Happy Friday!!! I had a quick and easy breakfast this morning, one that I imagine would be very kid-friendly, too (can’t say for certain cuz I ain’t got no chillens of my own). Breakfast Sushi!
This is so fast and easy. And you just need four things:
- tortilla
- nut butter
- fruit
- cinnamon
That’s it! My choices this morning were a whole wheat tortilla, raw almond butter and half a pear. And cinnaminnamin of course. Roll it all up, cut in segments and voila! I have a feeling I would have loved this as a kid – it’s swirly, it’s tasty, it’s bite-sized and it’s total finger food. What’s not to love? (I also made a plum breakfast sushi here – the varieties are endless!).
Now for the announcement I said I was going to make last night. It’s much more of an update, though. During the month of September I held my own Vegan Venture, where (primarily for health reasons) I decided to try going vegan for a month. You can read about several reflections I had along the way here: Out of Town Vegan Reflections and Non-Vegan Cravings.
To summarize some thoughts I’ve had along the way (in bullets because I’m not obsessed with lists or anything):
- Eating a vegan diet is very easy when you are preparing food for yourself.
- It actually wasn’t terrible eating alongside my carnivorous hubby. (He usually ate the vegan dinner I made most nights, and did his own thing for breakfast, lunch and when we went out to eat).
- If you’re eating a vegetarian or vegan diet, you need to make sure you are including a healthy, balanced diet. Like I told Ross before this whole thing began: you could eat PB&J, potato chips, french fries and soda pop and be a vegan. Be a veg-head, not a junk or carb-head!
- I actually feel like it’s easier to listen to my body and what it needs since I’ve been on a vegan diet.
- I realized that I had a tendency to feel resentful of a vegan diet in instances where I felt out of control of my eats (like if you go to a very non-vegan friendly restaurant with family and you feel like you’re stuck with a lettuce leaf).
- That being said, there is always a vegan alternative.
- I really love the challenge of creating vegan recipes.
- I have felt so. much. better. My energy levels have soared, my stomach issues have (for the most part) disappeared, my asthma has improved some (positive side effect of no dairy) and I have felt a lot better about what I’m fueling my body with.
Those are just a few of the thoughts I’ve had along the way. So, the big question…is Lindsey going vegan?
For the most part…..yes.
I really love the improvements I’ve seen to my health and my body since trying out veganism. I really would like to continue to see how my body can continue to improve. Sure, I have definitely had cravings (most recently for frozen yogurt!) but for the most part it’s easy to say no to the cravings because I know that 1. they’re emotional, and 2. my stomach will be a mess and I’ll feel miserable afterward.
For the most part I’ll be practicing a vegan-based diet. Same as before – nothing with a face or that came from a face. No animal products, no seafood, no eggs, no dairy, nada. Why do I keep saying for the most part? Because I know there will be instances where participating in the moment or the culture will mean more to me than a possible tummy ache later on. For example: if I ever go back to Italy, you can bet I’ll enjoy some gelato, pizza, and fresh mozzarella di buffala. Yum! If I ever get to Paris I’m pretty sure I may try out a French pastry without worrying if it’s vegan or not. If I ever go 0n a mission trip to Africa or India, I am probably going to have to make do with the food options presented to me. If I ever go to a really fancy schmancy food festival or fancy dinner, I may try several non-vegan options if it’s something that I’ve never tried and may never get to try again.
So there you have it. I will be continuing my vegan challenge to see how I can continue to improve my health. Like I mentioned in my Welcome and About Me, I am constantly trying to be as healthy as I can be, and veganism is just one more thing I can do right now to assist all the other areas I’m working on. 
Does anyone have any questions? Concerns? Don’t know if you have “what it takes” to be a vegan or don’t know where to start? Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email, I’d be happy to discuss anything with you guys.
Time to get crackin’ on my Friday morning – see you all later (I’m already tossing lunch ideas around in my head!).Ciao!
Sounds like a very practical approach to veganism. I’ve always been so curious about trying it out–and you may have sold me with the health benefits. I’ve had GI probs, and I often wonder how I’d feel if I completely eliminated animal products. But the whole no cheese thing deters me every time…
No dairy made me really hesitant for a long time too. I LOVE ice cream, cheese, frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt, cheesecake…you name it, I loved it. However, as time went on and I eliminated other things, I knew it was the dairy. As much as I love dairy and still occasionally miss it, the way I’ve felt since going vegan is so much more valuable to me.
Plus there are plenty of great substitutes. I love using avocado on subs, salads, burritos, etc. instead of cheese, there are plenty of wonderful vegan ice cream options, you can even find and make vegan cheesecake, and so much more. There is vegan cheese, too (Vegan Gourmet is a one that’s pretty decent).
Glad the vegan thing has gone so well for you, that is how I feel about going gluten free!
Happy Friday!
That breakfast sushi looks SO good! What a fun breakfast
Glad you’re enjoying the vegan challenge. “I realized that I had a tendency to feel resentful of a vegan diet in instances where I felt out of control of my eats” – that happens to me a lot. For example, a few weeks ago we went out for a celebration dinner and there wasn’t anything remotely healthy/vegetarian on the menu. I was in SUCH a bad mood going into dinner that I completely lost perspective as to why we were going out in the first place. It’s just something we have to live with!
I love the breakfast sushi idea! Looks so yummy!
I think that it’s great that you’ve gone vegan. I don’t think I could take that step myself but I have great respect for people who can!
What a fun breakfast idea!
That wrap looks fabulous! I bet it would be really good grilled
The breakfast sushi looks so good! I am glad you’ve found a lifestyle that works so well for you and that you’re going with it but giving yourself room in the future. I’ve considered vegan before but I have no negative side effects from eating dairy so I haven’t felt too compelled as of yet.
Have a good weekend girl!
Coming from a mom, yes, the breakfast sushi is very kid-friendly!
Oh, and when you go back to Italy…TAKE ME!!!!! Hehe
I love breakfast sushi. I make mine with bananas. So good!
That sounds like a very “sound” vegan plan, Mrs. LC! I enjoy listing out my rashionals with bullet points too. I’m so glad you have found a lifestyle that supports the real lifestyle you want to have (does that make any sense? Cause it totally made sense in my head before I typed it! haha.)
Enjoy your weekend!
PS. Your breakfast sushi is very cute…I think I will have to play around with this idea myself!
Your swap to veganism sounds a lot like mine! I did it over 4 years ago and noticed my debilitating cramps and seasonal allergies completely disappeared! That alone was worth it, and I find it so fun to come up with healthy veg recipes too. One thing I can’t seem to give up is fish, especially sushi (your breakfast sushi is so cute!) but even cutting out all other meat and dairy has done wonders for me. Good luck as you make the swap!
[...] was inspired by Lindsey’s Breakfast Sushi the other day – she had a wrap with almond butter, a pear, and cinnamon. So I ran with [...]
I have really enjoyed reading about your Vegan Venture and I started one myself. I have to say, for the most part it is easy but there are those moments when I realize how hard some situations can be (like eating out, being with family, etc).
I’m just now getting to the point where I am ready to start making some awesome vegan recipes. I’m burnt out on convenience foods!
I’m glad you are going to continue (for the most part!) and I look forward to reading more about your journey!
I can’t wait to try this for breakfast, or just for a snack. Thanks for sharing it with us. Thanks.
[...] I experimented with veganism and decided to have a vegan-based diet. [...]
[...] I decided to make something super simple that I’ve been wanting to try since seeing it on Lindsey’s blog. [...]
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