The end.

It's all over. 

This morning I had French toast. Not the anti-egg egg replacer type of French toast either. I had eggy, buttery, syrupy French toast at a diner, and after I had a CONOLI. 

It was all extremely delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed consuming every last bite. Then, I sat back and contemplated what I had just swallowed into my body, and I felt kind of gross. 

The strange thing is, I had read other blog posts saying that after being a vegan for a long period of time, other animal product-y food tastes dirty in a way, and I concur with that. Not only did the food not taste as clean and fresh as vegan foods, but after I ate, I felt as though I needed a shower : greasy, bloated, and sluggish. 

I have already voiced my opinion on the issue of Veganism and continuing it even after the end of February already in "The Arrogance of Veganism", and "Miami". To make it clear, I feel gross about myself, so I wish to continue to eat healthy. Not vegan, but healthy. Perhaps this is what caused my body to feel so much more powerful was the lack of junk foods, and not the lack of animal products. 

The finality of it all has hit hard. The challenge affected my life in ways I never knew I could achieve. I became conscious of what I was eating every day, I learned to cook, and I grew empowered. The challenge did not only affect my physical health. Mentally, I know that I have the ability to carry out a long term goal, and to stick to a diet. I did not break down and eat a cookie alone for the entire month. The only situations in which I cheated involved the consequence of inconveniencing members of my family, such as when I went to Miami, and when I went out to lunch with my grandfather. 

This month has taught me that food is something to be cherished, not something to be shoved in one's mouth and gulped down. I can go to restaurants now and be able to taste the specific ingredients in a dish. I can compare my own cooking to theirs. I appreciate food as an art form, and not as pure sustenance. 

If the journey has taught me one thing, it is: 

Determination is an extremely valuable skill. 

This doesn't apply only to food, but to many other things. 

I am extremely glad that I accepted the vegan challenge for this month, and I learned invaluable lessons. I recommend it to anyone who is skeptical. I loved my experience. 

So, keep on keepin' on vegans. I respect you immensely for your dedication. 

THE END

Last day blues

Today is February 28th, the last day of this extravagant experiment. I got a little nostalgic this morning over my breakfast of fresh fruit (without Nutella) about the impact Veganism has had on me. 

I ate a lunch of spaghetti with a lemon olive oil and spices dressing, carrots, hummus, an apple, and wasabi peas and thought about whether or not this would ever be a lunch I would eat again. I nearly began to tear up. 

For my last vegan dinner, I wanted to create something extra vegan. Something luxurious. Something that would memorialize this final vegan moment for-ev-er. For-ev-ever. FOR-EV-ER. So, in honor of this day, I created...

Nothing. 

I bought sushi. 

But it's pretty!

I'll have to present my last sentiments tomorrow morning, when the end of Veganism truly rears it's ugly head. Until then, stay vegan my friends. 

The Vegan Valentine: A Love Story

Enter the two lovers: 

Katherine, the newly vegan, sugar-deprived youth with an insatiable lust for desserts she can't have…

and

chocolate, the magical, elusive remedy to all her woes.

When mixed together on a sleep-deprived night of a very mushy, very lonely holiday, you get:

CHOCOLATE VEGAN FUDGE!!!

Yes folks, you heard me right, there is a god in this world. Close to midnight on Valentine's Day, I felt a sudden impulse to make something delicious. I don't remember much of what happened after that, but i woke the next day to find a pan of fudge in my fridge and an immaculately clean kitchen. We can only speculate what went down. 

In reality, I did stay up until one in the morning making vegan chocolate fudge and I don't regret it. This simple dessert tastes sinfully sweet and is the perfect addition to the holiday famous for its non-vegan treats. I felt like a ghiradelli master chocolatier swirling the molten chocolate with the spoon. 

My only complaint to this recipe is the consistency of the fudge does not keep well at room temperature. It didn't harden to the typical chewiness of fudge when left out or even in the fridge. I kept mine in the freezer and this seemed to resolve the problem. 

I cut mine into little hearts and other shapes under the guise of being cute and romantic, but really I was trying to make this scrumptious dessert last as long as possible. 

'Til next time!

