Almost The End of the Month, But Not the End of the Journey

I can’t believe it’s almost been a month already!  I’ve tried so many new recipes and techniques and rediscovered some old favourites.  I’ve come so close to finding the 5 star vegan brownie recipe, and I’m not done trying.

If there’s one thing I learned from this month, it’s that I am not ready to be a full-time vegan.  But taking on this challenge also made me realize that eating the foods I crave, but in vegan form, is not difficult, nor is it any less satisfying than the boxed and packaged versions of these foods.

I noticed a few things about my eating habits while going full-out vegan:

1) I eat a lot of convenience foods.  Not greasy burgers and fries day in and day out, but a lot of Tim’s hot chocolates, bagels and cream cheese and boxed snacks like crackers find their way into my daily life – mostly because of my lack of time management.  I would rather be eating more nutrition-dense foods but somehow I fill up on these quick foods often.  I found myself going hungry once in a while when these convenience foods weren’t an option due to their dairy or animal product contents.

2) Dark green veggies are really good in pasta dishes.  This is not a groundbreaking realization, but before this month, I didn’t often add broccoli, spinach, or kale to my mac n cheese and quick pasta dishes.  I might have eaten broccoli on the side with some KD but now I find myself throwing kale or broccoli right in with the pasta while it’s cooking and truly appreciating the bright green colour and fresh flavour that the greens add to my meal.

3) Going full force eating vegan for 30 days has not  made me yearn for seeds and salads, nor has it turned me into a carnivorous bacon connoisseur.  I’m the same person with the same desire for cheese, but I still find eating less animal to be a worthwhile pursuit and I’m not about to give up on it.  Those cookbooks on the shelf still have a lot of vegan love to give.