Vegan Month - Reflection

I only have a few hours left in my vegan month. It seems like the perfect time to reflect a little about what I have learned these past 31 days about my diet, relationship with food, and veganism. To start, a few lighter points:

• adding lots of Earth Balance margarine to anything will make it more delicious. When in doubt, add this/more of it. 
• Vegan month quickly became "eat as many cakes/desserts/treats as you want because, hey, it's vegan! It's gotta be good for you!" I have no regrets. 
• Vegan baking really isn't hard. No eggs - no problem. Egg replacer works great or you can just find recipes that don't have eggs in them at all. 
• The vegan substitutes like mayo, cheese, milk, etc. do take getting used to, but they aren't bad! I really wasn't into the Daiya cheese when I first tried it, but by the end I was putting it in a lot of stuff. Even on the pizza it started to grow on me. So give them a chance, meaning try them over and over again to let yourself adjust before deciding if you like them or not. 
• Peanut Butter Nanaimo bars. *drool*

Overall, the month was great. It really wasn't something that I had to "get through" and really was something that legitimately enjoyed. Of course it was hard sometimes. Mostly when I was out and hungry and had to go that extra step to find something that I could eat, but in the end that was probably for the best. It made me PLAN my meals so that in the end I was eating FAR healthier than I was before. I really liked that this month got me back into the kitchen even more and trying things outside of my comfort zone. 

I was really impressed with all the options I had. most restaurants could put something together for me (within reason - I was selective to begin with though). There were lots of GREAT substitutes too - from coconut or soy milk "yogurt" and ice "cream" to the cheese products. My landlords even gave me a spice to simulate egg flavour in tofu scramble (which I haven't tried to make yet, but I tried the spice and it was CRAZY how similar it was). 

I think what struck me the most was how I really didn't feel deprived of anything. There were lots of things I could eat. If anything, having to read ingredients and think out meals was a really positive thing, not at all something that frustrated me. I care about what is in my food and I liked taking that extra step to find out what was in it. 

Was there any cheating? Nope! I think there may have been one or two ACCIDENTAL incidents (one where a sales person told me something was vegan, I ate it, and then when I went to get it another day a different sales person said it wasn't vegan. The other was me mindlessly licking yogurt off my finger at work - oops). 

Will I stick with it? 100% every day? I don't think so. But I definitely will choose to eat vegan whenever possible. Most dairy-free subtitutes are here to stay: nutritional yeast instead of cheap-ass cheese in foods (lasagna, burritos, etc), coconut or soy milk "yogurt" and ice "cream", almond milk, etc. 

Cheese - yes, they will be introduced back into my diet, but as something that is featured, not thrown in. If I am going to eat cheese I am going to eat GOOD cheese and I am going to ENJOY it. Blue cheese, goat's mil cheese, artisan cheeses that are all rennet-free: these are what I want. Cracker Barrel - peace out. 

Eggs - yes, but again in moderation and as a featured food, not an ingredient. I know now that baking is easy without eggs so why waste them in baked goods? I would much rather have them scrambled, poached, or prepared in a way that I actually get to taste and enjoy them. And yes - I will be going back to my egg lady :)

That's it! Tomorrow I get to cross off my first, FULLY COMPLETED goal! 

Post Giller Light Vegan Noms

The recap of last night is on my other blog, so check it out here! Short version - had a blasty blast.

I wanted to show you guys what my (totally gross) snack was. Not because it was totally gross but because it was vegan.

I am a lover of mayonnaise. On sandwiches - duh. But also on fries (yup), for veggie chicken nuggets (you bet) and pretty much anywhere I can get away with adding it. What is even more strange - I like to mix it with ketchup, creating this delicious pink sauce.

I know what you're thinking, but screw you! I think it is yummy (and totally gross, I admit).

So with vegan month I had to give that up - vegan mayo on a sandwich is one thing, but to dip my fries in?! No thanks.

And tonight, I made the plunge. Behold, veggie chicken and vegan mayo/ketchup mix.

