Hi
Category: Intro- How it All Began
My name is Sherry. I am a first time blogger, adoring fan of my chihuahua Chloe and vegan jewelry designer. My mission: to engage in compassionate living, one step, one meal at a time. I’m on a quest to find people, products, places and all things edible that are an easy entree into a more compassionate lifestyle. Meat lovers to carrot lovers, join us for a journey in compassionate living. Together we can change the world one meal at a time. (See Jewelry designs on our Etsy storefront www.SolsticeD.Etsy.com ).
Everything is more fun with friends.
Chloe photo by: E. Serecky
Tags: 30 day challenge, compassionate eating, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan experience, vegan wannabe
June 6th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Hi Sherry,
I’ve been flirting with vegan diet for a long time – the emphasis on flirting….It’s not easy living in France to be vegetarian or vegan. But I’m up^for the challenge. Let’s do it one day at a time.
Bev
June 6th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Bonjour Bev,
I am so happy you are here. All each of us can do is try, see what fits our lifestyle and what helps us feel physically and emotionally wonderful. I really do believe that we create great change one step at a time, one meal at a time. I look forward to any insight, struggles and successes we can share on this journey together. Welcome!
June 13th, 2010 at 7:44 am
Hi Sherry,
I just read the article on BTL and felt compelled to introduce myself. I too had been a vegetarian until attending VegFest and hearing Rory Freedman speak. Since then I have been on a journey to eat a plant-based diet, free from dairy or anything animal related. I took Rory’s challenge to try vegan for 1 week, and here I am over 60 days later. I haven’t felt better!
I look forward to reading your journey. Best of luck to you and Sandy!
Betsy
June 14th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Hi Betsy,
I am so happy to hear from you! Congratulations on your amazing transformation! If you are willing, I would love to hear about your experience. What has been working, what hasn’t…what was easy and what has been more difficult. What have you noticed health wise that has changed?
Sandy and I are still in the hybrid stage of using some dairy. The 30 day vegan challenge begins for us on the 30th. Most days I feel like I have it all under control. Other times (especially while travelling) I am worried and a bit scared. I know our readers would really appreciate your input.
Thank you for reaching out. I look forward to sharing more.
Sherry
June 14th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Betsy, I forgot to mention that Sandy and I are going to our first vegan retreat!! I think it would be perfect for you as well. It is called: Your Food, Your Power: Vegan Eats for the Conscious Cook
The retreat is at the Leaven Center in Lyons, Michigan, July 9-11. The weekend will highlight how to create healthy, delicious meals from affordable staple foods as well as how to make seemingly sinful desserts. Participants will work together to prepare food gathered from fresh, local sources. If you’ve ever wondered how to veganize and old favorite (think sausage gravy over biscuits), navigate the grocery store, grab a snack in a hurry, plan a holiday meal or why people choose vegan, this weekend is for you.
The retreat leader, Nicole Renee Matthews has been an animal advocate her entire life. At age nine she moved from the Detroit suburbs to a 28 acre home in West Michigan. She learned how to create delicious meals from farm to table. For several years she travelled around the world with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) affecting change for animal welfare.
The Leaven Center sounds like an oasis. Meditative pathways, a spring fed stream, rolling farm land with abundant wildflowers and views of the Grand River.
The retreat begins on Friday at 7pm and ends on Sunday afternoon at 1pm.
The cost is $190.00 Per person which includes your meals, lodging and overall transformational experience! You can register on their site at: http://www.leaven.org
I have never been to a retreat, vegan or otherwise. I am over the moon with excitement. Imagine unplugging yourself to spend the weekend in a serene, meditative landscape while eating compassionate food!
I pulled the information from the Leaven Center site: http://www.leaven.org I think it sounds amazing!
Sherry
Have a great day!
June 16th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Oooh I want to go! We can’t afford it this year, but maybe (hopefully) they will have it again next year. Thanks for letting me know about it though, because all of their retreats sound like they’d be right up my alley.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced while eating a vegan diet has been to not get bored with food and to keep trying new things, which has also been one of my biggest joys in this journey. Never before have I been so open to trying new types of foods from all sorts of new places. I’d never even heard of quinoa until I became vegan, and now it’s a staple in my diet. I’m also a creature of habit, so finding vegan substitutes for my classic favorites (a good sandwich piled high with hummus, avocado, and fresh veggies on a good crusty roll has replaced my usual club sandwich) has been interesting.
The other challenge is that I am a very Lazy cook…notice the capital “L” on lazy. I do not like to stand in the kitchen for an hour cooking dinner that will take me 20 minutes to eat. I would much rather grab and go. So I do a lot of salads and sandwiches, and sometimes I’ll just put a smorgasbord of food on my plate and call it dinner.
Eating out has definitely been more difficult, because many if not all of the places I’m used to eating have virtually nothing on the menu that I would consider eating. Fortunately we now live in a neighborhood that has several vegan-friendly establishments, but more often than not I try to plan ahead by packing a snack to carry in my purse or check menus online before I try a new place just to err on the side of caution. I definitely recommend this for you guys as you travel this summer. You can only survive on veggie de-lite subs and french fries for so long! 😉
I haven’t updated in a while, but you are welcome to check out my blog to find out more about the beginning stage of my journey to a vegan diet.
June 16th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Doh – my blog is justaveganintraining.blogspot.com.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Thank you B, I will definitely check out your blog.
I completely agree, I have really enjoyed trying things I would have never tried in the past. I have also enjoyed making friends with fat again like avacados and nuts. Because I am not consuming a ton of fat free dairy products to create flavor, I am going for whole food things like hummus and guacamole on a sandwich. Yum!
As you can see from some of our recipes, we love to cook things that are easy but delicious and satisfying. Luckily, my faves for eating out are Mexican and Thai so there is always a vegan option.
There is a tiny place in Ferndale called AJ’s with the most outrageous vegan reuben sandwich. It is served with the yummiest chips and salsa. A must try if you are ever in the area.
This vegan journey is fun and scary and exciting. I have found through the blog that are many people like us that are willing to give it a try either in steps, variations or all at once. All of us taking small steps creates great change and thats what it is all about.
June 17th, 2010 at 11:46 am
I live in Berkley, so AJ’s is right down the street from us. Thanks for the heads-up – we’ll definitely check them out!
June 19th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
It is a must try local eatery. They also have a vegan scramble that sounded amazing. We have only tried the Rueben and were amazed. Have you tried the Fly Trap in Ferndale? The food is out of this world and very, very unique. Their menu is online at: http://www.theflytrapferndale.com, but they always have daily specials that will blow you away. Get your eat on! If you and J have tried other places that rock, please share.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Hey Sherry: Here is a crisis. Bassetts Licorice Allsorts contains gelatin from crushed animal bones. Any ideas for a wannabe vegan? ~ Karen
July 18th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Karen,
Here is a website that has oodles of vegan candies and treats, including an abundance of licorice. Their prices seem fair and they have a ton of cool things to choose from. When you are searching the site you can specify vegan and it will only show you the vegan edibles that they carry. Its a good start.
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/vegan-licorice
July 19th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Karen,
Sandy told me that she has already been on the mission of solving this dilemma for herself. She is a licorice lover from way back. She went to the bulk food store and perused the aisles. They always have many different flavors and styles of licorice. Every bin will have the ingredients posted so you can see which ones do and do not have gelatin. She misses the Licorice Allsorts too.
August 11th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
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