Miami=Vegan

Canelones de Verdura

TURNS OUT MIAMI IS TOTALLY VEGAN FRIENDLY AND HAS SO MANY VEGAN PLACES TO EAT

Not only did my Aunt Kristen generally cook vegan for me, but yesterday we hit up a vegan café called "It's not just mi vida, it's yours too!"

They had some awesome dishes that I plan to whip up when I get home, and I really admired the entire place. Their smoothies were divine, and so was everything else. 

Kristen got a "vegan sloppy joe" and I ordered the "Canelones de Verdura" along with the Purple Power smoothie. 

Menu @ It's not just mi vida, it's yours too!

The place was relatively expensive, but worth it for the experience. Everyone in there had just come from yoga, and I did not see one man in my entire experience. There was also a zen garden next door, which just added to the crunchy/naturalistic effect. We had a good laugh, and were stuffed by the end of it. Go vegan!

"sloppy joe"

Zen Garden wall art

Aunt Kristen's Recipes

So, turns out my Aunt Kristen was a vegan in college, and she cooks vegan all of the time still! She gave me some recipes to share, and I might add more later. Sorry about the lack of pictures!

Avocado Corn Salad
-4 ears corn
-2 ripe avocados (chopped into chunks)
-one squeeze fresh lemon
-halved grape tomatoes
-handful of fresh cilantro chopped
-green onion (4, but that's sometimes too much)
-jalepeño pepper (seeds out if you want it more mild)
-splash of sea salt (himalayan)

Quinoa Salad
Sauteé
-half an onion chopped (sweet onion)
-2 cloves garlic chopped
-EVOO
until the onion is more clear
-1 cup of quinoa and turn up heat to medium heat
-fry quinoa, onions, and garlic in oil for 2 minutes
-add two 1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil
-after boil, simmer with lid on for about 15-20 minutes until quinoa is soft

-while that is cooking, in a bowl chop 3 green onion
- zest of one lemon
-grape tomatoes, halved
-quickly chop half container of arugula (2 handfuls), half container of spinach (2 handfuls)
-squeeze zested lemon on ingredients in bowl
-pinch of salt and pepper

then, when quinoa has cooled to room temperature, add to arugula spinach mixture
add other things for fun!

Tomato Soup 
halve 6 tomatoes (Kristen likes to use 12 Campari tomatoes because they're sweeter)
and put them on a roasting pan in the oven at 450 degrees ...with
2 cloves of garlic (can be whole or chopped)
one slice of sweet onion
cover with olive oil
keep in at 450 degrees for 45 minutes
stir once or twice
switch oven to 350 degrees, and cook for an additional 30 minutes
in the last five minutes, add fresh basil

after roasted, put in a blender until smooth
THERE YOU HAVE YOUR SOUP

*tip: if you use beef tomatoes, throw in a carrot while roasting to add a creamy sweetness, or add almond milk or rice milk
*if the tomatoes aren't ripe enough, throw in a little water into the roast when switching to 350 degrees

Chocolate Cherry Brownies

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES

Hello all. The other day, I had a severe chocolate craving. And when I say severe, i mean EVERE. So, I set out to make a vegan recipe that I found for chocolate cherry brownies. 

I had never before had even non-vegan chocolate cherry brownies, so I thought this experiment would be interesting. The recipe will be included on our recipe page (with all of our other recipes). 

Now, what I found, as the other baker found, was that these brownies are fudge central. 

I also found that the extra cherry pie topping on top of the brownies was unnecessary, and did not allow them to cook well enough.

Advice from me:

Do not top the brownies with cherry topping

Do not make a brownie sandwich as the recipe suggests (that makes too much brownie to eat)

Include a little more of the cherry filling in the batter

Cook for longer (the recipe suggests 25-30mins, I would say 30-35)

Otherwise, they were delicious and a hit. 

