21 Day Vegan Challenge

So, I decided that I would just test the waters and see if I could do the vegan thing without becoming completely overwhelmed and stressed out. I found the challenge as a link on the website that sends me news and information about my adopted turkey, Payton, and how his friends at the Farm Sanctuary are doing. (One link was to a video message from some gal named Lisa, I think -- I was kind of disinterested in her and what she had to say after seeing all the ADORABLE animals running around in the snow.)*insert moment of silence to reflect on the cuteness of chubby little pigs and hefty cattle running amok -- awwwhhhh!!!* OK!!! Back on topic -- I clicked on the website for the PCRM, which is the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. They showed a 21 day plan for establishing better eating habits and it just happened to be a vegan diet. They even give you a 21 day menu, making it super simple, and allows for leftovers, which is a dream come true for me and my "I hate getting up at five am so I can get my lunch ready for school." (Even though, I have been known to do that on several occasions.)

I have discussed my issues with food in prior posts, and this will maybe alleviate some of that stress, or it could make it a million times worse. Today was a pretty good day. I ate three completely vegan meals and I feel really good right now compared to what I felt like this morning. I ate a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have over the holidays and my system is kinda paying for it now. But it will all be okay!! :)

So, here is what I ate today. Honestly, it wasn't that far off of what I normally eat, so I feel confident in saying that it might be a lot easier than I thought. And, this wasn't even the proposed menu. It's just stuff I had at the house, and it will just have to make do for a while, because I am poor & don't get pd til January 26th (sad face!!!)

Breakfast: small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with dried cranberries, 4 oz. orange juice & 1 cutie clementine

Lunch: 1 can of Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (which costs like 4 dollars at Brookshire's -- I won't be eating that a lot, but oh my goodness, it is worth it because not only is it completely vegan, it tastes flippin' amazing!!!)

I had NO chocolate on my break at work -- YAY for me!! In fact, I had a very nice chat with the sweet custodian lady and that totally kept my mind off my snacking and I really wasn't even hungry anyways.

Dinner: Thin spaghetti with asparagus, purple onion, minced garlic, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I sauteed the veggies in a little bit of olive oil. I was super proud of myself because I didn't add any salt to it at all!! I just put in a little black pepper. It was good, a little bland, but good.

I just drank water and tea -- in fact I did the green tea and some dandelion root tea, which is "supposed" to be a detoxifier. I didn't add stevia or anything else. I didn't even miss my morning coffee.

Now, I want to make clear that this is not a resolution by any means. I would have done this regardless of what time of year it was. So, with that in mind, maybe I won't be like the 80% of people who fail to be successful in their resolutions. I think I have even talked my mama and daddy into doing it as well. They take a lot of medications, I really believe if they cut out a lot of the foods they eat, they would feel better and be able to get off those meds.

So, I will let you know how it goes in the next few days!! :)