That's my secret, guys. I'm always hungry…

“That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry” — The Incredible Hulk

I have officially been vegan for a little over two weeks and I am glad to say I am starting to enjoy this diet. There have been plenty of nights when I cry myself to sleep because I miss eating Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch ice cream (try it, its life changing) or because my salad wasn't enough but in the time I’ve been vegan I have felt more healthy than ever. I might even consider going vegetarian after the Do One Thing (DOT) project ends!

During the second week of my veganism, I started to see the good in the diet. My body always feels clean, fresh and free of fattening animal products. One night during dinner I was eating a tofu salad while the rest of my family was eating delicious, juicy, tasty burgers. However, for the first time, I was almost happy with my meal! Some of my family members like my mom and brother also want to try being vegan or vegetarian now. Being vegan has gotten easier every day. At first, I regretted the whole project, and now in the third week, I still regret it however it’s gotten tolerable.

Now I'm not going to lie, these past couple weeks haven't exactly been the time of my life. It’s definitely been a roller coaster. One of the challenges I’ve faced is finding good vegan recipes. After my experiences so far, I personally prefer naturally vegan meals. Meat and dairy substitutes taste pretty funky compared to the real deal if I'm being honest. Some amazing natural vegan meals I love are pesto pasta, tofu kale salad, vegetable soup, and of course my all time favorite avocado toast. However, if you happen to enjoy substitutes more, which is completely understandable, then I have suggestions for that too. My favorites have been Annie’s Vegan Mac & Cheese, Earth Balance Cheddar Squares, pizza with vegan cheese from &Pizza, and bean burgers.

The best vegan restaurants I have tried in DC are Sticky Fingers, Chaia, NuVegan Cafe, Busboys & Poets, and Fare Well. See more at Spoonuniversity. Hopefully, on my journey, I’ll find tons more vegan restaurants across the city and possibly, hopefully, maybe prefer being vegan over my normal diet (extremely unlikely). In the meantime, I'll just keep dreaming of ice cream clouds and steak mountains!

Check out my first DOT project post for more!