Sunday, September 27, 2009

new updates...

Okay, everyone... I've discovered a lot of new stuff since my last post...

I bought a blender yesterday... no, it's not a BlendTec, or anything, but it works just as well, for a cheap price ($25!).  Since then, I've been making tons of smoothies and milkshakes.  Milkshakes are actually better with soy milk.  (I like soy milk better anyway).  Today, I tried a green smoothie, using greens (I used romaine), and it didn't turn out too great.  Maybe I didn't do it right... Not sure...

I've also found that the Food Lion here has a TON of vegetarian/vegan-friendly foods, to my surprise.  To my knowledge, there aren't many vegans here in Irmo, SC.... I even found Vegenaise.  Really surprising.  Whilst adventuring through the forests of Food Lion, I realized that in every aisle, they have a natural/organic section, which has the veg versions of the stuff on the aisle... Pretty amazing.  The organic produce was actually cheaper than the non-organic.  Most organic foods here are more expensive, unless you buy from a local farmer's market.  The only farmers market here, is about a 30 minute drive from where I live.  Not too bad...

I've even started using organic shampoo and conditioner.  Teatree mint by Organix has a good kind.  Their products are NOT tested on animals, and really good for your hair.  They are quite a bit more expensive than regular shampoos... but I figured anything was worth trying once...  I've started using Aveeno lotions... mainly because they're nautral.  I'm not too sure if their products are tested on animals... I'll research that one.

Take care, everyone!

God bless.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

two wonderful recipes!

I have two wonderful recipes to share with everyone.  They are both vegetarian, not vegan... but I'm sure many vegetarians will LOVE these delicious recipes.

Last night, for supper, I made portabella burgers.  I used the portabella mushroom as a replacement for a meat patty.  I then sauteed them in a hot pan with lots of margarine.  You'd be surprised, margarine gives portabellas a wonderful flavor.  I then layered the portabella on the bun, along with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber slices.  It was very filling and energizing.

This morning, I made a breakfast burrito.  I used a flour tortilla (whole wheat is also acceptable) in this recipe.  I then scrambled 2 eggs, and added shredded cheddar cheese, and I cooked it on warm until the cheese was melted.  I heated my tortilla in a warm skillet, and sprinkled some shredded cheese on the tortilla until melted.  I then put the cheesy scrambled eggs on top of it... and folded the tortilla as you would a burrito.  Serve with salsa and a sliced orange.

Even though these recipes are NOT vegan... I still think that they're a wonderful way to enjoy a vegetarian diet!

Here are some helpful websites:




Take care, everyone!

Friday, September 25, 2009

HUG A VEGAN TODAY!

Just to let everyone know:  today is International Hug-A-Vegan Day!  Make sure you hug some of your vegan friends/acquaintances.

I have a lot of good websites to share with my readers today.  I just got back from a 2 hour grocery run.  It's taking me longer to shop for groceries since I've become vegan.  I pay more attention to what is in everything.  Even if you aren't interested in becoming vegan, at least make sure you KNOW what you're eating.  I feel that is the most important part about shopping... and the cost, of course.

Go Vegan in 10 Easy Steps:  I really like this article provided by The Examiner.  It literally breaks down how omnivores can go vegan.  Highly recommended for everyone :)

Hailey's Dragonfly Garden:  This is a good eco-friendly, vegan site.  They sell vegan-friendly soap products.  They sell everything made from olive oil to hemp seeds.  You can even order some of their soaps online!

Vegan Family Inc:  This website is probably my favorite vegan website so far.  It's a vegan mom's blog about how she feeds her 5 kids every day.  It's really interesting, and funny.  She also gives good tips on why you should become vegan.

Veg Cooking:  This website shows MANY different recipes for a new vegan cook.  There is such a wide variety of food on here, as well as nice pictures and good descriptions and instructions on how-to.

I'm still in the search of the "perfect" vegan website.  Wish me luck!

God bless...


disrespectful and offensive.

