Vegan-ish

So for the last few weeks I've been eating vegan.  Let me get this straight, this change in diet is not fuelled by my passion to live a cruelty free lifestyle, wait that sounds bad - I'm not 'pro' cruelty!!  I'm not against people eating animal products in their diet.  My choice was fuelled by a desire for change.  We had fallen into the trap of eating the same thing all the time, convenience being at the top of our priority list.  Meat was covered in breadcrumbs,  food was cooked from the freezer, more often than not the main colour on our plate was beige. 

My friend had tried the vegan way of eating for a month, her decision was as a result of trying to cut saturated fat out of the diet of her household.  She claimed that she felt amazing as a result, full of energy and was enjoying the new tastes she was being forced to try.  So I went vegan.  Just me, not the rest of the house.  I do not know enough about nutrition to confidently change Joel's diet so dramatically and know he is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals a growing exploring toddler needs.  Phil met my vegan plan with the level of enthusiasm you would expect from any serial snacker/junk food lover.  I wasn't asking him to join in, just not to sabotage my attempts, and so we agreed to live separate kitchen lives. 

The first week I was finding my way, getting on his nerves taking ages reading all the labels in the supermarket and eating totally separately to him and Joel.  My cooking was a bit shit;

Slimy veg, plain pasta, made this for packed lunches in work, ate 2 mouthfuls and gave up.  Yuk 

 I began a quest to find the perfect dairy milk replacement for my cup of tea.  I failed and decided that I was 99% vegan apart from the splash of milk in tea.  Then the weather was amazing and there was a minor burger incident at a BBQ.  This first week also involved the re-discovery of peanut butter, my new best mate. 

Peanut butter and banana on toast with tea.  The perfect comfort food and great to grab on the way out the door to work when I hadn't any packed lunch planned or pre-made. 

The next couple of weeks I got more confident in cooking vegan dishes and was able to cook for the whole family , adding a side of meat to pacify my carnivore other half.  

Colourful veg ready to roast in the Actifry for roast vegetable and lentil soup.  A yummy belly warming soup that was a big hit with the boys.  Joel is always a fan of soup to be honest, at 18months old he is at that stage where he is impressed by his own spoon skills and enjoys any meal that puts these into use.

See?  Spoon addict.  This one was carrot, parsnip, apple and lentil soup.  Another belly warmer. 

Fresh strawberries and Alpro Vanilla Soya yogurt.  Tastes like custard.  Yum.

Baked potatoes, mushrooms, rocket and pretend bacon.  Phil had regular bacon, obvs. 

Vegetable and pretend mince chilli con carne.  A big hit with everyone in the house. 

Phil became less eye-roll-y about the whole thing.  I went out for lunch with my sis in law and didn't manage to eat vegan, I ate off the vegetarian menu instead.  Over these weeks I discovered that Pringles and potato waffles are vegan friendly!  I also tried out some homemade vegan treats.

This might look like a bowl full of mush but this is vegan ice cream.  So yummy,  and so easy to make, and its flippin' healthy!!  Freeze a banana.  Blend it.  Add a spoonful of peanut butter, 2 spoons of coconut milk, mix and then freeze for another 30 mins.  Eat.  Amazing.  

Cinnamon and raison muffins made with courgette to make them moist rather than butter/milk/eggs.  Really tasty and a bit hit with Joel.  

This week Phil was found googling vegan recipes.  He did a vegan shop, researching how he could cook for the family and provide a vegan meal for me.  What a hero, eh?  He also chatted with his friend who knows alot about nutrition type information who said that vegan diet lacks vit B-12.  After a bit of research I decided that I would include the odd egg and fish in my diet.  Therefore I am no longer vegan, but I hope to still reap the same benefits to my health.

Homemade vegan pizza, with a sprinkle o f vegan cheese.  Vegan cheese is not something I will be spending my money on again, but the pizza was lush!  So lush I forgot to take a photo.

Pasta with vegan pesto, spinach, home grown leeks given to us by a neighbour and asparagus made for work lunches this week.

So far I do feel a difference to my energy levels and I am enjoying the experience of trying new recipes.  Restricting your diet encourages you to cook more from scratch, but it has also turned me into one of those annoying people who photographs their food.  Sorrynotsorry. 

I do not know how long this wee fad will last for but I am hoping it will encourage long term healthier eating in my family.  I do promise you this, I will not be one of those people who kills the craic by dissecting the menu at restaurants and quizzing the waiters on preparation methods.  I will not turn my nose up at family functions if the food contains something I choose not the eat.  Promise I'll still be fun, ok!?