Recap of the Vegan Venture

Tracey and Lisa’s Vegan Venture was officially over on April 1. And although neither one of us will be making a full time commitment to staying vegan, we both decided that we are going to incorporate more plant based menu options into our respective lifestyles. Simply put: we need cheeseburgers every once in a while. 

Overall, the experiment went very well. We planned our menus and did some grocery trips together. One of them might have happened after splitting a pitcher of margaritas. No judging, it made Krogering infinitely more entertaining. The Kroger’s we go to isn’t exactly in a thriving and busy metropolis but it did have most of what we needed. We might have had a hard time finding buckwheat flour after those margaritas but really, who has ever found buckwheat flour on the first try?

One of the things that surprised me was the weight loss. Between the two of us we lost 10lbs. And it wasn’t muscle mass, it was definitely those pesky fat cells. I am convinced that the weight loss was due to lack of dairy intake. We got the calcium we need from green veggies, rice milk, beans, and almond milk. I discovered chocolate almond milk and have since become addicted.

I will admit, that first non-vegan meal on the evening of April 1 tasted fab. I went to one of my favorite places downtown, Harrison’s. They make an incredible Black and Bleu salmon salad with a healthy plank of salmon, bleu cheese crumbles, craisins, and nuts. That salad with their homemade ranch dressing is the bomb-diggity. I was soooo happy….until I went for a run later that night. I had to cut it short due to a bathroom emergency. No, I did not poop myself but it was very close call.

One of my favorite dishes was a soup I made one afternoon. I diced some onion and garlic and sautéed it in a little bit of olive oil. Then I tossed in some water and vegetable broth, elbow macaroni, green split peas, chickpeas, a can of diced tomatoes, fresh broccoli and cauliflower and carrots and celery. I seasoned it with some salt and pepper and Italian seasons and damn, that was a good soup. I paired it with some greens and homemade dressing (brown mustard, honey, & olive oil) and it made a very filling lunch option for the week. Another fave was black bean burgers. I drained a can of black beans and mashed them with a fork. Then tossed in some oats and chili powder. Added some salt and pepper and formed the mixture into patties before throwing them in a skilled with a little bit of olive oil. Again, quick and easy (hey, who doesn’t like that…and get your mind out of the gutter) and oh so delicious!!!

Yum. 

Playing with my new blender/food processor was fun as too. (That’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.) Tracey turned me onto smoothies. Our favorite versions use spinach, a few fruit options, almond or rice milk, and chia seeds and BAM! Now I drink one after almost every run.

Tracey's Vegan Burgers from the Oh She Glows website.

Overall, we think this experiment was a success. It didn't affect our respective training plans in a negative way at all. Both of us had plenty of energy and Tracey was in the high mileage phase of her BM training, so diet is really important. (That's BM for Boston Marathon, not bowel movement, btw.) 

We still eat at least one or two plant based meals per day. Both of us are keeping our dairy intake to a minimum and it has helped immensely with the bloating issues that were bothering both of us prior to this venture. And as an added bonus, the gas that plagued both of us seemed to level off toward the end. At least that’s what we told ourselves.

Happy Eating!

The Vegan Venture, Part Deux

We are a little over the halfway point of Tracey and Lisa’s Vegan Venture and we think it’s going pretty well. I’ve been experimenting with different soups (big surprise) and Tracey made a vegan enchilada for dinner guests that no one complained about. We’ve been discussing different recipe options and making sure we are getting enough protein.  Both of us have lost a few pounds and we think this is due to the lack of dairy. It is safe to say that TJack and I were addicted to cheese. I didn’t know how much of an effect the lack of cheese/dairy would have on my body, but I like the results.  I feel like I need to say that neither one of us set out trying to lose weight and we are definitely getting enough to eat. This experiment truly drives home the point that people can eat healthy and nutritious foods and not starve themselves while still losing weight. Duh. No magic pill is going to do that, just saying.  

One thing that really hasn’t gone away is the horrific gas. Again, I’m still blaming it on the dog when she’s in the vicinity. She doesn’t seem to mind. I’ve been very appreciative of the warmer weather of late because it means if I let one rip in the car I don’t freeze like the proverbial popsicle when I open the windows for some fresh air. That is some sweet relief, let me tell you.

