No longer a Vegan Treat Virgin

This weekend has some great moments in it. For one, my mom, sister and I devoured a Tsoymani at Green restaurant and it was simply delicious. Its made with soy ice cream and mine had peanut butter, chocolate and vegan oreos. Who says a vegan can have their cake and it it too. Yummy!

I spent 3 and half hours (literally) at whole foods this weekend. Josh was patient enough to go with me friday night and then I went back on saturday with reins and mom. Whats in the bag you ask? I will show you a few items....

Some fake meat. I plan on making some beef and broccoli this week with some wild rice. I think its gonna be good!

Some bars in case I find myself starving and have no other food around. These bars are all natural with no added sugar. They are made from nuts and dried fruit. I will keep some at work so that I dont have to buy chex mix again when I find myself starving.



And the best part--TREATS. I felt it was time to give in and get serious. The cookies (fabes) I got are sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar. They were a lot less sweet than I was used to, but acutally quite good and moist and they left me satisfied. Ice cream is by far my favorite treat so I got some soy delicous. It was very light and fluffy ice cream and I really liked it. but the tsoynami at Green is definitley the best treat i have had so far. It was a fun weekend of food exploration and I am no longer a a vgan treat virgin. I am officially in the club!

PITA BURRITO

Yeah,I realize the title is very clever since I am writing about the pita burrito. This friday my pal Kelsey and I went on a little friend date. We decided to eat at Pita Jungle. I am a fan of the place,even though our waiter had so much facial hair I clould have lost my appetite. Luckily the losing of the appetite rarely happens for me. PJ has a list of vegan friendly dishes,and so I decided upon the pita burrito. Besides the zztop waiter getting in the way,I was very attracted to the burrito. It did not disappoint. The pita burrito was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Who said this blog is not deep? Kels and I had a great lunch and felt good about our food picks! It did take forever to get the check though. I thought maybe the waiter was just in the back shaving his intense beard,no such luck. Later that day I went to Sprouts to get some ice cream. I drove to my parents after and started delving into my treat. My nephew J.J. said "Reina is that ice cream?" Why yes J. you want to have a bite?" He gets a spoon and takes a taste,one taste was all he needed. I guess he is not ready to join the vegan ice cream club. I was hoping to get the family to form a vegan cult. Oh well. Saturday Elisha,my mom,and I went to Green. It is our home away from home. I guess you can compare it to the Peach pit for Brandon and Brenda,or The Max for Zack,Kelley,Slater,Lisa,Jesse,and unfortunately Screech. We had a great time once again! I know I said vegan without the dreadlocks,but just after a week of this and my hair is naturally forming the dreads. I also pierced my nose and gaged my ears. I thought I should let you know. -Reins

A few Vegan Sats

This is what I have noticed about going vegan:

On tne negative side-

1. The number of dishes I go through has doubled ( now I actually have to stop being lazy and do the dishes like every day. I know its a hard life)

2. The amount of time I spend in the kitchen preparing my meals has tripled ( but I never spent much time cooking befor, so if you already cook lots than this would not apply to you)

On a positive note-

1. I have doubled the amount of fiber I eat and therefore been poopimg twice as much too ( yes sometimes on this blog we get really personal)

2. I tripled doubled the amount of fruits and veggies I eat

The stat that I really want to hit is to decrease my weight by 10% but there is no knowing if eating vegan will do the trick. Its been 5 days and my weight has not gone down yet. But if I start loosing I will let you know.
-Elisha

Livin La vegan loca

This post title is honoring my mexican heritage. That is right geneology I am doing it, and I am about a 16th mexican! I am a person who likes to be very prepared. For example and proof,I set my clothes out the night before to be ready for the next day. Today I was pondering pms. That is right girls.You have all been there done that, as the saying goes. I was thinking about my new vegan choices and how that is going to change everything when the pms arrives. It could get weird. It is time for me to start preparing myslef. I do not want to be some junky all pasty and sweating going through Reeces and gummy bear withdrawls. That is right, I did say gummy bears. I enjoy the gummy bears,worms,and anything in the gummy genre. This blog is about being honest and open. I am not afraid. Now if I liked Good 'N Plenty then I might have to keep that a secret, anybody would. I guess now when the time comes I will be binging on organic peanut butter. Like I said ,livin la vegan loca. -REINS

Tried and tested

When we first decided to go vegan I was wondering what in the world we were going to eat. But lucky for us it turns out there is lots of stuff you can eat when your vegan ( going out to eat is the tricky part). Here are a few items that I have tried recently and really enjoyed.

