arms and legs to move it; a roller lawn mower! We also want to buy a gorgeous green house and grow as much as we can for veggies and hopefully fruit year round and really eat from what we sow!  One of the steps to ensure great veg and fruits is to feed them with their “Super Juice”. Which is in my opinion is all natural, never been filtered,  chlorined to death or any other chemical added to it; A.K.A  RAIN WATER! 

 Trevor and I had set up a rain barrel several months ago and we’ve been using that one but wanted to set up another one. We realized we needed to raise the barrel to aid us in retrieving the water easier. Problem was one barrel was very full and beyond heavy and the other was not. So we decided to empty the first barrel with the kid’s beach buckets and dump the buckets into the other barrel. We made it fun by having a game. We turned the tap “on” and would fill as many buckets as possible without losing a drop and run to the other side of the back deck where the “new barrel” would be attached to the drain pipe. It reminded me of many relay races on field day at school having to empty one bucket of water while running across a field to fill up another one and the team that either emptied the bucket or field the bucket first won!!  That’s what we were doing, so much fun and getting wet in the process!!

After a couple of hours we got the barrels re-established on new concrete blocks for the new height and felt wonderful for accomplishing a small project that will really bring huge rewards for a lifetime!!  It’s amazing how plants, fruit and veg respond to rain water compared to hose water. Give it a try, you’ll notice within a week how much bigger the plant, flower, veg or fruit will become with regular waterings of natural “Super Juice!”  By the way when I say “WE” I really mean Trevor did it all!! Great job Baby!!

What have you done in your home to be more “GREEN”? Have you hooked up some rain barrels? What other suggestions do you have to make your house, inside or out more green! J

TEMPTATION IS A PAIN IN THE ARSE!!

We are still emptying our pantry, fridge and freezer. This is a fairly long process. The fridge not so much as we all know most things will not last more than a week in the fridge. Pantry is forever if you let it and the freezer has a “freezer burn” shelf life too.

Right now I feel our family is at crossroads almost 3 weeks into our new “Life Change”. We still are focused and happy with our new changes and new food discoveries! YUMMY!!!

But we have our “old food” left over and we do not wish to waste. Plus the kids are still in “wean mode”. So we have resolved to eat up all the old food as we slowly build up our freezer and pantry and fresh veggies and fruits as we always have in our fridge. We need to really find and like new vegan recipes, we need to make sure we have the ingredients to just start cooking with ease. We have found many so far that we have posted but we need a ton more.  It’s all about dedication and change and making sure to take it one day at a time; otherwise it feels very overwhelming. Like any new change I would suppose.

So why is temptation a pain in the arse! Or a pain in my arse!! I’ll tell you, we had a whole frozen chicken in the freezer that needed eating up and the kids were more than happy to do it. So we cooked it in our Nuwave (great machine by the way). We also decided to add homemade baked chips (French fries in America but in this house we call them chips the British lingo). After the chicken was done and the delicious sent was over the house and ever so enticing me.  I found it easy to cut it up and not be bothered but ironically the skin was my greatest temptation. I wanted to eat the skin so badly!! I said to Trevor “would it be so bad if I ate the skin!” He said “yes, and Kerri that is the worst part of the bird, just leave it!” I had to distract myself and after a bit my desire/temptation finally waived! 

What have been your temptations cutting old habits and “going vegan”?  What have you done to get past them and not “cheat”?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE IS THAT THE GREAT DEBATE?

It’s funny how you are plugging along in conversation when out of no where you are asked “so, I hear you and Trevor are vegans now?” This question stops you dead in your tracks, your train of thought gone. Now you have to take a breath and decide “do we talk about this or do we just brush it off”. I have found out very quickly that telling people of our new food “life change” is going to react one of two ways.

1.       People will respond “wow, good for you, how are you liking it so far?” something to this effect anyway.

2.       People will respond “are you serious, there is no way I can give up my meat" They say it as if I am trying to turn them to vegans and they need to seriously start an argument with me. The funny thing is I think people deep down feel it makes sense but have been taught/programmed differently as both my husband and I were as were our parents and their parents. These people feel threatened and have to strike back with the tone and not so nice words.”  

My conversation turns out something like this:

“Yes, Trevor and I are cold turkey vegans but our kids over time will be vegans as well. We know this is a hard transition and it should take a year.”

