So TVA...has died a quick, painless death. I was a 30-day vegan..minus about 5 days (that's including my whoops at Maggiano's on the 17th and Cheesecake Factory on the 18th). I made it to the 27th and say what you want, but all this running and training I've been doing for this 5K? (which is THIS SATURDAY!!! And I'm suuuuper excited!!) Well, I got hungry!! And Dad made steak and fries and I lapped it up like it was my last meal and I've been eating cheese and butter ever since. The steak did make me feel pretty crappy, though. I could have done without. But I have no regrets. I may not have made it 30 full days, but I got damned close! And I can still take away from TVA:
1. I learned that going vegan is not as impossible as many people make it out to be.
2. New, filling, colorful, flavorful, adventurous, healthy, cruelty-free recipes.
3. I made my food choices for myself, stood up for them despite much resistance, and gained a little confidence because of it.
4. I learned to appreciate and savor food instead of rushing through it.
Food catches a lot of flack. I completely disagree with the idea of "food for fuel, not pleasure". That's crap. I think by not enjoying a good meal, a good wine, a good dessert, whatever! that you're cheating yourself out of a rich experience. I don't think that means overindulging, though either. It just means enjoy a little of everything and savor it. The atmosphere, the flavors, the friends who are enjoying it with you! There's little that satisfies me more.
Classes are almost over and I'm happy to say that I have a fighting chance of making a "C" in Anatomy and Physiology!! It sounds totally slacker of me to say it, but here's the thing. I've been busting my butt in this class and to no avail. I just haven't been "getting it". I've been convinced that I'm going to fail and made peace with it. But I haven't given up! When we started the semester the lecture hall was packed!! Not a seat left open. By the first couple weeks, we had about half the starting number. Then by the last couple weeks, we're down to less than 10 students. I understand not wanting to "waste your time" on a class that you're destined to fail and have to re-take anyhow, but I'm proud of myself for not quitting. And it appears that it may have paid off! I have one exam left--my final--and I'm just going to wear out my notes and flashcards and text this weekend and do my very best next Tuesday.
This weekend will be super busy--5k run Saturday morning, my sister's sorority ball that evening (I'm her date!), and study study study!
I'll be sure to post pictures!
I'm trying my best to keep on moving forward, but it's been difficult lately. As you know, my husband's deployed to Iraq right now. Well, we got some bad news this week and while I can't go into detail, basically he's not going to be coming home as soon as he was supposed to. We've almost made it 7 months into this deployment and it just feels harder hitting a snag like this. I'm trying so hard to keep it together, especially around the kids, but I'm losing it honestly. I just want my husband back and my family to be together again. I know this is the life we signed up for, but that doesn't make it feel any better!
Keep on swimming!!
Well ya'll, I'd better start keeping up with this whole blogging thing a little better so I don't have to come in and write a novel like this each week!
Thanks to my readers for my very first comments! And for the recommendation on the vegan cheese! I'm happy to say that I did try the mozzarella flavored-follow your heart cheese and it was WAAAAY better than the cheddar flavored! Made for a great pizza!
Alright ya'll, 'night!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Never apologize
I began this blog with full intent of nothing but apologizing and shaming myself for a number of things--namely being so absent from the blogging world and for my indescretions in TVA.
However, the ever wise Julia Child ringing in my ear convinced me not to, so I will merely describe what is guilting me away, but I will wear it proudly!
First, why haven't I been blogging in these important weeks of Totally Vegan April?? Pure laziness. That and I have been cooking nonstop. So there.
Second, how is TVA going? I was a 17-day vegan. And a good one at that. There were a few mishaps of discovering traces of milk powder in some foods once I'd begun eating them, but aside from that I was pretty much religious. Saturday night I ate for the very first time at Maggiano's in Nashville with a very dear friend of mine whom I had a small falling out in the past couple years. I haven't seen him in two or three or talked with him in months. Bobby and I have been friends since 2nd grade. When asked at our class Christmas party what he would get me if he were Santa he answered "a Barbie doll". Why on earth is this remotely relevent? Well, to explain our relationship, for Christmas our senior year of high school, Bobby got me a Barbie doll. Anywho, over the past few years of babies, marriage, and pcs-ing to NY, we lost touch. It was a combined effort, or lack there of. It's happened with a number of my friends and basically it's no one's fault. It's just life and change and moving on. All exactly what we are supposed to be doing at this point in our lives. It's just so hard to accept that when you come back "home" to a place that remains the same after being gone and you try to fit so many activities and people into a teeny tiny week (usually last minute at that) and they have their own lives, families, jobs, school, etc it's hard not to take it personally.
So Bobby and I got all dressed up (I got to wear my new "homegrown dress" from Anthropologie and got a million compliments on it! I am in love), met up, and drove out for a night on the town in Nashville. It involved:
Cd searching at FYE and Border's. Bourbon at the Whiskey Kitchen. Hot stones. A couple wrong turns. Full bladders. Fancy bathrooms. Red gingham table cloths. Maggiano's. Reisling Chateau Ste Michele (best. wine. everrrr.). The best meal I've ever eaten. Friendly waiters. Wine giggles. Loud conversations. Calamari. Bruschetta. Pesto chicken pasta. Gnocchi in vodka sauce. Lobster linguine. Styrofoam boxes. Pictures. Cigars. Singing in the parking garage. Old Crow Medicine Show. Johnny and June. Cool air. Thick smoke. Laughter.
It was a fantastic night and I'm so glad we went.
I intended to keep up the vegan thing throughout dinner, but by God, I wanted some cheese on my italian food and cheese turned into a meal chock full of animals and their by products. I made some vegans somewhere in the world very disappointed.
