Figs

I had a bad reaction to some figs.  I was eating them whole and I got a terrible
burn on my inner lip and tongue-ouch!  I'm not sure if it's because I was not careful about washing them well or if I had a reaction to the fruit itself? We shall never know but I don't think I will eat them whole again.

Any thoughts?

Death by Sugar

Check out this powerful video about the effects of sugar on our blood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH47sGmJZaQ&feature=player_embedded

On the morning of the hike, I ate a very sweet breakfast muffin and I was in bad shape for two days.  I get moody, irritable and my body hurts.  I'm so much happier when I have not had sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. It's easier to skip as a Vegan, I don't have the crazy sugar cravings like before but if I slip up it takes a few days to come back.

If They Only Knew They Had Such Sweet Bodies

Arch Rock Hike in Pt. Reyes-Picnic

This is my favorite hike in Pt. Reyes, CA  that I was able to walk with a great friend.

On the way to Arch Rock we came upon a mini waterfall

Lunch consisted of:
Raspberries
Guacamole/Chips
Barley Salad with Garbanzo beans and tomatoes and vegan dressing
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
Sorry, the picture is taken after we were done.

Here was our view for lunch.  That's a 100ft cliff off that edge.

Oakland Hills in the early morning.

I don't need coffee in the morning now that I'm a vegan!   A long walk is a nice way to start the week.

Thoughts about being Vegan-30+ days

So far, so good.

Some highlights...
1)  I have a very good internal system working (so to speak)...that's a fantastic improvement.
2)  I feel more relaxed
3)  I don't need coffee because I have enough energy in the morning to do the things I need to do.  I think all the cheese and saturated fats were weighing me down.
4)  It's fun running around town finding all the vegan hot spots and hot products.

On the downside...
1)  I really have to stay on top of what is in my refrigerator.  I find if I forget to go to the store to have everything I need, I fall off the wagon.  I even ordered a small pizza (somehow it never arrived?)  Maybe that was some higher power making sure I don't really fall too far off the wagon.

2)  My finger nails are not looking as good as they once did.  I started to take Calcium but now I read that may not be good.  So, I'm eating more greens.

This weeks culinary delights:

Carrots pureed with ginger and orange

Wasabi potato salad with Edamame & Napa Cabbage

I'm not sure what else just yet but I will let you know.

Life is just a bowl of cherries...

Life is just a bowl of cherries;

Don't make it serious;

Life's too mysterious.

You work, you save, you worry so,

But you can't take your dough when you go, go, go.

So keep repeating it's the berries;

The strongest oak must fall.

The sweet things in life

To you were just loaned,

So how can you lose what you've never owned?

Life is just a bowl of cherries,

So live and laugh at it all.

"Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" was the title of a song by Lew Brown and Ray Henderson, sung by Ethel Merman in Scandals (1931).

Vegan Check-In /Recipes this week

It's gorgeous in the Bay today.  These Peonies are blooming and I just can't get over them.

So, I have been doing this vegan thing.  I don't feel any different.  I do love what I'm doing because it helps me focus on good, wholesome, fresh, tasty things rather than the difficult parts of life.

I have had some tummy aches.  I can feel the fiber moving through my colon.  I have been advised to chew my food a little better.  This has helped.  Slow down, chew you food real good if you're going to try this. It's hard when I'm always on the run.  Multiple BM's per day are great...Enough said.

This week I'm making a couple more dishes from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  I have so many vegetable leftovers from other dishes that I need to use up what I have before I buy a bunch more groceries.

This week:
Jicama Salad With Orange

I have never made couscous so I will start with Whole Wheat Couscous with Broccoli and Walnuts

I might make Couscous with Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms but I may be tired of the couscous by the time I get to that dish.

Have a great week.

Plumber came today

I had to have the plumber come and clean out my pipes.  Is this part of the deal with being vegan?

20 Day Vegan Anniversary

As of tomorrow, I will have been a vegan for 20 days.  I had a little mishap today so I'm not going to lie.  Someone in my house had some Lay's potato chips and onion dip made with sour cream.  I know, I should be aSHAMEd of myself.  Well, what can I say?...one day at a time.

I do feel better but I think it's too soon to decide if this is perfectly right for me.  I think I have been busy trying all the vegan products, recipes and yum yum's that I have not slowed down enough for a real check of my mind body and spirit.

I was happy to find multiple Vegan Meetup.com groups in the Bay Area.  There are 728 members of the Berkeley meetup. Yes, I joined.  It will be nice to explore the vegan experience with other vegan's.

So far, I'm having fun exploring a new way of life.  I have roasted my first red bell peppers, created a quinoa dish that was to die for and found some great restaurants in my neck of the woods.

This week I will be trying from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Crunchy Corn Guacamole pg 263

Jicama Salad with Pineapple and Mint pg 50

In addition,
I have some leftover grilled vegies and I'm going to attempt a vegan lasagna.  I have a recipe for tofu ricotta but I'm having trouble finding vegan lasagna noodles.

Have a great memorial day!

Homemade Vegan Meal at Friends

My friend made me a vegan meal last night.  I love living in California because when you tell folks that you're vegan before coming over for dinner, they don't despair, they just whip up this fantastic feast after a hard day at work.  Lucky me.

It's hard to see but it consists of a lentil stew (tasted even better with Bragg's, must buy this soon), Cucumber and Tomato Salad with black sesame seeds and sesame oil.  Asparagus with a little olive oil.  Rice and Pepitas to give it all a little more crunch.


Very yummy and nourishing after a hard day at work.

Why Start Being a Vegan Now?

Well, nothing else has worked to date.  I gave up steak about 20 years ago.  My neighbors got some chickens and it put me off to eat chicken while looking at a a chicken.    So, I gave up chicken about 5 years ago and I called myself a vegetarian.   That was easy but I was still eating, eggs, and fish which did not really feel right. Also, my idea of being a vegetarian was to eat some fruits and vegetables on occasion but my primary food choice (if I'm being totally honest with you) was bread and cheese. 

I was on my way to see a dietitian to discuss my diet and my uncle called.  He tells me he has been a vegan for a year and has never felt better.  He rattles off some dishes and tells me I should try them.  He followed this up with an e-mail with a list of things he likes to eat on a regular basis.  So, for a week I have been a vegan following his food guidelines.    As a gift, he sent, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  This beautiful bright green book arrived and I feel compelled to actually read it and try this thing out.

I think vegan is a great idea so far because I never really felt right giving up all other living creatures while still eating fish.  I also like the idea of giving up milk cheese and other types of milk products.  I think I will eat less bread if I have less cheese to smear on it.  We shall see.  

I want to reduce the amount of sugar I consume too-for health reasons.

So, all this to say that I'm on a journey to turn over a new leafy green vegetable, put some Hummus on it and see what happens.