Their response; "So you are all definitely giving up meat, dairy and eggs all together? What about the safety of your health and what about your protein intake?" Or "You are both CRAZY!" 

My response: “Yes, we do not intend to eat meat, dairy or eggs any longer and haven’t done so since July 1^st. I have not eaten meat properly in over 2 yrs. Trevor gave up his beef and transferred to turkey about 2 yrs now as well. But since July 1^st we have not eaten and no longer will we eat meat, dairy or eggs.  We will receive all that we need from our plants i.e. Veggies and fruit and whole wheat’s and grains like brown rice, millet, tempeh etc. “

In my opinion think of it this way, how do you receive your protein that cows meat gives you? They are pretty chubby by eating grass all day long! How do you receive the Omega 3 fatty fish oils? Well fish eat algae, kale, kelp and seaweed all day long too and that is how their body produces the omega 3 oils our bodies require. So in a nut shell, let’s cut out the middle man or in this case middle animal and head straight to the plants!  It’ a win win for everyone!! The planet will benefit, the cows, pigs, chicks, roosters, fish and so on will benefit and grow in abundance by not being used for other peoples food.  Our bodies, minds and spirits will benefit as we do not have to try and process the daily toxins anymore and will feel freeier and healthier for it!

This will either stop them from pursuing since they really don’t’ wish to talk about it anyway. And you do not wish to lose friendships over it. In the end it feels like one of us is trying to be “right” and the other “wrong”. So I say let’s all agree to disagree until you change your beliefs. Because I am not going to change mine ;)

What have your experiences been with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors etc.? How do you handle the “great debate”?

Filling the Vegan need for breakfast and busy morning routine!!

Began this morning as we do, up at 5 am to walk/jog a.k.a interval training.  We noticed our energy level is getting better as we are jogging more than walking these days.

 It’s great technology; Trevor has a cool application on his IPhone 4 so we can see how far we walked, jogged, biked etc. We can actually see the route we took via map and see how many hours, minutes, calories, miles etc. we’ve accomplished!! It’s very motivating to have this tech tool as I call it with us on our early morning workouts!!  On our morning exercise walk/jog I am looking forward to coming home and making myself a big bowl of oatmeal with craisins and Agave!! So delicious and filling. A great way to start my “Going Vegan” day.

Trevor is normally up in the shower getting ready and I then need to wake up the kids.  That’s a fun part of my morning as I always say “Good Morgin to ya!!” and then I attack them with kisses and tickles!! I like to hear them all protest getting up but can’t help but laugh till their sides split from the onslaught of my loving zerburts, tickles etc.  The kids are still eating up the Lego my Ego waffles we have left in the freezer and I’ve noticed a change with Sky. She is more interested in eating oatmeal now and loves it! I told her to add the craisins and Agave syrup and she cannot get enough of it! Another step in our baby steps to our new “Life Change!” It make me feel good as a Mom when is actually acting on her own impulses to try new vegan substitutions for our morning breakfast routine! It’s a crazy morning like most families I would imagine, get the kids up, get everyone up and going, dressed, beds made, brush teeth, breakfast (now vegan style) and out the door in time to get 3 kids off to school and for me this year it’s 2 kids in one school in one town and 1 kids to another school in another town! This year will be a challenge but not not doable! 

 If we are all organized and have planned our morning, lunch and dinner’s the weekend before we’ll be well on our way to an sassier transition to our new “life change”. So far it’s been pretty great, interesting, frustrating not to have all the ingredients available to make that new recipe that sounds amazing etc. But with anything it has to be baby steps because for some too much at once is too much and then they stop and we don’t wish to do that. I need to do more research on more vegan breakfast options, snacks and lunches for the kids as these meals are very important each day to get the initial vitamins, nutrients and minerals and oils needed in our daily intake of food.

Had a breakthrough today for dinner!! We introduced the kids to our new found yummy Jasmine Brown Rice.  They ate it up with no complaints and Luke tried it and didn’t mind it. Didn’t exactly love it and wolf it down but at least he attempted to try it. I love that!! I love that they are becoming more open to trying new foods without the fight. They also love the Earthly Balance Butter spread that is gluten free, diary free and taste really good. No joke! Also had a lot of Omega 3 oils in there! It’s great and we noticed we don’t’ use butter as much as we used to before. Now we are enjoying our vegetables steamed without the butter. I am not bothered if they still put the Earthly Balance Butter on their veggies, toast, etc. I just don’t’ want them to over kill it and put too much on. But I am excited; another step to “Going Vegan”!! Very happy is all I gotta say!!!