It was less gross that you are imagining and less different than I expected. Will I repeat this one - nooooooo. I needs the real deal.

(PS - that new format I promised before? Totally forgot about that. Oops. Coming Soon?)

Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow!!!

I am too excited to form coherent sentences. Point form, tally ho!

• The Giller Prize is awarded tomorrow!!! 
• So of course I'm going to the Giller Light party
• There will be door prizes and costumes and dancing!
• Oh yeah - AND A CRAP LOAD OF BOOK NERDS TO HANG OUT WITH!!!! Book Nerds are the BEST!
• I have no idea who will win but I can't wait to make the most of the night and have a blast! 
• AND THEN I get to come home and prepare for the last day of Vegtober - I am mere days away from completing my first WHOLE goal! And it is a biggie. 
• Friday I should have a post ready reflecting the vegan month and if I will carry on with veganism. 
• Halloween party for the kids at work tomorrow! WOOHOO!
• AHHHH GILLER NIGHT IS TOMORROW!!!!!!

I had so. much. fun. last year!

I need to go to bed before I throw up from all this excitement. 

Also: I am going to try a new blog format for my next post. Hopefully it works. If not...sorry! 

New Goal!

As my regular readers know, I have been trying to think of something to replace the "get a dog" goal on my 30x30 list. I've come up with a few ideas and had some suggested to me, but nothing has really stood out.

Then, during a moment of inspiration, I thought of it! It keeps with the theme of "things that I've always wanted to do but for some reason have put off." It isn't anything big or hard or super challenging, but something that I feel strongly enough about to want to do by the time I'm 30.

I'm going to donate my hair!

I've had some very important people in my life touched by cancer and while hair donation isn't money donation which would help work towards a cure, it is something simple that I can do that will make a positive impact in a sick child's life. I'm working out the details on how long it has to be etc. etc. but I imagine I have some growing to do so that I can get 10 inches of hair that is all about the same length. So maybe this spring you will see pictures of me in the barber's chair getting a new hair do :)

See ya later, ponytail!

Mac and Not-so-Cheese

Hey...Nutritional Yeast. C'mere and sit next to me a sec.

I gotta say, I wasn't really digging your "look" before. The yellow flakey thing you were doing, it wasn't really working for me. Sure, I'd heard good things about you, but I had something else in my life. Something I didn't think you would ever be able to replace. Cheese and I had a good thing going and I didn't want mess that up by mucking around with something new.

Then, well, this whole month got a little crazy I guess and Cheese was just out of the picture. Boom. Gone. I thought I'd be fine on my own, but pretty soon I started missing all those great dinners Cheese and I had shared. And it got me thinking...maybe...well, maybe you could help pull me through. Nah, I didn't NEED you, I didn't even WANT you. I just thought...why not give you a try? Why not look past those strange yellow flakes and have an open mind.

And Nutritional Yeast, baby, you Rocked. My. World.

That lasagna last night had me going back for THIRDS. Cheese never did that.

And the sweet sweet Mac and "cheese" we made tonight left me speechless. I licked the spoon. And the bowl. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I liked doing it. It was delicious.

You may not ever fill that special place in my heart that Cheese has, but I'm makin' room for you too. Because this - this thing we have going - it is no fling. This is the real deal.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Mac and "Cheese" with organic edamame. 

xxoo

Carrie

Nutritional Yeast canz be Cheeze?

Just a quick little update for you kiddos.

Dinner Wednesday night was vegan lasagna. I missed class so I could stay home and do homework (yeah...makes sense, right?) and I decided since I was home I wanted something hearty, baked, and nom-tastic. Especially considering that last night all I had for dinner was a vegan PB Nanaimo Bar.

