It’s been a while since I have written on my progress with Vegan in 30 Days by Sarah Taylor. I have used her book as a guide for the 30 steps it takes to go vegan. I couldn’t do it in 30 days straight because I was interrupted by a trip to Europe and I have been too busy since, but I think it’s the final result that matters, not how I got there.
Day 11: Fruit and veg cleanse
I didn’t write about this because I wrote about the first one and this went pretty much the same way.
Day 18: Buy a veggie chopper
I looked into a food processor because it would have multiple functions (chopping veggies, making sauces, making hummus). I just haven’t made a purchase yet because I think I would like to invest in a higher quality one and I need to allow some time to save up.
Day 19: Treat yourself!
Taylor suggests showing your vegan pride and purchasing a shirt, or buying a new vegan cookbook to treat yourself. I already have an awesome vegan cookbook that I’m working through, so I bought myself some non-dairy chocolate hazelnut spread. I love Nutella, which was only reinforced on our trip to Paris, but it has dairy in it. I came across a non-dairy version at Target called Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter for just under $10. It’s quite oily, but it kind of reminds me of the natural peanut butter my mom bought when I was a kid. It’s a little nuttier tasting, but I like it. It’s about three times the price of Nutella, so I’ll just take care not to purchase a lot of it. Probably a good idea in general anyway.
Day 20: Eliminate eggs
I haven’t eaten eggs on their own since before we went to Europe, but I have consumed items that use egg as an ingredient since then. That seems to be the toughest part of veganism. I can avoid all animal products in food that I prepare myself because I have the ingredients in front of me, but when out at a restaurant or at a friend’s for dinner, I wonder what exactly is in the bread. To deal with this, I am making an effort to plan ahead and, failing that, I make safe choices.
Our friend had a barbeque for his birthday last weekend, so Eric and I planned ahead. We brought loads of corn and a yellow watermelon to share. Seriously! I never knew that yellow watermelons existed! I also made the black bean burgers, wrapped in foil and ready to toss on the grill, along with vegan hamburger buns and a little Daiya cheese. I really loved my meal, had plenty to eat, and felt good about myself.
Check back tomorrow for the rest of the update!