Ice cream. Seriously...that's his answer. "How can anyone give up ice cream?" was his knee-jerk response. And I totally get it...I mean, we make after-dinner runs to Dairy Queen for crying out loud. We are serious about our dairy goodness (heaven is when I find bags of cheese are "buy 2 get 3 free"). But I feel like crap. And my next big birthday (albeit a few years away) has a 5 and an "oh" in it, and my waistline isn't where it was when my birthday consisted of a 4 and an "oh". For lack of a better expression, insert a big fat "ugh".
How did I go from zero to Vegan, you ask? It all started two years ago when I read an article about pigs. Do you know why they hang out in the mud? Because they have no sweat glands. Sweat glands are the body's way of getting rid of toxins, so pigs cannot eliminate toxins. You get what that means, right? Their "meat" is full of toxins. And pigs will eat ANYTHING. Their own urine, maggots, rotten produce, cancerous growths off their friends (insert gagging sound). And bacon is a hot topic right now! I have a small group of friends with whom I share bacon jokes (you know who you are). But I don't eat the stuff. So yeah...it started with pigs and it's been very gently snowballing since then. I gave up dairy when one of my bacon joke friends lent me a book that talked about puss from cow udders (more gagging sounds). I completed the Fed Up Challenge earlier this summer by eliminating processed sugar from my diet for 2 weeks (there were no trips to Dairy Queen). I've been inspired by a Facebook friend who beat ocular cancer JUST by switching to a plant-based diet (I'm not even kidding). The testimonials blow my mind. If someone can cure their cancer, surely I can feel less like crap. Right?
At the end of the day, I am a realist. While I'd like to think I have the willpower to commit 100% to this Vegan thing, I'm shooting for 85% right now. So don't you judge me the next time you see me walking out of DQ with a peanut buster parfait, ok???
And there is no way on God's green earth that my husband is going to go on this journey with me. He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. But he is also my biggest fan, and he's been very patient while I've incorporated healthier ingredients into meal planning. He didn't even theaten to divorce me when I used tofu instead of chicken in the stirfry one night (it was gag-tastic). Bless his sweet heart. Then there's the kids! We are a blended family, and the four youngest (of 6) are still in and out of the house on a regular basis. From the teeny tiny 20-year-old girl who could eat sweets 24/7 to the 16-year-old boy who could live on pizza and chicken wings...they're not with me on this. And I don't expect them to be. This is a personal decision that people will come to (or not) in their own time.
Why a blog? Because my challenge lies in creating meals that check all the boxes. Meat for the hubs and the kids - check! Animal free for me - check! As any reasonably technology-savvy person would do, I immediately took to the internet for recipes to get me through the first week. I found dozens of blogs and websites that MENTION meals that satisfy both..but none that tell me what those meals are. I'm new to this...I need a road map...an instruction manual...is a cookbook too much to ask for? Why not a blog? I can't be the only one in this animal free boat. I should share what I learn along the way. And help...I will ask for help! I need help figuring out how to make my blog pretty. I need help finding recipes that check all the boxes. I need someone to tell me why nutritional yeast is so prevalent in vegan recipes. Heck...I'm seeing vegetables I've never even heard of! So please...share this blog with your friends...ESPECIALLY if they're Vegan! Tell them to help me!
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