What the Hell Do You EAT???

If you read my last post, "Reasons to go Vegan" and are thinking about giving it a try, you might be wondering to yourself, "So, what the hell do you eat???" I know it sounds IMPOSSIBLE to avoid, meat, eggs, milk, cheese and butter, but if I can do it, I know anyone can do it. I don't live in a city with lots of conveniences and health food stores. I haven't even been to a Whole Foods store yet because they're all so far away from me. I have found a few items at a Trader Joe's store that is about 1/2 hour away from us, but mostly, I've just been shopping at the local supermarket.

I knew when I started this that there would probably be days when I struggled to think of what to eat, so I started keeping a food journal, so that on those tough days I could just flip back and find inspiration. Here's a list of all the stuff I've eaten in the past month...maybe it'll inspire you to give veganism a try:

Breakfast:

Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon
Cereal with Rice Dream rice milk
All kinds of fruit (blueberries, cantaloupe, bananas, strawberries, clementines, mango, grapes, peaches)
Toast, bagel, or english muffin with Earth Balance buttery spread (made of vegetable oil)
Juices

Lunch/Dinner:

Grilled soy cheese sandwich with tomato made with Earth Balance buttery spread
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Spinach salad with chickpeas and red beans and italian dressing or Annie's Goddess dressing
Tofu and veggie sandwich with vegenaise (imitation mayo)
Veggie burger
Veggie wrap with hummus, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, onion, carrots, tomato
Potato chips, french fries, onion rings
Hummus, tomato, spinach pita pocket
Spaghetti with marinara sauce and grilled eggplant
Tomato/cucumber/lettuce/pesto sandwich
Pizza with veggies and no cheese
Amy's brand vegan soups
Amy's brand vegan bean burrito
Nachos with beans, salsa, jalapenos, guacamole and no cheese
Vegetable/tofu fried rice
Spring rolls
Veggie bean burrito
Curried cauliflower and potatoes with roti (Indian flatbread)
Patra (without the yogurt...interestingly, it tasted the same)
Gujarati dal with rice
Indian spinach roti
Curried okra with roti
Samosas (savory Indian pastries with a spicy potato filling)
Asian salad with soy ginger dressing
Pasta with garlic oil
Italian bread/roll/toast with Earth Balance
Seaweed salad
Cucumber sushi
Avocado sushi
Vegetable lo mein
Falafel
Lots of vegetables (spinach, edamame, carrots, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, eggplant, mushrooms, corn, cauliflower, okra, potatoes, avocado, green beans)
Juices

Desserts/Snacks

Toffutti Cutie imitation ice cream sandwiches (taste like the real thing!)
Edy's Whole Fruit Bars (I've tried the mango and strawberry varieties...both great)
Vegan chocolate chip cookie (from the Alternative Baking Company)
Vegan chocolates (from the Harbor Candy Shop...we went on vacation to Ogunquit, Maine and the local candy shop had vegan candy! It was SO yummy...I got the peanut clusters, peanut butter cups, and the almond bark...You can order online too...)
Vegan apple turnover (from the Bread and Roses Bakery...also in Ogunquit, ME! There must be a lot of vegans up there...)
Fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds

Finally, I also drink mostly water now and stopped drinking coffee (since I only liked it with milk anyway) and stopped drinking soda (since I like juice better anyway). And, I've had a couple of glasses of wine and a few cocktails in the past month (but not all at the same time)! Vegans don't eat meat, but we can still party! Yay...

As for other things, you can pretty much use your common sense. Read the ingredient labels and if there isn't any meat or dairy, you're good! In general, it's best to avoid stuff with too many ingredients. Also, be careful because some ingredients are dairy-derived (like "casein"). After a while, it'll be easy to spot.

Anyway, I hope you can tell from my list that I LOVE TO EAT and that you don't need to sacrifice taste to live in a healthy way! Please let me know if you guys have any more tips or ideas for meals...I'd love to try some new things. I just got a couple of vegan cookbooks, so I'll have some more meal ideas in the future.