I do get some weird looks when I take some of my concoctions into work. The soup I made this week (Potato and split pea from the Oh She Glows website) looks like vomit but actually tastes very good. I’m having a really fun time making my own salad dressings too.  This weekend I’m going to try making a vegan spinach lasagna dish. Another thing I’m super excited about is the change in the Girl Scouts Thin Mint recipe. They are now vegan and get this, JUST AS DELICIOUS AS THEY WERE BEFORE. Thank you, Girl Scouts.

Overall, this has been a good experiment so far. One more item to put in the oh hell yes column is that I’m a cheap date – my tolerance of alcohol has dipped somewhat. Not that I’m complaining, as it means less money spent on wine. And that means more money I can spend on those new running shoes I’ve been eyeing – holla!

And so the vegan venture continues…

Here We Go...Tracey and Lisa's Vegan Venture!

I like food. I like it a lot. I try to eat healthy most of the time. Okay, fine…I probably go to Taco Bell more than I should. But sometimes a run to the Border is necessary. Anyway, it’s a proven fact that eating healthy foods has a direct positive impact on our bodies, just as eating crap has a negative impact. (Anyone that has had to use the facilities after a dose of Taco Bell can attest to that.) And as a runner and a busy mom on the go, I tend to pay attention to what I eat. So during a recent discussion, my friend Tracey (aka TJack) and I decided to go vegan for the month of March. And no, we were not drunk when we made this decision. 

This picture is circa summer of 2014. And yes, those might be Cosmos in styrofoam cups.  

The vegan lifestyle is actually very simple: no animals or animal byproducts. No red meat, no poultry, no seafood, no yogurt, sour cream, milk…if it isn’t plant based, it doesn’t get eaten. People who are unsure of this often ask how dietary vegan gets certain nutrients that are needed for survival. I’ll say this one time: YES vegans can get the protein, calcium, potassium, all the necessary vitamins and everything else that the human body needs. It requires a bit of planning and research along with some meal prep, but it can be done. And no, we will not be living on salads all day long.

The thought of giving up the occasional slab of red meat or hunk of salmon doesn’t faze me much. It’s the dairy free part of veganism that gave me pause initially. I reeeaallly like cheese. But I decided to put my big girl panties on (there’s a visual for you) so… TTFN, dairy. At least for now.

I feel I must also say that we are still going to shave our legs, neither one of us wears patchouli, and we aren’t doing this to save the animals. We’re both in training – Tjack is doing the Boston Marathon next month (have I mentioned she’s a badass?) and the Mohican Trail marathon later this year. I’m training for another 50k and the Ironman 70.3. We really wanted to see what kind of impact this way of eating has on our bodies and our training plans.

There are many noted benefits to this type of lifestyle change. Reduced cholesterol is one of them. And since both sides of my family have cholesterol issues (and my doctor told me mine was on the high end a few years ago), I feel it’s worth a try. Plus I really want to cut down on “bad” fats and processed foods. So I’m focusing on eating whole foods. Many of my purchases on my recent trip to the grocery came from the produce aisles. I’m learning to modify some of my favorite items. Replacing the skim milk I drink with almond milk, buying Ezekial bread, and using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth in my soups. All small steps that I hope will contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle. And who knows…maybe 6 pack abs. (Dream big or go home, right?)

So far we are 5 days in to Tracey and Lisa’s Vegan Venture and it’s been good.  Both of us are adjusting to it with minimal issues. Questions about what we eat are welcome, I’ll even share stories about the weird noises my intestines make and the gas(!) that I’ve so far blamed on the dog.

And in case you’re wondering, neither one of us is giving up wine. It is plant based, after all.

To Beth

Today would have been my little sister Beth’s 38^th birthday. However, a pain pill addiction morphed into a heroin addiction, which led to her death at way too young of an age.

Before heroin, Beth drove a nice car and had a steady paycheck. She was a single mom for years and did the best she could. After she paid rent and bills, she still managed to buy cute clothes. By the time she died the nice car was long gone, totaled by her second husband one day while he was high on who knows what. It was eventually replaced by a 19-year old Toyota Camry that she proceeded to wreck one way or another. It was one more accident away from being totaled by the time she died. The cute clothes were a thing of the past.

