The Vegan Life: Sweet Treats

There are some days in the life of a girl (I still thinking calling myself a woman makes me seem too old) when she just needs something sweet. It could be that time of the month, or maybe she's had her heart broken. Whatever the reason is, i found myself doing a big haul of vegan chocolate, cakes, and biscuits this afternoon.

1. Lazy Day Foods Millionaire's Shortbread - This is the best vegan millionaire's shortbread I've come across so far. It tastes exactly like normal shortbread should, and i could easily eat the whole box in one sitting. I also noticed that Dobbie's Garden Centre was selling Lazy Day Foods in the cafe, which was great considering that it was the only vegan cake in the place. I've also tried the Belgian Dark Chocolate Tiffin, and that was just as tasty.

2. Biona Organic Jelly Dinos - It's jelly in the shape of a dinosaur, i don't know how it could ever be any better. I didn't even realise that Biona did sweets until i had to start searching for vegan alternatives to haribo, but it turns out they do, and they taste REALLY good!

3. Raw Chocolate Pie - Festive Pie - This is the second kind of Raw Chocolate Pie I've tasted, and it's my favourite one yet. They're raw so full of anti-oxidants and magnesium, so a lot better for you than normal chocolate is. They keep for six months in the fridge, although you'll probably eat it within a couple of days.

4. Rawr After Dinner Chocolate - It tastes just like After Eight mints, but it's so much better for you. I've already eaten half the bar since i got home a couple of hours ago. If you haven't tasted raw chocolate before, then this is the best place to start.

5. Conscious Raw Chocolate - Goji & Coconut - This was my first ever conscious chocolate bar, and it's delicious. It's got a soft truffle like texture, and it's contains two of my favourite things in the whole world. They do a whole range of bars with everything from chili to cherry to orange.

6. Lucy's Oatmeal Cookie - These cookies are free from gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts and almonds. They definitely don't taste like a normal cookie would, but they're still really tasty. They were developed by the mum of a child with severe allergies, so they used strict controls to ensure that no nuts go anyway near the factory. So i guess it's a great cookie for an even better cause.

Vegan Super Bowl Sunday!

I'm not entirely sure what has happened to the girl that used to want to eat pizza for every dinner. She's seems to have been replaced by some stranger who actually enjoys eating lots of veg, hence the creation of the Vegan Super Bowl. 

There's humous, crackers, quinoa, carrot, and roasted chickpeas, humous and sweet peppers. I also added a cup of kale which has more iron that than steak you've eaten today, and more calcium per calorie than milk. 

Now all i have to do is resist the bag of vegan cola bottles in my kitchen, and today will have been a healthy success!

The Vegan Life: Week 2

Week two has been ever easier than week one was. I think I've got much more of an idea about what I need to eat, and what I can eat. The discovery that some flavours of Pringles, and even Irn Bru are vegan is definitely helping the transition, especially since Crème Eggs will be off the menu this year.

The highlight of the past week came in the form of my vegan birthday cake. My mum has always made my birthday cake (expect for one year when my brother was in hospital and she ordered me a giant box of cupcakes from London), so it was lovely that she got behind me this year and made me a cake that I could eat. You can’t see it too well in the picture, but it was a lovely chocolate cake with raspberry icing, and I did eat about 2/3 of it in the space of a day.

For part of my birthday, my parents bought me a waffle maker. I spent two weeks eating waffles in San Francisco and LA last summer, so I've been after one since I got back. And let me tell you, vegan waffles are pretty damn good. I've only made plain ones, and blueberries ones so far, but I’ll have much more chance to experiment this weekend.

I've also completely mastered the art of making an awesome breakfast. I used to be the girl who grabbed a giant cinnamon bun on the way to work, but these days my breakfast is a lot healthier. My favourite thing to eat is baked oats topped with banana, frozen blueberries, coconut, chia seeds and goji berries. 

People seem to have this idea that being vegan is unhealthy. I'm not saying it'll be something i do forever, but for now it's working out really well for me. And i bet half the food i'm eating is healthier than a lot of the stuff that others are putting in their mouths. 

The Vegan Life: Week 1

I've been a vegetarian since i was about 12 years old, so i can't actually remember what meat tastes like. There's even some meat products I've never eaten like steak, lamb chops, or even a Big Mac. The vegan lifestyle is always something I've been intrigued by, but it's always been something I've been too scared to do. I'm the sort of person who could eat milk chocolate every single day, and still want more. My favourite times of the year involve chocolate, and i order mozzarella dippers whenever i can find them on the menu. 

Then i read Vegan Freak and realised that i need to stop making excuses as to why it won't work, and just go for it. It's been 8 days, and so far it's been pretty easy. I'm making lots of green smoothies with kale for breakfast, salads for lunch, and things like vegetable chilli for dinner. 

I was disappointed there's no vegan friendly cakes in Costa, although i wasn't exactly expecting them to a giant section especially for me. Luckily, Real Foods is just along the road from work, and today my lovely colleagues gave me all these vegan goodies as an early birthday present. 

So here's to trying the vegan lifestyle. Let's hope i can make a real go of it. 

New Year, New Start.

1. I've been vegetarian for around 14 years now, but I've taken the decision to become vegan. I started replacing dairy products with vegan ones a couple of weeks ago, but i think it's going to take a while for me to get used the fact i can't eat as many chocolate bars as i once did.

2. I usually try to read more than i ever manage, so this year i'm not going to set an actual goal. I just want to continue to read a variety of books, preferably ones that don't make me cry.

3. If i'm not someones first choice, then i'm not going to settle for second best. I found myself in situations last year, involving people already in relationships who would tell me things they shouldn't. I guess this is the year i don't want to be caught up in that.

4. The first thing i plan to do (well, when the weather is nice enough) is jump out a plane. I nearly did it last year, and then chickened out. I'm also going to give all the money to CLIC Sargent, which i'm hoping will stop me from backing out this time.

5. I was lucky enough to visit LA, San Francisco and New York last year. And this year i want to go back to America, and also see Iceland for the first time. I'd also like to lie on a beach somewhere sunny for a week.

6. I am one of the most self conscious people in the world, but this year is brought to you by C for confident.

7. It's pretty straight forward. I really just want fill the year with new experiences and keep my mind open.

8. Life is way too short. I want to make sure i fill this year with memories with some of my favourite people on the planet.