The Lone Wolf

So I haven't blogged for a while... so some quick updates:

1. My partner on this voyage fell overboard a long time ago and I have been a lone wolf for maybe the last 3 weeks or so. Jesse got sick- wanted meat-thus is no longer vegan. But I appreciate the help getting started.

2. My boyfriend had surgery and I was away for a while. I made about 18 pounds of quinoa to live on for the duration of my stay in Milwaukee. I did this so not to incon

venience the people I was staying with- but I ended up doing that anyways by taking up their entire refrigerator.

I'm good on quinoa for a little bit.

3. I wanna say that being vegan has gotten easier- BUT I think that is because I have discovered Boca Chik patties and Amy's Rice and Bean Burritos. I have been living off of the two for a couple of weeks. NOT the healthiest way to go about this but certainly the fas

test and most convenient. Plus- they taste amazing smothered in mustard.

*****DISCLAIMER: #4 mentions my menstrual cycle- male readers feel free to jump to #5

4. When the voyage began, I was on my period. That time has come again which means that I have been vegan for a month! For those of you that know me, know how bad my cramps get. Crippling, can't stand up, curl up in a ball and cry, vomit, swallow a bottle of IB Profuen and hate the world kind of cramps. I feel it's too early to say........BUT they are manageable this time! I am on day 2 (usually the worst) and I still have yet to pop a single pill! Sure they are there, but in a dull, ignorable way. It's incredible! I don't want to credit veganism with that just yet. Maybe it's a fluke - but a month has not gone by since I was 12 that I wasn't writhing in pain at this time.

5. If it takes 21 days to kick a habit- then why the hell am I still craving pizza?

6. I am nervous that all of this soy will increase my chances of getting breast cancer. However, a book I have been reading called Becoming Vegan (thanks Michael Dudell) indicates that a great percentage of cancer can be prevented by eliminating meat and alcohol from the diet. Meat- check! Alcohol- mmm...maybe for my next self-expansion project. I don't know how much of those statistics are just vegan propaganda. I'm sure vegans and vegetarians get cancer too. Cancer doesn't discriminate.

* note: I know that the proper way to cite that book is to underline the title. but blogger.com doesn't have underlining as an option. Italics were the next best option.

7. It is expensive. I have been going more and more vegan to up the challenge by not purchasing or consuming foods that are processed on machinery that also processes

dairy, eggs or meat. For some vegans, I have learned, it is about not supporting the companies that support animal slaughter. This has often resulted in me having to choose brands that are more expensive. For example: I have to buy the Organic Almonds ($7.99/lb) because the other Almonds ($3.99/lb) were processed on machines that also process eggs. Those Amy's Burritos and Boca Chik patties are pretty pricey as well! Of course convenience has always come at a price.

8. I'm done updating. On to more important things like homework.....or facebook.

Indian Lunch- Linsea

This is me tooting my Vegan horn!

The Indian chefs on Devon street couldn't have done it better!

Curried Spinach Tofu w/brown rice

The Loving Hut - Linsea

Chris and I tried this vegan restaurant in Uptown/Edgewater on Saturday night appropriately called The Loving Hut. Unlike most restaurants on Saturday night, this place was pretty empty. It ended up being more of a fine dining fast food joint. It's Asian cuisine, priced like Chinese take-out and comes out just as quickly.

After debating on the Fried Seasoned Gluten and the Crispy Soy protein, this is what we had:

We shared some Spring Rolls as an appetizer.

Chris had a Ginseng Shake and the Yakisoba.

I had a Green Tea Shake and the Thai Curry (pictured).

We decided to save the Vegan Green Tea "Cheesecake" for another day.

It was all pretty good, except for the fact it left you with the faintest taste of grass in your mouth and the desire to eat some real Shlimp Flied Lice! I'm just kidding. Honestly, not to toot my own vegan horn, but the food I have been making tastes better. BUT- it was very nice to go out to dinner for the first time and not have to worry about what to order.

For those interested:

The Loving Hut

5812 North Broadway, Chicago, IL 60660

http://lovinghut.us/chicago/index.html

Week 1- Linsea

A whole week has gone by! NOT as hard as though it would be! I gotta say.....I feel kinda great. Lots of energy, not weighed down. To be fair though- I think it probably has more to do with the fact that I am eating TONS of fresh fruits and veggies. I am cooking at least 2-3 times a day (which is actually a great stress reliever). Not to mention- normally about now my "final papers routine" would be in full swing. There would be a huge box of cold pizza in the fridge and the coffee pot would be overheating. (That never made ANYone feel good!) So I am not so sure that I would be feeling THAT much different if I had a nice piece of protein packed chicken on the side of my super fresh veggie meals.

