First couple weeks vegan-What I eat on a typical day

My first couple of weeks as a vegan were not as bad as I thought. After doing a lot of research and looking up vegan recipes that actually sounded really good, I became a lot more confident in what lifestyle I had chosen for the rest of my life. I found restaurants that offer vegan options including a pizza place that offers a vegan pizza! I have yet to try it but I am pretty excited about it!
I have found myself eating a lot more fruits and veggies instead of junk food. All in all I feel a lot more healthy. I have not needed caffeine or even an after work nap! I have already gotten told 3 times that my skin looks really good! And I've been told I already look like a vegan....asking what that was suppose to mean...apparently I look skinnier :)
THIS IS WHAT MY DAILY MEALS TYPICALLY CONSIST OF:
(keeping in mind I work 5am to 1pm)
For breakfast :
 I eat an organic banana and a glass of almond milk.
For snack:
I'm finding more options to eat on my break at work. Everyday at work on break I eat an organic raw revolution bar. My favorite is chocolate coconut bliss. ...tastes like an almond joy! I buy two organic dates from the bulk organic produce section and then I will have a bottle of water or an organic raw kombucha tea. The kombucha I have about twice a week since it is kind of pricey to drink daily. That all gives me enough energy to last the rest of my work shift.
For lunch:
  As soon as I get home I eat another banana and then I make a salad using half organic spring salad mix and half organic spinach. I add an assortment of nuts and dried cranberries . I top it off with a tablespoon of organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar and I add a dressing...preferably raspberry vinaigrette or I recently bought Annie's Naturals organic papaya poppy seed dressing. Yum!
For snack:
I'm always hungry again before dinner so I will snack on some fruit...most likely organic. An apple ...favorite is honey crisp, an orange, pear, watermelon....etc. I really want to start branching out and try some new fruits. I tried a persimmon for the first time! It looks like a tomato. Does not taste like one though.
For dinner:
I am obsessed with spaghetti! Always have been! But I usually put cheese on it. Looks like I can't do that anymore! I add lots of veggies to it! As I'm boiling the noodles( organic whole wheat ) and heating up the sauce(usually just a jar of organic spaghetti sauce), I saute in a separate pan a whole bunch of veggies. I use organic coconut oil-the only oil that stays in it's own state and does not turn into a trans fat when heated-red, green, yellow ,and orange peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, cherry tomatoes cut in half ( I love the yellow ones!)and I've been thinking about adding artichokes once I buy some. I add some seasonings that are suppose to benefit your health like:

• Oregano: helps digestion and soothes stomach muscles, fights infection and high in minerals like calcium , potassium and manganese.
• Rosemary- antioxidant, anti-asthma, anti-depressant,anti-inflammatory,anti-viral,improves blood flow ,energizes the mind, calming effects by working against fatigue,sadness, anxiety,
• Cayenne pepper(not too much though because I don't like it too spicy): controls blood sugar, prevents formation of fungal pathogens,excellent agent against tooth and gum disease, cancer fighter
• Turmeric( sounds weird but it is tasteless in the spaghetti):may stop cancer from spreading,help prevent type 2 diabetes , natural pain killer, detox the body,skin tonic, anti-inflammatory, natural antibiotic, improves digestion, helps coughs, improves asthma, helps prevent gas/bloating, lowers cholesterol, improves skin conditions(psoriasis, eczema,etc), prevents progression of Alzheimer's, aids in fat metabolism, reduces side effects of chemotherapy, anti arthritic, blood purifier
• Garlic: detoxifies,cancer fighter, boost immune system, anti-infection,manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels,powerful natural antibiotic,antioxidant
• Basil:relieve gas an soothe stomach upsets,disease preventing,anti-bacterial,anti-inflammatory,protect against age related disease,helps maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin, bone strengthening,

Then I pile all this yummy goodness on top of my noodles and sauce! I wash it down with a glass of half water and half pure cranberry juice with freshly squeezed lemon ! I hope to start a herb garden once summer comes! I'm really excited to start experimenting!
That Is a typical day of eating for me! It is all very satisfying and I don't have my usual cravings for junk food ! When you start to eat and feel healthier ...you not only look it but it gets more motivating to keep on going!

 

A duckling changed me

          First of all I would like to let you know why originally became a vegetarian.

   THIS ADORABLE LITTLE GUY RIGHT HERE!

