I can't believe I'm already on day five--it's been much easier than I expected (so far) and I'm proud of myself for sticking it out.
I did have a chocolate craving today, so I pulled out some Chocolove Dark Chocolate that I had purchased from my CSA. By most accounts, dark chocolate is okay on a vegan diet because milk hasn't been added...
And although the ingredents are "organic cocoa liquor, organic sugar, and organic cocoa butter" there is a little statement underneath the ingredient list that says "may contain traces of milk or nuts," and although I told you I wouldn't be too strict about some of the more obscure animal product ingredients, I'm afraid this was just a little too close for comfort for me...so no chocolate tonight. :(
Today was my usual day of preparing for the week (and when I used up the fruits and veggies that are close to going bad), so I made some tropical fruit smoothies (only fruit in there--no sugar or dairy and they're fantastic), some cilantro dip/dressing that can be used on top of any veggies or grains when in need of a quick meal, and my treat for the day/week--veggie nachos.
Taking some of the Food Should Taste Good blue corn chips (my newest delicious discovery), the mushrooms, tomatoes, and avocadoes I needed to use up, and the vegan cheese and "meat" crumbles I wanted to try, I made nachos...and they were perfect for sitting back and watching football today!
The "cheese" melted, the crumble and mushroom mix came out with great seasoning, and it really was just divine. I'm fairly certain I could've served it to non-vegans and they would've been very happy!
And I'm looking forward to the taco salad I'm going to have tomorrow...
I think I might be addicted to grocery shopping now. I love just walking around the store, hunting for vegan items, finding new things to try, and formulating recipes and meal ideas in my head. After spending another $50 in a store today (after already receiving two CSA orders and making another fairly large grocery trip in the past three days), I realize that I need to slow it down a little bit; in fact, I probably could go a couple of weeks without shopping...
I did find some fun things that I'm excited about:
- So Delicious Nog--It's a vegan version of egg nog made with coconut milk! Of course it was the first thing I tried when I got home and it tasted great. (I've read that one of the tricks to enjoying vegan versions of food is to just eat them on their own and not try to compare them to the "real" thing--since I haven't had egg nog in about a year, I don't really remember what it's supposed to taste like.)
- Seaweed Snacks--Seaweed is supposed to be extremely good for you--lots of good nutrients and minerals (including B12 which is normally difficult for vegans to get) and easy for the body to digest.
- Food Should Taste Good Chips--Another product that I tasted as soon as I got home and, wow, these things are good. (I tasted the Blue Corn variety, but also bought the Sweet Potato ones as the store I was at was having a two-for-one-sale...can't wait to try those, too.) Seriously, even if you're not a vegan (and the fact that they're certified vegan was a big plus), you should try these things.
- Vegan Cheese--Okay, I did it. I told you I don't like overly-processed products, but I love cheese and I wanted to give it a chance. So I bought two different brands (one mozzarella and one cheddar) and I'm very curious to see how they turn out.
And, of course, I picked up a few other yummy things (and had some yummy things delivered) that I'm also excited about: mangoes, turnips (never tried them before), sesame oil, brown rice pasta, tangerines ('tis the season), and more.
Tomorrow is going to be a cooking day where I prepare grains, soups, and a few dishes to make it easy for the rest of the week...I'll, of course, let you know how it goes and share recipes soon!
