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Day 12 - Broken

Thank you St. Patrick for bringing Christianity to Ireland, banishing snakes and providing a loop hole in Lent! 

I am satisfied... but failed day 12...

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Day 11 - Struggling

So there was no overnight oats this morning.  Instead I had toast and jam, no butter.  I don’t know how I feel about toast without butter but thank God for jam!

For lunch I had some homemade vegetable soup, made with carrot, onions, celery and vegetable stock.  I was quite naive about stock before.  I don’t know why but I never knew that there was such a thing as vegetable stock.  I guess I never needed it before.

I am struggling today, craving coffee, scones and chocolate. I would love a meaty dinner with milky, buttery mash!  I’d say I could be convinced to break Lent tomorrow, St. Patrick’s Day... We’ll see how it goes. 

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Day 10 - Coping

I’m really enjoying the overnight oats, perhaps I should be mixing it up a bit with ingredients though. Any suggestions, let me know :)

I caved and broke my no oreos rule. I had a long bus journey and with no coffee to knock back at the only break in our journey I split a packet of oreos with a friend travelling with me. No regrets though, they hit the spot!

Now for dinner... another option I was awakened to.  A lovely Mexican takeaway, specialising in burritos created a wonderful, vegetarian naked burrito for me.  Dropping the cheese and sour cream it was the perfect vegan dish.      It consisted of Mexican rice, pinto and black beans, peppers and onions, mild salsa sauce, corn, red onions, lettuce and a dollop of guacamole.  It was both tasty and filling, ticking all of my favourite boxes.

In fact, I was satisfied for the rest of the day.  However, I am in dire need of sweetness again.  I miss tea and biscuits very much. I don’t care what they say, Almond milk does not work in a mug of tea.

Survived day 10

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Day 9 - Discovering more Options

I really enjoyed my overnight oats this morning.  I’m getting used to them as a go to breakfast. Unfortunately Thursday is a busy day for me so I didn’t get time to nip into Cafe Temple for a coffee.  I did think about it, a lot.

Because Thursdays are so busy there is no time for snacking. In fact my first, and only, break in the day is at 3pm.  At which point I devoured a vegan pizza.  Yes, pizza without the cheese, it’s doable.  I really enjoyed it actually, there was loads of peppers, onions and rocket leaves to enjoy.  Perhaps a few roasted tomatoes thrown on there too.  It didn’t last long enough for a full examination. 

This was a delightful find and hit the spot.  Even vegans can have cheat days from the mega healthy food.  Finding this new comfort food within my diet is fantastic and I will return to it when I need a pick-me-up. 

It was a long day and I was glad the pizza was more filling than the other vegan dinners I’ve had as it was the last thing I got to eat all day.

Survived day 9

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Day 8 - My Survival Kit

So... today I had a bunch of grapes for breakfast.  Need to get back on track with the overnight oats tomorrow.

I also had a breakdown round 10am.  I was craving a fully fatty milky latte and a SCONE!! I was ready to break when I remembered a coffee shop in town that catered to vegetarians and I hoped vegans.

I WAS RIGHT!! I had my first oat milk latte, definitely the best kind if you like the frothiness of a latte. Oh my word! They also had vegan scones, heated served with fake butter and jam. I was sceptical about the fake butter I won’t lie. However, it melted nicely into the warm scone and the jam was lovely and sweet.  The scone, unfortunately, wasn’t as nice as the real deal but it was pretty darn close and satisfied my cravings nicely.  Cafe Temple will definitely be a common entry in this blog. In fact I could easily make a routine of going to this coffee shop daily. Not only was I delighted with my coffee and scone, the cafe has a nice chill vibe about it.  I sat with my laptop out and got a lot of college work done.  One of my more productive mornings which was lovely and encouraging.  I was set up for the day ahead.

On my way back to college I passed an establishment known for it’s healthy foods, including wraps and salad bowls.  Freshii is it’s name and I believe it’s a franchise so go look it up and find your nearest branch.  

