Monday, January 14, 2013

Vegan To Go

Dear Readers,

The "year of veganism" continues for our family, and it's going swimmingly.  And how do we feel after 2 weeks?  Lighter, healthier, happier and more focused.  Seriously!  What could be better?

The #1 reaction I receive when I share what we're up to with people is:  "Wow, good for you" followed shortly thereafter by: 1) So all you eat is bread?  2) So all you eat is tofu?  and 3) Isn't that really hard?  The answer to all of those questions for me is "no."  Then again, pre-vegan we didn't eat only red meat, brie and use recipes from Julia Child.  Variety is the spice of life and, for me, the only way to eat.

We've been having a great time experimenting with new recipes and foods over the last two weeks.  Truthfully, we eat a lot more vegetables than ever before in addition to legumes (beans), whole grains and fruit and our plates went from blah to technicolor overnight!  But life in our household isn't all Vita-mix banana ice cream and Happy Herbivore Abroad meals (although both have been tried with great success!).

We're busy people, and eating a plant-based diet does require eating more often.  Luckily, convenience doesn't mean only 7-11 hot dogs and traditional fast food if you plan ahead a tad.  The following are some of my fav vegan foods to keep on hand in your desk or office fridge/freezer for lunch and/or snacks:

Dr. Praeger's California Burgers:  Excellent heated up in your microwave for 1.5 minutes and eaten between toast (preferably Ezeikiel).

Dr. McDougal's Soups: Keep in your desk, and never go hungry (or for the office coffee cake) again.

Lara Bars:  So many flavors, so few ingredients.

Amy's frozen meals:  Lots of options, lots of convenience, none of the bad stuff.

Also, and I know this sounds boring, but for snacks I keep chopped carrots and celery in the fridge along with some Clementines and activated almonds (in a nutshell - haha- you soak plain raw almonds in water overnight...that's it).

*All of the above can be found at Whole Foods and other natural food purveyors.

Happy Monday!


(Yes!  That's banana ice cream in the photo!)

2 comments:

  1. Love this! :) We're moving in that direction too...though starting with green smoothies in our new Vitamix for breakfast most days. ;)

    Here are a couple of things I'm super excited about (but don't yet own) that I wanted to share...they're next on my list:

    Ate at the restaurant (True Food) on a recent trip to Phoenix and loved it!

    http://www.amazon.com/True-Food-Seasonal-Sustainable-Simple/dp/0316129410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358278777&sr=8-1&keywords=true+food+cookbook

    I love ice cream, and when I go vegan, this may come in handy!

    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=18484749&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CNf-q7aO67QCFYF7QgoddnwAUQ

    oxo

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  2. Yes! The Yonanas looks amazing! I used my Vita-Mix to make the banana ice cream, but I'm sure that works even better (although after that purchase maybe not buying any other kitchen gear for a while!). That cook book looks awesome.

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