Miami

ATTENTION: THE FOLLOWING IS A SIMILAR RANT ON THE CONCEPT OF VEGANISM

I am headed off to Miami Beach, Florida tomorrow morning. Yes, it is still February. Yes, I am supposed to be a vegan, and I have been since February first, using only one cheat to have lunch with my grandfather.
This trip to Miami was a gift from my other Grandfather, Aunt, and Uncle who reside in a house on Miami Beach. They wanted me to come down to visit them for a few days (and it's Miami Beach, who am I to refuse). In light of this situation, and even taking into account the accepting nature of my family, I do not wish to inconvenience them in any way with my Vegan pledge. If they have a plan to take me out to a restaurant, or to feed me a meal that has cheese or animal products, I intend to gratefully accept what they offer me.
This brings us back to my previous post on the arrogance of Veganism. I feel as though I will project myself as ungrateful if I accept their gift to Florida, yet force them to buy food specially for me. Perhaps it is that I am only 17, and this problem is one of authority and age superiority. Yet, if you were invited as a guest to stay at a house on Miami Beach, would you not accept the food you were given?
My parents and family always taught me to eat all of the food on my plate. Before I became a vegetarian, I sat at the table many times after everyone else had finished with some type of unappetizing meat. Eventually, I always forced myself to eat it, because that was the proper thing to do. When I became a vegetarian, it was at first difficult for my family to accept, but still relatively easy to accommodate. I could eat side dishes, and what did not include meat in a meal, or I could quickly whip up something for myself. With veganism, the diet is so strict that this is not possible. Virtually nothing that is regularly served in households is vegan.
So, is this a problem with society in that they include animal products in all of their foods, or is this a problem with vegans?
In Miami, I may not eat vegan for the majority of my meals. I do not, however, see this as a problem. I believe one's individual cause must come secondary to the hospitality of others at times.

The arrogance of veganism

ATTENTION: THE FOLLOWING IS AN ANALYTICAL RANT ON THE CONCEPT OF VEGANISM..

It is trouble enough to find a meatless dish, but to find a vegan dish is completely out of the question. Even most salads have not only cheese or dairy, but pieces of meat or eggs in them. Right now, I might have to use one of my cheats simply to enjoy a lunch outing with my grandfather.
I suppose the point of this rant is to not only criticize chain resteraunts for neither carrying vegetarian nor vegan food options, but to question how arrogant this lifestyle is making me. I cannot go out to eat,I have to refuse the food my family cooks for me and food other people are serving, and I am constantly inconveniencing my family and friends.
It makes me question whether or not the superior feeling of my body is worth it, or is selfish of me, which is something I don't ever want to question again. Am I becoming too high matinence for my friends and family? I believe that the vegan minority or the strict diet minority in general may alienate themselves from others through their food. Food is a gateway to socialization, and by the inflexibility of their diets, they may be severing some very important social connections.
I believe that after this month is over, I will consume vegan foods whenever I can. I will continue to cook vegan and to enjoy new recipes. I wish to maintain my health. Yet, when it comes to the expense of others, I will enjoy meals that contain animal products. I will not continue to maintain such a strict diet, because without enjoyment, food is nothing but bland sustenance.

Vegan Cooking for the Soul

In the long winter months, when feet of snow pile up outside and when the cold sends us scurrying around the house in thick fuzzy socks and layers of blankets, it is always good to cook up some hearty food. Good winter food is warm food. It is also soul food, or food that warms satisfies not only your hunger but every other worry in your life, if not just temporarily. Soul food can bring you back to your childhood or leave you frozen in the moment. This would explain why it takes so long to finish a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup: there is no hasty gulping it down. There is only quiet slurps of nostalgia and reminiscent sighs as the golden broth fills you with happy memories. That, my friends, is soul food done right.

One of my hesitations in being vegan was based in my initial misconception that vegans eat only cold food. Any other season, I would be fine with this: cold food keeps longer, takes less preparation, and is more convenient to eat on the go. But like I said, winter calls for warm meals to rejuvenate the part of us that the cold snubs out. Before this month, I picture veganism as a lonely, miserable existence spent shivering in a corner while nibbling on some limp asparagus. As already discussed, this is NOT true: veganism, to me, is a way of reinventing your indulgences. In a simpler context, there is warm vegan soul food, and as I have discovered, it is just as satisfying as a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a cold day. 

