what i've been eating

it's time for me to be 100% honest. i'm not as healthy and animal-friendly as i lead on to be through this blog. to keep it real, i will tell you what i've been eating.

today:

• 2 oz. kombucha tea

• 12 oz. black organic fair-trade coffee

• veggie burger topped with soy cheese, onions, mixed greens and sprouts, and a side of freshly cut french fries during a celebratory lunch at a local veg-friendly diner with friends.

• cup of chamomile and fresh ginger tea (it's helping to ease my indigestion and menstrual cramps.)

• honey roasted peanuts


yesterday:

• 2 oz. kombucha

• 12 oz. black coffee

• a few rye and caraway triscuits (from the pantry of bub and evie's house)

• beet, carrot, cucumber, apple, lemon and ginger juice

• non-vegan muffin made by my neighbor

• collard wraps stuffed with steamed broccoli and mushrooms, mashed avocado and raw cashew cheese with a side of leftover spinach penne and olive oil.

• homemade kraut

• apple

• ginger/chamomile tea

• ready for this... girl scout cookies! um, like 6 of them. AND milk chocolate covered caramel popcorn! about half a bag.


allow myself to explain... myself. girl scout cookies are delicious. but full of crap. regardless, john and i purchased three boxes from our niece, mia. we are down to one. we got them on sunday.

then... john's sister sent a package of treats for my birthday. it contained chocolates, popcorn, cookies, honey roasted peanuts and jelly bellies, which we consumed in three days!

speaking of my birthday... it started ideally with a shot of wheatgrass, gimme a beet juice, and a scrumptious salad with hummus and home-sprouted fenugreek.

that night i had quinoa with cooked veggies and a few slices of pizza with buffalo mozzarella. the next day, my family threw me a little surprise get-together and i ate veggie sandwiches, pizza, asian cole slaw, fruit, carrot cake, and chocolate-covered pretzels.

sunday, we celebrated all of the february birthdays on john's side, and i had a big salad with john's mom's breaded and fried chicken cutlets. she also made roasted red peppers stuffed with meat and rice which i've never had and really wanted to try. the glutenous day was topped with another slice of non-vegan birthday cake and black coffee.

when it rains it pours.

this is surely not the first time i have eaten meat or dairy since "going vegan" and starting this blog. i mentioned it in a few posts and have "confessed" to my friends and family, but i am not ashamed. i'm human and i'm doing my best. you may not think so, but i know so, and that's really all that matters.

the way i've been eating this past week is not typical, and i do go weeks with no animal products. obviously i am not vegan or vegetarian, and if one truly felt the need to label me, i guess flexitarian would fit, though i still feel that i am transitioning to a plant-based diet.
  
when starting this blog i was newly vegan (a vegan newborn=). i had transitioned for almost a year before deciding to be 100%-free of meat, eggs, and dairy. fresh out of a vegan cooking class, i wanted to show others how delicious plant-based meals really are. i also felt i could help save animals and heal others' health issues. it seems as though i came across this quote a little too late.

"sweep first before your own door, before you sweep the doorsteps of your neighbors."

while i shed excess weight and felt much healthier, i also got a little too thin and felt strong cravings for eggs and meat. i'm not sure if they were psychological cravings (as i was a huge 'meat and potatoes girl' before committing to an animal-friendly lifestyle), or true appetites for sustenance my body needed. i know i could have tried more supplementing but it just felt right to eat meat or dairy that someone else prepared, usually home-made with love.

eating is as much a physical act as it is spiritual, mental and emotional. changing your eating habits is not as easy for everyone as it is for some, and there is much judgment and debate online about which diet is best. i listen to most health gurus and take what resonates with me. most importantly, i pay attention and eat consciously, determining which foods are best for me and my body in the moment.

it has occurred to me that this post may turn many off and i may even lose some followers, but that's ok. at this point i'd like to connect with others who are going through the same thing or understand the challenges in transitioning to a plant-based diet and would like to support rather then condemn me.

as for my blog title... i have considered changing it, though my enthusiasm for animal-friendly foods has not changed. it is those foods that i enjoy creating most and make me feel best. above all, i wish not to eat animals or support cruelty against them in any way.

so this is my journey - the good, the bad and the ugly!=)