So I surveyed my kitchen and decided on Lasagna. I have been curious about the nutritional yeast I got in my vegan swap package so I decided to make a cheese sauce to mix in to the lasagna. The recipe I used ended up going something like this:

1. Put a spoonful of Earth Balance margarine in a pot and melt it. 
2. Mix in 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk and a spoonful of flour to thicken. Whisk. 
3. Dump in 1/2 cup+ of nutritional yeast. 
4. Pinch of basil, oregano, thyme. Stir. 
5. Layer cooked noodles, thawed chopped spinach from a forgotten time that you found in the freezer, frozen veggies (I used a stir fry mix) and tomato sauce in pan. 
6. Pour cheese sauce over it. 
7. Sprinkle daiya cheese on top
8. Bake at 350 until it is all hot. 
9. Eat. 
10. Get seconds and eat again

Yeah - it was DELISH. The Nutritional yeast was shockingly cheese-like. I am still amazed. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely use NY in future recipes!

Before

About to be nom'd

 

Vegan Food Swap - The Haul!

I had mentioned before that I was participating in a vegan food swap this month, in honour of Vegtober and my vegan-goal. Well, I arrived home today and found my package waiting for me!

First, it must be said that I could not have be paired with a more enthusiastic partner. Sarina, whose blog Earth Given Kitchen is an AMAZING resource of eating inspiration and recipes, was excited to learn about my Vegan-month and decided to theme my goodies as things that would make me want to STAY vegan. So I knew it was going to be awesome.

Well, she did an AMAZING job. I received:

• Gingersnaps - with an great recipe to turn them into a graham-style pie crust
• Green-Vibrance - for a morning health boost
• HOMEMADE chocolate-pear granola!!!! (I am munching it as I type...so good!)
• Hemp hearts - with some ideas to incorporate them into various recipes
• Camino Almond Butter chocolate bar - which was eaten immediately (and therefore not pictured)
• Nutritional Yeast - with lots of suggestions on how to use it
• Assorted Teas
• A lovely note complete with a photo of my not-so-secret crush, Jason Segel. A million bonus points!!!!!

Seriously - what a lovely, well rounded and DELICIOUS box of treats! I have decided to use the Green-Vibrance, Hemp Hearts, and Nutritional Yeast in recipes that she suggested so that I can let my package reach its full potential. That means that tomorrow I'm going to have the GV in a breakfast smoothie (can't wait!), Wednesday I'm making hummus with the Hemp Hearts, and Friday night, the grand finale, will be my first ever nutritional yeast experience with homemade vegan Mac and "Cheese" - Exciting!

A HUGE thank you to Sarina for the thoughtful, delicious, and diverse package of goodies. I am definitely going to participate again next month in the vegan swap! Will I stay vegan? That, folks, is the subject of a future post...

Miss me?

Well you're going to have to keep pining away, because this girl is buuuuusy! I have a good friend visiting from out of town so I'm spending my time socializing. The highlight reel:

• Got my AGO membership Wednesday afternoon
• Have tried many amazing vegan desserts. I have turned Vegtober into "eat as many sweets as you want as long as they are vegan" month. I'm down with this. 
• Bought new boots. I want to mouth kiss them. I may or may not directly address them when I wear them outside. 
• Sleepovers with two of my all time favourite people. 
• Lots of amazing meals. 
• Got my nails did today. 
• I have discovered that I love hats. 

Nothing exciting for you guys, but lots of great times for me. I have some great posts stewing though - some home DIY stuff I'm going to tackle next weekend, and some general reflections on what I've been doing/how it is being received. So expect something with a little more substance soon times. 

Living Online

I've been thinking a lot this past week or so about the degree to which people live online. This is become more prevalent in my life in light of recent personal events that have coincidentally coincided: breaking up with someone and starting a blog.

It certainly complicates matters when, after a break up, you have unfettered access to your ex's life through completely anonymous means. I'm sure most people can relate in some way: Facebook creeping someone, reading tweets posted by an ex, Googling them more often than you would care to admit. In my case, I have actually done okay. It is tempting knowing that my ex has a website, blog, and twitter account that (presumably) he updates regularly. And yes, I will completely admit to checking these online points of access to his life over the past weeks. Less so now that in the beginning, but sometimes curiousity gets the better of me.

