"Where there's a Will, there's a (Get-a) Way!"

My husband, John, and I have a favorite coastal overnight getaway less than an hour from home.  It is a lodge and spa in the town of Bodega Bay.  This is the area where the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds, was filmed.  We go out there once a year to have a full body massage, a walk on the beach, and dine at a five star restaurant.  The rooms all have ocean views and fireplaces.  It really is a rejuvenating experience.   John even knows the chef and he always makes our stay extra special.   Last year, we had a superb dinner starting with local artisan cheeses, an entree of fresh fish, and to top it off , the chef brought out a slice of his signature chocolate cake.  It was 'To die for!!'.

In the morning, he had Eggs Benedict dishes sent to our room with a flute of champagne and freshly squeezed orange juice.   That was the best Eggs Benedict I have ever tasted. ...and truthfully, the amazing food and the generosity of a friend, made the trip most memorable.

Fast forward to this year, now I'm a Vegan!  We went out to the coast again this year for an overnighter. We got early check-in and a beautiful ocean view room.  It was pretty stormy out, but that just added to the ambience.  We had scheduled an in-room massage which was wonderful as we could relax and not have to get out in the cold.   The masseuse turned on some eastern chant music, the room was warm and dimly lit, and you could hear a distant howling from the wind outside.   It was so very relaxing and meditative.   This was just what the doctor ordered!   About an hour after our massages, we got a knock on the door and a complimentary bottle of Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine was delivered with a platter of local cheeses.  Fortunately there were also fresh raspberries and strawberries included.  This was great!  John enjoyed the cheeses, I ate the fruit.  All was right with the world as we sipped our champagne, counted our blessings, and gazed out our window watching the waves crash the shore.

That evening we proceeded to go to dinner. It was a short blustery walk with high winds and horizontal rains, but once inside it was warm and inviting.  There was soft string music and a crackling fire in an oversized stone fireplace.   We knew John's friend would not be cooking that night, but unbeknownst to us, he had notified the chef to take care of us. UH Oh!!  This is where it got embarrassing.  When I asked the waiter what he recommended with no dairy, no meat,   He said, 'Jeff did not tell us you were vegans!!’.   I told him my husband is not vegan, and he said, ' Good, because Jeff instructed us to prepare a special complimentary crab cake appetizer'.  UH Oh!!, We then had to inform him that John is allergic to shellfish .  At this point, the waiter darted off to the kitchen to stop the preparations!  We felt so bad.  Normally I would have loved fresh crab and I am still hitting myself that I just didn't make that my 4% non-vegan for the week.  However,  I was a little concerned about introducing such rich food into my system ...I did not want to chance a stomach ache later.  

The waiter returned with a platter filled with a lightly fried array of veggies as a replacement.  It was delicious!  I ordered a lovely organic salad sprinkled with cannellini beans and a wonderful balsamic dressing.   John had a very rich pan seared chicken with savory bread pudding and buttery glaze.      We both partook in the nice warm whole grain bread.  As we enjoyed our meal, I couldn't help but feel bad about the appetizer mix-up.   When we finished the meal, we then had to turn down that marvelous decadent chocolate cake!  As part of our mid-week lodging deal, it would have been free...but we both passed.  (Note: Although John is not vegan, he is trying to cut back on animal protein) Geez, what has become of me?  What was considered such a glorious pleasure last year, became a test of my commitment this year and left me feeling like I missed out on something great.  

The next morning Jeff , the chef, arrived at the lodge and called our room to ask us if he could send over a couple of complimentary Eggs Benedicts.  Oh My Goodness!   My weakness!!...and It's a gift from the chef! ...How could I possibly refuse?... But, again, we politely said no.   STRIKE THREE!  

Do I feel strong?  Do I feel better?   No.  I feel that I missed out in a wonderful experience!  Why didn't I just indulge and get back on track the following day?  What if I did indulge? Would it have upset my digestive system?  How guilty would I have been afterward?  

