On my quest for enlightenment (to be UBER healthy and not die- early) myself and the little clan are transitioning onto a vegan way of life. We are no hippies right, we love our meat, cheese, chocolate, milky drinks, the lot. Honestly, we are no saints. We have had the odd cheat meal/day, which I don’t think is too bad really, it’s a marathon not a sprint right? It’s like any new lifestyle change it will take some getting used to. Removing meat and fish from my diet isn’t hard (surprisingly! I ruddy love steak!) but the dairy has been. Mostly the chocolate. I’ll get there, I know I will, but this is the tough one for me. Dates just don’t cut it yet. Also, coffee. Nut milks DO NOT go well with coffee. Them the facts I am afraid. However, I think I have sussed it, ish. If you add coconut milk to the coffee granules/ powder first, and leave the boiling water to cool a little before adding, it doesn’t curdle and its very drinkable. That, or I am just getting used to it. It’s probably that.
I thought I would post up a few blogs/sites, that are helping us along a little.
First up…
The Vegan Society
This may seem like a glaringly obvious one, but their site is full of useful links, advice and a handy online shop to boot. What I have found super handy is the daily email. If you sign up to the 30 day vegan pledge you get daily help (with a recipe too) with finding different restaurants to eat at, substitution ideas and a little about the reason to become vegan in the first place. Which may seem bloomin stupid, but people take the veggie plunge for lots of different reasons.
Planet Organic
A great online shop for all the bits you need to make shopping a bit easier. Admittedly I have found most of what I have needed at the local Morrisons, infact, our small Tesco Express sell all sorts of vegan joys. This site really helps with items that our supermarkets haven’t got into yet, such as; raw cacao powder, hemp and flax seeds. The offer great discounts for bulk buying, and, as with the Vegan Society, a very handy newsletter with recipe ideas.
Deliciously Ella
The queen of all things healthy, vegan, yummy and oh so on trend, we all love her right! Her site is awesomeness, and I couldn’t live without now. That’s quite sad. Sorry. Her mobile app is fab too(available for Android and Apple). I especially love the easy to use the search function, type in a food you have and it will throw back a load of super recipes you can have a go at. Bloody love it! Buy her books too please. End of the Ella’s appreciation fan club speech!
Mind Body Green
This site is pretty American. I don’t meant that in a negative way at all, it’s just that it is very bubbly and uplifting! Perhaps a little hippy even. It’s full of really great articles though so def worth a read. The site covers topics such as foods, yoga, spirituality, fitness and celebrity (the latter is not that interesting to me but hey). Like the others, another great newsletter is sent out as often as you like. Unlike the above sites, there are video courses too. There are some great vids here which you can buy in bundle if you like. Warning: they are all ridiculously good looking. Bastards.
Cowspiracy
OK, so this one isn’t about lifestyle and menu plans. This one is a little more serious. I saw this on Netflix and it was a real eye opener. It’s not full of graphic slaughter images, which there are plenty of on the web if that’s what you want to see, it’s about facts and politics regarding the environment and how meat eating is not all that great for our world, let alone our health. It’s most definitely worth a watch, you won’t be disappointed. Promise.
If you have any recommendations to add the above list, use the comments field below or mail me.