Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Change Your Life This Year!

One year ago, I was gearing up for my approaching vegan transition by eating macaroni and cheese, and ziti casserole; I had my last cheeseburger, and bowl of cereal with milk. At the time, I was excited about my shift to veganism, but it was far outside of anything I knew, so I was anxious as well. I started perusing Post Punk Kitchen and Vegan Yum Yum for appealing recipes, and asking my one vegan friend for tips. I planned and shopped for my first vegan dinner, White Bean and Rosemary Soup. It turned out deliciously, but I missed the usual sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

I got a Zipcar and made the trek out to Fresh Pond, where they have a Trader Joe’s and a Whole Foods. Armed with Trader Joe’s list of Vegan Products, I walked up and down every aisle, picking up whole wheat pizza dough, roasted red pepper hummus, spinach, arugula, and baby bok choy. I crossed the street to Whole Foods for pears, Chana Masala, and a vegan Cherry Berry Pie.  Outfitted with 5 bags of groceries, I felt ready for the next 6 weeks of my new food life. Some things were awesome, like Annie Chun’s Noodle Bowls and the Thai Vegetable Gyoza. Other’s were totally unpalatable, like the meatless meatballs.

Over the next few weeks, I camped out at book stores reading Colleen Patrick Goudreau’s The Joy of Vegan Baking, and Toni Fiore’s Totally Vegetarian. I tried vegan chocolate cupcakes, mushroom bourguignon, and went to my favorite falafel place in Berkeley. Being vegan became easier and easier, and I started feeling light, joyful, and alive. Those six weeks changed the course of my life.

I’m not Catholic, so Lent isn’t imbued with a lot of spiritual significance for me. Rather, it is an opportunity for me to take on a challenge, and encourage myself to grow and change. It sounds cheesy (or should I say corny), but there’s a satisfaction to attempting something difficult, and emerging a different person. In just 6 weeks, my whole worldview shifted. Since Lent begins on Wednesday, I’d like to encourage each of you to challenge yourself, even if it is just for a week or two. I hope the next 6 weeks will be a chance for all of you to change your lives!

3 comments:

  1. This post was great, I really like to read about people's past Lent experiences and how they changed their lives. I have never given anything up for Lent but this year I have been considering going vegan. I already eat at least 2 or 3 vegan meals a week so I think it would be a smooth but challenging change for me. This post was definitely inspirational thank you!

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  2. Meg - I'm so glad to hear that! Let me know if there's anything I can do to make your vegan journey a little bit easier...thank you so much for reading!

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  3. I want to change my life in this year... Please give me few more tips for changing the life...

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