Such high hopes for November but for a variety of reasons NONE of my goals were met. Let’s just say a long commute to work + a few personal things + poor internet access + an arduous apartment search = little time for weighty goals! The good news is December is around the corner and not only will I be working through all my November goals, I’m going to become a (mostly) vegan again!
I planned to run some sort of an ethical eating month in November, but decided it was all together terribly unrealistic to drastically change how you eat the month you begin a new job while commuting 3 hrs (!). But as the final box is packed, it feels like the time is nigh.
My plan, if you can call it that, is to spend the next year drastically changing how I eat. I want to focus on whole foods, nothing processed or packaged, nothing made with a substance I can’t spell or pronounce. I also want to stop the hypocrisy I feel negates my own belief system about food, I judge someone for eating rabbits and cats (!) yet I eat chickens…
So my vegan(ish) plan for December (I plan to go the whole hog – pardon the pun – with a vegan year beginning in January) is:
- no eggs (easy, since I’m allergic!)
- no dairy
- no chicken
- no cows
- no pork
- fish, occasionally…{december only}
- 4 nominated days off in the month of December
I hope to get an easy transition into what awaits in January, increase my confidence and find means and ways of getting the iron and protein I need from other sources. I have a feeling there will be a lot of almond milk smoothies in my future! 
As a sidenote, in January I plan to run an ethical eating challenge for readers, this could be choosing to be veggie or vegan for a month or it could mean only eating ethically sourced meat and dairy! There will be a prize at the end of it!
That’s a huge commitment but it’s fabulous you’re doing it! Count me in for January! I hope your move is easy this week.
I`m glad you`re joining us
I admire your commitment. I am allergic to eggs and would love to know how you cope.
I don’t think I eat enough variety to even contemplate vegetarianism let alone ebing a vegan. I am sure you will do well.
You know I`ve been allergic for so long it isn`t an issue. It would be easier to be a vegetarian if you can eat eggs, but as that isn`t an option I`ve never relied on it for protein. I think I cope by simply eating a varied diet and honestly at this moment I can`t think of what I do because I can`t eat them. I`ll have to ponder that one, Monday evenings my brain shuts down
FT, I know you’ve said before that you sometimes eat meat because it makes you feel healthier – I don’t want to rain on your parade but please be careful. It may be better to aim for three months and extend to a year depending on how it’s going. I know you’re a very determined person but it’s not worth making yourself unwell over your diet!
I was a vegan for several years and I thought you might like this quite peculiar, but surprisingly tasty vegan favourite recipe of mine (serves 2). It’s great for slow-release energy!
150g wholewheat pasta
1 large avocado
1 large ripe banana
2 tbsp soft vegan margarine
2 tbsp soft peanut butter (I use crunchy)
black pepper
Cook pasta in boiling water. While cooking, peel, stone & chop avocado. Peel and chop banana. Beat together the margarine and peanut butter. When pasta is cooked, drain and add all other ingredients, season with black pepper and mix carefully. Put back on heat briefly to heat through.
If you don’t want to eat vegan marg (they do sometimes have a LOT of suspect-sounding ingredients) then you could maybe replace with a tbsp of olive oil? The consistency would be different but I think it would still work!
Thanks Alice! I do think I need to be careful which is why I`m easing in and I`ve learned more about how to eat vegan properly, or at least I`m trying as I certainly don`t have all the answers. I plan to ease my way in and also listen to my body. Sadly I`m allergic to bananas but I`ll try the recipe without! Thanks!
Almond milk is supereasy to make! It’s also good in soups too.
I’m curious how you feel about venison and other game (turkey, pheasant, etc).
Will you also still be attempting to be GF?
I plan to make almond milk
I just wrote you a long response and lost it, but I feel like I’m a hypocrite, I couldn’t be “involved” in the food chain except as a consumer, I can’t in any way kill an animal yet I can eat one? I couldn’t eat a horse, rabbit, dog, cat or venison yet I could eat a cow, pig or chicken? I don’t like that I allow meat into my life and then it becomes a regular. I don’t like that most of the time I can’t find organic and I know that means they are generally living in deplorable conditions…
I have total respect for the cycle which people involve themselves in, rearing and caring for animals then eating them but I’m not in that cycle and doubt I personally could be, if I’m not willing to do something then why is it OK to “pay” someone else to do it? There is no value judgement on others who eat meat, I know that there are wonderful ways to consume for example raising your own or buying ethically sourced and organic, but as of late I feel like I’m selling out and I’m all together uncomfortable with the very life I’m living!
Suggestions:
- soy milk (really yummy
Suggestions of what worked for me on my mini stint as a Vegan
Soy Milk – Really Yummy
Miso Paste – White miso to make a soup with dried wakame (seaweed)
Sushi (cucumber or avocado rolls)
Good luck!
(I too am allergic to eggs apparently. WTF?
)
Thanks FB those are great tips! I’ve been allergic to eggs most of my life so am very used to it, but I imagine it is much more difficult for those who become allergic since eggs are everywhere! I still need to email you re the sponsor stuff! As I said, I’m behind! lol
Changing your diet requires a lot of work and thought! I really like your goals and that you are planning to ease into veganism. I was vegetarian for a few years before going vegan; my husband on the other hand went from a standard american diet to vegan over night. It takes a lot of commitment at first, but like anything else, it becomes a natural habit and easy once you’re used to it. It used to take me hours to plan a week’s worth of vegan meals, now it just takes 10-15 minutes. And my cooking is faster too!
Best wishes and good luck to you in your goals!
Thanks so much Mrs J!