Today was the March of Dimes 2 mile walk for babies at Centennial Park in Nash, and I went with mom and Kelly and brought the kids. It was super sunny and I got a little too much sun on my arms, but we had fun. We missed the food tent somehow so we went afterwards to eat at the Cheesecake Factory there at Green Hills. Oh. My. Gosh. Was I about to skip out on some cheesecake? Oh no. No I wasn't. But here's where that "don't apologize" thing comes in to play. I definitely enjoyed it. And I don't feel like a failure because of it!
Tomorrow I'm restarting Totally Vegan April, now that I've thoroughly stuffed myself until I want to vomit. I do feel sluggish and miserable, but all that food was truly amazing. I'll get back on the bandwagon soon enough!
I have experienced some pretty amazing vegan dishes in the past couple weeks, though! I'd never had quinoa before. I've made it now twice and filled it up with bell peppers, red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, and zucchini. Incredible flavors and colours. It just makes you feel wonderful and wakes up your taste buds.
I have missed cheese terribly, though...
Vegan cheese? Sucks. In a word. I tried the follow your heart cheddar flavored crap and man it was terrible.
Vegan ice cream, however. Mmmmm. My favorite is Purely Decadent Cookie-dough "non-dairy frozen dessert". The name is a mouthful, but it's wonderful. It's made with soy and coconut milk and absolutely animal-by product free. It does kind of have a playdough-y taste, but a good one? Like when you're a kid and you smell playdough and you want to eat it but when you taste it, it's just super salty? Well, it tastes like how you dreamed playdough would taste...in a good way. Does that make sense?
I'll try to post some recipes in the next few days as I try to detox out of my off-vegan weekend.
Till then, 'night ya'll
However, the ever wise Julia Child ringing in my ear convinced me not to, so I will merely describe what is guilting me away, but I will wear it proudly!
First, why haven't I been blogging in these important weeks of Totally Vegan April?? Pure laziness. That and I have been cooking nonstop. So there.
Second, how is TVA going? I was a 17-day vegan. And a good one at that. There were a few mishaps of discovering traces of milk powder in some foods once I'd begun eating them, but aside from that I was pretty much religious. Saturday night I ate for the very first time at Maggiano's in Nashville with a very dear friend of mine whom I had a small falling out in the past couple years. I haven't seen him in two or three or talked with him in months. Bobby and I have been friends since 2nd grade. When asked at our class Christmas party what he would get me if he were Santa he answered "a Barbie doll". Why on earth is this remotely relevent? Well, to explain our relationship, for Christmas our senior year of high school, Bobby got me a Barbie doll. Anywho, over the past few years of babies, marriage, and pcs-ing to NY, we lost touch. It was a combined effort, or lack there of. It's happened with a number of my friends and basically it's no one's fault. It's just life and change and moving on. All exactly what we are supposed to be doing at this point in our lives. It's just so hard to accept that when you come back "home" to a place that remains the same after being gone and you try to fit so many activities and people into a teeny tiny week (usually last minute at that) and they have their own lives, families, jobs, school, etc it's hard not to take it personally.
So Bobby and I got all dressed up (I got to wear my new "homegrown dress" from Anthropologie and got a million compliments on it! I am in love), met up, and drove out for a night on the town in Nashville. It involved:
Cd searching at FYE and Border's. Bourbon at the Whiskey Kitchen. Hot stones. A couple wrong turns. Full bladders. Fancy bathrooms. Red gingham table cloths. Maggiano's. Reisling Chateau Ste Michele (best. wine. everrrr.). The best meal I've ever eaten. Friendly waiters. Wine giggles. Loud conversations. Calamari. Bruschetta. Pesto chicken pasta. Gnocchi in vodka sauce. Lobster linguine. Styrofoam boxes. Pictures. Cigars. Singing in the parking garage. Old Crow Medicine Show. Johnny and June. Cool air. Thick smoke. Laughter.
It was a fantastic night and I'm so glad we went.
I intended to keep up the vegan thing throughout dinner, but by God, I wanted some cheese on my italian food and cheese turned into a meal chock full of animals and their by products. I made some vegans somewhere in the world very disappointed.
Today was the March of Dimes 2 mile walk for babies at Centennial Park in Nash, and I went with mom and Kelly and brought the kids. It was super sunny and I got a little too much sun on my arms, but we had fun. We missed the food tent somehow so we went afterwards to eat at the Cheesecake Factory there at Green Hills. Oh. My. Gosh. Was I about to skip out on some cheesecake? Oh no. No I wasn't. But here's where that "don't apologize" thing comes in to play. I definitely enjoyed it. And I don't feel like a failure because of it!
Tomorrow I'm restarting Totally Vegan April, now that I've thoroughly stuffed myself until I want to vomit. I do feel sluggish and miserable, but all that food was truly amazing. I'll get back on the bandwagon soon enough!
I have experienced some pretty amazing vegan dishes in the past couple weeks, though! I'd never had quinoa before. I've made it now twice and filled it up with bell peppers, red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, and zucchini. Incredible flavors and colours. It just makes you feel wonderful and wakes up your taste buds.
I have missed cheese terribly, though...
Vegan cheese? Sucks. In a word. I tried the follow your heart cheddar flavored crap and man it was terrible.
Vegan ice cream, however. Mmmmm. My favorite is Purely Decadent Cookie-dough "non-dairy frozen dessert". The name is a mouthful, but it's wonderful. It's made with soy and coconut milk and absolutely animal-by product free. It does kind of have a playdough-y taste, but a good one? Like when you're a kid and you smell playdough and you want to eat it but when you taste it, it's just super salty? Well, it tastes like how you dreamed playdough would taste...in a good way. Does that make sense?
I'll try to post some recipes in the next few days as I try to detox out of my off-vegan weekend.
Till then, 'night ya'll
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