Day 4: Vicki Goes Vegan

My lunch yesterday was fab! I took Carrie's advice and got a little more creative, while still using up my leftovers (those bags of slaw last forever!). Check out my Vegan Nachos:





Now just don't ask about my dinner - I went out to an Italian restaurant and it was impossible to find something vegan. Well, more accurately, it was impossible once I smelled everyone else's food to find something vegan on the menu that looked appealing. I'm finding that when I eat at home it's not that hard to control - just only have vegan products on hand and then you'll be fine. But in a restaurant? That was too much for me to bear. Oh well, we can't all be perfect. But I'm trying!

Day 2: Carrie Goes Vegan!

So far, so good.

Breakfast and lunch aren't difficult for me since I'm usually on my own for those meals. Today for breakfast I had toast with peanut butter (one of my faves!) and for lunch I had a nice, healthy green salad. It was a little hard not to reach for the ranch dressing, but I happily had the Balsamic Vinegarette.

For dinner we had Summer Mediterranean Pasta and it was fantastic. The hubby didn't miss the meat in the dish because the Barilla Plus Pasta is packed with protein. And again, simple clean-up with a one dish meal like this. Ahh ... everyone is happy! (I sound really lazy and like I hate doing dishes, don't I? Well ... it's true!)

Day 1: Carrie Goes Vegan!

I'm thinking it won't be too hard to do this vegan thing. I mean, I was a strict vegetarian for 10+ years so this should be easy, right? Right. Sure, I'll miss my rich, creamy cheese & dairy products, but I won't miss the meat. I really only eat meat now because a) my husband nags me to eat it ALL THE TIME and b) I really do feel more satisfied and full after a protein-rich meal. More satisfied than I was when I was eating veggie burgers, pasta and rice.

So, for the first night of my challenge I'm making tacos. Since this isn't an entire household challenge I'm making Tacos Two Ways: Meatless Tacos for me and my 1 year old daughter and Turkey Tacos for my hubby and 3 year old son. Tacos are a favorite around my house for a host of reasons: they're simple, everyone can have them 'their way', I can make them spicy for me and mild for the husband and kids, very minimal clean up. That's a perfect meal in my book. And these vegan tacos were absolutely delicious!





Day 1's a success. Whew!