Just three little days left in the Veganuary challenge.

1/29/2018 MONDAY!!!!!

Hello Monday! It’s Thade’s Birthday!  The kids are back to school, and James is in Florida for convention. That calls for easy meals, and lots of crochet, and couch time. I’m taking a personal day!

A little bit of crochet, and a whole lot of The Expanse on amazon prime. I’m a huge sci-fi nerd, and it really is my very favorite show.

I made a little brunch of the rest of the homemade vegan bread, pizza sauce, and sliced avocados. It was absolutely delicious. I’ve got to get back in the kitchen and restock my bread.

I wasn’t quite hungry when it was time for lunch, so I grabbed a bowl of sushi rice with soy sauce before I picked up the kids at school.

Dinner was pizza for the boys, and Agnes was sick with a fever and headache. She was absolutely miserable, so she really didn’t want anything. I grabbed all of the odds and ends in the fridge and freezer, and whipped up a quick rice bowl.

The rice bowl was delicious, and it kept me away from the cheese pizza.

And on to Tuesday:

Agnes is home sick today, but thankfully the fever has passed. She still has a pretty bad headache, and she really doesn’t feel like eating much. When it was time for lunch, she said that maybe rice sounded good. I made a batch of Jasmine Rice for her, and a big batch of Quinoa for me, and the fridge.

I sauteed up some Butternut Squash, Corn, and Brussels Sprouts. I added them on top of a big bowl of Quinoa and Nutritional Yeast. It was fantastic, and I have plenty of ready made Quinoa for future meals.

Dinner was Spicy homemade vegan Rice Noodle soup with a side of Edamame.

I was starting to come down with the gunk that Agnes had, so I decided to ward it off with spicy kimchi and lots of garlic in my homemade soup. Well it didn’t keep the flu-bug away, but it was really delicious.

Before I knew it, it was the last day of Veganuary…

Agnes was still home sick with the flu, and I wasn’t feeling too hungry myself. I made a quick rice bowl with lots of veggies for lunch.

When it was dinner. I finished off the Kale & Quinoa bites in fridge. I also roasted some Brussels Sprouts, and made a baked Sweet Potato.

It was delicious! And I made it!

Thirty-one days completely Vegan!!! I’m pretty darn happy about that!

It’s the last week in the Veganuary challenge, and I can’t believe that I’ve made it!

• January 29, 2018 Monday: It’s Thade’s Birthday, and I’ve got to make brownies, and order a whole bunch of pizzas. I also can’t eat any of them… Seeing the pizza, this was the first time that I didn’t have to have a slice, or two, or five. I made a quick rice bowl for me, and took care of a very sick Agnes. Pretty strange birthday for Thade, but he said it was pretty awesome too.
• January 30, 2018 Tuesday: Just two more days to go! Agnes is home sick today. I’m hoping that this is one of the quick little bugs going around, and not the proper flu. So far she has been fever free, but she still isn’t 100%. I’m catching up on dishes, and stocking the fridge with Quinoa and Rice. Having items ready to go makes for very easy meals for me, and then I won’t eat the leftover cheese pizza hiding in the fridge.
• January 31, 2018 Wednesday: It’s the last day of the challenge, and I can’t believe that I made it through the entire month. Today I just ate vegan as always, and I really don’t know if I’m going back. This challenge has changed my eating habits for good.

Hello Week #4 of the Veganuary Challenge! To be honest, this week I didn’t even have a second thought of my meals being different, this was a very easy week in vegan-land.

Monday 1/22/2018

I made a simple dinner of Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Kale & Quinoa Bites, and a little bit of Spaghetti with nutritional yeast, and plenty of black pepper. James and I love Brussels Sprouts, but the kids think that they are completely gross.

Tuesday 1/23/2018

Most days I get really busy and forget to make myself lunch. That is until I am absolutely starving, and hangry. I gathered up some odds and ends in the fridge and made some super fast Veggie and Rice Burritos.

For dinner I made Baked Potatoes with way too much vegan butter replacement, and nutritional yeast. I have no shame, I even ate the skins.

Wednesday 1/24/2018

I made a yummy and very hearty lunch out of odds and ends in the fridge. This ended up being a stew of Garbanzo Beans, Broccoli, Tomatoes, leftover Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and some Artichoke Hearts for good measure. It was really delicious.

For Dinner I made some Veggie Fajitas!

I still had some leftover vegan Mexican Rice in the fridge, and it made a delicious side to the tasty veggie fajitas.

Thursday 1/25/2018

I made a quick soup for lunch out of leftovers. This was a spicy soup full of Tomatoes, Homemade Salsa, Corn, Vegan Mexican Rice, leftover Fajita Veggies, and Garbanzo Beans. I’ve really been using up every bit of what I’ve got in the fridge this week.

For dinner I made some Vegan Macaroni and Cheese. It has become one of my very favorite dishes, and it comes together in a flash.

Friday 1/26/2018

Quick lunch of Veggie Wraps and Pita Chips. Even James thought these looked good.

At dinner time Agnes said that she wasn’t feeling too good, and the only thing that sounded good was vegan sushi.

So of course I had to make her a plate. I also sliced up a Gala Apple to help her tummy out.

I made a plate for me too. My goodness Vegan Sushi is my very favorite meal on the planet. It is just the best. I made mine with fresh Avocado, and spicy Kimchi. Of goodness, how I love sushi!

Saturday 1/27/2018

Saturday was another busy day, and we were out of the house at odd times for soccer games. I made brunch for Dylan and Thade, and then lunch for the rest of us after Agnes’ game. I grabbed all things fresh for me, and it was delicious. I had a tart Blood Orange, perfect Avocado, Cauliflower, and Carrot Sticks. I had a little bit of Italian dressing for dipping.