Here are some meals I've made in the past few weeks that are meant to be served warm. They were all very tasty and I definitely would try them again. Links are in the recipes page :)

Borsch – a Ukrainian beet soup

When I intentionally pointed out to my mom how Steph's mom had made vegan cookies 'n cream Oreo cupcakes, my mom knew she had to step up her game (not really, she just does very nice things for me.) She brought back one of her old favorites by introducing me to Borsch, a vegetable soup popular in Eastern Europe, made primarily from beetroot, which gives it its unmistakable fushia color and a slight sweetness. It is completely vegan and is very filling. 

Adult Tater Tots – another recipe from Buzzfeed's massive vegan foods collection, my one complaint is that this name is entirely misleading. At least the outcome I reached did not resemble tater tots at all and I bet it would be the height of poor table manners to start dunking these in ketchup. Nonetheless, I loved these glorified baked potatoes seasoned with pepper and garlic and cooked to a perfect balance between a crispy skin and tender inside. Very simple to make and eat. 

Coconut Rice Pudding – Rice pudding has to be one of the most underrated desserts of all time. It is can be served warm or cold, is cloyingly sweet and savory, and doesn't take the easy road of relying on chocolate to make it great. Jazz it up with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, or orange zest. Customize this tasty base the way you want. It's like fro-yo for February. 

Vegan Chili – Kudos to Buzzfeed again for this unique recipe. It's hard to imagine chili without ground beef, but this dish makes me see the potential in beans, spices, and whole grains. While the picture does NOT do it justice (if you squint, the sight of it kind of makes me nauseous,) the combo of typical chili spices and protein-packed beans, edamame, and quinoa is interesting and satisfying. 

Lookout for a new post about weird vegan ingredients coming soon! Thanks for reading! Gold star for you!

Tofu Nuggets and Slime

Prior to the start of vegan month, Katherine and I hit up our local Trader Joe's. In the process, I bought some firm tofu. Now, the last time I consumed tofu it was a bad experience. It had the consistency of flan without the flavor.
This time, I decided to give it another go. Mainly because it was taking up space in my refrigerator. So, my friend Anjelica and I went straight to the recipe on the BuzzFeed "Vegan Comfort Foods" list (on the recipe page), and gathered our ingredients.
The thing was, we did not have nutritional yeast. So, we looked up another recipe for the batter which called for breadcrumbs, cornstarch, and a flour/water mixture. Then spices, and fry.
First, the recipe said to dip some tofu nuggets into a flour and water mixture, then into cornstarch, then into more four and water mixture, then into breadcrumbs, then into frying pan.

What we found was that the flavor of the cornstarch showed through much more than what was intended. Our teeth were sticky with cornstarch afterwards, and all other flavors were blocked out.

The nuggets looked good, but if anyone could try to find a way to lessen that cornstarch texture and flavor, it would be extremely more enjoyable.

Nonetheless, here are some pictures that make the nuggets look delicious. Yay vegan!

Then, afterward, with the leftover cornstarch, I made slime! Which is totally not just for 8 year olds to play with!

Just a little cornstarch, water, and green food coloring.

Excuse the face, please

Side Note: Don't be discouraged by our many recent vegan recipe failures. Practice makes perfect, and if you don't try you'll never succeed. Plus, you might have a little fun in the process.

Power through till the end, fellow vegans, and have faith.

Boxed Baked Goods

Boxed Baked Goods, when they are non-vegan, are usually delightful. Betty Crocker churns out some decadent brownies, cookies, and various other baked good mixes.
So, on a journey to ShopRite with Katherine, we stumbled upon some VEGAN boxed baked goods. Of course we were excited. This meant WAAY less work, and hopefully the same decadency that Betty Crocker always provides. We scooped up the boxes and headed to the kitchen to bake.

They were certainly easy to make, but they were less than decadent. Betty Crocker would have vomited. Paula Deen would have vomited. I almost vomited, not from disgust, but from disappointment.

They looked beautiful, but so disappointing. Do not be fooled by their beauty and their promises.

I love being vegan, but I suppose the lifestyle is not meant for cookies and brownies. There are many other sugary options to satisfy my cravings, along with extra dark chocolate. Still, this was a major disappointment. I'll have to stick to my cookies and cream cupcakes.