Not only were the staff lovely and helpful but the Khao San burrito was just as good.  Made up of brown rice, spinach, mushroom, cabbage, carrots, almonds, edamame beans, peanut sauce and a  spicy lemongrass sauce, it was full of different flavours I didn’t quite understand.  I think it was the lemongrass sauce that confused me most.  I did like it though and will be returning.

Successfully survived day 8!

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Day 7 - 1 down, 5 to go

Wrapping up the first week I’m impressed with my own tolerance.  I know I have complained a lot but to get through the hardest stage of constant hunger is a big achievement for me, if I may say so myself.

Having said that this morning’s breakfast was a kiwi so I have nowhere near mastered the vegan diet yet. 4 more weeks and 5 days to fix that though.

I’m also very lucky that the canteen facilities on campus do their best to accommodate vegans.  I had a lovely Mexican 5 bean burger for dinner on a bed of cous-cous salad. It made my day.  It was full of flavours which helped to distract me from the lack of meat. 

I was bad tonight and binged on dark chocolate and orange bars. I won’t be buying them until I control my cravings properly.

Despite the small lapse in junk food I survived day 7!

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Day 6 - One Step Back

I’m not feeling the best today.  My stomach constantly feels sick.  It is both full and empty at the same time.  It’s almost as if every item of food that enters my body refuses to settle.

Breakfast was successful.  I had the usual overnight oats recipe but left out the milk last night. I haven’t had water in it since the first day.  The milk is definitely needed but a small drop, added this morning, was just right and perhaps the key to my ideal vegan breakfast. 

Another almond milk coffee was not to my liking.  i’m holding out hope for oat milk.  I need to find a coffee shop with it first. I think it may have been an option at the G Counter.

Lunch was a delicious gobi masala in the college canteen.  I was still a tad hungry and ate the final dark chocolate and orange rice cake bar.  I won’t be buying them again.

In fact on the way home I picked up the dark chocolate and peanut butter bars and the orange flavour of them too. I’m excited to try the new flavour!!

Dinner was more red lentil dal.  I have frozen the rest and thought it might do me later in the week but no longer so sure about that. Pro tip; whe it comes to cooking in bulk and meal planning mix things up a bit.  It is so easy to get bored of the same dish, day after day.

Survived day 6...

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Day 5 - Gain Line

I think I may have enjoyed my breakfast this morning...                                   The usual overnight oats recipe went down much easily this morning and faster too. I wasn’t exactly cherishing every bite but the idea of doing so doesn’t seem as alienated anymore.

An interesting dark chocolate and orange rice cake bar was the study snack of choice today.  Tastes lovely but I’m not a fan of the rice cake part.  It screams ‘missing ingredients’. I just don’t know what they are.

I had dinner out in a lovely pub, The Front Door. We had to watch the fantastic rugby match! The usual task of deciding what to eat was done for me.  There were only two vegetarian options, cheesy nachos or a vegetarian quesadilla.  I decided on the quesadilla, being full of roasted veg it would be more filling than plain nachos.  My heart broke when I asked the waitress for no cheese.  A single tear trickled down my cheek as I stuffed the side salad into the quesadilla to bulk it up a bit.  Cheese would have been the perfect touch.  I really shouldn’t complain though.  It was a lovely treat and I savoured every last bite.

I had another dark chocolate and orange rice cake bar when I returned home from watching the match.  I have always been a fan of desert after dinner, any sweet treat would do, normally...

I’m starting to succeed at this diet, I feel.  It has its difficulties of course, but I feel I am through the worst part.  I have dealt with the hungry days and the longing for more.  I’m not sure when I will be fully satisfied with the types of food I am eating but I am happy enough eating them for now. 0-1 to me :)

Survived day 5.

