A Vegan Hiatus December 15, 2009

I started this blog in May as a  support structure to keep me on the Vegan path.  It worked!  Hurray!  Now, 7 months since my first posting and 9 months since I made the shift, I’m proud to say that I feel complete for now.  I may be back, but I don’t feel like I need the additional support.

Successes?  I think so.  No meat since mid-March 2009.  At home I’m nearly 100% vegan.  When dining out, or at a friends home, or while traveling, I occasionally have fish.  A few eggs have slipped in over the last 9 months (but truly just a few), there may have been some milk in some dishes but not in anything I prepared or intentionally ordered, and some cheese has entered the scene.   Cheese has been the greatest challenge for me.  I never buy it but I do have it out occasionally … no kidding I’m sure I only eat 5% or less of the amount of cheese I used to consume.

Other successes … looking good and feeling good, being aligned with my values, and sparing the lives of many loving creatures that walk our Earth.

So I may be back if I fall off the wagon, or perhaps I’ll have a new take on the Vegan adventure to share.  Meanwhile, be well, eat well, and love well.

Thanksgiving Vegan Eve November 25, 2009

Ok it’s almost here.  Thanksgiving that is.  I think it’s going to be just fine.  Could it be just as simple as  re-framing what the holidays are really all about?

To be honest some years I’m more excited by the food than anything else, but this year my intent is to make it all about the people I’m sharing the day with and the many, MANY, blessings in our lives.  The amount of time we actually spend eating is greatly overshadowed by story telling, laughter, games, and hot tubbing.  The idea is to stay focused on what I DO have vs. what I don’t get to eat.   I wish I could say that meat no longer tempts me and that cheese is long forgotten but that would be a lie.  Every day at every meal I make my choice to stay vegan or not to stay vegan.    It is getting easier, but it’s not handled yet. I’m still vegan at least 90% of the time which continues to make me proud.  By next year this time I aim to claim 100%.  What about you?

Many blessing to you and yours!

First timer as Vegan for the holidays … Game on! November 17, 2009

About a month ago I started envisioning holiday meals with dread.  How would I cope?  Should I throw my vegan visions to the wind for Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Stay home?  Go to parties and holiday dinners with a full tummy to avoid temptation?  Seriously … what’s a gal to do?

Truth be told I don’t have an answer yet.  Saying no to Turkey for dinner is fine, but what about leftover turkey sandwiches?  Now that I’m going to miss.  Harder still will be facing cheesy appetizers, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing, and don’t even get me started on desserts.

For now, what I will say, is that I will take one vegan dish with me to each holiday event to share.  I will be mindful of my choices, and, overflowing with gratitude for the opportunity to be with loved ones.  And, I’ll let you know how it goes.  I’m no longer dreading the holidays.  Actually now I’m just intensely curious to see how it’s all going to go.

What are your holiday meal thoughts?

Vegan Shmeegan when it comes to my dogs! November 9, 2009

I’ve never considered for a moment having my two yellow labs become vegan.  I did some online research about it out of curiosity and I’m pretty well convinced that it’s not in their best interest.  Their diet generally consists of a dry natural food that does have meat, but no rendered meat  … that’s just too nasty, and then I generally  give them some veggies which they love.  As a result there’s been no reason to bring meat into my home for my last 8 Veganish months … that is until yesterday.

One of my precious pups apparently has had some great interest in berries and acorns that have been dropping from the neighborhood trees which led to an ER visit for him on Sunday.  Thankfully he’s going to be just fine, but he is now required to be on a rice and chicken breast diet for a couple of weeks which of course means there is now chicken in my home.

Now I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, and it’s not really, but what is interesting to me is what it now feels like to buy meat.  I was a bit repulsed to be honest.  Here were these 3 packages in my arms of the raw skinned breasts of what used to be live clucking chickens innocently wrapped in thin plastic.  They were dense and slimy to the touch and even after cooking them I had no desire to take even one bite.  That’s progress in my book.

So I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my precious pooches happy and well.  Who knew that the side benefit of preparing their meat would make be more committed to be Vegan.  Lessons come to us in interesting ways!

