Um, Honey, you could use a mint!

So, it's day 27 in my 40-day Vegan Journey and things are good. I've had a few occasions where I've eaten something I thought for certain was vegan only to find out( too late) that it has some milk derivative in it. Argh! And, I'll admit, a couple of times I've added creamer to my coffee when nothing else was available. Not cow's milk or half and half, but it definitely had some form of milk in it in some small part. GUILTY!

But, for the most part, it's been pretty easy. I'm actually enjoying the foods I'm eating. That's something that's kind of surprised me. I thought for sure it would be torture to watch someone eat a turkey sandwich or something sweet like ice cream. But, for most things I've been able to find a replacement like a vegan burrito or a dark chocolate bar, etc. Honestly, the journey has been a lot less stressful than I'd imagined it would be.

HOWEVER...there has been one interesting development in the past 27 days. Apparently my breath has taken on a foul odor. Most likely it's due to the fact that I'm eating a lot more foods (like hummus which is yummus) that contain lots of garlic. The key to the vegan diet is seasoning...making the veggies, beans, and whole grains as tasty as you can. So, garlic and other natural taste enhancers have made their way into my diet on almost a daily basis. I was unaware of the lasting ill effect though until Jeremy brought it up ever so gently. I believe his exact words were "what's the deal with your breath lately?" :)

So, let me apologize in advance if we have a chance to talk face to face before I've had a chance to grab a mint!

Can't believe it's been a week!

Day 8 and things are going well. I'm really not missing meat or dairy products. I think the hardest thing about following the Vegan Diet is just finding things that have no animal products in them whatsoever. Other than that...it's pretty yummy. I've been eating some of the Amy's Soups and Burritos - the ones that specifically say VEGAN in the ingredients listing. And, hummus is my new best friend. :) Coconut Milk is definitely better than the Almond Drink. But, I think I'll prefer the original organic version over the Vanilla flavored. The Vanilla tastes just a little too artificial for me. So next time I'm going for the original!

During my 40 Day Vegan journey I've been getting a lot of help from friends. Coleen brought me some delicious Vegan breads from the Peoria Bread Company. Tasha made a Vegan cake which was scrumptious. And, yesterday, I received two books in the mail from my sister-in-law, Aubry! They're all about following a Vegan diet and making it easy for yourself. There are also a TON of Vegan recipes, so I'm looking forward to diving into those. When I wrote to thank Aub for the books she said she was excited when she heard about my experiment because she and my brother, Eric, do a lot of Vegan eating AND she said, "You can't live off nuts, hummus and dried fruit all the time. Nor can you live off salads. Variety is a key...!" Thanks for looking out for me, Aubry! Thank you everyone for your help and encouragement! Please keep praying for me when you think about it. Quite a ways to go- but SO FAR it's easier than I thought it would be!

Day 4 in the experiment

The 40-Day Vegan is doing well so far. A few ups and downs.

One "up" is I found out that Jimmy Johns has an awesome veggie sandwich. If you order it without the cheese and mayo it's completely vegan. Yay! (However, if you order the Skinny Chips...they are tasty, but make sure you read the nutrition information including the serving size. There are TWO servings in the bag, not ONE. I found out that one a little too late.) Also, most of the Great Harvest and Peoria Bread Company breads do not have any egg or milk products in them. A "down" is that I found out, too late, that the Great Harvest Savannah Bars are made with eggs. Oops! So, I won't make that mistake again. And, I had THOUGHT that the organic toaster pastries I buy for Alyssa were safe. But, looking closer at the ingredients, I've noticed whey protein made from milk. Ugg! So, goodbye to those treats! Another "down", the Almond Drink is getting a little old. I'm going to try to find some coconut milk today.

I'm finding that as long as I have plenty of nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, and veggies and hummus to snack on...I'm fine. Preparation seems to be the key; making sure I don't go anywhere without snacks on hand...especially work! Yesterday I was even able to get Chinese with Jeremy. I just stuck with the sautéed broccoli and steamed rice. I also ordered spring rolls. I asked the lady at the counter if they are egg, meat, and milk free, and she said yes. Jeremy wondered about the wraps, though. I honestly don't know. So, if you do, please let me know!