Going Vegan

Beginning my journey into Veganism

[paleogoesvegan]

Found a new recipe for today’s dinner, it may not look like much, but the flavours are beautiful. Ginger, garlic, chilli, tomato, coconut milk. Here’s the link, give it a try and let me know what you think: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-braised-coconut-spinach-chickpeas-with-lemon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-164551

[paleogoesvegan]

Just a little delivery of goodies! Can’t wait to try them.

[paleogoesvegan]

Celebrating vegan success 🍾

It’s been around 4 months since I started my vegan journey and I’m proud to announce I am still in it with no plans to revert, ever!

I would be lying if I said ‘wow this diet has done wonders for me, I’m bursting with energy’. Because I’m not, I’m still as lazy as ever and live in a constant state of inertia. My skin, worse than ever. I put that down to stress and hormones, which at least now they are all my own as not being interfered with. However, I was already, (despite the meat) on a very healthy diet. Now I’m just on an even healthier, guilt free diet and that to me feels amazing. I do however have a couple of friends who’s diets weren’t so healthy before going vegan and they reported initially feeling much better after adopting a plant-based diet. With weight loss and lots of extra energy, but that was also combined with a new gym regime. So who knows. How did you guys and gals feel when you switched your diets, any drastic improvements?

I recently discovered the wonders of Deliciously Ella and highly recommend both her website and the recipe app you can download to your phone. Her recipes look delicious, are all vegan and mainly gluten free too. And the best thing is that they are very tasty as well as simple and you don’t need a thousand different ingredients including some you’ve never heard of, or that you find under a rock in Indonesia!

Oh the other awesome thing, is that there are tons of gluten free desert recipes, including sponge cakes, which I thought I’d never be able to eat again! You can’t believe how exited I got when I saw those recipes. She even has a few deli’s she’s opened in the uk. Which means that, that is the first place that I know of, in 7 years I could go and drink a milkshake or a hot chocolate as she does them with coconut or almond milk! I am paying a visit there very soon :) and I’ll let you guys know what it’s like.

The recipe in the photo is from the app and is delicious. I just switched out the spoonful of coconut yoghurt to coconut milk as that’s all I had and it was great. Similar to the nigella lemon, thyme pasta recipe I shared in a previous blog post.

I decided to give bread a second chance. However since then I found a gluten free, corn free bread on Ella’s site, so I am going to give that a try instead now, as there really is nothing like fresh crusty bread and if I do not end up looking 4 months pregnant after then all the better! I really wish I’d looked up Deliciously Ella when I first heard about it a few years back. It’s a game changer and I’m really excited to try out more of her recipes :)

[paleogoesvegan]

Do you have pets? No more plastic...

Hi Everyone,

So it’s been a while as life’s been super busy. But there is something I found out recently that I wanted to share.

My cat kept getting a scabby chin since I moved into my new house. It’s seemed to go away then come straight back. So after an expensive vet visit and getting no answers and a pack of antibacterial wipes :/ I started to try and find out what it was myself. When I mentioned it to a colleague, she told me her cat had something similar and it was called ‘feline acne’. So I started looking in to it and one of the common reasons were plastic feed and water bowls.

Now as it happens mine were those ‘special’ bamboo eco bowls. But when thinking about it, the only thing I’d changed since the move was her water bowl as before that was a glass dish. So after months of her having this condition, I too away the feed bowls and gave her one of my own ceramic plates and bowls.

2 weeks go bye and the condition went away. 3 month on and it hasn’t come back. Plastic pet bowls are more likely to not be BPA free. Here is a good article I found about it for more information: http://www.homelesstohousecats.com/cat-care-tips/what-are-the-safest-cat-food-bowls

There are so many serious conditions your pets can get from drinking out of plastic water bowls. And do we also really want to be using things like plastic Tupperware or plastic beakers and cups for our toddlers.

[paleogoesvegan]

My favourite pasta dish. Made with Biofair Organic Rice and Quinoa pasta.