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Day 4 - Finding my Feet

My second attempt at overnight oats was more successful.  I finished my breakfast. A little less peanut butter, no water and very little milk suited me best.  Although it was more of a marathon than a sprint.  I have never eaten so slowly in my life.  I am quite a fast eater in general. Breakfast is usually a 15 minute meal but today we were pushing on the half hour mark.

I met a friend for coffee in a local cafe, The G Counter.  Almond milk lattes are officially in the lead. Definitely the worst milk for a cup of tea but perfect for a latte.  A thicker texture than coconut milk and a wonderful taste in comparison to soya milk.  It was like drinking a nutty coffee which was pleasing to me.  I was also delighted when the waitress let known that they had a chocolate and coconut tart that was vegan friendly.  It was delicious and went down a treat.  I’m sure The G Counter will become a regular entry in my blog.

Dinner was another successful helping of red lentil dal.  One portion satisfied me today.  My body is finally adjusting to the new diet, thankfully.  I did snack on a bunch of grapes while studying to keep me going for a while.

Today was the first day the vegan diet didn’t feel like a hindrance.

Survived day 4 successfully. 

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Day 3 - Slow Progression

I caved when I woke up this morning.  Instead of committing to my overnight oats I ate Heinz baked beans. I figured I would just ease into this new diet a bit. 

A dark chocolate and peanut butter bar got me through a busy afternoon until I had time to cook.

Dinner has become my favourite meal of the day.  Today’s dinner, red lentil dal, had a lot of extra ingredients (an attempt to fill myself).                                            The dish consisted of coconut milk, tinned tomatoes, red lentils, beans, sweetcorn, spinach and a few different spices.  My spices of choice being coriander, cumin and garlic.                                                                            Served on a bed of rice, it was delicious.  I had two helpings in an attempt to feed myself.  Still feeling hungry I had a second dark chocolate peanut butter bar, I wasn’t full but not too hungry anymore.

When 8 o’clock rolled around I felt hungry again but the thought of carrot sticks and humus wasn’t appealing to me at all.  I thought about munching on a rice cake bar that the vegan expert picked up for me.  It didn’t work very well.

I’m not sure what this new feeling is.  It resembles hunger but the thought of food (or at least the food available to me right now) makes me feel unwell. I’m not worried... yet.

Survived day 3.

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Day 2 - Testing the Waters

Breakfast... “What is in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” But take the petals from that rose and it is no longer sweet.  This was the case for my beloved breakfast.  Breakfast has easily been my favourite meal of the day. Today I hope that changes.                               Last night I prepared breakfast for this morning.  Goal no.2 really playing it’s part here.  I was excited for being so prepared. I could create my own invention of overnight oats. Bad idea.  All the ingredients were exciting, or so I thought. Frozen mixed berries, peanut butter, chia and flak seeds, a blend of maple and fruit syrup, almond milk and a bit of water. Individually nice ingredients but my combination of them all wasn’t so good.                                                               It was heavy but at the same time not filling. The berries attacked me with sour tastes but somehow I felt the overall dish was bland. No matter how much syrup I added I couldn’t get my breakfast sweet enough. For the first time ever I didn’t finish a meal! I continued to feel dissatisfied for the rest of the morning with an odd taste in my mouth and a weird feeling in my gut.

Today’s latte was made with soya milk... The texture was better than coconut milk.  It was more frothy, however, the taste was quite odd.  An off-nutty taste that lingered for a while before completely disappearing.

Lunch and dinner came together at about 3 o’clock.  I was quite hungry, to say the least.  I polished off the lovely rice, beans and spinach that I had prepared the night before, along with carrots and humus and a dark chocolate and peanut butter bar.                                                                                              The prepared meal was eaten cold today and was equally as nice in a lovely salad form.  Raw carrots and humus are not my friend.  This was my first time trying humus and it is definitely an acquired taste.  As I don’t seem to have too many options on this venture it is a taste I will have to acquire.  The snack left my stomach upset and very angry.                                                                     The sweet, glorious dark chocolate and peanut butter bar was my savour.  I relished every morsel of that bar and grieved it’s last bite.  It was the perfect combination of crunchy and smooth.  A release from this haunting diet.

