So how did I do last year with my grand schemes to be vegan the whole entire year? Well...I got 6 months in and made an exception for a very special wedding and ahem...never went back. :) I would say that I am 80% vegan still. I use meat to flavor some of my dishes but I still do very little. I've allowed dairy a few times, but on rarest of occasions. It works for me.
You sort of have to find your balance in it all. Some people who are really addicted or seriously ill likely need a complete vegan diet for a time of healing. I personally found that place that works for me in the whole sugar, oil, dairy, meat, egg thing. Most of these items are almost nonexistent in my life. The rest are minimal for flavoring. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has helped many people to heal from American diseases that are reversible (sometimes) and preventable. He says keep your animal sourced foods to a maximum of 10% of your caloric intake, if you eat them at all. I would say that my intake is less than that most days (just for a frame of reference.)
While I was doing my adventure, you will remember that I went thru a serious illness that, to this day, remains a mystery as to its source. Doctors do not agree on what it was. I am so very thankful that altho it took nearly a year for me to say that I am 99% back to restored health, I am well and can walk and be active and do stuff with my family and in my community.
So...I wrap up my little blog post here by saying...eat lots of plant foods. Focus your meals on them. Keep the processed nonsense to a minimum or entirely out (depending on what it is!). Here's a sampling of what I've been eating:
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| almost dairy free mac and cheese with steamed broccoli soy yogurt did the trick here in making it feel more like dairy |
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| potato soup with lots of added celery, peppers and onions flavored with sausage and finished with soy yogurt and some cashew cream |
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| a wrap with kale salad, chopped tomatoes and Greek-flavored chicken, peppers and onions |
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| zucchini muffin with tofu-based vanilla cream and raspberry sauce |
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| zucchini muffins in heart shapes |
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| kale salad with with yummy oranges, dried cranberries, pistachios and sunflower seeds. |
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| more kale salad |
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| raw zucchini slices and sourdough bread with fruit-sweetened apricot preserves |
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| I started doing cubed oven-baked fries, then my friend Kristina got me into topping them with my southwest 'chip dip' and salad sprouts |
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| the creamy tuscan kale soup from the the picture below poured over steamed broccoli |
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| creamy tuscan kale soup. SOO good (make creamy by blended cashews and yogurt) |
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| Pad Thai from P.F. Changs, made possible by a gift card from a dear friend at Christmas, and enjoyed during a recent honeymoon get-away with my darling husband |
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| I just love the colors of the food from the Garden! |
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| a tofu and tomato sandwich on sprouted flourless bread |
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| this recipe for pineapple whip was floating around Facebook the family LOVED it! No added sugar! |
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| a lovely Italian salad paired with 'plant strong only cheezy' cauliflower and broccoli |
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| a delicious sald topped with strawberries, pine nuts and honey mustard dressing |
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| cubed fries and steamed broccoli I love simplicity so much |
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| potato and corn chowder topped with a bit of bacon |
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| this was not my plate but I don't have a picture of mine. A chopped salad paired with spaghetti squash that was topped with a fabulous beef-flavored sauce that was loaded with peppers, onions, mushrooms and zucchini |
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| these bowls were fabulous! quinoa, cabbage, carrots, chopped greens, and bbq tofu It's not hard to eat lots of plant foods. We have a wide variety available. The hardest part for me when I made the switch was my will. I wanted all the foods I was addicted to. But I am blessed now to know healing and how good it makes my body feel when I treat it kindly. To LIFE! ~Marcia |