This isn't any different than any of my other break ups though. I've always done that, and I don't think that it is an any way unusual to taper off on "keeping tabs" on someone you just broke up with through online social media. Breaking up doesn't mean that you suddenly stop caring about what someone you loved is doing. It is just unusual in many ways that today we can actual hold onto them in that small way. It's like if you broke up with someone 20 years ago and decided to just call them every week to see how things are going. You have no right to that information anymore so it is strange to have open access to it.

What is different about this break up is that, as mentioned before, I am blogging now. I have decided to open many aspects of my life up in a very public way, and as such I have to accept that this means I have no control over who reads what I post. Meaning that yes, my ex boyfriend has a very clear window into my life and goings-on.

This part I am really okay with. As I said above, it is out of my control. What I do have a problem with is how this affects me as a writer. It is very much that age old problem of the subject of observation changing their behaviour when they know they are being observed: I find it hard to be honest and candid knowing that what I say may be misconstrued or taking out of context if read by certain people. Namely, the ex. Will me gushing about a great day be read as bragging? Or flat out lying to cover heartbreak? Will my actions and activities be judged? I want to post a picture of something but do I want him to see it? What happens when I start seeing someone else? Will he think that I'm using this blog as a weapon to hurt him?

I have to admit, having all these questions swimming around my head have kind of sucked the fun out of this blog in the past couple of weeks. Every post that I have written I have tried to write honestly and without thinking about ANYONE reading it, but it is definitely a challenge.

I guess after all of the musing that I have done on the subject, there is only one conclusion that I can come to: I blog for myself and no one else. I blog on the assumption that no one really reads (which is reinforced by next to no comments:P) and for the purpose of creating some means of self reflection on the list of goals as well as a certain degree of accountability for the tasks undertaken. It is a totally selfish endeavour and I don't want that to change.

Any thoughts on the matter? What has your experience been with breaking up and its extension into online spaces?

Vegan Dinner

Today has been one of those days. No, not one of THOSE days, one of the other kind - it has been completely wonderful. Work was awesome, and then I had the most amazing evening with a friend discussing life-stuff. I just feel like I am firmly in the right place. Things are moving a little more slowly on the career-front than I would like, but I am in a really good place otherwise. It is pretty awesome.

Then I got home tonight and decided to try out the recipe for vegan burritos that a friend had sent me. Hollllllllllllllly they were GOOD. These are definitely going into the permanent rotation. And surprisingly fast! I used the Carrie-style of cooking which is best described as "throw stuff together without measuring, stir, and eat" and it worked marvelously! Check it out:

Lime-cilantro rice, black bean and corn burrito filling, guacamole 

Sooooo tasty. And filling. And healthy. I also added some vegan cheddar cheese into the burrito filling, and as I expected it was MUCH better in something that taking a leading role. It was yumtastic. Can't wait to eat it again for lunch tomorrow! 

My Replacement Dog

If you have been reading this from the beginning, you will know that there was a small snag when I decided I wanted to get a dog before I turn 30. Namely, my landlords don't allow dogs. (Yes, I know that legally no landlord can PREVENT me from getting a pet so long as it isn't destructive or disruptive, but I really like my landlords and they live downstairs, so I don't want to push the issue.)

So I have been brainstorming about what I should replace # 17 with. Here are some ideas:

• Live "from scratch" for a month. I've really been enjoying the vegan month, and it is nice that it is a goal that is kinda hard but has a definitive end. The "from scratch" project is one that I have been interested in doing for awhile (the bread, butter, goat cheese, etc. experiments) but that I haven't actually followed through on fully. I love cooking and baking, so it would be fun. The big questions with adding this one is a) how it will affect my social life b) how realistic it is for me to make all my food from scratch - I am a busy girl!
• Add another city to visit
• Take myself out for New Years Eve (provided that I am not working that night)
• Move (I don't wannnnnnnnnnnna - I love it here!)
• ACTUALLY take my friends' advice for a full month. I like to have my good friends weigh in on things from time to time, be it outfits to wear, shoes to buy, decisions regarding my (as of late very dull) love life, etc. But a lot of the time I seek their opinion only to end up ignoring it. So I wonder how I would do actually listening to them on pretty much everything for a change?
• Get a tattoo. Yeah. I've been thinking about it for awhile and hell, why not?! If not now then when, right?

