Ok so...

I realized recently that I had been kind of half-assing this whole no dairy situation. And at first, I was okay with that. But I won't really make any progress unless I cut out dairy. About a week ago, I started limiting myself to one dairy item per day. That item does not include milk, yogurt, ice cream, etc. I don't eat those. But if I read the ingredients in something and a dairy product or eggs is, like, the last ingredient listed, or close to the last ingredient listed, I can live with that. I'll eat it. And I definitely have no issue with eating things that are merely produced in the same factory as products containing dairy. I'll risk it. I don't know, what do you think? If you're reading this, give me an opinion. Is this a cop out? Eating no dairy at all is REALLY hard. Especially becasue a lot of meat substitutes (usually the tastiest ones) contain a small amount of milk or eggs. I think I'm ok with that becasue of the comparison of how I eat now to how I used to eat before I felt morally obligated to stop eating meat. I've cut back on it by, like, at least 90%. I used to use a gallon of milk in a week. Seriously. I mean , come on. Is being mostly vegan ok?

While I do truly want people's opinions on this, there is one thing you should know.  I will never, under any circumstances, stop eating Nutella. Nutella has milk in it. I don't care. I freaking love Nutella and it makes me happy, ok? Don't judge me.

=)

I can't even...

This. Is. So. Gross. Thank you to Tracy Ogle for posting this on facebook. I am so, so, so glad that I saw this after I stopped eating meat.

http://docakilah.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/can-you-guess-what-mcdonald%E2%80%99s-food-item-this-is/

Soaked in ammonia. SOAKED. IN. AMMONIA. How can they even sell that?

I'm appalled.

An update on my last post..

Cow Pus. That's how I'm going to not eat dairy. I'll spare you the details, but I'm going to think of cow pus. I read about it today. And I'm going to conquer dairy tomorrow using this strategy.

Then I'm going to conquer soda, then aspartame. But, I mean, one thing at a time.

=)

I'm not into labels, man.

So, how long do you have to abstain from eating meat before you can call yourself a vegetarian? Cuz sometimes people ask me if I'm a vegetarian and I say yes, mostly because it's easier than being like, "Well, I guess I am but I've only been a vegetarian for 9 days." Also, I don't even think I can call myself an actual vegan. I try not to eat dairy. Sometimes, I fail at this. I've cut back on it a lot. I would like to transition to fully vegan. But right now I would consider myself a vegetarian with strong vegan tendencies. I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway. I eat what I feel like I should be eating and don't eat what I feel like I can't morally eat or what I feel is really bad health wise.

Being in New York this weekend was an interesting test. It's pretty hard to eat out at regular restaurants when you can't eat dairy. I suppose it's not impossible. But it's really difficult, especially if you don't want to eat a salad every time you go somewhere. And salad gets really boring. I guess in normal life, I won't be eating out as much as I have been, what with it being Christmas break and me visiting New York and all of that. I still want to be able to go out and do stuff, I just want to eat healthier while I do it. So I pick meals with no meat and as little dairy as possible. Maybe I'll eventually get to the point where I don't even want to eat dairy. I am doing more reading and sometimes that stuff is gross and scary. That's what got me to the point of feeling like I'll never eat meat again. It could be that the same thing will happen with dairy products. In the meantime, I'll stick to soy milk, steer clear of things that are blatantly dairy products, like ice cream, and read the ingredients in everything I eat.

It does not help my situation that most Morningstar products contain milk and/or eggs because their meat subtitutes are delicious. Like, it's not a lot of milk or eggs, but eventually, I would like to not eat them.

We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

About Tofurkey

Turkey sandwiches used to be a staple in my diet. I ate them alllll the time, especially when I was home where turkey is constantly in the house. Well, I ate a tofurkey sandwich for lunch today and let me tell you, tofurkey does not look appetizing in the least. I was actually a little bit nervous about eating it. However, don't let it's looks deter you. It tastes like turkey. Especially with cheese and mayo, both vegan. Yum.

Also, last night I tried tofutti ice cream. It is seriously delicious. I can totally stick to this whole vegan situation as long as I have substitutes such as these.

Tonight, we try vegan tacos. Meatless crumbles, vegan cheese and sour cream. Should be good.

