Vegan for a month?

Over the past 2 months or so I have hemmed and hawed over trying to eat less meat and dairy, and more veggies and grains. Since our eating has been completely changed by the last 18 months, this new step really doesn't seem as difficult as it might have a year and a half ago.

I am dabbling with being a vegan and with macrobiotics. The ideas make perfect sense to me, but it may be a difficult road ahead with the transformation. I understand that food has a dramatic effect on our bodies, and how the body functions with every bite. I get it. I just have a hard time actually following through, since I've had my whole life to eat whatever I felt like eating without thinking of how it might affect me. I am so emotionally attached to food that it feels like I am breaking up a 30 year relationship, granted this doomed relationship has been showing me some big red flags over the past couple of years. I cling to the thought of food and how it makes me feel, but on the other hand I am ready for a drastic change.

I love you ice cream, but I think it's time for you to move on, you are no good for me, or my family.

Ok, so what am I cutting out? Anything that had a mother, including eggs, milk and all milk products, soy, refined sugar, and caffeine (that will be a b*!@% to give up) and most other nasty products like saturated fats and high fructose corn syrup (although we eat extremely little to none of that right now). Plus we don't eat wheat at home, I don't eat it at all.

For how long? At least 60 days. 30 days to rid our bodies of these foods, and a month to try it out fully. If we feel better and the kids are still thriving and happy, we'll continue, if not we'll re-evaluate.

I have made lots of vegan friends over the last 8 years who have proven that people can survive on dandelion green salads and still be happy in life. I thought they were CRAZY 8 years ago, now I am hopping in the veggie boat and sailing off with my quinoa and kale in hand.

I am considering posting a separate blog to post all my trials and tribulations of my biggest food experiment yet. No need to update everyone on this blog. I'll post a link on the side, if you are bored and want to follow me through this. :-)

Wish me luck!

Cleared for take-off!

Our large, sweet yet dumb dog Ben LOVES to run. Along the fence line. A lot. See, we live on a corner lot, where the school bus passes every morning and afternoon, the UPS trucks zip back and forth, and the kids ride their bikes to and fro. And Ben, chases every single one of them, jumping every 10 feet or so to peek his head over the fence to say hello. Literally jumping straight up he charges up and down the 50 or so feet of our yard. Needless to say, he has made a path, well, let me change that, he has made a 4 feet wide path of mud. The grass has been destroyed as well as the ground beneath it. So we have begun a large landscaping project, I now affectionately call Ben's "runway". We are adding gravel to his path, in hopes we can eliminate the large mud pit, and the kids can play in the backyard without the need for an immediate bath (dog included). The rocks are being delivered this morning, but we still have LOTS of work to be done before they even get touched. I spent almost 7 hours in the yard yesterday digging down 5 inches, so the rocks have a bed to lay in. Russ gets to install the edging and weed control stuff while I work, then we both get to haul rocks for what seems to me will be forever.

Let's just hope the dog will actually run on the gravel. If he starts the run on the grass next to it, I am going to cry. :-) Whew! Off to work!