If any of you have some brilliant ideas, I'm currently accepting suggestions!

This week is going to be a little hectic, so if I don't update than you know why. All you'll be missing is pictures of food and me looking frazzled though. I will still try but I make no promises. 

A quickie

Laundry day is my favourite. 

Making progress

Crochet

Look what I made!

Hey Universe

Today was awesome for a variety of reasons:

1. Slept in and lazily made my way to work.
2. Only one baby to take care of today. 
3. We went to the coffee shop/playroom store - everyone was happy
4. Then I bought beautiful yarn
5. She napped for 3 hours
6. During which I practiced my crocheting and totally figured it out
7. Then the afternoon flew by
8. And finally it was time for a reunion with my wife and her dog-son. 
9. We talked, knit/crocheted, ate dinner, and basked in one another's company after many months apart. 
10. Now I'm home and alone and actually happy about it for the first time in ages. I'm not bad company. 

Things are gonna be just fine. 

Vegan baking

So last night I stopped by the grocery store on my way home to pick up ingrediants for Lara bars (more on that in a bit). While at the store I found myself looking at the vegan cheese. I have yet to really try many vegan substitutes, not just because I'm scared to (I am a little scared of them) but also because based on my experience with vegetarian meat substitutes they just aren't the same as the real thing. Meat eaters will try veggie burgers or veggie "chicken" nuggets expecting them to taste the same and when they don't often times the substitute it written off as "not good" when really, if viewed for what it is and not what it is trying to be, it is pretty good. Does that make sense? So I didn't want to try vegan cheese because I knew it would be expecting cheese, and when it failed to be exactly like cheese I would think it was gross and never go near it again. (The other reason I've been avoiding it is that on a whole I think "fake" foods should be eaten in moderation and it is a better plan to go with whole, real food as often as possible.)

ANYWAY. I figured I should at least try it, so I picked up a package of "mozzarella" and decided to make some pizza.

I whipped up a dough (does anyone have a REALLY GOOD pizza dough recipe? Mine is fine, but nothing spectacular) and got ready to let the vegan pizza experiment begin.

Then I realized I had no veggies in the house because they all went into the failed stuffed peppers. My solution - cut up the leftover peppers (of which there were many) and throw those on the pizza.

In the end it looked enough like pizza for me to feel okay with this. And then it was time for the "cheese"

I'm clearly excited.

The verdict? It looked like pizza and it mostly tasted like pizza. As I expected the vegan cheese wasn't BAD but it certainly wasn't cheese. It tasted mostly like cheese-whiz and so that was pretty icky. But I can see it being better IN something than ON it, maybe burritos or something like that.


My other vegan food experiment last night was to make some Lara bars. So while my dough was rising I pulled out my food processor. I am a BIG fan of these things and I have been buying them more now that I have to go from work to school with no time for a proper dinner until 10:30pm. The problem is that they are a little on the pricey side. So I did a quick internet search and found some really simple recipes. I decided to try this one, but also copied quite a few from Chocolate Cover Katie's collection.

As is always the case when I cook, the recipe quickly flew out the window. I processed down about half my package of dates, along with some water to soften them up. Then I threw in about 125g of salted cashews (half the package), some brown rice syrup (1/4 cup?), some vanilla (2 tsp?),  a dollop of natural peanut butter (1/2 cup?), and a handful of almonds. All that got processed into a paste and then shaped into bars.

Guys. They are perfect. Identical in taste to something you would buy as a Lara bar - not too sweet, not too nutty, just delicious and healthy. I am pretty excited.

