Keeping My Promise

At the beginning of the year I said that I was going to start eating more healthy and start making some changes to be more healthy overall. Well I did not make good on that promise at all over the first month and a half of 2012. But I realized that I was getting out of control with letting myself just do whatever I wanted at times and then at other times being so sparse with what I ate that it wasn't good for me either. So I decided last weekend that it was time to make a change, yes I did realize that Valentine's Day was Tuesday. But what I did was have one day of fun on Sunday where I ate my little heart out on food that I love and then vowed to make a fresh start on Monday. Well there were circumstances beyond my control on Monday and it had to start on Tuesday. Believe me I wanted to turn back but I decided to just go ahead and start. What I started was the Kathy Freston 21 day vegan cleanse. I have done it once before in 2008. I had great results and felt a marked improvement in my health when I did this cleanse the first time so I am aiming at recapturing that but also using it as a spring board for starting anew with my eating habits.

This past week went well. I had soy yogurt for breakfast, Tofurkey for lunch, stir fry for dinner, and rice cakes with almond butter for snacks. It was a little tough at first but the first few days are the hardest. Then I thought about the fact that I was eating packaged foods that were most likely not that great for me so I started to look for recipes online. I found a great recipe for lentil soup. Today I went out and bought the ingredients for the soup. Then I happened to catch an episode of Food for Thought with Claire Thomas and she was making a gluten free chocolate chip walnut banana bread. So this week I picked up the ingredients for that as well. I'm excited about this new facet to this vegan cleanse that I hadn't thought about before: actual cooking. I have been cooking for my mom and I since I came here last year and I have enjoyed actually making my food rather than eating fast food or microwavable food. My mom didn't really cook when I was growing up so I have been winging it as a adult but I am really starting to enjoy the cooking process and I am looking forward to learning more vegan and healthy recipes.

Also the Wal-Mart near my house totally shocked me today with its amazing selection of gluten free products. There was a nice assortment of Bob's Red Mill baking flours, gluten free lasagna, gluten free, dairy free cookies, and also xanthan gum for gluten free baking which thankfully Wal-Mart sells in 1/2 tsp packs so I didn't have to buy a $12 bag! I am so glad because with Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart I can make it through the vegan cleanse without constant meal repeats!

Will post pics of the soup and bread! (if it turns out right)