My Vegan Life

This week I discovered Plantains were not Bananas and that Plantains could be frozen and used in my smoothies. I saw a bag of frozen Plantains at the Atlantic Market on Eastway Drive for $4.89 and I almost purchased them. But I said to myself, "self why pay $5.00 for a bag when you can buy 3 for $1.99 and freeze them yourself ." So that's what I did..... good idea! There are sweet just like bananas, get black just like bananas. They are thicker than bananas and can be cooked many ways, including fried and boiled. My Jamaican friends have given me some tips on how to prepare Plantains. Take the good take the bad. Nutritional Info for Plantains - 232 calories, 62g carbs :( 23g sugar :(, 2g protein. This delicious fruit should only be eaten in the AM so you can burn off ALLLLLL that sugar....

I went out to eat last night with some of my dear friends and they asked me what was I going to eat at K&W Cafeteria, since I'm Vegan now, well I got a bowl of navy beans, brown rice, green beans, and a bowl of fruit. After that we went to McDonald's to get coffee and I ate 2 apple pies... okay, okay, okay, I feel off but who doesn't from time to time. Then headed to Starbucks to talk about what matters to us.   FAMILY. The thing is this...I cannot tell you the last time I had an apple pie from McDonald's. It was good though.... LOL.

Now to answer the question I've been asked many times since going Vegan How Do I Get My Protein...

The answer is simple, FOOD... LOL. Nah, seriously the answer is simple. The internet has everything to help you understand what you need to do and how to do it to get the recommended daily intake of protein. Here is a link I found on line that has helped me tremendously. It has everything on here you need to know to help you make the right protein food choices as a Vegan.  http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.php.
I'm using this to make sure I get the right amount of protein for my body.

Now, I have fallen in love with Tofu, which makes it one of my main sources of protein. I try to get at least one serving of Tofu in everyday. I drink Almond Soy Milk with my Kale, Frozen Plantains or Strawberries and Shakeology smoothie, I also put some Fax Seed Oil in my smoothie. I eat trail mix throughout the day which consist of Almonds, Cashews, Pecans and I throw some dried Raisins and Pomegranate in the mix to give me some fiber. You know it helps to keep things regular... very important...

I like beans, however, I have not tried any of the bean recipes, but it's coming. I think I'll make a black bean and sweet potato wrap with corn and of course Tofu... :). I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks Oneika for the recipe.

What I know for sure: Since changing to a Vegan lifestyle, I have broaden my food repertoire the way I have the songs I sing and I sing many songs. Never say you don't like a particular food until you've taste it at least once. I know for sure I don't like beats... yuck..... You'll be surprised at the hidden flavors that come from the ground.  :).


Ms. Lisa

My Vegan Life

I started my Vegan Life Style Journey 6 weeks ago and I must say I am very surprised at the way I feel. When I first started this journey it was because of my classmate Michael. Michael and his wife started living a Vegan Lifestyle 2 months prior to me starting. He would share how he felt, how much weight he lost, and the many creative ways he and his wife learned to cook. The information he shared was very interesting so I thought, why not try it. And I did. The first thing I had to do was look up what it meant to be Vegan. Well to be Vegan means you give up food that is not produced from the ground. That means, no animal or meat products. No meat and no dairy.... no milk no chicken, no fish, no eggs... Oh my what was I about to get into. As I often do when I start new things, I go head first, I don't think about what I have to give up, all I think about are the benefits I will get from doing what it is I'm about to do.

So, I looked on line and found this website, 53 Healthy Tofu Recipes. Tofu... yes Tofu... Tofu is a great source of protein and since I'm a weight lifter it is very important that I get my protein. I headed to Harris-Teeter looking for Tofu, I didn't know where it was as I don't shop at Harris-Teeter nor have I ever purchased Tofu....but I found it after asking for assistance. Ezekiel Bread ($5.00 a loaf) Tofu (Firm, Extra Firm, Silk, Medium ... I didn't know there were so many choices), Cilantro, Tomato, Bean Sprouts, Cabbage, and Onion was all I knew to get from Harris Teeter. So I headed to the Asian store, Atlantic Farmers Market. Talking about being in another country in your own country. I couldn't read the labels because most of the writing was in Japanese or some other foreign language I couldn't understand. Most of the people working there didn't speak English, so I was on my own.  But some how, I knew what Soy Sauce was, Ginger Root, Noodles, Garlic, Hot Chili Sauce and Black Beans. I walked out of that store with 2 bags of WHAT.... foreign food that I had to use recipes to prepare. I've had to go back to the Atlantic Farmers Market to get seasonings I couldn't pronounce, I took pictures to be sure I got the right thing. Once you get your seasonings, you have everything you need to prepare Vegan meals. Frozen Stir Fry, Noodles, Cilantro's and of course Tofu, sweet potato, oh yell, you know that thing that looks like a Banana but its no and it starts with a "P"... yelp bought some of those too and avocado.. never had that before.... 

After 5 weeks of preparing Vegan meals I must confess that I am now a Vegan. I have not had one piece of meat in my mouth. I drink Soy Milk instead of 1% or Skim. I have not had eggs nor bacon... and I love bacon. No fish, no chicken. I now get Veggie Burgers from Subway on flat bread instead of the Black Forest Ham I so loved every Wednesday before class. The biggest thing that has changed for me is how I prepare my food. I never used recipes for cooking anything other than my grandma's pound cake. Now, I use recipes to cook everything. And the flavors are amazing. All the seasonings I love, hot and spicy and sweet. and Wasabi (that green stuff that opens your sinuses) with everything...

My family has not converted to the Vegan lifestyle and probably want, but I'm okay with that. Eating healthy is a choice and you don't want to force people into doing anything they aren't ready to do. And my family doesn't talk about me because I choose to eat this way. This is my BRAND. People that know me knows I'm all about health and fitness. Living my best life and taking care of myself. 

You only get 1 Body 2 Build. So take care of that body. Do everything you know to do to be better in your body. Live life with smiles, Live life by showing up everyday, Live life by showing Love everyday,  Live life by succeeding at something everyday. Even if that means you succeed at failing today at least you succeeded at learning a lesson. Our lives are filled with many challenges, take those challenges and apply them to the places in your life that will make you better. Recognize when you've had enough and shut it off. Since starting my Vegan journey I may have watched TV a total of 3 hours and I have not watched the news in 2 months. What I realize from shouting myself off from technology is... I'VE NOT MISSED A THING... THE WORLD WENT ON WITHOUT ME... AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT.

What I know for sure, Today will never come, tomorrow isn't promise and the future is not ours to see... so live in the moment, it's the only that that's present.

Ms. Lisa D.