Any helpful suggestions on your daily breakfast routine? Your daily butter spread, is it Vegan, is there any other Vegan products out there you can suggest for us to try and add it to our new weekly shop?  Comments? We’d love your input as we need all the help we can get with this new “Life Change”. J

FOR GIRLS EYES ONLY... Talking about Vegan effects on Menstrual Cycle

Feeling much HEALTHIER every day!!!

Trevor and I are getting up every morning from 5 am onward! Very early, the sun isn’t even up yet. Wonder why we do have Vitamin D insuffiency!! We keep walking in the bloody dark!! We get about 30 to 45 mins in the dark and the rest of it will be a beautiful sunny morning! I think eating more and more veggies, fruit, whole wheat and grain we will notice our Vitamin D insuffiency turn to Vitamin D sufficient!!  Getting up early for me is a wonderful way to put your health first thing in the morning. Really focus on yourself for at least an hour the first part of your day. As parents you have to learn to become selfless and then about after a decade or so of having kids you are completely selfless and then it’s hard to give yourself an hour or so of your “own time” for anything. The amount of guilt I feel for wanting to do something for me is huge and crippling sometimes that I just don’t do for me. With “Going Vegan” I’ve realized by putting me first I am becoming a better mother and wife  as well as having a happier, healthier productive day. 

This is a great way to tune in to your body, mind and spirit by taking a nice walk, jog, both or bike ride etc. A very cool natural high from being in tune with yourself and nature!  I must say we are sleeping much more soundly and having deeper sleeps. So much so I cannot remember many dreams lately and Trevor told me I am talking in my sleep again. I haven’t talked in my sleep since before kids as I like to affectionately call “BK”. Right now we are “DK” during kids and will one day be “AK” After kids.  I’ve also noticed something Alicia Silverstone mentions in her book “The Kind Diet”, I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. Alicia states “going vegan” will allow your body to go back to its natural state and everything in your system will run smoother and that includes the “menstrual cycle”.

This rest of today’s blog is about what’s happened with my “menstrual cycle” so the men out there if interested please read on; this should happen to your wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters etc. If concerned and curious please read. Ladies if you were as curious as I was; please read on.

I am not sure if it’s just me or most women but for me the week before my period I am ravenous!! I want to eat anything sugary that I can find in my pantry, fridge and especially freezer (before going vegan). I can’t get enough of sugar!  I need to munch, munch, munch, non-stop.  Also the bloating would come and I’d receive heavier activity below if you know what I mean.  When we got back from our walk this morning I was really truly surprised that I had my period. I truly forgot what day of the month it was.  The other thing I’ve noticed as I am getting closer to my 40’s is I tend to spot several days before. There was none of that. So I truly was surprised. I had no munchies at all the week before, no bloated belly or swollen breasts that tend to ache.  None of it, I thought “wow, didn’t see this coming”! All those symptoms were gone; which in my opinion is very cool. Now I was also wondering  the amount of flow or days of flow would be the same as well. Normally it’s fairly heavy on day 1, but by day 2, I am feeling awful and it’s beyond heavy. Changing every hour! Day 3 through 7 would be the tapering off stage. Noticing these changes I started to ask myself “Would I receive my nausea?” “Would I receive my typical cramping that feels like I am having another baby?” I normally receive on day two cramping so bad it feels like contractions, that’s where the cramping comes from not from my abdomen.  Well its day 5 (as I am typing from my journal to this blog right now) and I didn’t receive the contraction cramping as I thought I would. So that is another bonus!! I still received the nausea but not as bad and that was about it! Now if “Going Vegan” could also shorten my menstrual cycle days from 7 to 3!! That would be awesome!! So overall I am happy with the new changes from our new “life change”!! This only reconfirms that going “green” inside your body, no more meats, diary or sugar is the best way to go!! I am looking forward to more positive results as well!!

 Ok Ladies, lets be up front and honest! Those of you who have "gone Vegan" noticed any of the same changes as I have? What have your experience been since "going vegan"?

