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.

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!

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?

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!

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!

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.

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

I’ll remind you as we get closer.

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!

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.

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