Wednesday, February 23, 2011

And Now, The End is Near

Day Four, and I'm over the idea of being a vegan for a week. I spent the day feeling alternately cranky, barfy, and sick of starchy carbs.

If this experiment were a marathon, today would be like mile 20, running up First Avenue, hitting the mental wall. Except...there's no free t-shirt, no promise of a shiny mylar cape when I'm done, and it's really closer to running mile 14 somewhere out in Queens, since I just passed the halfway mark.

Strangely enough, I'm not really craving meat, so much as I'm craving vegetables. I know that sounds weird, since I can eat all the vegetables I want. But, in my effort to seek protein and avoid dairy and meat, I have been stocking up on lentils and beans, and have missed the green vegetables. I guess the idea of eating a big bowl of brussel sprouts didn't cross my mind.

Tonight I set out to make a black bean and squash chili, but ended up throwing the whole thing out. The squash had gone bad, so I couldn't add that. Then, when I tasted the beans and tomato base to see what I could add to it, I realized I don't like anything chipotle flavored. So, out it went. Meanwhile, I learned that Ritz crackers are vegan.

So, I'm thinking about throwing in the towel. It's been a fun four days. And the first couple of days were good. But this evening I feel blech. The whole point of this endeavor was to try to cook more healthy things. But instead, I found myself scarfing on Ritz crackers, instead of salad, because the only salad dressing I have in my house is non-vegan. That just doesn't make sense. And I don't even have a moral hang-up about eating meat and dairy -- I just wanted to force myself to cook more and to eat a little healthier.

I'm giving it one more day to see if things turn around.

2 comments:

Rebecca said...

:( I love Ritz though I have them with tuna or goat cheese so I can't help you there.

I think that while beans and lentils are good and full of proteins they are such a dense high fiber food that they often make you feel bloated and full. And as I have to watch my blood sugar I've learned that beans kill me. While it's a gradually arc instead of a spike it's still a carb overload and tough for my body to process.

I do love butternut squash. Dice it up into 1 inch pieces, toss it canola oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar (I use the Splenda blend.) Bake for 40 mins at 375. If it's still tough, crank it up to 400 for another 10 mins. I also like it in curry. Oh and spaghetti squase with tomato sauce is yum, too!

M said...

Keep it up! The two of you have come so far!

I'm pooing so much more than I'm used to, and I feel all cleaned out.

That said, I'm kind of over it, too, and I haven't been strict at all. Cheerios and almond milk are REVOLTING.