Last night, I was hanging out with my friend and her boyfriend. We were talking, and I told her about my diet changes to vegetarianism. She tried to be vegetarian for a week, and was unsuccessful. Some people think you HAVE to eat meat to survive, but it really is not the case whatsoever. So, her boyfriend knew that I'm vegetarian, too. He started talking about how good a steak would be, and how he really wanted some venison. It started to offend me. What's weird, is when I ate meat, I would've been like, "Hell yeah, that sounds awesome". But, last night... it just disgusted me. I politely asked them to change the subject because my stomach was beginning to turn. They didn't. A few minutes later, I began to get a little angry; mainly because these people that were supposedly my "friends" couldn't respect my morals. I chimed in and said, "Yeah, some stir-fry veggies and tofu over some rice WOULD be amazing, wouldn't it?!" When I said that, they bothed LAUGHED at me. I was SO offended; it was ridiculous.

If you're a vegetarian/vegan, I know that you've been through the same experience, and there is nothing in the world like this feeling. The feeling that your own "friends" don't respect your beliefs, when you're expected to respect theirs. In my eyes, that is unfair, and offensive. If people in the world don't want to eat meat, omnivores should respect their decision, just as vegs respect omnis' decision to EAT meat. It works both ways. Seriously, people.

I get so frustrated with some people sometimes. I guess they thought I was trying to convert them to vegetarianism. Sure, it'd be nice if more people steered away from meat, but that's not my goal. All I ask for is open-mindedness and respect. That's it. Is that SO hard to give to someone? I think not. If I can be open-minded to new things, so can others. Just like, if I can be vegetarian, so can everyone else.

Take care!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

mmmm....

I was so pleased with my vegetarian dish tonight: vegetarian enchiladas with rice. It was SO good! I got the original recipe from my boyfriend's mom. She's not vegetarian, but it's a vegetarian dish. I put a slight twist on it, though. It was absolutely amazing. I'm so pleased. I think the best vegetarian dish that I've ever made is my eggplant parmesan. Now, that is one amazing dish. No, it's not vegan, but it IS vegetarian... and quite delicious at that.

To my surprise, the grocery store actually has more vegetarian/vegan-friendly food than I thought. It's funny- before you're vegetarian, you never realize how many foods acutally don't contain meat products and byproducts. I'm starting off as a vegetarian, and then I plan to convert to veganism.

Like I said, I never ate THAT much meat when I was an omnivore. Therefore, that's how I knew that I could do this transition. I've got my sister ADDICTED to chocolate soy milk. To me, that's an accomplishment... mainly because she loved cow milk more than anything. Same thing with my boyfriend. He literally told me today that soy milk was better than cow milk! Go vegan!

Tomorrow is International Hug-A-Vegetarian Day! So, make sure your veg friend gets their love!

God bless.

welcome.

This is my first entry on this particular blog. I'm new in the vegetarian community. Today marks my 3rd day into vegetarianism, and I'm sooo proud! I'm going to explain my reasons for choosing this life-changing decision.

1. I've seen animal suffering and exploitation, and it bothers me.
2. I've been wanting to become a vegan for a long time now, and finally decided to do it.
3. I have never really eaten that much meat anyways, so I knew that it wouldn't be a difficult adjustment.
4. Every time I look at meat now, I get slightly disgusted.
5. Health reasons: Heart disease, and strokes run in my family. I don't need another reason to die young.
6. Before, I've gone a while without eating meat (as a dare), and I actually felt lighter and more energetic.
7. I want to help save our earth.

These are just a FEW reasons why I have decided to become a vegetarian. Luckily, my boyfriend (non-veg), and my family (non-veg) are very supportive of my decision. I've actually gotten them to try soy milk, tofu, and veggie burgers!

I'm going to be continuously blogging my emotions, experiences, and thoughts. I'll also provide a wide variety of helpful vegan websites that I've yet to find :)

Vegan Beauty Review: A very informative beauty (and more) website about WHY you should become vegan/vegetarian. She also provides a lot of good vegan products on her site.