Vegan Blogs I'm Following ...

It's been a couple of days since I last posted but while I was away on a quick trip I did some "blog surfing" and found a lot of blogs that I think are worth following.

Some are just loaded with yummy, delicious sounding recipes I can't wait to try and some just have great information I know I'm going to be turning to in days to come. Some feature inspirational stories and others are just fun to read.

I've listed the blogs on my sidebar under the title "My Daily Reads" so I can be keeping track of new posts as they come along. Some don't have RSS feeds so this is a great way to keep them all close at hand should they get missed in my reader.

Enjoy!

I Could Never Do That ...

I just had to link up to this post that appears on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Disease Proof blog. It just is such an inspiration and I want to be able to keep reminding myself of the message it sends, especially in this early part of my journey where I know I'll be faced with criticism and raised eyebrows.

The post is by Emily Boller, a woman who has made incredible changes in her life and health since following Joel Fuhrman's nutritarian approach.

Here's the link:

I Could Never Do That

Kind of puts a whole new spin on taking a stand for what you know is right (for you.)

Enjoy!

Already A Dilemma ...

We have a quick trip planned this weekend and will be eating out most of the time. So, this already creates a dilemma. How do I handle this?

I figure I have two options, since I'm not really ready to go *public* with my decision to go vegan. (I'm in a place where I'm excited about the changes I'm making, but don't feel confident enough yet to deal with the questions and criticism that I'm certain will come my way. It's much easier to do my own thing when I'm not surrounded by family and friends who may or may not support my decision. It's just a little too soon in the transition to deal with it. Visiting is generally stressful enough without adding this to the mix.)

Option one is to quietly try to choose salads and other vegetarian choices at the restaurants we'll be going to for dinner (3 nights worth. And no, we didn't really have a say in where we'd be eating.) I can easily do this at the first place, and might be able to do a pasta dinner at the second (even though I'm not a big pasta fan) It's really the third place I'm nervous about. It's a steakhouse.

Yeah, they don't really cater to vegetarian (let alone vegan) customers.

So -- looking at their menu, I could perhaps order a baked potato and house salad. They have seasonal vegetables on the menu as well. I could perhaps bring some Earth Balance with me in my purse to make the potato more palatable and maybe my own dressing as well. Still - I guarantee this will raise not only eyebrows, but questions. Which is what I'd really like to avoid ...

The other option is to just set aside my beliefs and plan for that one meal and order as I normally would have. Certainly would be the easier route. But ....

I just don't know. I don't want to beat myself up about this, that's not what this change is all about. I did expect it to be a gradual switch but I am struggling with my personal "all or nothing" ethics. I've always been a "you're either in or you're out" kind of person. I'm not wired to be lukewarm. At least not without internal battles waging and making me miserable.

I honestly don't know what I'll do. It's hard enough that my husband isn't fully on board with me on this (he's OK with my decision to eat this way but doesn't want to be forced to follow my same set of rules if he doesn't want to. Fair enough.) I guess it will probably come down to my stress level at that point in the trip. And whether I feel like I can order without notice by the rest of the crowd.

I know it will work out and even if I don't eat vegan it won't be the end of the world. I just really didn't want to have to deal with this so soon in the game.

On My Reading Table ...

Over the past year or two I've picked up several books related to the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. I have to admit I've really just glanced through them, agreeing with their content but not applying what I'd learned. In fact, I think the reason I never really delved in and seriously *read* the books is because I didn't believe I could make the changes that I knew I would feel compelled to make once I'd absorbed their message. And there was a part of me that didn't want to know what I didn't know. Even though in my heart, I knew.

Now that I've made the decision to actually get serious about switching to a plant-based diet, I want to go back and read some of these books. On my reading list:

Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

Veganist by Kathy Freston

Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating by Erik Marcus

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Vegan's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis

Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! by Kris Carr

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell

Food Revolution, The: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World by John Robbins

The McDougall Plan by John McDougall

I guess the book that started it all for me was Eat To Live (which I need to re-read) ... and then a lot of blog reading after watching the movie Food, Inc. I know there is a lot more I need to learn and based on my personal beliefs, I'm choosing to focus on learning more about the vegan approach. I think at some point you realize you just can't keep pretending you're not aware that your decisions have consequences, that animals suffer when we choose meat and dairy over plants.

I think I've arrived at that crossroads. In a way it's really scary. In a way, it's incredibly exciting and liberating.

There are 12 books listed above and my goal is to read one book each month. I'm fortunate to have a great library system that makes that goal possible but I have a feeling I'll be adding a lot of them to my reference library.

In addition I'd like to read:

The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard

Animal Ingredients A to Z by EG Smith Collective

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: Veganize It! Foolproof Methods for Transforming Any Dish into a Delicious New Vegan Favorite by Celine Steen

I'll be posting a review of each of the books I read and will include highlights that had the most impact.

This Starts A New Chapter In My Life

Oh gosh. Where do I start with this?

First, I guess is to let it be known that this blog isn't really intended to enlighten anyone about the vegan lifestyle or to be a "how to go vegan" guide. It's really just meant to be a personal diary and reference as I make my way in transitioning to a healthier, more compassionate, and socially responsible lifestyle.

Note the word "transitioning" ... this is going to be a gradual process. As much as I'd love to just flip a switch and suddenly be that vegan person I aspire to be, the reality is there's a lot I need to learn. It isn't enough to just want to make this lifestyle change (at least for me it isn't) and to read books about all the great reasons for becoming vegan. I need to figure out how to implement all this knowledge in my life and put it into practice.

There's also the concern and realization that I'm not the only person my decision effects. I'm not just cooking for myself. My husband has no real interest in becoming vegan (although he does want to eat healthier so that's a plus!) and shares my "just keep it simple" approach to food. We are not gourmet cooks and don't have gourmet tastebuds! It's Burgers and fries. Spaghetti and Meatballs. Steak and Potatos. Soup and Sandwiches. Bacon and Eggs. Basically easy to prepare, but horrible for you. Since I don't want to be cooking two meals every night and I feel everyone deserves to make this choice for themselves, there's definitely going to be a few obstacles I'll need to work around.

I know I'm going to need a place to vent as I'm sure there will be a lot of frustration and even "food mourning" in the days ahead. I know I'll have days where I totally blow it. I'm certain I'm going to come across situations that I don't know how to handle or manage. This blog will hopefully help get me through those rough patches.

I'm also certain that there will be moments of accomplishment, enlightenment, even victory. It will be nice to have a place to document those occasions as well.

Mostly, I'm hoping this blog will serve as a place where I can record recipes - the successes anyway - so I have a quick and easy reference to turn to when I'm stuck or need inspiration. My "go to recipes" if you will. I'll gradually try some of those unknown and scary ingredients (tofu, seitan, curry, rice milk to name a few) and see where it takes me. But for now -- it's "No Frills Vegan".

I must admit, I'm expecting to eat plenty of salads in the near future. And I'm sure I'll be putting my Blendtec to work making lots of green smoothies. But that's OK ... it's a process and I'm going to ease into this gradually. I think as I come up with more and more recipes that I (we) like and enjoy, becoming totally vegan will become easier and a lifestyle we can truly embrace.

So -- let the adventure begin.