Raw mushrooms, garlic, squeezed lemon, olive oil, flat leaf parsley and tarragon leaves.

[paleogoesvegan]

Day 16 It has now been over 2 weeks since I started my vegan diet. I really thought I would struggle but I haven't. Green Thai Curry was always my favourite meal. Still tastes just as amazing without the chicken!

[paleogoesvegan]

Day 9

It has been over a week now since I started on a vegan diet and I am surprised at how easy I have found it. I haven't missed meat (or maybe I'm just avoiding thinking about it). I made vegan chocolate brownies today, served hot with strawberries and Booja Booja Salted Caramel and Pecan Ice Cream. I just had to replace the milk with almond milk which I already drank anyway and the butter with sunflower oil. Seems I overcooked them though, as although perfect when warm, they have cooled to delicious chocolate bricks haha oops.

[paleogoesvegan]

So...I am totally addicted to these at the moment 😍 I discovered Mr Organic, Diary Free Organic Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread in Waitrose, it tastes just like Nutella! Spread onto Rude Health, Buckwheat & Chia Crackers, which have a nice firm texture and are more filling than rice cakes and sliced banana.

[paleogoesvegan]

Day 4

I bought a new cookbook as I really needed some new recipe ideas to make as I like to batch cook when I can. I have also started on some vitamin B12 which is the only vitamin you can not get from a vegan diet as the original source is from the land and over farming has depleted the levels... so I've read. It is important to take a good supplement that is easily absorbed, preferably liquid. I am using Yoga Nutrition Brand, liquid B12 Energiser. Which is cranberry and cinnamon flavour and tastes quite pleasant. Available on amazon uk. Day 4 Notes: I have had to start eating a bit more than I was before to maintain my energy levels. But I am also doing a physical job at the moment so eat more anyway when I am working. I have have been suffering from boating since starting this food regime. Did anyone else find this was an issue for them? Not sure if that's related to the change in food habits but it's early days so hopefully that will settle soon. I seem to be maintaining energy levels pretty well without the meat, which is what I was most skeptical about when starting this diet. Off to try one of the recipes now :)

[paleogoesvegan]

Bought this cookbook for ideas and inspiration. Tons of recipes in there. Can't wait to give some of them a try :)

[paleogoesvegan]

Day 1 - The why...I never ever thought I'd ever try vegan.

I have always been a meat eater, my family all eat meat. I like the taste of meat. When I was about 16 years old I started get intolerance symptoms after eating on occasion. It was quite a few years later that they become severe enough to link them to certain foods. After starting a long process of elimination I thought I had it nailed. But it seems now 9 years later and developing more intolerances my corn allergy wasn’t a corn allergy at all, it is in fact something else on or in the corn. Pesticides perhaps. Now I am happily enjoying organic pesticides free pop corn on a weekly basis :) Making up for lost time! Haha

I have in recent years been thinking amount how I’d like to not eat meat, but I was always concerned that with how limited my diet is already, I wouldn’t get enough nutrients or be able to keep weight on. I know terrible problem ha. I have been eating an organic meat, fruit and vegetable diet for years as it was what I believed was the healthiest diet. But do I feel healthy? No, I’m tired all the time, lack energy, my skin is bad, my nails weak. My concentration is abysmal.

Two of my colleagues have just gone vegan and watching ‘What the Health’ on Netflix amongst other research and hearing how much better they are feeling after just 2 months, I am ready to give this a try. I had already cut out cheese, have an intolerance to milk, yoghurt, cream and soft cheese. And gluten, so with not being able to eat store bought corn or corn products and most pre-made, pre-packaged products are off limits to me anyway.

So this morning I have already eaten butter (pre-decisions), so from now on, I am not touching any animal products. Let’s see how this goes. I will try to update as often as I can and when I have something worth writing about.

I would love to hear your transition stories. Successful or otherwise… Wish me luck!