Oatmeal Success!

Finally! Success with Oatmeal! This is a casserole dish you can make the night before and just eat cold or pop in the microwave in the morning. The next time I make it I think I'll use less sugar though. My whole family loved it. Delicious and nutritious!
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/02/22/sweet-potato-oatmeal-breakfast-casserole/

Purple Salad!

I literately threw this salad together in less than ten minutes. I used ingredients that were already in my home and it came out great. It only has five ingredients: purple cabbage, tomato, cilantro, lime, and salt. I want to make it again and try to see how it tastes with carrots and spinach.

Potatoes!

I am a Mexican-American who, of course, love Mexican food. My first thought when I decided to become vegan was that it was going to be torture because I would have to cut out traditional Mexican food that not only was delicious but was part of my culture. That same day, I got home and my mom showed me what was for dinner (Twice a week I come home late but dinner is really as an upside!). Now I hadn't planned on going completely vegan that day because I hadn't planned my new diet yet. But I was ecstatic when I saw one of my favorite Mexican dishes, Papas Locas con Rajas (Wild potatoes with Poblano Peppers). It consists of of wild potatoes from Mexico but you can substitute with whatever potatoes you like, poblano peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and some salt oh and  my mother adds hot salsa to add zing.
The picture above shows the leftovers from dinner. The rice still had bouillon but I found a substitute for it afterwards (Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base). I wouldn't recomment eating too much potato but it was a good starter for my road to becoming vegan. Want the recipe? Let me know.

Oatmeal Ordeal

http://www.carbloverlady.com/im-whey-into-this-oatmeal/

So I didn't have time to take a picture of my breakfast this morning but this is pretty much what it looked like (Thank you carbloverlady.com). I should clarify that this is the first time I've had oatmeal like this since I was a kid. I hated it then and I hated it now. I thought I had exaggerated the memory of how much i disliked it in the past, but alas, I really didn't :( My sister insists that I made it wrong and promises to make me some this weekend so we'll see how it goes.

I have to say that I'm proud of myself for even trying it and want to emphasize the OPEN-MINDED ATTITUDE that anyone going vegan has to have. I am going to try all kinds of foods I turned away in the past and some I've never even heard of. I won't like all of them but the point to figure out a diet that work for me!

RECIPE:
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Organic Soy Milk (original Flavor) ALDI Fit & Active
Cinnamon (depends on how much you like, I used a couple pinches)
2-3 cut strawberries (not my first choice fruit since they aren't in season locally but all we had)

I boiled the milk and added it to the oatmeal which I had already sprinkled with cinnamon. I let it sit for a couple minutes then stirred and added strawberries. What did I do wrong?! TELL ME!! Anyway...I was kind of wary of soy milk because of its estrogen-like components that have might cause negative effects on  your reproductive system. Studies (which are mostly funded by dairy companies) are ongoing and I'm think that if you don't drink more than a cup or two a day its not a big deal. I've tried almond milk before but I think I got a flavored one and thought it was too sweet. Might try another brand. I also want to buy agave nectar which can be used as a substitute for honey and is really tasty too. Questions? Suggestions?

Decision

So I decided to make the long arduous journey of becoming a vegan yesterday. The decision was not made lightly and I didn't have a sudden revaluation after gaining information about eating eat, but was a culmination of lots of info ration from different sources and my own internal battle. It'll be a challenge but is a decision that will not only improve my health but most importantly, to me, be a cruelty-free lifestyle.

The journey really began five years ago when I got my dog. I know you're thinking that that seems strange but when I got my dog I became an anxious parent. It was my first pet and I didn't know the first thing about really caring for a dog. So I loaded myself with information about dog training and was exposed to the knowledge that most big name brand dog foods aren't all that great. Anyway, along the way I stumbled upon an article on animal testing done of animals including dogs. After that I couldn't stop looking for information on animal testing on everyday products. Since then, I started exchanging the products I used for cruelty-free ones and have successfully made the transition as of two years ago. I know it took forever but it took a lot of research and trial and error from my part.

I also learned about the treatment of animals raised for meat since then but tricked myself into believing that it was okay to eat meat because humans 'need' meat to live a healthy life. In the back of my mind I knew the truth that there are alternative ways of getting the same nutrients from other foods but I pushed back the thought. It wasn't until three months ago that the I could no longer ignore these facts when I started taking a class on the evolution of the human diet. In this class we read not only about how humans evolved to eat meat but also about todays food industry and the fact that it is no longer necessary for us to eat meat since we have healthy alternatives all year round. Furthermore, I learned about the horrors of animals raised for meat and slaughterhouses and the environmental impacts this industry has.

It became too much to handle. Every time I looked at meat or read the label of a something and saw it had animal by-products I felt a pain in my chest and the stirring of an internal battle I had ignored for years. So now I am trying to change the way I eat and look at food to feel healthier and really also to not feel guilty about my meals. Like I said before, it'll be a hard journey since I'm trying to erasing 21 years of meat-eating habits. I might have slip ups and I might get overwhelmed with the continuing intake of information, criticism from family and friends, and trying to find budget friendly vegan foods.

I'm going to share the sources that: led me to this decision, gave me information on how to make the transition, the new foods and recipes I'll be trying, and the triumphs and woes of my journey to becoming a vegan. Hope you can tag along for the ride ;)