Vegan Confessions: Thick Thighs, Oreos & Heavy Drinking

*Sigh* I thought about making this video for months.

Hitting "publish" on this video was very uncomfortable for me, but it had to be done.
Weight has always been a touchy subject for me. 
These days, I realize that being overweight is often the outer result of all the issues we deal with inside. 

For me, it's binge drinking, overeating and emotional eating.

The goal is to be better with self-care, self-love, being more in the moment and taking action to BE and FEEL happier.

I plan to share more of my weight loss journey as I move forward.

Watch the full video below...

Resources mentioned in the video:

The Daily Dozen app

True Life: I'm A Chunky Vegan video

Is Pasta Vegan? + Explore Cuisine Black Bean Pasta Review

A few weeks ago someone asked me whether or not pasta is vegan, so I want to answer that question right here.

The way this vegan life is set up, you can make everything vegan. Seriously.

Ice cream. Cake. Pizza. Scrambled Eggs. And yes, pasta.

The great news -- most of the pasta brands in the regular grocery store aisle is already vegan -- made out of just wheat and water.

On my YouTube channel, I did a review of pasta made out of black beans. I swear they have everything these days. lol

Click below to watch...

Others options for vegan pasta are ones made out of: 

• Quinoa (my fave)
• Spelt
• Brown rice
• Corn
• Lentils
• Black beans

The black bean pasta featured in this video is made by Explore Cuisine. I was able to find it in the natural section of a regular grocery store.

When buying pasta, be sure to always check the ingredient list because some brands contain eggs. Fresh pasta in the refrigerated section of the grocery store and at authentic Italian restaurants usually contain eggs.

Need a couple of quick meals featuring pasta for this week?

Spaghetti recipe here

Alfredo pasta recipe here

I hope this is helpful!

Want your family to GO VEGAN? BE the Example!

I went to my parents' house yesterday and was so excited to see tofu and coconut milk in their fridge!

My dad wasn't exactly sure what to do with the tofu (I gave some tips lol), but he was open to trying it when he saw it in the store.
Dad has taken gradual steps to replace some of his meat with vegan options. I'm so excited!

He does all the cooking at home, so when he eat well, so does my mom. :-)

Here's a quick video I did while there...

$100 Whole Foods Grocery Haul | Vegan Family Meals

How is your week going?

I feel so accomplished already because I got a new YouTube video up for you and the outline is done for a free virtual workshop going down next week (you can sign up for the workshop here).

One of the things that has skyrocketed my productivity this week is taking overwhelming/big projects and breaking them down (on paper) into digestible steps.

I know this may sound easy, but so many of us spend a lot of time in our heads and don't take the action we need to go to the next level.

This same method can be applied to starting a vegan journey.

Some people can go vegan overnight, but the majority of us need manageable steps to make it happen.

What will your next step be to get closer to a compassionate and more healthy vegan life? It can be as simple as switching your dairy milk to almond milk or using coconut oil (or Earth Balance buttery spread) in place of dairy butter. 

Break the big goal down into baby steps and make it happen!

In the latest YouTube video (watch below), I show you what I was able to get for $93 at Whole Foods and how I plan to use these ingredients. This food only lasted a couple of days, but I wanted to share because it's been too long since I've posted a grocery haul video for you.

These days, I don't go the grocery store as much as I used to. I'm so thankful for services like Instacart and Amazon Fresh! They deliver groceries right to your home.

This is what dreams are made of! lol

PLUS, I can use that shopping time with my family and  to grow my biz. 

You know, the important stuff. :-)

Don't ever feel like you have to shop at stores like Whole Foods to be vegan. You can literally get vegan options at any grocery store.

Rice, beans, potatoes, greens, bananas, etc. are all vegan and accessible.

I also put together a shopping list with a list of vegan options for categories, such as: protein, fruit, vegetables, snacks, condiments and grains to make grocery shopping easier.

Recipes mentioned in the video:

• Lasagna (video & blog post coming soon)
• Chickpea salad sandwich
• Grilled cheese (used Rudi bread and Field Roast chao cheese slices)

Brands mentioned:

• Instacart
• Just Mayo
• Amazon Fresh

There's so much variety in a vegan lifestyle, so get started and have fun!

How Do I Meal Plan As A Busy Mom? | Q &A

Question from my email: How do I find time to meal plan as a busy mom? This is exactly how I got discouraged the last time I tried going vegan. Finding the time and energy to meal plan and prepare meals in advance is hard for me. Especially, when I have to chase my 7 month old all over the house...LOL! Basically, the only free time I have is on the weekends. Who wants to spend the entire weekend meal planning and stuck in the house? Not me....that's who! Any tips and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer: I know what you mean about not wanting to spend all weekend on meal planning!

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

TIP #1

Think about what you're already eating and figure out how to make those meals vegan.

For instance, if you eat spaghetti, you can easily make this vegan by using vegan crumble, lentils or mushrooms in place of ground beef/turkey. 

There's a vegan replacement for any ingredient you can think of!

Related: Watch me make vegan spaghetti in this video...

This spaghetti is familiar, simple and delicious!

Get out there and start exploring options and replace your non-vegan ingredients with healthier and more compassionate vegan ones.

Few examples of vegan replacements:

Cow's milk ---> Almond coconut or soy milk for cooking and cereal

Ground beef/turkey ---> Vegan crumbles (Beyond Meat is a good brand), lentils or mushrooms

Cheese ----> Field Roast chao slices and vegan queso on nachos are great options

TIP #2

Get in the habit of checking sites like Pinterest and YouTube for recipe ideas.  

Commit to 5-10 minutes a day to gather recipes for the next time you go grocery shopping. Taking this step will cut down on overwhelm when it's time to grocery shop.

Use the search term "vegan recipes" in Pinterest and YouTube to check out options. 

Also, check out vegan cookbooks from the library for recipes.

I use the eatWell menu planner from Inkwell Press and love how I can quickly jot down ingredients we run out of and meals I will make the following week.

TIP #3

I used to plan all seven days at a time, grocery shop, then come home and cook. All of this left me overwhelmed and discouraged. When you're just starting, ease into vegan life with just a few days of meal planning then build on that.

You can make wraps, veggie burgers, slow cook meals, etc.

Be sure to make enough for leftovers, so you have fewer meals to plan.

It also helps to keep your breakfast meal the same during this time, so you don’t even have to think about it. 

Here's a 3-day meal plan incorporating leftovers & only one breakfast:

Day #1

Breakfast -- oatmeal and fresh fruit

Lunch -- veggie wrap on whole-wheat wrap with hummus, red bell pepper, zucchini, salt & pepper

Dinner -- vegan red beans & rice in the slow cooker and a simple salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrots & balsamic vinaigrette

Day #2

Breakfast -- oatmeal and fresh fruit

Lunch -- leftover veggie wrap on whole-wheat wrap with hummus, red bell pepper, zucchini, salt & pepper

Dinner -- leftover vegan red beans & rice in the slow cooker

Day #3

Breakfast -- oatmeal and fresh fruit

Lunch -- Pasta salad with fresh fruit, carrot sticks & hummus

Dinner -- Veggie burger, roasted potatoes (or store-bought fries from a brand like Alexia) and steamed broccoli seasoned with garlic powder, black pepper, and salt

Be gentle with yourself, take your time and I promise it will get better once you get a nice routine down.

You've got this!

P.S. I shared more tips in this podcast episode called, Stop Spending All Weekend Meal Planning

>> Listen here <<