2/3 Vegan

I might consider calling it "Salad-Free Vegan." Because even though I have had a few great salads in my day, I just do not love salad. I don't. And I believe that if you want to eat healthy and keep eating healthy, you need to be excited about what you eat! And when was the last time a salad sparked that excitement for you? Mmmmhmm, that's what I thought.

I am not starting a vegan blog, but I am coming on the fourth week of eating a 2/3 Vegan Diet. This means I have tried to make sure that 2 of the 3 meals I eat in a day are totally vegan, which leaves me plenty of wiggle room for indulgence in cheese. (Yeah, mostly cheese. I've replaced almost all butter in my life with coconut oil, milk with coconut milk (which I love. Who knew?), and I still don't eat meat. But I simply don't want to feel guilty about eating cheese. Because it's amazing.) And on top of that, I just really love going out to eat both for the tasting of yummy food and for the social aspect, so I can eat my favorite burrito at Baja Fresh without asking them to take all the cheese (and meat) out and still pay full price for it. Or sulkily eat a bowl of fruit while everyone else is enjoying omelettes at The Egg Factory. You know what I'm saying? I don't have to be mad if I "mess up." (Again, this TEDtalk: http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian.html)

Not entirely everything I've tried in the last few weeks I have loved (crispy buffalo tofu crisps and Tex Mex spaghetti squash are on the "no" list), but most things I have loved! It is a fun discovery process.

Some meals that I have enjoyed (and which maybe even surprised me!) include the following:

Breakfasts:
Coconut vanilla rice pudding
Eggless French toast with fried apples
Cherry chocolate granola bars
Orange tea cake
Carrot cake waffles
Oatmeal breakfast cupcakes

Lunches:
Sweet potato black bean burritos
Thai peanut noodles and sauteed broccoli
(Okay, I really thought there were more lunch items, I just can't seem to remember them right now!)

I am amazed at how energized and just plain happy my body feels after eating a lot of these meals. It's really addicting! And one healthy choice leads to another: eating well increases my desire to turn down candy and other processed treats later in the day.

No special powers for me. Just hopefully a continued, growing love for plant-based whole foods!