Vegan Vendesday

Between an unusual number of sudden runners and an increase in vegan lifestylers, Eliot and I decided we needed to join a band wagon therefore decided in 2013 to install Vegan Vendesday. I apologize in advance to my German brothers and sisters for the ethnic slur, but I am a sucker for alliteration. I was listening to Oprah Radio and heard a fascinating show on the impact of going vegan even just once a week. Risks of diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity reduce tremendously and so we decided it was worth entering a new eating adventure. It helps that Eliot and I are foodies. There is an honest element of fun  in this for us.

The beginning was tough because when you begin to brain storm....what should I eat...inevitably a long list of items you can't eat come up...no milk, no cheese, no salami, no yogurt, no ice cream, no cream, no turkey, no no no. The real challenge is not filling all the voids with starches, but even when you give in you have to resist the temptation of pouring butter on your noodles or sprinkling a little Parmesan over the top. Breakfast has been fairly consist with a bagel lathered in peanut butter and almond milk lattes (which basically means I warm up some almond milk and make an espresso from my Tassimo machine to pour in.) I am surprised at how much I don't mind the almond milk particularly if it's mixed with something like espresso, chocolate...

Even lunch has been an easier adjustment. Last week I had an ALT (avocado, lettuce and tomato) on toast which was really terrific, fruit and veggie snacks are simple and good. It's really been dinner where the real change has come in. Two things so far have struck me. First that both Eliot and I starving by the time we get home which is about 4:30. So we have eaten ferociously our vegan delights then and by 10 pm we are starved again which is the first. And the second is snacking; we aren't sure what to do with it or better yet what to eat with it.

Dinner takes planning in order to consider an interesting option. Week 1 we had couscous, red beans, avocado and scallions with a side salad of spinach almond and apple salad. Week 2 we had 3 bean and lentil chili with crackers. Both tasted yummy. However, the chili was a little rough on our tummy.

Today's menu features either refried bean burritos or tofu pasta.