*sigh*

Non-Vegan Temptations

The biggest lesson I'm taking away from this experience is that veganism is difficult. It is not terribly hard to find food to eat (in fact there is myriad of vegan websites featuring recipes for delicious nutritious meals as well as tasty desserts), but it is hard resisting my loyal comfort foods that are non-vegan.

Typically, I eat healthy 70% of the time. My nutritious eating habits reign between the hours of 7am to 7pm, when I am busy outside the house with school and activities. However, upon returning after a full 12 hours away, I seek out the sugariest, saltiest, fattiest and most scrumptious delicacies my kitchen has immediately available. I routinely turn to chips, cheese and crackers, leftover pizza, the cookie dough pieces in cookie dough ice cream, the frosting off of birthday cake, pretzels and peanut butter, and whatever other leftover desserts are misfortunate enough to fall victim to my ravenous rampage. This period of indulgence probably composes at least 60% of my daily calories and probably tops me over the 2,000 calorie mark (Sorry, FLOTUS). To call it wild food binge would be an understatement.

However, as a vegan, most of these reliable foods are off the table (except peanut butter and pretzels **lol thx 4 sticking it out w me u guyzzz!! ily <3**). Even preparing a vegan snack takes at least five minutes, and that is another five minutes I must resist diving into the box of White Cheddar Cheez-Its sitting so innocently on the counter. Even when I can find a less tasty vegan but still sugary alternative to mint cookie crumble ice cream, my soul yearns for the full-fat flavor and extra-sweet satisfaction of non-vegan food.

Handling this withdrawal from my unhealthy food addiction becomes especially difficult when I can't remove the non-vegan foods from my environment. My family is a carnivorous, dairy-loving, egg-eating, non-vegan family and I would not dare deprive them of their typical diet by dragging them into this month-long experiment with me. That withstanding, my kitchen is chock-full of non-vegan temptations (see photos below). Even on a recent trip to the grocery store, the overwhelming number of chocolate cakes, decorated cookies, and, my personal favorite, chocolate strawberries for Valentine's Day had me gazing wistfully at the displays.

This month has struck me with a sharp reality for people like vegans or those with food allergies that have diet limitations: you will never escape the food you can't eat. For those with allergies, it may be no more than a minor annoyance to avoid these foods, especially since consuming them would be dangerous to their health. But then there are those that can, but won't. I have learned, as a novice level vegan, you can't give in to non-vegan food temptations because that ruins the point of the experience. Even with the marvelous cheat system we devised, I don't think I will use my cheats this month, no matter how tempting or difficult it is, because that would taint the experience. I don't want to tell people, "Yeah, I went vegan for a month, except for one time when I couldn't turn down a slice of cake or just a little piece of chocolate."

I want this to be the full-fledged real deal, and if that means having to say no to my favorite snacks, I'll do it. It's also a motivational bonus that whenever I do resist a non-vegan treat, it only gives me more motivation to eat healthier and carry on.

Thank you for sticking it out and reading this far. That must've been tough. You deserve an olympic gold medal or at the very least one of those dinky little participant ribbons. Way to go, champ!

On that note:

Stay tuned for more posts about our most recent vegan undertakings and bakings! We have a lot of material to share so keep checking back.

The Quinn household: a meat lover's paradise

Amish Whoopie Pies

Pecan crusted apple pie from Thanksgiving

DELICIOUS (ok well, MOST of the time they're delicious) VEGAN DELIGHTS!

Vegan brownies and chocolate chip cookies made from the box (see post coming soon)

FRUIT ES MUY DELICIOSO!

Practice Makes Perfect

The past few days have been a blur of tried and failed attempts. Katherine and I tried to make a cooking show, and failed (Bloopers and the good parts will be posted later).
We also tried to make falafel, which failed the first two times, and then finally turned out alright. We made brownies and cookies and sweet potato fries and smoothies galore. All I can do is share a few pictures from our adventurous cooking night together, and hope that others fared better than us.