Red chille and corn tamales
Mock chicken nuggets ( it may sound scary but it was yummy and a lot healthier than real ones)
10 grain hot cereal ( So yummy with fruit and almond milk)
Almond Milk ( I would still prefer reg milk, but whats a veg to do)

And on Friday Josh and I are going out and we are going to make a stop at whole foods. I plan on spurging and buying myself some vegan ice cream. Even vegans need a yummy treat on the weekend! On the menu for tomorrow is peanut butter whole wheat pasta stir fry. Its been 4 days and I am not skinny yet...I guess I will just have to give it a little more time. Patience is key.
-Elisha

The Bachelor-not vegan

Warning: the following post is based on Reinas opinions and does not reflect the opinions of vegans in general- This post may be a bit serious. Stay strong. Lets have a little heart to heart about the Bachelor. You all know him, Jake the pilot. I realize this is not a vegan food related topic,but here is where it ties in. Jake is as bland as the plain soy milk i used on my cereal. That is not a compliment. Plus he wears that necklace sometimes which makes me kind of nauseated. He is a nice guy,just a boring nice guy.Vienna is a highschool student disguised as a 23 year old. She can bungee jump though. I guess that is all that really matters. Unlike eggs and meat,I just can not quit the Bachelor. I know it is just as harmful to my digestion as dairy. However i keep watching. What is a girl to do? -Reina

the break up

Ok time to open up and get personal folks,as you read this post imagine a sentimental song playing in the background. I envision this enrty like a scene in a movie or tv show when a character is about to reveal something special. Do not be afraid to go there with me. Start scene- I know this type of food choice may not be for everyone. The reason I decided upon it is because in all reality my life would most likely feel better without dairy and eggs. I like both products,but get sick most the time when eating such things. I be loving me some ice cream and dairy queen,however it hates me. So I would like to break up and see if I can find something that treats me better. I need to feel loved and respected. Sorry dairy but you are such an A##hole sometimes!-End scene There it is,a little piece of my mind,heart,and soul. I hope I did not make you shed too many tears. -Reina

Good news: Chex Mix is Vegan!

The whole point of going vegan is to eat lots of fruits and veggies and just be healthy. So for lunch today I brought some butternut squash bisque that is super good for you. Joshy helped me make it yesterday. It turned out pretty yummy. But today I was not feeling it and I couldn't get myself to finish it off ( I did eat about 1 cup full). Unfortunately this left me with a hungry stomach. So I did some research and chex mix is vegan! I ran to the staff lounge to buy a bag out of the vending machine. It saved my life today! Better luck with tomorrow's lunch. I plan on bringing a whole wheat bean, avocado, corn, tomato burrito.
-Elisha

Warning: Eating red pepper hummus will give you dragon breath

I love the hummus from pita jungle, its the yummiest you will taste. So Reina and I stopped by there yesterday to pick some up for future snacks and meals. Being that today is Sunday I am so snacky. What is it about Sundays and eating that just go together? So i decided to eat some of my hummus. I have had the hummus in the past and know it wreaks havoc on your breath, so right after I ate it I brushed my teeth and put in some gum. When Josh came to cuddle next to me on the couch he said how my breath smelt like garlic ( that is so sexy). So I used some mouth wash, but he could still smell it. I plopped another piece of gum in my mouth and he said that my breath was better but not great. Eating healthy is great for the body but bad on the sex life (I'm kidding here). So if you are in the mood to skip some bed action with the husband I recommend dining on some delicious red pepper hummus.

-Elisha

My vegan lifestyle has begun

What do you do to prepare for this big change. Let me tell you.

Step 1: The week before you begin be sure to binge on all your favorite non-vegan foods. For me that meant I ate chocolate, cheese and last night I had some frozen yougurt. Saying goodbye to dairy is BIG DEAL for me. But I am so excited to give this vegan thing a try.

Step 2: Make a list of some vegan foods/meals that you want to make or buy. I went to the superstition market--which has the cheapest produce around and I am so in L-O-V-E with that place--and stocked up on some of my favorite veggies. I plan on making some butternut squash bisque tomorrow and eating lots of salad and beans.

Step 3: Get started. Today I woke up and had a half serving of plain oatmeal with some strawberries and almond milk, followed by a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice. It was a great start to day 1 of being vegan.

Step 4: Read a book to keep you motivated. I read the Skinny Bitch diet and loved it! It was really funny and quite a kick in the pants if I may say so.

Well my life as a vegan ( or rather month) has been great so far--granted it is only been about 12 hours but who's counting. the good news is I am one day closer to being healthy, the bad news is I keep feeling hungry. Filling up on fruits and veggies does not last as long as a hamburger in the stomache, but I think I will get used to it. Stay tuned for updates on our little vegan adventure. And thanks Oprah for the inspiration.

THANKS SILVERTSONE

Why vegan you ask... Ok I am pretty private but I will tell you anyways. One fine day I was watching an episode of Oprah. It was dedicated to the topic of organic foods etc. Alicia Silverstone(star of the hit movie Clueless circa1995) made a guest apperance discussing her book about the vegan lifestyle. I decided I was going to let Silverstone give me a makeover like she did Ty on Clueless. However she would not be changing me out of baggy pants and belly shirts,but more of a diet makeover. Stay with me folks. In her book she says to try and flirt with vegan foods,try it for a bit. Well not to get graphic ,but I plan on doing more than flirt. I am going to roll around with the vegan lifestyle. Maybe get the big O! Settle down ladies I meant O as in Organic. Today Elisha and I went to GREEN. It is a nice vegan restaurant full of delicious foods and lots of facial hair...not in the food. Shout out to my best friend Amy who is the best and introduced me to GREEN. My sister and I then spent quite sometime in the WHOLE FOODS. I bought a special bag of peas as you can see in this photo. Well I actually bought more than just peas,but lets not get detailed. I feel special to be in this vegan club. People are starting to take me more serious. I can feel the change. Thanks for taking the time to visit. Reins