How ironic....

That my last post was about bacon and this post is about how I am starting a 5 day vegan challenge tomorrow....well, it's not as big of a leap as it sounds like. After buying the 1/4 pig last year and 1/2 lamb last year I began reading a lot about both the health and environmental impacts of meat. We were not big meat eaters before and bough the mass quantity because I had begun buying only local, organically fed animals and price-wise this was A LOT better deal. But....we still haven't been able to go through that much meat, have been giving it away lately and serving it to others : ) It's all great quality meat, but when your diet has shifted to a mostly plant-based one, it's hard to go through pounds and pounds of meat and I needed to clear out freezer space for my peppers, berries, tomatoes, etc. that we got this summer.

So, long story condensed a bit....I found this website of a healthy hip young Candanian nutritionalist who subscribes to a mostly vegan gluten free eating lifestyle. I've been following her blog for a bit and was intrigued when she announced a 5 day vegan challenge complete with a tutorial, menu planning, etc. It's not so far out my comfort zone that I am worried, but it is requiring a lot of meal prep today....

So far I have made a batch of apple-cinnamon muffins, quinoa tabouli, steamed cauliflower, carrot-ginger soup --- all for tomorrow -- and still have to make some sweet potato kasha patties. Gearing up for tomorrow I tried to be a wee bit more vegan about my choices today and had a cheese -free pizza on a sprouted grain tortilla for lunch (and will likely have one for dinner as well since the kiddos are having homemade cheese pizzas) and even put soy milk in my 2nd cup of coffee instead of creamer. I'll be reporting back about my progress and the food (if there are any muffins left for my breakfast. - my 5 year old has already eaten 4 of them!)

If you want to check out more about the 5 day vegan challenge, here it is:

http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2009/09/01/5-days-vegan-join-the-health-challenge/