 The falafel we made, along with some naan. This is the falafel after the third try. We first tried to fry it without bread crumbs. Then we added bread crumbs and tried to fry. Equally as bad. Then we baked. This was better, but not fabulous. It still tasted delicious though. 

These were great. Same recipe as before, same lovely taste.  

Banana smoothies. Very good.  

:)

Although the meal was good in the end, it took many attempts. 

Advice: Make sure you follow a specific recipe, even if it involves rare ingredients. This is the best course of action. 

Despite our failures, we had a lot of fun, and still love being vegans. YAYY VEGANISM. 

See ya next time on the Broke Vegan. 

Black Bean Bonanza

So there was that day when I went on a cooking productivity rampage, and I cooked food for like three days, and I put it in the fridge, and I kept eating it, and now it's gone.
Whoops.
The good news is, I am back on this rampage, and have also hopped back on the health train. Although I loved my vegan baked goods, I discovered that the superior feeling my body transitioned to after becoming a vegan was lost. I once again felt tired, weak, and capital G-ross.
I began to include salads in my diet once again. Things like chickpea/black bean with various veggies salad, regular lettuce-y salad, and corn/cucumber/avocado/tomato/pepper salad describes my intake of protein and vegetables for the last few days, which isn't horrible by my standards. Other than those, I've been hooked on vegan butter and bread as a side to my dinners. Quinoa still is a staple, and so are chips and salsa.
The cooking grind has once again sent me home after school to whip up some creation to feed myself for dinner. What I found was a simple black bean burger. The recipe was originally part of a recipe to create a "Vegan Big Mac", and included ingredients and directions to make a big mac sauce, toppings for the burger, and the burger itself. I did not include the big mac sauce, but I sure did whip up those burgers right quick and wolfed them down after taking a few pornographic photos (of the food).

The recipe, of course, will be posted on the recipe page, along with a Buzzfeed list of "26 Vegan Versions of Your Favorite Comfort Foods"

For toppings, I added some shredded iceberg lettuce and guac. Although, I recommend ketchup as a topping, and not so much garlic/onion in the burger itself. The chips and pickle were by far the best accompaniments. 

Stay tuned for Valentine's Day vegan treats and...

Steph and Katherine's debut as on-camera chefs!

Product Reviews

HEY YOU!

All of these reviews can also be seen on our review page, where they are also compared to celebrities. You should check it out. It makes for a hearty chuckle. 

Vanilla Almond milk

As a skeptic, I wasn't sure this would come anywhere close to matching the Stewart's Skim I've been drinking for over ten years. But to my surprise, this has the same consistency and smoothness as regular milk and the vanilla flavoring added a great spin.  

Rating: 9/10

Soy yogurt

I've always shied away from Stonyfield because even their regular yogurts tasted funky, like unwashed fruit puréed with sour cream. I should have kept that in mind before choosing this for breakfast. Thank goodness it was the first food of the day or else my last meal would have made a reappearance. This gag-inducing soup of chunks should not be consumed by humans.

Rating: 0/10

Organic Natural peanut butter

Kind of awful, but bearable. Only slightly reminiscent of the smooth, sweet and salty PB I'm used to. This is PB with the laughter sucked out of it. This is PB after it served a 25-year sentence in prison.

Rating: 4/10

Hemp vanilla protein powder

I don't know yet. Between the puce green color, the rancid smell, and Steph's claims that it was "horrible," I've been too afraid to try it. But stay tuned for a new post, I'm mustering up my courage soon.

Rating: N/A

Coconut milk

Smooth, creamy, and sweet with the slight hint of coconut. Unlike regular milk, it's ok to find tiny chunks floating in your glass: it's natural!

Rating: 7/10

Chocolate cat cookies

What can I say to describe the wonders that are Trader Joe's Chocolate Cat Cookies? These li'l buggers were my saviors during the first few days of veganhood. Each cute little cookie packs the punch with a very strong chocolatey flavor and a satisfying melt in your mouth texture. Finished the giant bucket in less than a week.

Rating: 9/10

Gatherer's granola

This is the perfect health snack. The ideal balance of crunchiness and smoothness. My personal favorite flavor is Chipmunk's choice which is a blend of oats, almond, peanut butter, and maple syrup. As an all-natural, gluten-free local brand, I can't recommend this enough. 