I returned home from college starving unsure of how I would satisfy my hunger. I began by eating some grapes and then munching on spinach, polished off a kiwi and hoped that would do the trick.  Although I wasn’t exactly famished, I wasn’t full either.

That was a breakthrough moment for me.  Maybe I didn’t have to fill my stomach to stop being hungry, maybe I could just satisfy the hunger and that would be enough.  My stomach still cries out for the ingredients it’s being deprived of.  

But I have survived day 2.

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Day 1 - The Run Down

Ash Wednesday was a matter of surviving on the minimal. 

 I started the day standing in my small kitchen staring at empty cupboards and a hollow fridge.  My vegan expert wasn’t free until that evening to take me shopping and so the most important meal of my day was a tin of Heinz baked beans and an unsure conscious.  Turns out Heinz baked beans are vegan :) 

My day carried on as normal until a friend invited me for coffee.  I decided to be adventurous when the barista announced she had coconut milk to offer me, as a newbie vegan. I tried my first coconut milk latte...                                   Verdict: Lovely taste, I personally am a fan of coconut in general. However, once I got passed the very thin layer of foam I felt I was drinking coffee flavoured hot water.  Not a great experience.  I do feel it is something to get used to.  Whether I’m willing to get used to it or not is a different issue.

Around 2 o’clock I went for lunch.  Standing in the canteen of the college I stared down the salad bar.  I was drooling over my usual chicken salad and the potato salad was looking quite good too. Then reality hit as I saw the long ‘Vegan’ sign draped over the adjoining salad bar.  With my head held high I approached the green leafy salads and started to fill my bowl with ingredients I would never have approached before in my life.  Interesting salads like cauliflower and quinoa, loads of green beans.  I particularly liked their take on potato salad (although I can’t remember the exact ingredients now I will find out!) . Lunch was a successful outing and I was very pleased with myself.

A friend was holding a bake sale to raise funds for a cheerleading competition that is fast approaching, naturally we wanted to support her.  Unfortunately I was caught off guard when I saw there were no vegan options.  Normally I wouldn’t stop to think about the small treat I was consuming and now I was being deprived of a little snack because of my dietary choice.  Needless to say I was disappointed

By the time 7 o’clock came around and my vegan expert was free to shop with me I was absolutely starving!  A key piece of advice she gave me was, when you’re hungry eat.  A vegan should always have a healthy snack on hand to beat the munchies.  It makes sense when you think about it.  The amount of calories in a piece of meat would be double or even triple of a small helping of veg.

The shop was very educational.  We started off easy with fruit and veg.  Loads of leafy veg to get plenty of protein in my diet was the advice.  Quinoa, chia seeds and flak seeds were also important to gain all the important nutrients I would be missing out on otherwise.  I was delighted when the vegan expert picked up some ‘healthy’, dark chocolate bars, “something to chew on”. The holy grail of this expedition I’d say.

On returning to my apartment I had my expert at hand to help with dinner.  Microwavable rice turned into an adventure, I’m no Gordan Ramsey to say the least, but this was the beginning of the path to goal no.4.  Combined with some beans, spinach and a dash of soy sauce dinner was tasty and enjoyable.  I packed some into a lunch box for the next day’s dinner (already on top of goal no.2).  Although I enjoyed this new recipe I was still a bit hungry afterwards...

Finally before bed I made myself a cup of tea with almond milk.  I don’t know why I wanted to try this to be honest... As you could imagine it did not go down well, if at all.  I did not continue to drink the tea after the first mouthful.

I survived day 1.

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My 5 Goals

1. Survive a vegan diet

2. Learn the master skill that is meal planning

3. Know what is in my diet

4. Be able to cook (well)

5. Drop a stone in the process