Meatless Mondays

I know it's Tuesday but I was flipping through TFOYP and one of the pages I tabbed was about going meatless-- just for one day.

www.MeatlessMondays.com

I know that not everyone will want to be a vegetarian or a vegan, but being able to give up meat for one day is something I think everyone can and should do, for so many beneficial reasons. You can help prevent heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes by 15% if you simply choose to go meatless on Mondays.

The Humane Society of the United States says Americans consume about 22,000 animals in their lifetime. If people chose to participate in Meatless Mondays, they would probably save the lives of over 3,000 animals. If you are an animal lover but cannot give up meat, here is an option for you!

Try it, let's go out for dinner next Monday :)

My Fav Sandwich

I have been making this sandwich for lunch for the past 2 weeks! I think it's awesome and delivious and fills me up.

It's vegan bread (which basically tastes like regular bread, the one I get has flaxseed too which is an added bonus), avocados, soy mozzarella, vegan "bologna", baby spring lettuce, vegan mayo, and mustard. I cut it on the diagonal, because sandwiches always taste better in triangles.

All I am missing is a pickle!

Day 20!

20 days without cheddar cheese, without pizza, without mac n' cheese, without orange creamsicles, without ravioli, without eggplant Parmesan, without veggie lasagna...

And I don't even miss it!!! Not only that, I have taken a new interest with food because I have been trying a kinds of new things-- I love it! Granted, some things aren't the best but I would say that 95% of the things I have tried I enjoyed and would buy again. The only really bad thing was that first "cheddar cheese" I bought. Gross. Other than that I feel like I am eating more consciously thus being healthier. I am also starting to cook more and am excited about turning all of my cakes to be completely vegan. I also feel better that I am not contributing to the cruelty of animals in every way that I possibly can.

So at day 20, I am going strong :)

Lentil & Black Bean Soups

I've eaten these as a vegetarian and am happy that they are vegan so I don't have to give it up!

They are both from Trader Joe's, one is an Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup, the other is an Organic Black Bean Soup.

The black bean soup has a "vegan" label but the lentil s

oup doesn't. I checked out all the ingredients on the lentil soup and it does not contain any dairy or egg products so I am not sure why it doesn't get the label? I think I will have to ask them.

Both are flavorful and not too salty which I like and it's easy to make, just put it in a pot and heat up!

Good Morning Sunshine Patty!

I was really bummed out that I wouldn't be able to eat Morningstar breakfast patties anymore, I really liked them but the product contains egg whites. So I have been on the hunt for yummy vegan breakfast options.

The first one I tried was delicious! I found it at Whole Foods, and it's an Organic Sunshine Patty, the Breakfast variety. I've been making a breakfast sandwich with it, with vegan bread, herb salad mix, and a hash brown and ketchup. It might sound like a mess but it's soo yummy, I promise! It sort of tastes

like a black bean patty to me with brown rice and grains in it.

Two thumbs up for this one!

Kabuki

My friend and I went to Kabuki for dinner last week! I think this was the first place I ate out at as a vegan. I have found that asian and mexican cuisine is pretty vegan friendly so I was pretty confident I would leave full!

Our server was very nice and answered all of my questions about whether things were vegan or not! Here is what I learned:

-Their Miso Soup contains fish product in it. This one is tricky because at some places it is vegan and others it is not, always ask what kind of broth they use and if they contain bonito flakes

- Their cucumber salad comes with smelt eggs on top so make sure to tell them you don't want it!

I had their house salad and we both had the vegetable roll which was yummy! Overall, it was a good dining out experience :)

You can find locations and menu on their website: http://www.kabukirestaurants.com

Vegans CAN eat out!

I came across an awesome website that has a list of popular restaurants and eateries with vegan options. It sounds like the person who made up the site emailed each restaurant and asked about vegan friendly options.

http://www.godsdirectcontact.us/com/vegetarian/abc/veganeatinginanyrestanrants.htm

The maker of the page also points out that if we want to see more vegan options we need to voice our opinions so restaurants will be encouraged to put something like that on the menu. They sell what customers want so we need to let them know that it'd be great if they were veggie-friendly :)

One note: on this list it says that In-N-Out has a "wish burger" on their "secret" menu that can be vegan but I have heard this "wish burger" doesn't really exist. But you can still get a "veggie burger" there which is a bun with lettuce and tomatoes. I never understood the whole "secret" menu thing at In-N-Out!