Inquiring minds want to know- what was on the Thanksgiving menu?

Because our family has not eaten meat since the end of August,  I was frequently asked "What are you going to eat on Thanksgiving?" as we approached the year's most food focused holiday.  What that question really meant was "Are you going to eat turkey?" The short answer is no, I did not eat turkey on Thanksgiving. If that's all you wanted, you may now return to your regularly scheduled program.  If you'd like a few more details on this year's nontraditional Thanksgiving, feel free to continue reading.

Honestly, eating turkey vs. not eating turkey was a game-time decision. I had told myself it wouldn't be the end of the world if I sampled a few bites since this was a special occasion.  Once I realized that neither my husband nor my children were going to partake, I crumbled under the silent peer pressure and abstained. Ultimately, I did not regret my decision (especially when watching my mom clean up the turkey "remains" after dinner- ick!).

Avoiding the turkey was only part of the story as much of the typical Thanksgiving Day fare contains dairy products and/or eggs (and those items aren't included in our current eating experiment).  I made my standard sweet potato casserole as well as vegan-ish versions of dressing, mashed potatoes and even gravy. Whaaaaaat?  Yes, vegan gravy...never in a million years would I have thought I'd be making, let alone eating, vegan gravy.  Even writing those words makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I'm typically not a huge gravy fan, but I thought it was quite tasty!

My dessert choice was certainly not healthy (that's the idea of dessert, right?) but was technically vegan.  Thank goodness for the delicious cherry pie my mom made! And so we continue...my husband and I eating about 90-95% meat, dairy and egg free and the kids avoiding meat (of their own volition).  It can sometimes be a challenge as we continue to experiment with new recipes and food choices. I think having a personal chef could really improve my chances of sticking with this gig long term....

These chickens are his friends, right??

Even though Thanksgiving has come and gone, I will still provide the recipe for the vegan gravy I made. If you plan to put it ON something, you can easily tweak any mashed potato recipe by using non-dairy milk and Earth Balance (or similar) in place of butter.  I'm not recommending potatoes and gravy as a staple on a plant based diet, but it's great if you have an occasional hankering for some comfort food!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13799/vegetarian-gravy/

Why the vegan-ish experiment? Are you losing weight?

I call this an "experiment" as 1) we haven't been eating this way -meaning no meat and about 95% dairy and egg free- all that long and 2) I don't want to be judged if, at some point, I decide to eat a burger or want to indulge in an Reese's Blizzard (guess who took her kids to Dairy Queen last night??). I've fielded numerous questions about why I'm dipping my toe into the plant based pond, and it's tough to answer those without sounding like a holier than thou jerk (or worse). I also want to put the weight loss topic on the table as inquiring minds want to know if that's the reason behind the change.

The top reasons for the experiment are 1) I don't think incorporating more vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, etc. into the family's diet is a horrible idea and 2) my husband suggested it - and many of you know it's WAY easier to eat differently when the whole family is on board.

Beyond that, I think the change was due, in part, to my being more open to hearing messages (around health, animal agriculture, sustainability, etc.) that I'd heard before and simply being willing to jump in and give it a go.  The first three months have been challenging at times (probably not a huge surprise to those of you who have ever tried to tweak their eating habits), but overall I'm pretty happy with our efforts.


Now the true confessions part. If you're a psychologist (or play one on TV), feel free to "weigh in" on my issues.  Although I did not embark on this journey as a means to lose weight, I won't be crushed if I shed a few pounds. I have been on countless "diets" since I was a teenager (low-fat, low-carb, paleo, etc.) and not a single day goes by where I'm not conscious of what I'm eating or drinking (wine - this means you!).  For now though, I'm holding off on the scale because I'm honestly feeling better than I did three months ago - I feel less "puffy" after eating and I maintain more consistent energy levels throughout the day. I also have noticed that my workouts (which include weight training) have not suffered. In addition, it seems that some of my everyday aches and pains have diminished. This doesn't mean that I don't think about the scale- only that I'm currently focusing my attention on other components of this journey.

I know that last part was a bit heavy (pun intended), but I understand that struggles with weight are common. You'll get millions of hits if you Google "will I lose weight on a plant based diet?", so I didn't want to pretend that people aren't curious about that.  I'll move on to a lighter topic next time!

p.s. I'm planning to include a link in each post for a recipe to which we've given the thumbs up (generally speaking, my husband and I have liked most things...the girls are about 50/50.  I think there's hope for them as I only took up eating broccoli after college!).  This one is from my current favorite cookbook LOVE real FOOD by Kathryne Taylor:

https://cookieandkate.com/2013/sweet-potato-black-bean-veggie-burgers/

Damn Netflix!

Like many of you, I have watched a documentary or two over the years touting the benefits to our health, animals, the environment, etc. of eating a more, or even exclusively, plant based diet. While watching these gripping Netflix gems, I would typically think to myself, "That might be something to consider". Then I would proceed to take another bite of my cheeseburger.


Things took an unexpected turn about three months ago. I returned home from running errands only to find my husband and two daughters sucked into one of those aforementioned programs. "Oh crap!" was the PG version of what I said to myself as my normally carnivorous children announced they are now vegetarians.

I had already seen this particular documentary ("What the Health" in case you're wondering), and it didn't really stick the first time around.  Now, however, not only were my children proclaiming they are no longer eating meat, my steak burrito and McDonald's loving husband seemed to be pondering the idea of removing animal products from his diet (at least for a while).

Fast forward about three months...all of us have stayed on the no-meat eating plan. In addition, my husband and I have not eaten significant eggs or dairy products during this time (by the way, I have said on multiple occasions that I would NEVER give up cheese!)

Even though one might classify my husband and I as at least temporary vegans (or 95% vegans), I'm not sure I'm ready to label our current "experiment" as such.  It sounds a little weird and scary- just being honest.  I decided it might be fun to share our experiences with anyone who cares to read about them (probably my mom).  There's been some interesting happenings so far....so stay tuned!