veg-adventures

February 6, 2011

home sweet home
my vacation mentality was actually extended an extra day as josh’s parents came in for a super-quick visit (they were here for the duke game). that was fun, but now i’m ready to clean the house, resume my usual routines, and get ready for a new work week! honestly, it seems like it has been a long time since i went to work — a good indication that this vacation was refreshing and effective.

random note: i am hereby vowing NOT to opening my work email until tomorrow morning. while we were in AZ, i did a couple of brief checks just to make sure there was nothing earth-shattering in there, but for the most part it has been a clean break. i refuse to let work seep into this last day of rejuvenation and relaxation!

however, i am ready to tackle non-work work!
ie: organizing the house, laundry, cleaning, and the like! i am especially excited about poring through these cookbooks to make a vegan meal plan for next week.


vegan for a week!?

if oprah can do it . . .
yep, i’m in.

as you may have already heard, morgan from life after bagels is rounding up the online troops to host a vegan for a week challenge beginning on monday! i got to know morgan when we spoke together on time management + organization (with kath at HLS 2010), and she has continued to inspire me since with her energy, creativity, and of course organizational prowess.

i was initially hesitant to participate in this challenge. i dislike labels or restrictions on eating, for one. some might argue, “it’s just fuel,” but i enjoy food, and i want to keep eating fun! i never want to feel like i can’t have something — that’s just going to make me want it more, and i just don’t like there to be an inward battle over my eating choices.

furthermore, while it might be antithetical for proselytizers of the china study, i also believe that it is entirely possible to eat a very healthful omnivorous diet. (just to be clear, i don’t necessarily think that my own diet fits this description, but theoretically — i think it’s possible!)

however, i do think there is something to be said for a vegan diet in terms of sustainability — something i consider to be very important. i agree with mark bittman’s recent food manifesto. i was won over by michael pollan after reading in defense of food. and like many others, i was horrified by what i saw in food inc.

now i kind of want this book, too. can anyone recommend?
in addition, i have to admit i have gotten a bit lazy. there was a time that i vowed not to order meat if i didn’t know that the source was good, but that practice has fallen by the wayside. we do buy organic dairy and shop at whole foods, but i don’t always know that the farms where my selections come from are truly using the most humane or sustainable techniques.

i also believe that it is possible eat a very healthful (and nutritionally replete) vegan diet. while i have no desire to place restrictions on my future eating habits, i think that i could stand to be a bit more responsible with my choices rather than turning a blind eye to, say, the origin of my grilled chicken salad.

finally — i think that doing this experiment will force me to expand my culinary horizons a bit, and (equally important). . . i think it will be fun!

i will definitely share the process with you all – both the planning and execution. and of course, i’m open to any tips + suggestions! one thing is for sure . . .


breakfast will not be a problem.

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