The Start of Something...

I have been wanting to write about this topic for quite awhile now.  There has been a shift in me, maybe unnoticeable to some.  I finally feel free to stand up for myself and the way I want to eat.  There have been many obstacles I've had to face, which is why it took me more than 2 years to finally make the change.  A lot of the people in my life have been a force against my healthy eating, but ultimately, the change had to come from me.  I had to be prepared.  I have to be mentally ready for it.  

There was a lot of guilt for awhile.  Well, for years.  Mike loves to cook, and he loves to share what he cooks with others.  But the majority of his meals have always been meat based.  Loads of fat and dairy.  So, the issue with that was with me. Not him.  I had to learn to put myself first for a change and do what was right for me.  He isn't heartbroken like I thought.  He doesn't resent me for eating plant based.  It was in my head.  Hurdle #1....  conquered!

 Please understand...  my motivation in sharing this journey is not to persuade anyone to go vegan.  There are enough people out there doing that.  And everyone has their own journey to follow in their own time.  I'd like to share this because there are so things stacked against us when we're trying to eat healthier, and earth and animal friendly.  There is misleading information everywhere!  If I can help anyone make their transition easier by sharing my path, I will have done what I set out to do.  But please, if this does not interest you, I will not be offended if you opt out of reading this humble little blog.  

I do have to say, I do have a few things going for me that made at least my decision to go plant based easier.  One is that I never limit myself by saying things like "I can never give up coffee" or "I just couldn't live without cheese".  I guess it's that little rebel in me, but I have never cut myself off from a challenge by thinking that way.  Maybe my positivity has always won, but saying I could never do something is negative to the extreme, if you ask me.  I just don't give myself limits.  You cannot imagine the doors that open when you say yes to things.  (Reasonable things, anyway). 

 As it turns out, I didn't even give up coffee this time.   I didn't give up sugar either.  There are bigger fish to fry.  (Using that term ironically, of course, lol).

So, as I need to go on with day 23 of my plant based journey, I will end this here.  Please leave comments if this interests you.  Even if you are thinking of eating more vegetables for health, or eating to help the planet, let me know.  It will help me to stay focused.

Anonymous negative comments are not productive, so if you are inclined to leave them, go write your own blog instead!  

Thank you for reading!  Now go outside and play!

Cilantro growing in the weeds!

Beans growing in the weeds!

Kale growing in the... notice a pattern?  Could I be a lazy gardener?  :)

Day One of Eating Only What I Grow

Well, my last night of eating whatever I want is over.  Seems fitting that it was my favorite holiday, Halloween!  But I didn't really go crazy with food or anything.  I ate some candy of course.  It was Halloween, after all. And I drank a small can of Pepsi.  I don't drink soda very often, but it was my last night.  I had to try being bad.  I was carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds so I ate lots of those.  I didn't really even eat dinner.  I guess I was just excited for this adventure to start.

Mike is in the kitchen cooking something that I can't eat right now.  Oh, I think he's making tuna or something.  He must be finished though because Little (the cat) is watching me type.  

My morning so far has been uneventful.  I am drinking blackberry leaf and plantain tea instead of coffee.   No sugar.  No milk.  I really like it.  Blackberry leaf is most similar in flavor to black tea.  These are some of the leaves I dried during the summer.

I'm going to eat fresh stuff from the garden today.  I don't want to break in to my stored food until I have no other alternatives.  I have celery, parsley, turnip and beet greens, broccoli, onions and garlic in the garden still.  I also have oat, lentil and sunflower sprouts.  My breakfast this morning will be some of those things.  And what ever wild food is out there still.  

So here I go.  I'll update you tomorrow.  Have an enchanted day everyone!

Thank you for the rain!

I don't know about you, but I was totally energized by the rain we received this morning.  It feels like the sticky summer heat was washed off of me and I feel like I can go out and plant my midsummer plants now.  I wasn't even going into the garden the last few days because the grass was crunchy and it hurt my feet and it was so hot, I'd pull a few weeds and come in the house and collapse from heat exhaustion.  (I'm exaggerating a little...)

Ruby snores when she sleeps. 

I woke up this morning around 4am.  Over the sound of the fan, I could hear grumbling.  I thought maybe Ruby was snoring, so I turned down the fan, and yep, it was thunder off in the distance.  Possibly over the lake...  I was so excited.  We haven't had rain in what feels like months.  And what came in the hours after was that raging thunderstorm of my dreams!  How I have missed thunderstorms!  We got so much rain that both our rain barrels (which have been empty most of the summer) were completely filled and running over! 

Cali watching out the kitchen window for the rain to come...

So thank you to all of you who were praying for rain too.  I'm sure the farmers were happy this morning too.  It was everything I hoped it would be. 

The gardens are smiling.