Going Vegan is going good so far...

2^nd day of kids tracked in; still have Sky home as she is waiting to start her new school. We’ve been waiting to have all 3 attend. The school is a public charter school. It is a year round school like Britain and Luke's school but instead of 4 tracks (1,2,3,4) it is an extended track 1 and the kids must wear uniforms which Trevor and I love. So this means when our 2 kids are in the other school; Skylar will always be a week apart in the schedule of tracking in and out. Right now our kids are making their “old food” choices for their lunches as we are using up everything in our fridge, freezer and pantry.  Breakfast is also the same right now for them and that upsets me but this is not the easiest transition for the kids and we need them to be “on board” so we are baby stepping it.  At least our homemade and plant based snacks are a fair choice and luckily something our kids will eat. For example: peeled carrots, apple slices, bananas, oranges, and my homemade popcorn. I want to introduce rice to the kids but how do you pack that in a lunch with no refrigeration. Trevor and I really want to take Vegan cooking classes so we may learn more and implement it at home and teach the kids how to “cook vegan” too.

On a good environmental note; our routine with the compost is coming along really well. Daily we take the kitchen scraps to the tumbler composter and giving it several turns. The smell factor from a weeks long filled trash can has decreased incredibly since our new Vegan ways. Our trash bag is staying in our trash bin much longer than a week and we put out only 1 bag a week in our trash barrel outside. This makes me very happy knowing we are doing more than our normal bit to help us become healthier and help aid our planet as well.

What is it like “going vegan” in your house? Any helpful steps you can share? Any advice as to what to pack in our kid’s lunch boxes? Any helpful tips or suggestions would be welcomed! J

First Stage of a NEW Routine Change!!

Big day today!! Our 2 out of 3 children Britain and Luke (our 2^nd daughter and son) go to school today!! They are very excited and eager to go!! I am too, 4 weeks is a lot of wonderful time with them for their “summer break” but I do look forward to our “normal routine” of them going to school and me going back to my routine as well. Just in case you’ve been wondering, I stopped working for Corporate 11 years ago after Sky turned a year. I have had many many home based businesses trying to earn extra cash and help out as much as I could as well as add to our family and raise them. I have been in sales for the most part as most home based businesses are. That is why I thought Real Estate would be a natural transition to enter back into the work place. I have worked very hard since the end of January of this year to earn my Real Estate License! After a lot of hard work I recieved my Real Estate License May 30th! 

 The kids tracked out on Friday, June 10^th and have been home ever since. (Side note: Tracking out is a part of the language you’ll hear quite a bit. Our kids attend a non-traditional school. It’s called year round. Our kids attend 180 days just like traditional schools. The only difference is they are in school for 9 weeks straight and then are tracked out for 3 weeks giving them and their teachers a break. We absolutely love this schedule!! As a family can go on more vacations throughout the year. Vacations are almost halved due to the fact we go during “off season prices”. We also only have our kids home during the hottest months here in North Carolina for 4 weeks as their summer break and back to buses and school with AC for most of the day. I feel the kids, parents and teachers win. It’s a break for everyone and then all are refreshed to go back after 3 weeks).

 Well I have two out of 3 going back today!!  Sky's new Charter School starts July 18th. I know I’ve expressed this before but it is a concern of mine. I want to “wean” our kids off of our “old food choices” and do this gradually so they do not protest. I know Trevor and I will have self-control because we’ve read and done the research as to why we wanted to go Vegan. But the kids have not, they are being “told” they have to go vegan. Which I feel is right and what our rights of being their parents is all about. But at the same time it’s now our “own programming” of what we feel is right compared to what we already “programmed” them how to eat since day one.  This will take some time. Not to mention their temptations they’ll have to deal with. Other kids lunches, hot lunch and snacks. As well as a lot of birthday parties and celebrations throughout the year. We really have to instruct them with a lot of knowledge to be able to help with that self-control.  I think having them come shopping with us and witnessing our new food choices, they also love the Trader Joe’s store and get excited about going with us. Also including them in our cooking times for breakfast, lunch and dinner with help them be involved and change as well.

Have any of you come across this problem yet, any suggestions or comments? Tell us what you’re thinking J

Worms, Worms, Worms; who'd a thunk its a very good thing!!

