Vegan Diet Day 1

What did I eat?
Breakfast and Lunch: Balsamic Chickpea, broccoli and zucchini wrap
Snack: Pretzels, peanuts and cantalope
Late night snack: Sauteed onions and potatoes 

I made the broccoli and chickpeas last night and had them in a calzone, I had alot left over that I made into a wrap for breakfast and I’ll take some to work for lunch.



Balsamic Chickpeas:
 Ingredients :

1 can of chick peas drained and rinsed
Drizzle of olive oil
1- 1 ½ tbs of balsamic vinegar
¼ cup of diced onions and peppers
¼ cup of diced canned tomatoes ( the kind that’s Mexican or chili style)
Salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

1. Heat a small skillet on medium. Add olive oil just to coat pan and add peppers and onions.

2. Once peppers and onions are softened add your balsamic vinegar and chickpeas, stir everything together and let sit for about a minute.

3. Add tomatoes and spices to taste, stir and cover on low heat for 3-5 minutes,

Your chickpeas will be in a great tasting sauce that you can serve over rice, in a salad, with pasta, a wrap or just on its own. You can even add tahini and blend it to make hummus.

I only had frozen broccoli so I thawed it in the fridge and squeezed the excess water out, it worked out perfectly. Roasted is really the only way that I like to eat broccoli.

Curry Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini

1 cup of broccoli
Half of a medium sized zucchini  cut into thin half moons
Tbs of olive oil
¼ tsp of Curry powder
Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Add your broccoli and zucchini to a small baking sheet (I used an old cake pan), drizzle the olive on top and add the spices. then mix.

3. Place in over for 20-25 minutes, be sure to toss the veggies half way.
I took mine out after the broccoli had softened and the zucchini was a little clear.


Assembly

I warmed up a tortilla and used hummus as a condiment then piled on the chickpeas and veggies, I also had tomatoes, cucumber and onions marinating in olive oil and balsamic vinegar that I added. Add a squeeze of lemon to brighten up the flavors.

This was definitely a yummy meal to start off my 30 day vegan challenge. After eating this I had a sweets craving and I just had a mint and a few dried cranberries then I had some jasmine tea.

Day one wasn't too bad, I just craved sweets which is nothing new to me, it really is my vice.

30 Day Vegan Challenge

Throughout the seven years that I’ve been an ovo-lacto (no meat but still eggs and dairy products) vegetarian I’ve thought and even tried to give up dairy and eggs. When I first became a vegetarian I did it as an experiment I just wanted to see if I could do it for 30 days, it caught on, I learned more about it and months later when I went to a vegetarian friendly college it just fit and I’ve stuck with it.

Now I’m going to do another challenge to follow a vegan diet for 30 days. Why now? I’ve just been feeling so tired and unhealthy for a while now, I know that it has a lot to do with me eating a lot of sweets and breads while at work (why do people always bring sweets to share at work?). I want to not keep relying on cheese to add flavor to my meals, I just want to overall have a healthier lifestyle.

My husband isn’t a vegetarian, but he doesn’t eat pork and only eats beef outside of home. So I’m not a very strict vegetarian because I do cook chicken, fish and turkey for him, we use the same pots and utensils, but I do wear disposable gloves while handling the meat. I wear gloves because it’s just easier and I feel cleaner because I don’t have to worry about meat particles under my nails or hands and contaminating other foods and surfaces.

So here are some of my concerns about following a vegan diet:
 -Going out to eat is already a chore because I have to make sure there is something for both me and my husband to eat and be satisfied
-I’m a sweets fan, so now I have to find dairy and egg free alternatives that are affordable or maybe I can just kick the sweet habit altogether
-I love breve Latte (half and half with espresso). Maybe I'll have to opt for soy or just stay with teas.