Why does food become so embedded in our experience and memories?   Is it our powerful olfactory system that holds the memory of those tantalizing aromas and associates them with a previous time in our life?  YES, I believe so.  I need to find new aromas...the salty ocean air, the fresh rolling green pastures, the eucalyptus trees that line the back roads and are especially aromatic in the damp air.  

I need to change my focus!!  What happened to 'Eat to live!' not 'Live to eat'?      Well, other than the food, the trip was a success. I came home feeling healthy, relaxed, and I got to share the getaway with the man I love.  Not too shabby! 

...but I'm obviously still in a transitional phase of this vegan lifestyle.    

"We had a meeting on you!"

My husband and I are friends with another couple and we have been having each other over for dinner for years.   Well, when one becomes a vegan, this impacts everyone.  How can I expect my friend to know what vegan is, when I didn't even know a year ago?

They had us over for dinner just before Christmas.  They made sure to include a veggie dish and salad since they knew I had changed my diet. They also made a lovely parmesan chicken that brought glee to my husband's face as he has not seen much meat at our home in quite a while.  I didn’t eat the chicken which made me feel a little guilty as they went to a lot of work preparing the meal.  Spinach salad, no problem but the veggie dish was tossed with cheese.  As I tried to rescue each broccoli morsel from its cheesy cover, I realized this diet is not going to be easy.  This is one of those 4% moments of my strategy where a portion of my meal will be meat/dairy as I do not want to be rude in cases such as this.

We made New Year’s Eve dinner plans with the same couple selecting a nice restaurant in town.   Hoping to get something I would enjoy for the $90 tab, (entrees only included meat dishes) I called to inquire if the chef could make a vegan meal.  He happily replied that he would take care of me.  Great, all set!   Not quite… the restaurant closed 3 days before New Year’s.  We scrambled and found another restaurant but again no vegan entrees.  After my call they said, “No problem, they could make a vegan entrée”

New Year’s Eve:  The pre-dinner appetizers included glorious platters of cheeses, meats, shellfish, and fried calamari…not a good start.  Fortunately, they had a veggie platter but with a dairy-based dip.   As my husband and friends indulged in the decadence, I chewed on my dry carrot stick.  Thank goodness wine is plant-based!!  I was tempted to sneak a lightly battered and crispy calamari, but resisted.  4% non-vegan only gets you so far in one week and the holidays make it extra tough.  

As we ordered our meals, I informed the waiter that I would like a vegan version of the veggie risotto entree, if possible.   This is when I felt like a weirdo.… He got excited and responded  "Oh, are you Rhonda, The Vegan?"  I nodded in embarrassment ... He then said, "We had a meeting on you!"......WHAT?   Was I the only one that called to inquire vegan options? I live near hip San Francisco, for goodness sake!  Restaurants need to have meetings on 'The Vegan'?  At that moment, our friends broke out in laughter. They admitted earlier when buying tickets at the previous restaurant (the one that closed), they had mentioned to the hostess that one of their party was a vegan.  The hostess responded, "Oh, Do you mean Rhonda?" They must have had a meeting on me too.   It seems providing vegan choices are still a challenge in this little town of 60,000!!   Go Figure!  However, I do give them an ‘A’ for effort!

As far as my dinner, the ‘risotto’ ended up being  a mixture of sautéed mushrooms with asparagus...no grains at all.  It turns out a lot of people, including chefs, need an education on what a vegan diet is and how creative, exciting, and tasteful it can be.    

Rollie Pollies

Today I made my 22 year old son Norwegian pancakes before he headed back to Los Angeles, where he now resides. A Norwegian pancake is a basic egg crepe rolled up with butter and jelly (or sugar).   My mother called them 'Rollie Pollies' when I was a girl. They were my favorite breakfast meal!   I would wake up to the wonderful buttery aroma, then immediately jump out of bed and race to the kitchen where I would down 5 of them in one sitting.    This tradition was passed on for my sons to enjoy as they grew up. I would flip the crepes up in the air from the pan to turn them over and their eyes would light up in amazement.   I would make my boys 'Rollie Pollies' at least once a month on those lazy Sunday mornings where there wasn't a soccer practice, music festival, or a roller hockey game to race off to.    