 We have been saving all of our scraps in a bowl with lid for over 2 weeks and boy to holy heaven does the thing stink!! We ran out of that bowl and ended up putting all of it into a Rubbermaid container with lid! Thank goodness for Craigslist and people wanting to get rid of good items for cheap!  We have literally cut down on our trash bags as well. WE only would put out 1 trash bag per week for a family of five that is very impressive in my opinion!! It’s because we are huge recycler’s and we put out 6 bins each week!!  After we got our tumbler we needed to add our smelly goodies and some dirt and a whole bunch of worms. We thought we’d dig up our own worms. But here in North Carolina compared to where I am from Massachusetts it’s physically impossible to dig here. The mud is not mud it’s clay like material and I am completely impressed every day that anything grows here at all. After hitting the back yard looking for moist digging areas, we decided to dig in a nice looking yard scraps pile. As we kept digging we finally saw a worm! Yeah! But then noticed very quickly a yellow jacket! Not good L I told the girls to keep cool if we saw more than one then we hit a nest! Well that took one more dig to realize we did! So off we ran and the girls screamed  and found another location. We went deeper into our back woods and finally found about 5 more! Not a huge find. If I was digging in Mass, boy the mud is so lush with worms it takes nothing to dig a small hole and find a ton of worms! I actually need to buy a box of worms this week!! Crazy ;)

Our trash bags are lasting an extra week with not filling them up with food scrapes and we feel really good about that!  So many wonderful changes in 2 weeks, this adventure or journey has been amazing!

With all this good coming into our lives, we notice our energy level has increased as well. Our children’s school starts very early compared to Mass schools. Sky’s school will start at 7:25 am and Britain and Luke’s school starts at 8:00 am. Due to needing to get the kids up by 6 am to get out of the house by 6:50 we need to make sure we put ourselves first and workout. What an amazing difference our day starts out like when we’ve put ourselves first and worked out. We tend to walk and then break that up with jogging and now on weekends we’ve decided to add biking.  It’s been great getting up the same time or an hour later on the weekend from 5 am to 6 am and then making sure we go to bed same time even on weekend has been so wonderful. We have cut our TV time to almost nil and have made sure we are having a structured time to plan our days effectively! All and all it’s a lot to do at once but small baby steps and just placing action on those decision have made everything come together nicely.

Have you noticed new energy levels? What new activities have you added to your day?   

Vegan Substitues and A Trip to our Local Farmers Market!

Last weekend we tried our 1^st vegan brunch. It was so good we decided to do it every Saturday. So we made our 2^nd vegan brunch!!  Trevor sliced new potatoes and baked them to make potato chips. Covered in a light coating of Sea Salt and Olive Oil! So Yummy!! Sautéed tomatoes, mushrooms, Heinz baked beans and Morning Star sausages (these sausages are loved so much and consumed so readily!!). I also made homemade pancakes for the kids. The substitutes are necessary for the Betty Crocker Recipe. I didn’t know but found out due to “Google!” you can substitute eggs with banana or apple sauce. For every egg you can substitute 1 banana and/or 1 cup of applesauce.  I wanted to make the pancakes as “VEGAN” as possible. We do not have wheat flour as of yet so we are using up our regular all-purpose flour.  For milk I substituted Almond Milk; really delicious!! You all must try it! The kids are finally hooked!  After mixing all the ingredients I found the pancakes consistency was different but nice.  The batter tasted delicious and sweet.  Britain and Luke wanted plain but it tasted like banana baby food and smelt like it too!!  Since we were out of apples sauce, we used banana to substitute the egg.  Skylar wanted blueberry pancakes and you can get 3lbs of frozen blueberries from BJ’s Wholesale Club for about $6.99. Not bad at all I think.  I also made us frozen smoothies with just fruit and water. Ingredients; frozen blueberries that acts like the ice since they are frozen, banana and orange. The kids are still picky and will not always try but Trevor and I love it!!   

Headed out after our brunch to our local farmers market; we both wanted to support our local community and we love organic produce as well as the savings that can be had.  Got our CLOTHE BAGS and started our adventure from the top of the market to the Garden Nurseries.   