A little Vegan inspiration November 6, 2009

For those of you whom are newly vegan or kinda sorta vegan, or perhaps simply vegan voyeurs I have some good news. It gets easier. As I was making my way through the grocery store yesterday I noticed how easily and comfortably I was moving about and making my shopping choices. I know what many of the labels say now so I’m not reading the whole shelf to pick out what I want. This of course makes the whole process faster. My favorite market is kind enough to have all the fruits, veggies and vegetarian/organic products on one side of the store. This helps too as I now spend less time roaming the aisles gazing longingly upon past favorites, but that doesn’t even bother me so much any more.

Dare I say that it’s really become fun? Well it has, and I keep finding great new resources that inspire me. Today I just learned about a blog called Making Love in the Kitchen. It’s wonderful! Excellent tips, resources, and recipes by a vegetarian nutritionist. Most of her recipes are vegan or can be easily converted. The more you find tasty and healthy substitutes for your favorite dishes the easier it will be. Allow yourself to be inspired!

Get ready for World Vegan Day October 28, 2009

Sunday, November 1st is World Vegan Day. Are you game to make it a 100% Vegan day for you and your family?

Start planning now what you’ll eat so that you have access to tasty food that’s easy to prepare. Enroll your family into full participation by getting their ideas as to what would make it a genuine celebration. Perhaps raising a glass to toast and give thanks to our animal friends that day would be appropriate. Engage your kids in a conversation about animals and see how else they might like to honor animals that day and beyond.

Your choices really do matter when it comes to food … so let’s all take this one day to give thanks to the animals, to take great care of our health, and to be gentle with the planet.

World Vegan Day is coming up October 21, 2009

Yes it’s on November 1st which is just around the corner. If nothing else, why not mark this day on your calendar and pledge now that on November 1st you will be vegan for the whole day? Even if you don’t want to be vegan, take this one day to honor the animals that have filled your belly all these years. Make it a day of compassionate living in every way.

To learn more about events that are taking place worldwide click here.

I’ll remind you as we get closer.

Shopping for a Vegan winter coat … tougher than I thought! October 19, 2009

OK, so this was my first vegan-conscious attempt to shop for clothing … more specifically a lightweight winter coat. I had a little chat with myself before I went shopping and made a promise not to buy anything with animal content. Since I live in Florida I went to 5 different stores before I could find anything suitable … it doesn’t get super chilly here but I do need a coat for my winter business trips.

My last stop presented me with a decent assortment. But would it pass the vegan test and still be attractive I wondered? Well for starters wool was out. That narrowed the selection greatly. Obviously animal fur was out and I was shocked that I even found any … but yes … some very modestly priced jackets had real fur collars … coyote and fox. I was horrified. Moving on … silk? No can do. Leather? Absolutely not. Down feathers? Nope.

So what was I left with you may ask? Not much to be honest. Most ski jackets seemed to be fine but that’s not what I was after. Eventually I came across a somewhat attractive mid-length lightweight winter coat by London Fog. Do I love it? I don’t love the look of it, but I LOVE that it’s vegan. Is it what I need and will it serve its purpose? Absolutely. Do I feel good that I shopped vegan today? YOU BET!

Remember, you cast your vote every time you make a purchase. Expand your awareness and pay attention to the content of your clothing. Which of the following will you commit to living without … leather, wool, silk, fur, or down? Just pick one!

What's your vegan inspiration? October 17, 2009

I live on the Gulf coast of Florida and while it’s a beautiful place to live, it’s not a particularly progressive part of the US. Now that I’ve been here for a year I’m proud to say that more and more conscious living options are appearing before my very eyes and I’m here to tell you that I’m inspired. Being vegan is getting easier by the day.

For example, we have numerous organic co-op farms in the area with a broad assortment of produce, most locally grown. I just learned today we even have an organic hydroponic produce farm. I can’t wait to see it! We have one of the largest raw foods community in the states, Florida’s first earthship is being built in my county, and we also have Florida’s first all green school that has it’s own organic garden that they harvest for school lunches. There are monthly Green World Cafe’s to discuss green topics of interest, and I’m even finding vegan packaged foods in regular grocery stores!

I share this because if you suspect that you’re living someplace that’s perhaps a bit behind the times and not particularly supportive of your vegan leanings … look again. Finding evidence of how it’s already a part of your community will help you stay on track.

Turn Over A New Leaf: Vegan Diets Are Moving More Solidly Into Mainstream — baltimoresun.com October 13, 2009

Turn Over A New Leaf: Vegan Diets Are Moving More Solidly Into Mainstream — baltimoresun.com

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