Today was the first time I made them after becoming a vegan. I've been a 96% vegan for over 4 months now.    Today the 'Rollie Pollies' smelled different to me.  I thought I messed up the recipe as all I could smell were the eggs. It was a strong and quite unpleasant aroma.  Thinking I must have done something wrong, I actually went to look up the old recipe that I have had memorized for decades.  I did not stray in the least.   I checked the egg carton to make sure the organic eggs had not expired.  I asked my son if they smelled different to him and he said no.   This was very strange to me.  Is it a next phase of Veganism to start despising the smell of eggs and meat?

I proceeded to eat my granola cereal with Silk soy milk,  fresh blueberries and bananas while I watched my son devour 3 'Rollie Pollies' without missing a beat. It was a joy to watch and it brought back memories of both my son's youth and even my youth.  Some meals which have been passed down through generations are  heartfelt traditions that would be difficult to break.  By preparing them on rare occasions (like before my son takes off on a long journey), how can it hurt?  

            

96% Vegan - What?

So what do I mean by 96% vegan?  Here's my calculation:  3 meals a day x 7 days a week is 21 meals a week. Let's say each meal has 4 evenly divided 'Sections'.  That equals 84 sections a week.  

Since I consider myself a 96% vegan, this then means that I can make 3 sections (84 x 4%) a week meat/dairy/eggs.   In other words 3 meals a week I can have 1/4 of my meal include meat and/or dairy, the other  3/4 must be wholesome plant-based. 

Examples:  

1) A large salad with a few slices of roasted chicken  on it and brown rice

    OR

2) Have a huge spinach salad with a sprinkle of blue cheese on top and a slice of whole grain bread. 

   OR

3)  After a nice wholesome vegan meal, take a couple bites of your husband's chocolate dessert!

I think this new rule will make it very easy for me without feeling any guilt.   It does not mean having a meal consisting of bacon, 3 fried eggs, buttered bread, and a glass of milk. Sorry John! (My husband loves a hearty meat and dairy breakfast!)

Godt nyttår ♥

January 5, 2012 marks 4 months since I've been on a whole grain, plant based diet.  (Yes, you can call me a Vegan...I'm okay with the 'V' word now).   But, there were times I had to 'cheat' a bit.   Especially when going out to dinner at a friends house (don't want to be rude) or at restaurants (minimal options).  Also, holidays, it just didn't seem right not to have a little slice of turkey on Thanksgiving.    

NEW RULES - 96% VEGAN: So now that the new year is here I have decided to declare myself a 96% VEGAN!   Yes, I can do that, because I just did. HA!  Mostly for practical reasons, as mentioned above, as I do not like to feel like I'm 'cheating' when other options are not available to me.   I also think it will not hinder the health benefits gained from a vegan diet.  

Although I understand the tremendous benefit to the environment and I am sensitive to the humane treatment of animals, this was not what triggered  me to drastically change to a vegan diet.  It was purely for selfish reasons - MY HEALTH!  

September 5th, 2011, was the day I removed meat and dairy from my diet.  It was the day after I watched the documentary 'Forks over Knives'.  Six weeks later I dropped my cholesterol by 27 points!  It dropped under 200 for the first time in years.  And as of today,  I have dropped my weight 8 lbs....and I wasn't even trying since I eat a lot and never feel hungry.  This  has been a good diet for me and I have now made it my lifestyle choice.  Yes, sometimes I miss making those old favorite recipes....but, I plan to make new favorites and hopefully stay healthy into my golden years.

Thanks to 'Forks Over Knives' for motivating me to make the switch.....Thanks to my oldest son and his girlfriend (a vegan chef) for all the great cooking tips. .......  Thanks to my husband for supporting me and incorporating at least a 85% vegan diet for himself.  :-)

Good health to all in 2012!