When it was time for dinner, the kids wanted take-out, but couldn’t decide on a place. They finally settled on two spots, and after all the running around from Saturday, I didn’t feel like cooking for myself. Off to the fridge to see what I can throw together and call dinner.

I finished off the Fajita Veggies, added in a little Homemade Salsa, finished off some Tomatoes hiding in the fridge, and added in a few Garbanzo Beans for good measure. I heated it up on top of pre-cooked Sushi Rice, and I made a delicious dish. I also cleaned out the fridge.

• Sunday 1/28/2018

I can’t get enough of this vegan mac and cheese. It really has become my very favorite dish. I made a batch of this for lunch, and yes, I ate every single bite.

When it was dinner time, I was making Baked Ziti for the kids, but because of all of the cheese, I had to make something else for me.

I still had some homemade vegan bread hanging out in the freezer, so I whipped up some mini vegan pizzas. They were fantastic!

I’m starting the last few days of the Veganuary challenge on Monday, and I really can’t believe that I’m at the end of the month.

This week I learned a lot… I learned that I can’t cook bacon without gagging, that I WILL NEVER eat red meat ever again in my life (the smell, the color), and that I’m pretty darn grossed out anytime I’m making chicken too. I don’t think that my family is going to be too happy about it.

Now onto the good side, I am loving this plant based lifestyle, and this time I think it is going to stick.

I made this insanely delicious lunch while the heater was still out. I had some leftover Quinoa, and it was just enough for lunch. I made a tasty tomato sauce and added in artichoke hearts, and capers, once the sauce was bubbly I added in the quinoa. I toasted up a few pieces of my handmade vegan bread to catch all of the yummy sauce. It was seriously delicious! I’ll be making this one again soon.

This quick little stir-fry bowl was lunch in a hurry. It’s just broccoli, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans cooked in veggie stock and plenty of soy sauce. I love garbanzo beans, they have a mild flavor, and they take on other flavors well.

My freezer has a good stock of vegan chili hanging out in it. It makes a easy lunch on a cold, snowed-in day.

I have become obsessed with adding nutritional yeast to every dish that I can. I made cheesy-mashed potatoes with Kale & Quinoa bites. This meal was really good, and very simple to make.

One of my all-time favorites!!! Not tuna salad with saltines. I love this stuff, and so does my kiddo Dylan. It is a snap to make, just pickles, celery, and garbanzo beans. It keeps for a few days in the fridge, and it just keeps getting better.

Hello Vegan Mac & Cheese! I really loved this dish. I added in broccoli and cauliflower for good measure, and this is indeed dairy free. The sauce is rice milk, vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, butter replacement, salt & pepper. I ate every single bite.

I love tacos, crunchy tacos, soft tacos, and street tacos. So I decided to make a batch of vegan street tacos. The kids were even curious about this dish. I double up the corn tortillas so the filling stays in these over-stuffed tacos. This batch was homemade vegan Mexican rice, freshly made guacamole, shredded lettuce, and topped off with homemade salsa. I also had a good serving of chips and homemade guacamole. I think I could eat avocados all day, every day, and for everything.

I’ve been trying my best to sneak in vegan foods for my family to try without them knowing it.

Breakfast for dinner is a great way to do just that trickery. Everybody even tried the blueberries.

Did I already mention just how much I love vegan mac and cheese!?! I had to make it again. This time with more veggies though.

Homemade Vegan Taco Salad is the best! I topped this one off with lots of fresh avocado. I’ve been running into some absolutely perfect avocados at the store lately.

The Veganuary challenge has been much easier than I thought it would be. I am feeling pretty darn fantastic too. I’m not missing the dairy at all, and I’m not missing all of those Lactaid caplets either. I’m ready for Week 4!

And here we go, it’s week three!

• Monday 1/15/2018: Well, the heater is still out, and the kids are out of school today too. I’m making quick trips downstairs to cook, do laundry, and wash dishes, and then I run as quickly as I can back upstairs. Today, I’ve been hungry… But I do have the upstairs stocked with regular snacks, and vegan snacks for me too.
• Tuesday 1/16/2018: The kids were out for a snow day, and that means another day that I won’t be going to the store… I have plenty on stock to make meals for me, but I’m running low on snacks for everyone else.
• Wednesday 1/17/2018: Finally, the kids were back in school. The roads were a mess, so I put off the trip to the store for one more day. James was out of town for meetings, so that meant dinner for just me and the kiddos. That calls for Spaghetti! The kids happily ate vegetarian for dinner, and I stuck with a vegan option. No complaints
• Thursday 1/18/2018: Today I woke up, poured a glass of Almond Milk while I packed the kids lunches, and I was good to go through school drop-off. I still haven’t gone to the store, I’m being lazy. Agnes has soccer practice tonight, and it is right smack dab in the middle of dinner time. I’m thinking of grabbing some take-out for the kids after school, and then making late dinner after 6:30 p.m. I’m not really on a schedule with my meals, and I grab whatever I have on hand, so I’m not too worried. Also I can’t believe that I have made it 18 days!
• Friday 1/19/2018: I finally got out of the house, and to the stores. We were out of just about everything. I founds lots of tasty fruits and veggies on sale, so I’m set for a bit.
• Saturday 1/20/2018: The kids have their first soccer games today, so we picked up take-out on the way home for the family. I had the fridge stocked up with plenty of stuff for me, so it was no big deal.
• Sunday 1/21/2018: Three full weeks and counting!!! I can’t believe that I have made it twenty-one days so far! I really didn’t think that I would make it a full week. The longest time I’ve been vegan before was five days. This time around though, it has been fun and easy to change the way I’m eating. I’ve enjoyed cooking lots of new dishes, and my family has even tried a few new things too. Let’s go week four!