Week 1 journey

December 18 - 25

Week one of my new vegan lifestyle has come to a close. It's the first full week home cooking most every meal. Below are some of the highlights from this week,

The first 'real' meal, and first effort at replacing some staple meal items without getting too complicated. The veggie burger was from Lightlife and it left something to be desired. It wasn't terrible but I don't intend to purchase them again. The mac n cheese is from Earth Balance and it's delicious. My 7-year-old food critic was a big fan.

I'm a HUGE fan of any type of Spanish food, so I of course had to go that route pretty quickly. Tofurky chorizo was the staple in this meal. The flavor was okay but I intend to hunt down some alternatives for future endeavors. Amy's brand refried beans and TastyBite brown rice were perfect additions.

This meal marked the beginning of real cooking. I was adventurous this week and made cashew cheese. The consistency wasn't as smooth as some I had in Asheville and didn't perfectly match what I was expecting, however, I was pleased with it for the first shot. For this, I baked thinly sliced potatoes and carrots in the oven and added some polenta, cashew cheese and kale.

Highlight of the week. Sauteed shallots, carrots, brussel sprouts and zucchini with a heaping of cashew cheese, kale and lots of sriracha on top. Calling this amazingly easy and scrumptious would probably be an understatement.

Overall it was far easier this week than I expected. There were a few instances in which I struggled in more social settings to find adequate food choices, however, overall I found it easier to keep away. I'm looking forward to some more creative concoctions next week!

Review: Vegan cheese slices

There are so many faux cheese slices to choose from and they are not all created equally.

Go Veggie - Vegan American Singles
$3.49 at Publix
I was hopeful that these would taste good but was left hugely disappointed. My daughter instantly disliked it and I wasn't much of a fan either. The slice is thinner than I expected and broke apart simply being removed from the wrap. The slice itself had a gritty after taste that was not enjoyable by itself. It ended up being okay on my black bean burger, however, I do not intend to eat it again.


*This post will be updated as new products are tested.

How do I start?

I had the advantage of a go-to FAQ person in the form of my sister when I first decided to go vegan. However, I still found myself wondering where to go next. While at Target I came across this awesome book: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. While it isn't vegan, it does have a ton of great info and incredible sounding recipes. Over 400 pages of information.

My absolute favorite feature right off the bat was the content on Vegetables from A to Z (pages 12 to 16) which includes tips on how to select the best of each type of vegetable as well and tips on how to prepare them and how best to utilize them in recipes. The additional Prep School tips (pages 17 to 23) are fantastic guidelines for the vegetables I don't have previous experience with.

Earth Fare for the win

While I picked up a few 'quick' items at Publix, I still needed the core staples and a ton of veggies for the mix. Thankfully we have an Earth Fare located close by and there was a solid variety of vegan items available which far surpassed what Publix had.

I had the advantage of trying several of these items in NC and already know they are fantastic. Can't wait to dig into the rest!

Simple Earth hummus - $3.79 each

Earth Fare applesauce - $3.49

TastyBite brown rice - $2.79

Earth Balance spread - $3.99 (on sale from $4.99)

Earth Balance mac n cheese - $2.99

Daiya New York style cheezecake - $8.99

Enjoy Life dark chocolate - $2.00

Ranch Chia salad dressing - $4.99

Tofurky ground chorizo - $3.99

Just Mayo sriracha - $3.49

Daiya pepperjack shreds - $2.50

Daiya cheddar shreds - $2.50

Silk chocolate soymilk - $3.99

Tofutti sour cream - $3.49

Lightlife tempeh - $3.29

Nasoya silken tofu - $3.49

The produce prices seemed to be on point as well. I'll be comparing this to Publix and my local farmer's market on future trips.

Honeycrisp apples - $3.49/lb

Hass avocados - 2 for $3

Bananas - $.65/lb

Brussel sprouts - $3.29/lb

Carrots - $1.99

Cucumbers - 4 for $3

Garlic - $5.99/lb

Kale - 2 for $4

Green bell pepper - 5 for $5

Russet potatoes - $.99/lb

Spring salad mix - $5.99

Shallots - $4.99/lb

Tomato on the vine - $2.99/lb

First vegan foods

The first step I wanted to take on my vegan journey was to replace some items I typically have on hand with vegan alternatives. Having a "quick fix" meal is very important in my incredibly busy life. So these core items on hand help that process along. All of these were available at my local Publix and the prices were extremely competitive in comparison to what I would expect to pay for the exact same equivalent products that aren't vegan.

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza - $6.79

Amy's non-dairy mac n cheeze - $3.69

Go Veggie sriracha cheese snack - $3.99 (on sale, normally $5.99)

Amy's Burrito's - $2,79

Lightlife Black Bean Burger - $3.99

Van's Perfect 10 crackers - $2.50 (on sale, normally $3.29)

Go Veggie slices - $3.49

Go Veggie chive and garlic spread - $2.99 (on sale, normally $3.99)

Why I decided to go vegan

For years I have suffered with significant stomach issues along with being chronically overweight and fatigued. I would half haphazardly try different efforts, see minimal to no results, and then give up. I really struggled with what to do to make a difference. Finally, there was a change and it happened in the mountains of North Carolina while on family vacation in early December.

My oldest sister, a vegan for many years, was in a position to need to prepare all of her meals while we were vacationing. Save for two AMAZING vegan restaurants we visited in Asheville. I was eager to jump on board and try this crazy vegan diet and see what it's really all about.

Every meal was outstanding. Every snack satisfying. Best yet, I didn't have a single issue during the full week except after one "normal" meal I opted for while we were visiting a nearby town. That was the clear sign that I needed and I made the decision that day to continue the journey when we got home.

I hope to use this blog to chronicle my adventures as I begin diving into a vegan (and overall healthier) lifestyle.