Going Vegan in Alabama

Archive for November, 2008

For many people who become vegan they may notice some good side effects:

* Weight Loss -- some lose as much as 10 pounds in as little as 30 days.
* Increased Energy -- with more energy they feel like being more active and may take walks, like 30 minutes a day.
* Sleep better, wake up easier and not tired during the day.
* Skin looks better -- not dry and cracklly, less breakouts
* More interest in cooking, although it takes more dishes and cooking utensils like stand up mixer.

Here are a few vegan products and good recipes found recently ...

Soy Pudding -- favorites include Banana & Chocolate

Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos posted about at Vegan Represent. Spicy and good.

Here are a few Vegan Sites & Blogs you may be interested in:

• Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe
• Vegan Essentials
• Vegan Represent
• Vegan Guinea Pig)
• VegWeb

  The vegan life may have been difficult several years ago -- no longer, there are lots of resources and products available now.

  

For many people after their kids leave home they fall into a "rut." Sometimes things are just done they same over and over.

One part of being in a "rut" could be going to the supermarket the same day every week, like Sunday. Sometimes you go because you actually have things to buy, other times you go for a recon. What is new for vegans? You probably have felt this too.

Try for a Sunday Recon, going to a new store or one you don't visit often like an open market, the Fresh Market health food store, etc. Although they may not carry everything you would need, they may have some good vegan choices.

Here's what you might find on your own Sunday Recon:

Vegan Egg Nog -- add pinch of nutmeg and wow.

Instant Garlic & Vegetable Soup -- add some vegetables and you have Lunch

You can easily find great convenience vegan foods!

If you do not like to cook or have never really done a lot of cooking, becoming vegan may be a bit more of a challenge.

For many that are making a change, it is important that they are able to find "vegan fast food" at a convenient location. Most people hate errands and running around going to a lot of stores. Yet, if you do keep things handy at home, you can usually find something to fix on the fly ...

Here are a few staples to keep on hand for quick fixings:

Organic Potatoes : Chop them up good, dredge in flour and paprika, stir fry in olive oil and have some really fast Hash Browns. (Note: Potatoes are one of the few veggies that it is important to choose Organic -- think root vegetable + lots of pesticides with non-organic)

Onions: Slice them, saute in water and a little tamari, add more water and nutritional yeast and WOW -- super good onion soup. slice 'em, satutee 'em add water, tamari and nutritional yeast and bam! I got kick ass onion soup

Pomi chopped tomatoes and canned or frozen black beans: Add some onion and rice, and have quick Cuban black beans and rice dinner in no time.

Popcorn: Do not use microwave popcorn. Buy the real pop corn popped in a pan kind.

Here are other very "vegan fast food" staples that can usually be found at your local supermarket ...

Amy's non-dairy frozen meals
Boca burgers
Boca Chik patties

Or try Simply Asia Sesame Teriyaki talked about on the Cafe Veg News

Learning what Vegan products are available to buy can be exciting. Take a trip to the local supermarket like Publix today and be pleasantly surprised to find alot vegan friendly products on the shelves.

Amazing things happen when you are paying attention.

Other places for future vegan shopping can include natural food stores or other supermarkets like Winn Dixie (although some Winn Dixes are not kept very clean).

It is very heartwarming to know that the local supermarket does indeed carry alot of Vegan friendly products. Being able to easily find these products makes it much more easy to stay on the diet. Plus, you can shop in one place all at once.