Rating: 11/10

Rice loaf bread

Don't be deceived by its simple, run-of-the-mill (haha get it? k, I'll stop) white bread appearance. This stuff is jank. It is extremely dry and stale-like, as if it was only pretending to be bread consumed by humans. Tastes like sand.

Rating: 2/10

Quinoa

Commonly confused for couscous, quinoa is a unique, protein rich-grain that pairs great with veggies or beans. A little bit goes a long way. I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed it and I'm glad I discovered this vegan staple.

Rating: 8/10

Unhealthy Vegan

I did not become a vegan for the month of February to lose weight, or to diet. When I had been vegan in the past for only a week, I felt superhuman. My body felt more awake, stronger, my mind clearer, I was distracted less easily, and I retained more information. Overall, my vegan experiences have been extremely beneficial to my body.
I have come across some people who assume I am cutting dairy out of my diet (I cut out meat four years ago) because I need to shed a layer of belly fat. Let me tell you, veganism has the ability to be RIDICULOUSLY unhealthy, and lately I've been falling into that grind.

Me

Oreos, carb-loaded breakfasts with syrup, tons of salty chips, soda, and sugar are all vegan foods of which I am a victim of. Of course, I am still eating much healthier than how I was before, and still much less than I was before. I feel as though as the month is progressing, I am feeling more hungry than I was at the start of the journey. Am I eating too many carbs? Am I not drinking enough water? Am I not getting enough nutrients?
Today I ate three slices of vegan french toast for breakfast (will post the recipe, tastes very good but does not fry in a pan well. Turns out soggy), a bean salad and TWO BAGELS for lunch, and leftover French toast from this morning for dinner. For drinks, a lot of vanilla soy milk (which I recommend, it tastes like eggnog, and eggnog is the bomb), orange juice, and just about three water bottles (48 oz) of water.

Eggnog Impersonator

Only healthy thing I ate all day

The point is, when you are on a vegan diet, unhealthiness will creep up on you. Although losing weight may not be the purpose of your journey, fueling your body the right way should always be a concern. Watch out for quick fixes, and be vegan the right way.

Eat your vegetables, take your vitamins, be nice, and stay in school kids. Keep on keepin' on.

New and Improved: is vegan supposed to taste this good?

To my great pleasure, I have come to realize there are still plenty of ways to eat unhealthily when on a vegan diet. With the help of Buzzfeed's vegan lists (links on recipes page) and creative scheming, Steph and I have found a number of baked goods/desserts/snacks sans eggs and milk to satisfy our sweet tooth. 

I know there is only so much deluding myself and I can't eat pastries and pancakes everyday. First off, I don't think these are anymore *cleansing* to my diet than non-vegan food. Second, when on the vegan diet, one has to embrace the vegan diet. I should not keep searching for vegan ways to duplicate unhealthy snacks and meals that are part of my regular diet. I think veganism is much more than trying to avoid milk, eggs, and meat. Veganism is incorporating more vegetables, more fruit, more whole grains and raw, unprocessed food into what we eat. 

As much as I love baked goods and would like to adopt "Life is short; eat dessert first" as my motto, I can tell the month-long experiment shouldn't just be about modifying what I normally eat to fit a set of guidelines. With only a week down, I still have plenty of time to change my mindset during this month. I look forward to healthier meals, but am in no way ready to renounce these delicious vegan indulgences.

On that note (way to kill the mood, I know,) please enjoy some delicious food porn of vegan baked goods and desserts. Check back regularly! I will be updating this post with more mouth-watering photos of delicious unhealthy vegan food here as I make it. As always, links are on the recipes page.

Thanks for reading and stay hungry!

Stacked Strawberry Shortcakes Pancakes

Sweet Potato Fries

Banana Cinnamon Scones

Vegan French Toast

Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

Vegan Chocolate Fudge

Sesame Peanut Tofu over Greens (with friends)

Black Bean Burger over Greens (Café Nola)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Applesauce Banana Bread

Creamy Yellow Pepper Soup