Well, why not?

I just heard the other day about a project called "The 21 day vegan challenge." It is pretty self-explanatory. Eat vegan for 3 weeks and see how you feel after. So I thought, well, why not? I am always up for experiments, and anything to make the time pass in hands down the crappiest time of the entire year (after the holidays, before the weather gets warmer). Also, it gives me a way to expand my own culinary world, and gives me something to share with you.

Here is where I stand currently: I am not a vegan or vegetarian, nor do I put any other restrictions on my diet whatsoever. I have trained myself to have (mostly) healthy habits, so generally I can let myself eat whatever I feel like. I do recognize that the meat and dairy industries in this country are often disgusting, unsanitary, inhumane, and also that meat takes up a much larger part of the American diet than it should. Most dinners I cook have some sort of meat in them, but not all, because I don't want to depend upon it. Lastly, I could always use a few more veggies, and cutting out meat and dairy will inevitably make me eat more.

My concerns are as follows:

1. Keeping full- especially my 6'8 husband who is doing this with me. I've heard beans are the answer to this problem.

2. Time- Since I am not used to cooking this way, I am going to have to do a lot of planning. Not to mention I can't just come home from a long day's work and quickly grill a fish.

3. I am afraid that I am just going to spend 3 weeks eating bread.

4. I can take meat or leave it, but the things I am going to miss the most are dairy. I consume my fair share of eggs, butter, cheese, and yogurt, and I have never found a milk replacement that I liked- especially for my tea.

I read a little bit of advice about eating vegan, and one thing I am going to try to do is focus on what I can eat rather than what will be eliminated. Things such as: oatmeal, bread, peanut butter, pasta, various random grains, and of course fruits and vegetables.

My rules will be flexible. None of this "don't eat it if it's ever been within a half mile of an animal" nonsense that some people go by. I may even eat honey, but I haven't decided yet. And since Seattle is a vegan paradise, we will be going out to sample vegan restaurants once a week.

I'll let you know when I get started!