Vegan Recap!

Well, after 40 days, Mike and I no longer vegan. Our little "experiment" was at times fun, interesting, and challenging, but we did it! Here are 20 things from our vegan adventure!

1. The first 2 days I had a headache... and I rarely get those because I drink like, an exuberant amount of water! Guess my body was detoxing!
2. The very first day, I noticed that I had to do a lot of "thinking" about the food I was going to eat. I couldn't just grab any ol' thing out of the pantry or fridge. Which I thought was very interesting because I feel like we should think at least a little bit, and care at least a little bit, and know at least a little bit about what we are putting in our bodies! 
3. It really wasn't as hard as I thought. Yes, I missed cheese. Like, a lot. Vegan cheese is... well... the worst! I was so saddened by that. But for the most part, it was pretty simple, even in a not-so-vegan-friendly town. 
4. In the beginning, it took a lot of planning in regards to meals, but after we became more familiar with foods that were vegan, it became easier.
5. Our local grocery store actually has more vegan-friendly options than I realized! 
6. There were a lot of meals I made that were super yummy and will for sure make again, even now that this is over! (I'll post recipes below)
7. Going out to eat was a little bit annoying in the beginning as well... especially in a town that loves meat! When going out friends, most were very gracious and sweet and wanted to make sure we were going to a place that Mike and I would be able to eat something. Mike and I quickly became knowledgeable of restaurants in town with the best salad bar or vegan options, but not necessarily advertised as "vegan" eateries. Also, it was much easier to ask to see an allergen menu to check for dairy and things like that than ask for ingredients!
8. Lots of people don't really know what veganism is...
9. Lots of people don't really care what they eat...
10. Lots of people don't really know what they eat...
11. I could be a vegan if I had to. 
12. I could definitely be a vegetarian. Who knows...
13. I never really felt that "ugh-too-full" feeling. That feeling you get when you've just eaten enough for 2 people. Yeah, that never happened, which was nice. I felt a lot lighter, and after a meal, I would be satisfied, but not overly stuffed. However, I felt like I was always eating and always hungry. BUT, I wasn't gaining any weight. In fact, I lost weight. (which was not part of the plan, so I was glad that we stopped!) But I really did feel good, ya know?
14. This might be TMI, but I was regular and felt very cleaned out every day!
15. Not all vegans/vegetarians are crazy-weirdo-hippies! (I already knew that, but to all those who think otherwise, there ya go!)
16. There really is a problem with the meat industry; how the animals are treated, but also how the meat is produced. I watched quite a few documentaries about the food production in our country, and a lot of it was appalling. Now that we can eat meat, I want to try to be more conscious of where I am buying my meat from.
17. Mike and I will still have a couple nights a week where we are eating vegetarian/vegan.
18. Cashews can be ground up to make a "ricotta" like texture for lasagna. :) Yum!
19. I wish every box of food, every restaurant, every item you could eat had a label saying "vegan" or "vegetarian". It was so funny to tell people "oh, yeah, Oreos and Lay's chips are vegan!" And them being totally surprised, because those weren't weird-hippy-people foods. I just think the labels would make vegan life a little easier! And if all restaurants had those options, that would just be so nice!
20. Vegan chocolate chip cookies don't even come close to the real thing. I tried. The real things are just too good!

Some of our faves:

• Red beans and Rice ****
• http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/vegan-red-beans-rice/
• Orange French toast ***** 
• http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/2011/03/vegan-stoners-orange-french-toast.html
• Veggie Lasagna ***** (minus the Daiya cheese!)
• http://86lemons.com/vegan-lasagna/
• Slow cooker lentil chili ****
• http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/slow-cooker-lentil-chili/
• Kale and Quinoa Minestrone ***** (probably my favorite)
• http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/02/kale-quinoa-minestrone-vegan-gluten-free/
• Sloppy Black bean Joes ****
• http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/sloppy-black-bean-joes/
• Curried Gnocchi with roasted veggies **** (could use rice instead of gnocchi)
• http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/curried-gnocchi-with-roasted-veggies/
• Black bean avocado enchiladas ****
• http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2014/07/black-bean-avocado-enchiladas.html
• Classic apple crisp (sub vegan butter) ****
• http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/classic-apple-crisp/

So there ya go! I'd challenge you to try vegan, or even vegetarian diet for a short time. It was a fun adventure! I was a little sad that it was over, but then I thought: CHEESE! :)

happily eating cheese,

lisa