This weekend I'm going to New York (which I am incredibly excited for!!!!) so I won't really get a chance to cook anything. Trying new vegan recipes will have to wait till Monday.

Goals for next week:
1. Try, like, 3 new recipes.
2. Cook something with Tofu.
3. Figure out how to eat Tempeh.
4. Read a bunch more stuff and stay updated on this blog, both of which seem to help keep my focus.

Until next time. =)

Is this Heaven? NO, It's Whole Foods!

Whole Foods is the single greatest store I've ever been in. Seriously, you walk in and it just smells like everything in the store is going to be delicious. Plus they have an incredible selection of vegan food. (Sidenote: If you're allergic to gluten, shop at Whole Foods. I swear that, like, half of their stock is gluten free.) I cannot wait to eat it. All. And this lady was making fresh guacamole, which I sampled and it was delicious. I mean, she worked there.  Don't worry, I didn't buy guacamole from some random at Whole Foods. I just love it. So much. However, here's the issue. Nine months out of the year I live in Frostburg. Do you know where the nearest Whole Foods to Frostburg is? Pittsburgh. That's 123.7 miles away. I might as well just come home to go grocery shopping. Plan: stock up for a month at a time and transport in a cooler. Not ideal. But whatever. And they do have stuff that I can eat at regular grocery stores. It's just not as cool as Whole Foods. Whole Foods is the greatest.

Also, I ate at Ruby Tuesday last night with my aunt and my brother. Did you know they actually have a pretty significant vegetarian selection? They do. I got the Veggie Trio, which is just 3 sides and the garden bar. Delicious. However, as soon as I tasted the zucchini, I knew it was cooked in butter. I ate it anyway. I don't regret it. This whole vegan thing is a process after all and I went all day yesterday with no meat, cheese, or chocolate. Score.

One last thing, this adorable new look is thanks to Kim Ramsburg. You should probably follow her blog at KymCole25.blogspot.com. Also, if you ever need blog templates, party invitations, tutus, or pictures taken, you should contact her immediately. That is all.

Oh, hey.

Hi, I'm Susie. I'm 21 and I've been a vegan for, like, 72 hours. I've wanted to be a vegan since last spring when I saw Kathy Freston, the author of Veganist, on Ellen. But, in case you didn't know, I talk a lot but I have very little follow through. So I didn't even buy the book. Then this whole new year thing happened, as it does every year, and I decided it's now or never. My mom bought me pretty much every vegan book on the planet for Christmas because she rocks like that. I've been reading them since then and I actually started this whole journey a day early on New Year's Eve becasue after all the reading I did, meat actually started to gross me out. I never thought that would happen. I'm writing this blog to help me focus. It's mostly going to be about what I'm eating and how I feel about it. Here's what I've learned so far:

1. Vegetarianism is easy if you do research. Last night, I wanted a turkey sandwich worse than I've ever wanted one in my life. Like, I was pacing back and forth in front of the fridge. But then I just though, "Dead, rotting carcass, dead, rotting carcass, dead, rotting carcass" over and over again and I felt better. You're welcome for that image.
2. Being Vegan is significantly harder. Dairy is in everything. Like, everything. And I like cheese and chocolate. A lot. Again, reading helps. Skinny Bitch brought me a new perspective. Cow milk is for cow babies, just like human milk is for human babies. If you drink human milk as an adult, that's weird and gross. Think about it. Also, humans are the only animals that drink the milk of another species. Who does that?
3. DO NOT EAT TEMPEH ON A SANDWICH EVER. It's disgusting. You don't even know. Tempeh stirfry, I'll try it. Tempeh Hummus Wrap, sure. Tempeh sandwich? Never again. Also, every tempeh recipe calls for soy sauce. That must be the secrect.
4. Silk is equally as delicious as regular milk. Especially in cereal.
5. The benefits of being vegan are incredible. Seriously, read Veganist. The effects of a plant based diet, not only on your body but on the world, will blow your mind. Not even kidding. Example: If everyone in the world was a vegetarian for one day, we would save enough water for every person to shower 8 times. World water shrotage? Pfffft.

Ok, that's all for now. Should you decide to read this, I'll keep you posted.