I wonder how Chris feels? He has basically been vegan this week.

Haven't heard from Jesse in a while, but I have a feeling her One Week update will be quite different. Poor thing :(

Food for Thought - Linsea

Whole Foods Take 2 -Linsea

I went to Whole Foods again with the intention of getting more Organic Quinoa (my new fav!) and actually spent some time perusing the aisles. FYI- A Tuesday night in Evanston is A LOT quieter than a Saturday afternoon in Boyztown. (Word to the wise: avoid the Whole Foods on Halsted on the weekend!) I actually found a lot of cool stuff that I can eat!

HELLOOOO Vegan Pudding!!! My new, late-night best friend!

Twitching- Linsea

My bottom lip has been twitching for the past two days. My eye twitches all the time but I have never had this happen before. I googled it and these are some of the possible contributing factors:

Stress - check!

Fatigue- check!

Low levels of potassium and magnesium in the diet- hmmmm.......

I wonder if this vegan thing is starting to have an effect on my body? I must admit, I kinda stopped taking that nasty iron supplement (Jesse's gonna kill me). But on the other hand, I have eaten a good amount of bananas and oranges which are high in potassium.

It's driving me crazy!!! I wish it was at least my top lip twitching- then I could snarl at people all day long or at least work on my Elvis impersonation!

Finals-Linsea

I'm preparing to pull 2 all nighters for my finals. Normally, I order a big pizza and I live off of it for those 2-4 days because I don't have time to cook. Last quarter, Jesse even came over and cooked me a delicious meal because I was so pathetic (fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn!!!)

This time, obviously neither of those situations would work.

I saw vegan pizza at Whole Foods in the freezer section but it was really expensive and I just don't think it sounds right.

I'm sure whatever I end up eating will be better "brain food" anyways.

I will keep you all posted!

Adventures in Tofu -Linsea

OK....apparently tofu does not cook like chicken...which I had hoped.

I attempted to make one of my signature dishes by replacing the chicken with "extra firm" tofu. It just crumbled into little mushy piles that look like brain matter. What's worse is that I had promised Jesse a delicious vegan meal tonight AND she HATES the texture of tofu. I thought I could prove her wrong just like the time I tricked her into liking curry!

I'm not particularly proud of this one.

Just how "vegan" are you? -Linsea

I have come to realize that there are varying degrees of vegan. I hadn't necessarily considered this prior to beginning my experiment but now feel it is a question I should tackle. I did decide that I could not afford to deal with changing my clothing or household products (cleaning or beauty). So this experiment, for now, will only be concerned with ingestion.

After eating some leftover homemade hummus for lunch- and realizing that I may have gone slightly overboard with the garlic- I found myself asking around for a piece of gum

. When the question, "Is gum vegan?" was presented to me, I was baffled! Upon researching this query I came to find the issue surrounding refined sugar. Apparently, certain refined sugars

are processed through bone char- which is ground cow bone, heated and turned i

nto carbon. According to the Sugar Association, bone char comes from cows that have died of natural causes and never from the US Meat Industry ( http://www.ivu.org/news/2-97/sugar.html).

This is where having a strong and decisive moral code might help me to pick a side. On the one hand- refined sugar uses animal by-

products. On the other hand- If we can trust the "Sugar Association," the animals have died from natural causes...in which case...what's the big deal?

I work in customer service and for the most part have a rather large desk separating me from the guests. But every now then, I must venture beyond my protective shield and risk contact with a close talker. Am I to subject myself and others to bad garlic breath all for the sake of avoiding bone char from some poor, granny cow?

I suppose I could carry a toothbrush and toothpaste........shit. Now I feel the need to check the ingredients on my Colgate.

Day 3 - Jesse

Today is a much better day! I found vegan roll up bread that is amazing! I put some raw chopped veggies added some mustard and garlic salt.... Lunch my friends was fantastic! 

The Iron supplement still tastes like ass, but I am in a much better place today.

I think I am going to have to add in additional Vitamin B because I am still feeling tired. 

I think I wanna live at Linsea's place though, that hummus looks amazing! 

Day 3 Culinary Adventures-Linsea

One of the great things about this project is that I am forced to expand my culinary horizons. Although I spent a fortune at the market yesterday on fresh veggies, I like to think(hope) that I am saving money in the long run by not eating out as much. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. But then again, I am only on Day 3.

Today's Menu: The Chickpea/Dahl Experiment and Homemade Red Pepper Hummus.

Day 2- Jesse

All I have to say is this... Going Vegan is tough! I am tired like crazy and cranky! It seems that no matter what I eat I am starving an hour later. 

