The Lazy Vegan: Day Two

I don’t know about you, but when I first heard the word “vegan” all I could think about was “WHAT?! No meat? No milk? How could anyone live like that?” I was astounded at the thought of all that must be given up to follow a true vegan diet. I couldn’t dream of a life without my whole milk for breakfast and chicken or burgers for dinner. My mind was always flooded with images of pizza, ice cream, cheese sticks, and all kinds of other things that I would “lose” if I were to try the lifestyle.

However, the thought of the benefits that come from eating more naturally appealed to me. I wanted to clean up my pantry and fridge and start eating more basic. No pre-cooked meals, no frozen dinners in a box. I wanted to cook wholesome and as close to natural as I could for myself and my family. I was determined, but I was also being hoodwinked.

Like most people, I thought that by eating healthy, I should only shop organic and all natural, avoiding anything sold in the giant supermarkets because it was just pumped full of chemicals, which to my uneducated mind meant un-nutritious. I was baffled by the new world of food awaiting me and wasn’t sure how I was going to proceed on the tight budget that I had. Not to mention the fact that I was trying to test the vegan waters before diving in head first. All the products I seemed to look into were so expensive. It seemed as though this was not something I could really do.

I was soon ready to give up, until one night, by accident, I stumbled on an article on the internet. I was researching recipes for a taco night and stumbled onto a recipe for vegan “taco” filling. In short, the meat was replaced by walnut meal and the seasoning was instead a mixture of herbs and spices with a bit of soy sauce to hold it all together. In all honesty, this filling sounded more appealing than the chicken I usually used to stuff my tacos.

That was the kickstart I needed to read more into what I had condemned as the worst diet I had yet considered. I found plenty of ways to replace the things I loved with things that were healthier and simpler. I realized that in all honesty, the basis of eating vegan could be more easily translated into “EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES”.

In all honesty, when it boils down to price and variety, fresh produce is not only healthier but better priced than buying frozen and boxed meals. At least where I am it is. I know it is different every where, so this is not a sales pitch. Where I am, it makes more sense to buy all the ingredients and make three times as much lo mein as might come from a box.

And so, it begins. I have my husband filling out a shopping list for me today on his way home from work and we have begun focusing on the “What can we have?” rather than “It’s not allowed.” I have become excited to get back in the kitchen and see what new dishes I can create based on my new limitations which I now see as freedom as it forces me to evaluate each and every food product that comes into my home and that is something I have taken to long to learn.