Day 1 Of My Vegan Year!!!!!

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 Yep it's true! As of today I am officially a vegan. No I didn't wake up to streamers and recycled confetti falling all around me but I was excited to start my journey just the same.

 This morning was a whirl of activity since our oldest child returned back to school after Christmas vacation today. I decided to let him stress over where he last left his back pack, locker combo and shoe while I sat down and enjoyed a hot bowl of oatmeal and fruit. I was hungry enough I could have eaten a seven course meal but time did not allow and besides I had yet to go grocery shopping .

Grocery shopping was alot more stressful than I had anticipated. The last few times I had gone vegan I still ate "vegan junkfood" and it was easy to find a fake version of my favorite foods because I didn't care much about the fat content or all the chemicals that were in the products. This time I had to look at every single label over and over. Sherlock Holmes would have been proud of my investigative skills I am sure! More than  once I held up traffic in the grocery store aisle because I was taking so much time discerning over which items to buy. One man actually threw his hands up in the air and said some not so nice words under his breath as he pushed past me with his cart full of steaks and chips. Honestly I didn't mean to be such a nuisance to my fellow shoppers but I was on a mission and I could care less who I made mad.

In the end it took three different grocery stores to find every item on my list and it was as I was leaving the third store that I realized I was probably over complicating this whole vegan thing.

Once home I was famished and suffering from a caffeine headache. I normally have a soda pop everyday between breakfast and lunch and my body was missing the sugar and caffeine rush it was use to. To be totally honest and fair I will admit to wanting so very badly to eat one of my kid's pop tarts and chase it with a cold soda pop. Or even better, heat up the leftover mac and cheese sitting in the fridge with my name on it.
I knew I had to do something quick before I broke so I made the fastest thing I could think of.....bean burritos.

Trust me it taste better than it  looks

Luckily I had found the low fat whole grain vegan tortillas on my list today so I grabbed a can of no fat vegan refriend beans and decided they would do. I should have loaded this burrito down with some yummy veggie extras but I had little time and will power to chop, dice or even wash any sort of produce so plain bean burritos it was and you know what they were actually very satisfying. I ended my simple lunch with a large handful of red grapes and I was full.

By the time dinner rolled around I was pretty hungry again and my afternoon had been non stop activity. I decided to try the Chili Mac recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

For the sake of trying to get my kids to even think about eating this I left the Kale out. I had meant to add it only to mine but I forgot completely. This was a simple one pot kind of dish which is just what was in order on a busy day as today had been. My daughter didn't like hers at all but I think that is because I made it a bit spicier than the recipe calls for. To my husbands I added mushrooms since that man will eat anything you put a mushroom on. In the future I will add the Kale and less onion and spice but I will definitely be making it again because it so darn easy and perfect for an evening that you just want something simple.

Overall my first day of my vegan year was actually less colorful and rich than I had planned but it was still ok.  Now that my fridge is stocked with more vibrant foods I am looking forward to some more interesting and exciting meals this coming week. Health wise I am feeling so so . I know there is alot junk that my body is trying to get rid of right now so I don't expect like a million bucks just yet. I definitely don't feel worse or even the same as normal, just slightly better than average. At least it is a step in the right direction.

Well I am off to look up a recipe for steel cut oats cooked overnight in the crock pot. I adore hot cereals in the mornings but my kids like something with a little more kick in the morning so I am hoping that waking to the yummy smell of breakfast cooking will entice them to give it a try. And if they don't more for me later! hahahaaha

Goodnight and I will see you all tomorrow on Day 2!!!!