The Vegan Chronicles: Meal Replacement

“What am I going to eat?!” is a common question I ask myself now that I’m traveling down this no-animal-product road. Quite frankly, I find it inconvenient that I can’t go to a drive-thru and grab a delicious vegan meal. I have to think and pre-plan my daily menu, and that drives me insane! So, I have decided to swap one of my meals for a meal replacement shake. I am crushing on this product called RAW MEAL. It is raw, vegan, organic, gluten and dairy free! That alone made it amazing to me. But it takes it even further by providing lots of protein, fiber and live probiotics. Basically, it’s like the perfectly balanced meal in a jar.

I have been mixing it with almond and/or coconut milk, with a banana, strawberries and blueberries. Today I tried it with orange juice and it fruit, and it made it a bit too sweet for me so I’ll probably stick with the milks. The taste, if you’re not used to “healthy” tasting items, can be a bit strange. I quite enjoy it, though. All in all, I am SO glad I found this product, and now I have one less meal to stress about each day.

Vegan Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

 

I was really craving something sweet, and the fruit snacks in my pantry simply weren’t going to cut it! I looked at my other ingredients and decided that I could probably make some great cookies with the random stuff I had. Below is the recipe I concocted. I only made a batch of 12 cookies to make sure that they’d be good, but you can always multiply it for more. I used all organic ingredients, with the exception of the baking soda.

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup oat flakes (or rolled oats)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (I used grade A dark amber)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/5 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp water

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚
2. In order to liquify the coconut oil, bring a pot of water to a boil and sit the jar in there until it turns to liquid.
3. Mix the flour, oats salt, baking soda and shredded coconut in one bowl (all dry ingredients). Mix the remaining wet ingredients in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, mix well.
4. When placing the cookies on the (nonstick) baking sheet, make sure you flatten them out a bit unless you don’t mind the finished product looking like a ball. I also spray the baking sheet with coconut oil to prevent any sticking.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes.

If you don’t like coconut, you probably won’t like these. I happen to love it, and these cookies hit the spot! If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!

The Vegan Chronicles: Tea Spot

The Steeping Room

Yesterday after finishing yoga I was quite famished. Seeing as to how I am always looking to add to the list of vegan friendly spots, especially in Austin, I’m happy to have experienced this place.I was fully prepared to just have a nice warm cuppa to tie me over until I could find some vegan fare, but was thrilled when I looked at their food menu. So many options to choose from, but I ended up going with the seasonal vegetable sandwich. It had butternut squash, which I have decided is my fave now! It was on ciabatta bread that was toasted to perfection, and I devoured it, along with the side salad it came with.

Ok I have to admit that I went back for breakfast this morning too. I had their vegan breakfast sandwich, which has hummus, tofu and I added tomato. They are also budget friendly, with the sandwich costing less than $4. Needless to say, I will be frequenting this place often. Maybe we’ll run into each other?

The Vegan Chronicles

The Project

Making the switch to a vegan lifestyle is no easy feat. It requires many sacrifices and a dedication like I’ve never had before. Any post you see with the title The Vegan Chronicles will detail my journey on this new and uncharted path in my life. I have already explored vegetarianism, but I now want to take it a step further.

My first commitment will be to a dietary vegan lifestyle. Why this distinction? Ask anyone whose vegan and they’ll tell you that veganism is not just a food choice, but a complete lifestyle. It goes beyond what you’re eating from what you wear (leather is from animals), to what sort of medicine you take (gelatin capsules are derived from animals, too), and even in what hair products you use (honey…need I say more?). By proclaiming that I am dedicating myself to a dietary vegan lifestyle, I’m setting a goal that I feel is somewhat attainable. I am in no way prepared to make the leap to a full life of veganism! Hopefully one day

So, come with me on this journey, where I’ll share my struggles, successes, pitfalls and victories. I’ll share recipes and recommend different vegan joints I think are worth checking out. I’m excited about this, and it’s a great way to start 2012!

If you want to join me on this journey, just check the box below and let me know! Don’t feel pressured to at all, just if you want to have some accountability (like I do) to help you stay committed.

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What inspired you to take the leap?

 

Flick of the Day

Parisian Flowers

I don’t assume that everyone has looked through all 1700+ of my photos on my Facebook page (or that you’re even my friend), so I have decided to showcase a photo from my library daily, along with the story of the picture…it will justly be called the “Flick of the Day.”

The photo featured today is from just outside of the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. I was so enraptured by the garden that sits alongside the iconic church, I had to take a picture. With the sun shining radiantly down on me, as if being in the garden was a blessing in itself, I felt…fulfilled. Of course, the feeling only lasted for the day and after I was on to seek new and even more amazing things, promising never to be satisfied on this journey of life, vowing never to stop yearning for the immaculate beauty I’ve been granted the senses to behold.

fragile

i want to tell you that i miss you
but the words wont leave my lips
because even if you were here,
i wouldn’t want to touch you, kiss you, or even look you in the eye
too afraid that what we have might break,
shatter into a million pieces
which we’d never be able to put back together.

how did we become so fragile?

in this state of existence, that’s not really living
treading on each other’s hearts
trying not to leave behind any footprints
because it’s easier to erase something with no evidence

too fragile.

even wrapped in the layers of fluff we cushion
our words and actions with everyday,
we are just. too.

fragile

and i can’t promise to be careful
or gentle enough not to break this.