So good! So over all I think my night of vegan cooking/baking went pretty well! 

Best. Day. Ever*

Today I took one of the kiddos I take care of to the ROM. I got my membership last week and wanted to take advantage. We had a blast! Well, as much of a blast as one 29 year old single chick and 19 month old kid can have.

On the way home I got an email from the people I am sending/receiving treats from in a vegan food swap - so delightful! Basically it is a chain letter, but with food - you send a package to someone and you will receive one from a different person. I'm excited to put mine together and definitely excited to get treats in the mail. Part of the swap is that you blog about what you get, so you will definitely see all my goodies later in the month.

The afternoon flew by and I got home before dark for the first time in AGES. It was a real treat. After catching up with my neighbours/landlords/wonderful people I share a house with, I got my mail and came upstairs. My mom had sent me knitting needles and crochet hooks that belonged to my grandma! So sweet and wonderful.

So I called her to thank her and she, out of the blue, told me I was talented and sweet and smart and all these other nice things. I mean I know that she is my mom and is obligated to think those things, but my family isn't particularly mushy when it comes to telling each other stuff like that, so it meant a lot that she made the point to share her thoughts.

Tonight I am making vegan pizza, homemade Lara bars, and writing a review of Inside for my book blog. Expect an update on the food (teaser - I just finished the Lara bars and they turned out amazing).

After a terrible week last week and a draining weekend, this was a truly awesome day. Thanks, universe. You're all right sometimes.

*Not really ever, more like best day in the past month or so. Gimme a break.

Makeover Makeover

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all had a great day.

So after my book making DIY afternoon at Hanji on Saturday, I made my way home via Home Depot and arrived paint in tow. I decided that it was time to turn my ugly bookshelves into something I could actually stand to look at. As previously posted, I like the paper-painted look, so I used a variation of that and whipped up something. I think I did a pretty good job! Check it out:

Primed, painted and pasted some decorative paper on the back. 

Everything back in place - looks nice, no? (Ignore the dining room chairs.)

Next to the drawers that I found on the side of the road. Quick paint job and some new hardware made a huge difference. Painted these in "Forest Glen" - the picture doesn't really do the colour justice. 

Primed, painted, and a change of hardware. Not bad. 

happy in its new home. 

I also did my night stands, but I think I will wait to reveal those unti my bed frame is also done. 

Besides, I'm exhausta-pooped from making dinner all day. It was great though! With the exception of the stuffed peppers, which were not great/done on time (stupid lying recipe!) But hopefully my homemade brown bread rolls made up for it. 

And the highlight of the meal? This vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie. Pecan crust, delicious pumpkin filling. And look how pretty!!!!!

I used this recipe from Oh She Glows - the pecan crust and classic filling. Delish! (And so pretty).

It was a great night with friends, even if the food wasn't spectacular (stupid lying stuffed pepper recipe - seriously! Not cool!) I haven't had people over really at all since my break up, so it was nice to have other people around in my space. I think I was a little starved for socialization. 

I'm super pleased with how this weekend went - I got a lot done around the house and made some yummy food, had friends over and was reminded of all the things I have to be thankful for. 

Weekend!

Hey everyone! I am going to take the weekend off from blogging here, but don't worry - there is lots of blog-worthy things in the works. A few teasers...

• My first two furniture makeover projects - I bought paint, paper, and new hardware so I'm going to see what I can do. I will do my best to take pictures throughout, but this is less a "how to" and more a "can I?" kind of thing. 
• Nerd alert! I'm cataloguing my library. Yes, I'm going to write about it. 
• Thanksgiving is this weekend and I'm cooking a vegan feast.
• I have something coming in the mail to tell you about...
• Two things coming in the mail actually! Exciting!
• I made something this weekend. I'll be blogging about it tonight at my other blog. Check it out out. 

Thanks all. My weekend will be spent writing, reading, painting, and watching Freaks and Geeks on Netflix, because I love Jason Segel. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!!

