One Week Down

So, I have now been vegan for an entire week, and surprisingly, it's been far less painful that I thought.
Here's some stuff I've learnt in my first week:

1. Veganism essentially means that you can't be lazy with what you eat. You have to think ahead.
2. Cheese. I really bloody miss cheese.
3. You have to check that you're wine is Vegan... So yes, that girl in Sainsbury's is me. Not sorry.
4. Alpro Soya grows on you, and I will probably never go back to grim, grim cow juice.
5. Being Vegan is not an excuse to live off Oreos, but damn it I will try anyway.
6. Re: #5, Oreos are vegan, as are Jelly Tots. Praise the Lord.
7. Giving up Quorn has been harder than giving up chocolate.
8. I can actually cook.

It's actually been quite fun, so far, apart from tofu. I've decided that unless I'm eating at Wagamama's where the Tofu dishes are always on point, I am not attempting tofu again... I always mess it up.
Overall though, it's been making me feel like a Vegan Gordon Ramsey (minus the wrinkly forehead but with just as much swearing). I've been instagramming away like a goodun because, sometimes, selfies get boring and I'm on a mission to prove that no, I haven't just committed to eating leaves for 40 days.

Mixed veg & Tofu stir-fry with wholemeal noodles.

My first big culinary step was the vegan stir-fry. Stir-fry's are quick and easy, despite the fact that I asked my housemate about a million questions as I went along. All the Blue Dragon products are clearly labelled vegan and vegetarian, which made life so much easier as i seriously cba (can't be arsed) standing around the aisles of Sainsbury's reading food packet after food packet.

Three Bean Vegan Chili

My next step was to make a chili. Having been a veggie for almost 11 years, I make a good Chili sin Carne (see what I did there?), but thought that making a vegan chili would be horrendous since I haven't found any soy mince yet, and I can't use Quorn mince since that contains egg (*weeps*). However, throw in a can of mixed pulses (kidney beans, broad beans and chickpeas), some onion, some garlic, a few chilies and some tomatoes and I created something edible and tasty. Mixed it in with some Uncle Ben's Mexican Rice for good measure. T'was da one.

Not cheesy deliciousness but it was 3am and I was shitfaced.
Who cares?

Now, obviously I am a student (and for those of you who know me, a Devlin), so drinking is integral to my mental well being and after a night out there is nothing better than having the drunk munchies. My favourite 3am snack? Cheesy Chips. There is no one dish more delicious but, since I've committed to going vegan, cheesy chips are off my menu. Even just plain old chips are off my menu, since the oil the takeaway's use probably doesn't even qualify as vegetarian. So, in the early hours of Saturday morning, as my friends piled into one of Fallowfield's many takeaways and ordered themselves some post-night out treats, I just waited patiently until we got home. Once in, I made myself some toast with olive oil and hummus.

Did I feel boring as fuck, whilst my friends tucked in to their greasy delights? Of course!
Did I feel bloated, ashamed and regretful of by drunk-time snacking the next morning? Absolutely not!
Plus, picking toast over my beloved cheesy chips probably saved me from consuming an extra 80 million calories, which can't be a bad thing really.




On the whole though, breakfast has by far been the easiest meal to go vegan with. Porridge made with AlproSoya instead of cow's milk, banana & almond butter milkshakes (again with Alpro) and toast with almond butter (I'm big on almond butter, it's the Peanut Butter of 2014) have all been helping my start mornings...


Well, if I've been up in time!

-xo