I was at the sitting in my car at the gas station and I happened glance out my car window only to see a solitary little duckling on the sidewalk hiding by the propane tanks. I looked around to see if there was a mother or any other babies lurking around and I saw none at all. So I jumped out and cornered the little guy between the tanks and a pile of firewood and snatched him up . I ran back to my car and drove home. As soon as I got home, I right away got a shallow dish of water and put it in a box. I put the duckling in the box and he immediately jumped in the water and drank. I bet he was dehydrated . I remember that day was around 100 degrees outside. Unfortunately, I could not have ducks in my apartment (as much as I wanted to keep it) , so I called a wildlife rehabilitation center. I asked them if I could bring a duckling there that same day. They said that they actually had a few ducklings already there and that they could raise the one that I found with those ones.
I picked the duck up and wrapped it with a towel to try and soothe it. I kept staring at it and pet its tiny little head. I could tell it was getting use to me and knew I was not going to hurt it. I went to put it back in the box to get ready to bring it to the center and of course all it wanted was for me to hold it. It chirped and chirped til I picked it back up. Great! What did I start now? I held it a bit longer and I looked down into it's eyes and those gleaming  little eyes stared straight back at mine. I felt like I already had a bond with this little duckling. The center was closing soon so I knew I had to leave. I put the duck in a shoe box with holes in the side and asked my boyfriend to ride along with so he could hold the box while I drove. The ride to the center was a little tough. The duckling kept chirping and sticking its beak through the holes of the box so I told my boyfriend to maybe take the duckling out and just hold it. The duck didn't want anything to do with him so it really started chirping and trying to get away. So I grabbed the duck and sure enough....it sat there. I glanced down, while at a stop light, and watched as its head cocked up to make sure it had full view of me. I never realized how precious one tiny, little, creature could be.
We pulled up to the rehabilitation center and walked inside.  I said my goodbye to the little duckling and handed it to the guy at the front desk. All I could hear was my little duck chirping and chirping as the employee brought it to the back room. My heart melted and I actually teared up. How could such a small animal have such a large affect on me?
I then vowed I would never eat meat. Every creature big or small has it's own personality and emotion. I couldn't believe that I have actually eaten duck before as well! How could anyone eat something so sweet and precious? That duckling made a huge impact on my life. It is almost like a spiritual feeling. I look at animals differently now. I think of each one as it's own unique being. Not just a cow or just a pig. If you look straight into their eyes you will see how innocent and special these creatures really are. Take time to enjoy the special gifts they bring to us.










          "Until one has loved an animal,                       
 a part of one's soul remains unawakened."          
                    ~Anatole France

Intro to why I became a vegan

            For this new year of 2013 ,I have decided to go vegan. I have been a vegetarian for about a year now but after watching a few documentaries about not eating any sort of animal products, really opened my eye on how important it is for you, not just physically but environmentally as well. I love animals and visually seeing what happens to them in the food industries was actually traumatizing for me. You really don't think about what they go through when your eating that big juicy hamburger or drinking that tall glass of milk, even eating that fresh egg salad sandwich.

           I admit, the day after watching these videos I ate at a buffet, keeping in mind I was still a "vegetarian", piled my plate with cheese, egg bake, cake and even fish. After consuming my animal laden meal, I really felt guilty and I felt like a hypocrite. Here I am crying for these animals the day before, feeling for these animals , now look at what I am doing...eating these animals! Then I started thinking....what am I suppose to even eat if I went vegan? I'm not a fruit person at all. I do love veggies, but I can only eat so many salads. What about family functions? I'm suppose to pile my plate with broccoli, no dip, a bushel of grapes and a handful of peanuts?? While everyone else stuffs themselves with pastas, biscuits, cheesecake, and cookies?! This was going to be harder than I thought!I decided to try anyways.

           Beginning January 7th 2013.... I was now officially a vegan! My first day I was clueless. Maybe I should have researched this first. I work in a deli and could literally eat nothing! I'm so used to snacking all day. I was starving by the time I went on my break. I bought my usual, Kellogg's fruit snacks and ate those. I love them! Not knowing what all is considered "vegan" I checked out the back of the package. Sure enough gelatin! Do you know what gelatin is? Gelatin: protein obtained by boiling animal skins, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. That's enough for me to not eat those fruit snacks. It's even in Jello, candy and my favorite...marshmallows!
My cousin had just become a raw vegan 3 months before and had posted youtube videos on her facebook about how healthy being raw was , so I decided to start there. I watched the videos and became a little more motivated. The girls on these videos looked healthy , happy and energized! Although there was no way I could go raw, I started thinking more about my health and overall well-being.


This is a video I enjoy watching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgEE5DJ1vgA