My friend Ro ate a cheese burger today. I was sadden by my innate thought of ripping it out of her hand. What really gets me though is this... every time she would burp, I could taste it! I'm gross I know. 

Sami is making dinner tonight, I will post pics later and let you know how great it was! 

1st Vegan Dish -Linsea

The 1st Vegan dish I cooked!
Southwestern Quinoa!
-quinoa
-red pepper
-jalepenos
-black beans
-corn
-onion
-garlic
-cilantro
-scallions
-cumin

Even my boyfriend liked it!

is it non vegan if?.....- Jesse

1) I put egg or mayonnaise in my hair just in case it starts to get dry from lack of animal fat
2) I take fish oil supplement
3) I still wear leather and suede shoes, chaps, or vests

Hell in a Bottle -Linsea

Jess and I consulted with an AMAZING acupuncturist at work in regards to staying healthy during this experiment. She recommended taking an Iron supplement called Floridix or what I like to call Hell in a Bottle! I cannot begin to describe the taste without sounding like a 4 year old.

An 8.5 oz bottle costs $21.99 at Whole Foods and has 25 servings (10 ml twice a day). Which means that it should last approximately 12 days. Which means I might end up going through about 5 bottles in 60 days totaling upwards of $110!!!

I am going to do some more research in hopes of finding a cheaper and tastier way of getting these essential nutrients!

I'm Hungry!!! - Jesse

Just a little background about me. I am probably one of the biggest carnivores you will ever meet. I love beef, chicken, fish,and pork... my pacca ( my grandmother) has this all protein diet that is my dream! All meat no carbs or veggies! So much to my surprise I agreed to this 60 day vegan project. Linsea came to me at work after seeing this documentary and said I am going vegan for 60 days..... "it would be easier if I had a partner" thats how it all began. 

Saturday we went to whole foods to gather up the basics ( vegan style of course) We each bought 4 items and spent a ridiculous amount of money.... what is the most disheartening part... it all tastes like shit! 

Lins and I bought some liquid iron supplement that we are supposed to take a shot of every morning... Basically it tastes like ass and the smell makes me gag. 

My significant other is making us lunch that is amazing! much better then the shit at whole foods that have the stamp of vegan approval. 

By the by when you see vegan butter and on the package it says it tastes creamy and buttery.... they are lying! It tastes like salted wax. 

I have officially been vegan for two hours and I am excited to see what the next two months will bring! 

I will be posting pictures and I am sure Lins will be posting video of  this VEGtastic Voyage!

So far...

I've been Vegan for 67 minutes and I don't feel any different.

.......


In other news...Thank God Bacardi is on the "Vegan Friendly" list!

VEGtastic Eve- Linsea

It's the eve before our 60 day vegan challenge begins and all I'm thinking about is all the chicken I won't be eating.

Recently I saw a film entitled A Peaceable Kingdom (2009). The film made a convincing argument for a number of things but what I took away from it was the desire to make more conscious choices about the food I eat.

I am also inspired by a project that a former Circus/Acting teacher had me do a few years ago. He called it a "self-expansion project." We were asked to change some aspect of our life for a period of time and see what we could learn about ourselves and our bodies. I want to see which of the claims to be or not to be vegan hold true for me. So I decided to go vegan for 60 days. 30 days didn't seem long enough and 90 days seemed like a long shot. Luckily, my friend and co-worker Jesse agreed to join me on this "voyage" for support. We work together and hang together so it will be nice to not be the only pseudo-vegan in the room.

I was an "ovo-lacto vegetarian" for years and haven't ever been that big of a meat-eater, so I am not that concerned with the absence of animal flesh in my diet. I believe the hardest part will be figuring out what I can eat amongst all of the things you would never think twice about.

When I mentioned that I would be attempting a vegan diet for 60 days I got various reactions. The first came from several of my lovely co-workers who said, "Oh God! Is this going to be like the time you gave up coffee and turned into a raging bitch?" Other reactions ranged somewhere between supportive and skeptical.

Luckily Jesse and I work in a health environment and have a fantastic support system there. It will be interesting to see how we manage with being vegan at home seeing as how both of our significant others will continue to be...well, non-vegan. I am excited and nervous for tomorrow and the 59 days that follow. I hope to learn something about my body, my beliefs and self-control.

I hope to use this blog as an additional support system. I hope it emulates that of a vegans anonymous in that I would love feedback, support and constructive criticism.

Thank you for coming along with Jess and I on this VEGtastic Voyage!

(Allow me to preface this series of blogs with the fact that I am NOT a "blogger," and NOT a great writer. I will try to avoid spelling errors but I promise you there will be some pretty bad grammar. Fortunately, those skills are not crucial to this experience. Thank you.)