How AWESOME it is to taste freshly cut peaches, watermelon, fresh corn, jams and jellies. Trevor and I also tried samples of locally grown North Carolina Grapes! So delicious we bought a bottle! We ended up by buying sweet potatoes, 12 fresh corns, peaches about 14, Bipp lettuce (we have never had that before, have had it since this blog and its gorgeous).  2 cucs and 5 of the biggest, juiciest tomatoes ever tasted!!

In the Garden Nursery section we bought an Aloe Vera plant. Love them! So easy to grow and have wonderful healing qualities from the gel the plant produces inside of the plant. Added 2 new additions to our back yard; a beautiful purple flowering butterfly bush and a very Mediterranean Fig Tree! We are working on a backyard landscaping design to accommodate our new holistic/organic food “life change/life style choice." We also want a glass green house and to be able to grow year round, regardless of season. We needed a Tumbler Composter and found one on craigslist for $125. Normally retails for $500. We truly believe you should reduce, reuse and recycle at every chance you get and buying other peoples good’s or their trash is definitely your treasure!

Have you traveled to your local farmers market; what have been the best produce you’ve ever bought; any savings and any fun stories you’d like to share?

Vegan Burritos

1 cup brown rice, cooked and rinsed.

2 cloves garlic

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red or yellow pepper

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can of Black Beans

1 cup of sweetcorn

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp taco seasoning

1.       Brown the garlic and onions.

2.       Add all other ingredients except the rice and cook until peppers are soft.

3.       Add the rice and mix well.

4.       Serve with flour tortillas, salsa and chips.

Makes about 4 burritos.

Shin Splints

Got up early for our regular morning walk; we didn’t jog today as I’ve noticed my shin splints are back! I haven’t experienced shin splints since 18 yrs old trying out for the track team!  Never happened! Too painful shin splints! But with age I know if I preserver my legs will get stronger and it will be no big deal. Like body builders who constantly tear muscle to build bigger ones. Great info on certain vegan body builders in “The Kind Life” by Alicia Silverstone who are huge and beautifully muscular. It just proves fill your body up with plant based foods and you can be just as big as Arnold Swarchenegger.

Got home, made Trevor salad with yummy craisins, toms & cucs and romaine lettuce for lunch and peeled 4 kiwi’s as well. Trevor normally eats breakfast at work its usually a bagel. Need to introduce more vegan breakfast options to us all! We really need to buy a multitude of grains, brown rice etc. to add to each meal and start our day off really right!

I am feeling like a bowl of oatmeal with my favorite craisins with a small tsp. of Agave. Truly yummy!! Kids are still tracked out from school so our routine right now is swim practice for 2 hours and then head home for lunch.   Our snacks consisted of homemade popcorn and several Kiwis sliced up and beyond delicious.

Lunch; salad with craisins, romaine, toms and cucs and Italian seasoning dressing by Good Seasons. We’re still eating left overs etc. As the saying goes “waste not, want not!”

Dinner; was great and beyond yummy! The kids ate their “what’s left in pantry, fridge and/or freezer” Unfortunately!! I am really looking forward to a fully VEGAN STOCKED fridge, pantry and freezer!! All in good time.

Trevor wanted a form of Mexican. Friday night is usually something Mexican; Tacos, Chili, Fajitas. For the past 2 or 3 years we have been substituting beef or mince as the “English” call it with Turkey mince.  Now no more turkey or nothing animal in our meals! So Trevor made homemade Burritos!

Birthday Party Awkwardness

For the first time since “Going Vegan” my kids and I had to experience a birthday party full of party food, cake and pizza. It was much easier for the kids than it was for me. Trevor and I agreed to allow the kids to still experience the normal routine with their food and birthday parties etc. as we slowly “wean” them off of these everyday “old ways” foods.  We feel this may take a few months to a year.

I had to explain to the host why I didn’t want to eat their pizza, cake and all the other party food they had provided.  They had Cheese pizza and I was almost tempted to eat a slice.  I love pizza and was afraid I would offend the host if I didn’t indulge.  I felt a little uncomfortable.

Still I held out for our Indian dinner Trevor was preparing at home.  Trader Joes Indian Fare Vegetable Biryani and Punjab choley with Chickpeas.  We completed the meal with Naan Bread, not quite vegan I know.  Our meal was one of the best Indian meals we have ever tasted and we didn’t feel heavy or sluggish afterwards.

Have you had any uncomfortable moments?  How do you deal with other people’s non-vegan offerings?