To follow on from Alice; do you have a plan to stay well this time on a vegan diet? I’m intrigued…
I will join in the challenge; I think I’m fairly happy with my at home diet, although this last week of chaos did result in fish fingers and baked beans on more than one occasion(!) So I might work on only eating vegetarian or ethically sourced meat when eating out. I’ll fine tune my challenge before January.
Best of luck with your diet change…
My plan is to ease in over the coming month which I hope will let my body adjust better than something too drastic. Also I hope to eat far more nuts, seeds, quinoa, baked beans, spinach with Vit C at the same time and beetroot! I also plan to buy calcium fortified oj and make smoothies each day. I hope I can do it, but I also always listen to my body!
So glad you’ll be joining in
Very excited about this! DH and I used to eat mostly vegetarian but fell off the bandwagon while I was pregnant. Though we eat only organic meat, it’s still way too often these days. I’m been interested in veganism for a while, and I just know you will have a reasonable and helpful approach to eating this way.
I’ll try!
I honestly and truly feel that a balanced approach is absolutely fine, I think that meat has a way of becoming far too frequent in our menus, or at least it does mine once I begin eating it!
All the best for this endeavour!
I was thinking of cutting out meat again from my diet (except fish), so may start in January too. Will let you know. It’s always nice to begin challenges with someone else!
So true! I think eating fish is a great compromise especially if you are nursing!
Have you heard of quinoa? Apparently it is a high protein option from South America.
Yes I adore Quinoa! Thanks for the reminder about what a good source of protein it is!
i’ve gone vegan over the last year and my biggest changes are much more energy, clarity of mind, less anxiety … and a great feeling of peace toward all beings in a collective way that feels great. my body also feels like it’s running very clean. oh, not to be TMI but you will “go” a lot more …. this is normal and actually means your body is functioning much more efficiently to eliminate toxins from your body! i’m here to support you every step of the way, FT!!! you go girl!!
Thanks for your support! I know who to email if I get stuck!
I’ve been a lacto-ovo veggie for 20 years now (where does the time go) but have never tried to be vegan. It’s crossed my mind but I really just don’t have the motivation for it. I’m really lazy when it comes to food. We do eat only organic, cage-free eggs and dairy though so I don’t feel quite as bad about it.
That’s a great compromise!
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I’ve been wholly vegetarian for about 26 years now (I married a lifelong vegetarian and our two kids have been brought up on a veggie diet) but I’ve been toying with “going vegan” for some time. So, spurred on by your dietary goals, I’m going to join in your challenge in January. Must make sure I polish off the Christmas cake by the end of December!!
So glad you are joining in!!
I am going to join you…let know of any books you will be using as cookbooks or reading material. So much enjoy your site…and good to be able to come to a place where there is like-minded people to give me inspiration.
Nancy thanks for the kind words & so please you’ll be part of the club in January!
Ok I’m very disturbed by the cat thing. People really eat cat? I always thought that just a ridiculous story! WOW! Anyhoo, I have drastically cut down on the amount of meat we eat, while I haven’t completely cut it from my family’s menu, my soon to be 15 year old daughter has been a vegatarian who sometimes eats fish for 3 years and since then it has been so hard planning meals around her. I can no longer fix casseroles with meat in them(which is so much cheaper), among lots of other restraints I’m sure your all aware of. She does eat eggs, cheese, and milk. As long as the animal didn’t have to die to produce it she will eat it. I have always enjoyed cooking and have come up with some creative solutions for alot of the comfort foods we enjoyed prior to her vegatarism, but so much is not compromiseable and I’m just at a loss. So much so that I no longer find the joy in preparing a meal for the family that I used to. Because if it pleases the vegatarian it’s sure to have the others in fits! I don’t like the idea of the prepacked meat replacements she’s become so fond of either so I’m looking to replace those. I wish you luck on your journey and who knows maybe I just won’t say anything to the other meat eaters in the family and we will join you! I once didn’t prepare meat at home for nearly 2 weeks and they didn’t even notice till they asked for pepperoni pizza and I had to confess what I was doing. Needless to say they weren’t thrilled but couldn’t agrue much since they had nearly gone 2 weeks and didn’t notice. LOL! That’s no to say they didn’t get it other places like school and grandma’s . They just didn’t get it here
It’s been awhile maybe I can pull that on them again!
Yes people really do, people do also eat dogs! Thanks for joining us in Jan!
I am a bit behind reading and following your blog (you inspired me to start my own
).
I love to join in your challenge. Not the vegan part but eat only organic produced food and not going for processed things. We eat only once a week meat because I need it for my health.
Great thanks for being a part! And best wishes with your blog!
Hi there, I’ve been a vegan for many years now, about 15 I think. I was a vegetarian for a good while before that, but basically lived on jacket spuds and beans to the point that I ended up in hospital as I was ridiculously anaemic – blurred vision, weakness, fainting spells, it was not good! Apparently you need more variety than that! My vegan diet is way, way healthier, and I very rarely get sick, you just need to be more varied in what you eat. I started as veggie/vegan all because of the animal welfare side of things- when so many farm practises are beyond cruel, why would you want to be a part of it? I have, however, just recently got three rescued battery hens, with the plan being I’ll eat their eggs. So far they’ve laid me 3 little gifts, but I’ve had no clue what to do with them and ended up giving them to family. I’m so long out of the habit of eating them, it’ll be a challenge to get back into them. Anyway, I found a website the other day which had some amazing recipes on, so I thought I’d share it with you – they sounded sooooo good, and seem to all be veggie. it’s eatwell.com. I look forward to seeing how your challenge goes, all the very best to you, and to all others taking part. x
Thanks for the great advice rachel!