Psst...

I made my vegan Thanksgiving dinner menu today. Nothing weird or scary for the omnivores coming over to dine, just lots of really good, hopefully tasty, vegetable-based dishes. My biggest concern is that right now I have 4-6 people coming, plus myself, and only 2 chairs at my kitchen table (and only 4 dinner plates!) Methinks a trip to Ikea is afoot...

Also, I found something today that may mean I will get to put a big check mark next to one of my 30 goals. I don't yet want to say which one, but it is exciting! I have to figure out some details before I know for sure.

My plans for the weekend pretty tame. I am going to buy some primer and purple paint (more a lavender) as well as some new hardware and spruce up a set of drawers I have. I also want to paint all my bedroom furniture, but that will probably have to wait. I have a bunch of mis-matched pieces that I am going to replace hardware on and paint. I've been looking through pinterest looking for some ideas, but I not really made a plan yet.

I'll leave you with some project ideas that I'm toying with trying.

I love the colour on this one and how the simple hardware change give its it a whole new look. 

This is an Ikea hack (Hemnes) and I loooove it. I love the colour and the paintable wall paper detail. This is also much closer to the style of my dresser, so I think that I may do something along these lines. Not the paper and trim (because I am NOT that skilled) but the colour and maybe some white porcelain hardware?  

Not a fan of the top of this one, but I like the open section underneath. My side tables are UGLY but I could easily take off their front doors and get this open look. 

My headboard needs some work too. I have NO ideas. 

Alrighty. Friday. Let's do this. 

And Update on Updates

I'm having a craptastic week (although my neck is totally better! Yay hot water bottle!) Nothing big, but just one of those days where everything things to seem a million times worse that it probably is. In my experience, it is best to wave bye-bye to Tuesday, go to sleep, and start Wednesday with a fresh outlook.

But before I do that, three things:

1. I'm reading Inside and guys...it is SO. GOOD. I almost don't want to share my second copy with you but I realize that having two of the same book won't allow me to enjoy it twice as much, so I will still give one away. But it is that good; greed-inducing great literature. 
2. I'm reducing updates on here to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The thinking being that my "running" days are Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays so I will update during that half hour in the morning that I would otherwise be spending outside. Book blog will get all my my Saturday and evening attention. 
3. Medical intervention is official on the running. But we are going to re-evaluate in the new year and go from there. That will still give me 9 months to get to the 5k, which I think is totally doable. And not risking my health is pretty cool too I guess. So while I can't go running, I am cleared for light exercise like Yoga, so for now my morning "run" is going to be 30mins of yoga.   I can live with this. 

That is all. Now if you'll excuse me, Imma make my lunch for tomorrow, measure out the coffee and set the timer, and then going the #%* to bed. 

I've become that girl on the subway...

If you thought my first #Vegtober dinner would be fancy, you forgot that I never get home before 8:30pm. Sandwich with veggie meat, veganaise, and guacamole. Delish. 

Happy Vegtober!!

Happy Vegtober! I went shopping yesterday and got some vegan treats. I'm a little hesitant on the Veganaise, but mostly because I love mayo more than the average person. But I'm going to give it a shot!

I also ate my last non-vegan meal last night, which may or may not have included an entire package of goat cheese. Overall, I'm really excited about this month. I don't think it will be hard, but mostly that it will definitely be inconvenient (meeting friends for meals, finding foods while I'm out, etc.)

I am continuing to collect vegan recipes, and if you have one please share it! If you share it here you can enter a silly little contest to win an awesome book (see below). For those who commented last night, the contest just opened TODAY so comment again so you can win :)

Oh - happy electric shock update: I feel SO MUCH BETTER!

And last call for October birthdays - if you want a card, speak now!

That is it for today. Make sure you enter the contest (mostly because I want your recipes). Also check out Erin's blog - she is joining me in the #Vegtober challenge and I can't wait to see/try some of her recipes.


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