My Vegan journey #2

It has been 1 week and 3 days since I went dairy and meat free. I am surviving!! Actually, I'm doing better than that. I feel great! An unexpected side effect is the energy I have.
For example- this Sat. I was up with the baby at night, nursing her a few times. Then I got up early with the kids, around 6:30 or so. Bre had her princess party that day, so I had 5 young girls here with much activity for several hours. (My friend Lauren who is one of the moms stayed to help- I must confess.) After the party I finally sat down around 3 to eat lunch! Noticed I still had energy, and I was surprised. Did my weekly grocery shopping that afternoon and rushed to get home. The boys were in their Christmas play that night too! I seriously felt like the Energizer bunny! You may be thinking sure... She must have downing the Red Bull! All I had to drink was a cup or two of tea and lemonade.
I have cheated a time or two- I must admit... sneaking a nibble of meat here or there... naughty.
(but I really mean nibble!)
You may be asking- what are you eating? cardboard?
Today I made collard greens with quinoa (which is a whole grain that is a complete protein).
That was a new recipe for me and was real good! I also made gluten free, vegan cornbread to go with it. Delicious! I substituted a banana for the eggs. Like a banana cornbread, it was good. Easy too!
Another nice meal was the gf pizza I made with rice cheese. Erik tasted it and said you couldn't even tell it was gluten and dairy free! You can tell, but I was happy with it, and he was just being nice.
I used alot of corn tortillas this week, as they are very versatile. Rolled up with Pb and J, re fried beans, or quinoa and salsa. (fyi- corn tortillas work better when slightly warmed.)
I also use quinoa frequently. Piling veggies on it for a meal.
On Sunday we like to get Chinese on the way home from church (when our budget allows) and that meal worked out nice too. Broccoli with garlic sauce, white rice, and sweet and sour soup (picked out the 'pork'). It lasted 3 meals for me!
For snacks I've had tortilla chips, black bean dip (which can also be used in a meal), popcorn, and rice cakes(which my 3 youngest have eating more than I!)
I am finding I eat less and get full with smaller portions. Its hard to tell, but I feel slightly thinner, in my 'core'. And the scale tells me I lost 1-2 lbs.
I am hoping that at 'my time of the month', I will have less pain. But If I dont, I still think this may be a lifestyle change for me...
Not bad for my first week- I am pleased with myself.

the Beginnings of My Vegan Journey

Due to my suspected Endometriosis (which is soon to be confirmed by my OBGYN) I am on a journey to become dairy, meat and gluten free! I have done some research on Endo sites and it seems there are 3 options... Hormone therapy- No Thanks! A partial or full hysterectomy- No Way! OR the healthy option of eating well, having positive thoughts about my situation, and exercise/ yoga. Oh- did I mention that the hormones in pregnancy help as well? They mask the symptoms. Which Is one reason why I haven't discovered this till now! I'm either pregnant or nursing exclusively long enough that I don't have a menses till the baby is about 11 mo!! The pain in my menses on day 2 or even 1 week prior has gotten so bad, that I am literally lying on my side, fetal position, and breathing to alleviate the sharp-stabbing pain. I wont go into the details of where the pain exactly is because the main purpose of this post is to share my vegan status. So I will get on with it!
I think I might be able to do this change. I love green leafy veggies and I already was gluten free and mostly dairy free anyway.
Tonight for dinner while everyone else was eating tacos with organic beefalo- I was cooking up red quinoa to serve on soft corn tortillas I got on sale this week! I used salsa and a little Italian dressing in place of sour cream or cheese. They actually were quite good! And I almost had a third! For my lunch today I whipped up some potato kale soup. It was simmering while I made sandwiches for my crew. They were asking what is cooking that smells so good? But decided not to try it once they saw the green leafy kale in it. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day! I froze some of this healthy soup and kept some for leftovers. (kale was on sale this week as well...)
Last night the family had pork tenderloin with rice and salad. So what did I eat? You guessed it- rice and field greens! I was perfectly happy too! Pain is a powerful motivator! Yesterday for lunch I had leftover roasted squash soup that I had in the freezer and thawed out. fyi- it freezes well! That soup was made with vanilla Almond milk, squash, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It warms you all the way to your toes! Such a comfort food and easy to make. At least I think it is.
For breakfast Ive been eating rice or corn chex with the vanilla almond milk or Van's gluten free waffles. Snacks are easy too- I love popcorn! Then there's my usual gf items...tortilla chips, dairy free rice milk, kettle chips, etc...
I'm hoping Ill lose weight- so we'll see! Thanks for listening to my ramblings about being vegan!