To be honest, I had not had much contact with Beth during what would be the final 18 months or so of her life. She wasn’t at too many family functions. We lived in the same town, less than 3 miles apart, but rarely interacted.  

One day after work I needed to swing through the grocery and pick something up for dinner. But I saw her car in the parking lot and kept driving. I didn’t want to run into her in the grocery. I didn’t know what to expect from her.

She cut ties with me and others – going so far as blocking me on social media (and then sending friend requests later). Her social life was next to nil from what I’ve pieced together. That behavior was very unlike Beth. She was a people person and always ready for the next party. She loved hanging out with her friends.  But heroin changes a person. And she chose that high, time and again.

Sobriety was something that she didn’t maintain very well – pain pills and then heroin became priorities in her life. Those needs surpassed her abilities to work or take care of her only daughter.  The lies she told to maintain a “clean” image grew more and more outlandish. The anger I felt toward her led me to justify avoiding her and yes, judging her. The guilt I have from that feels crippling at times. I like to think I’m very open minded – live and let live. But my sister was addicted to heroin and I didn’t do a damn thing about it.

I talked about doing an intervention. But that’s as far as I got. Just the talk. Again, my anger toward her had me frozen. I kept thinking of all the other times I helped her. I drove her home so many times when she was drunk. I bailed her out of unsafe situations and tried to shield her from people that I thought were bad for her. As we were growing up, I stuck up for her when she needed me. As adults, we were neighbors for a few years. She babysat my kids. We traded books and watched TV, shared clothes, and gave each other advice – as sisters do. Then heroin happened.

When my mother texted me the morning of May 3^rd and asked me to call her I knew something bad had happened.

“Is it Grandpa or Beth?” I asked when she answered.

She sighed. “It’s Beth. She’s in a hospital in Michigan. She’s brain dead. An overdose. Alive on machines.”

Within an hour, I had made arrangements for my girls to be taken care of for the weekend. I made the 3-hour drive to Michigan, hoping I would get there in time. There was a DNR order if she coded again. The only thing I remember about that drive is the giant windmills in huge grassy fields on the side of the highway. There seemed to be something symbolic about witnessing those fields filled with sustainable energy devices as I drove toward some little hospital in Michigan, where my sister and Willie, her second husband, were visiting his children for the weekend and she somehow overdosed on drugs that included cocaine and assorted pain pills (but actually not heroin from what we found out later in the doctor's report).

The nurse in Beth’s room gently explained that my sister’s condition. The ventilator she was hooked up to was enabling her to breathe. She’d been having almost constant brain seizures due to the lack of oxygen following the overdose. There wasn’t any hope that she could survive. But the nurse did tell me they believed people in her condition could hear people talk to them. She encouraged us to speak to her and let her know we were there with her.

Beth’s eyes were open but not focused, her heart rate fluctuated wildly, her hands were cool to the touch. The nurses did their best to keep the drool wiped off her chin and keep her comfortable despite the ventilator. They repositioned her every once in a while.  She wasn’t in a coma, but she wasn’t awake. I think the term is “vegetative state.” It isn’t pretty.

The pain my parents had to endure in that room (and since then) is unimaginable to me. No parent should ever have to lose a child. It goes against the laws of nature. The hospital staff was kind enough to allow my parents, Alli, and myself all the time we wanted with Beth during her last hours.  Alli’s quiet strength in the midst of her grief amazed me, but she has always been strong.

I sat on my sister’s bed and cried. I held her hand. I hugged her. I told her how much I loved her. I told her how much I missed her being part of my life. I said all the things I should have said to her while she was still alive. I talked about about memories I would carry with me, confessed my feelings about our recent falling out, told her how much my girls missed “Aunt Bef” being their silly babysitter. I told her I would take care of Alli and watch over her. I told her I loved her. And I would always love her. 

“I’m sorry,” I said, over and over.  I couldn’t stop the tears. To this day there are times when I still can’t.

My sister died on Sunday, May 4, 2014. I miss her every single day. And I like to believe that she heard me as I talked to her during her last hours – that she heard all of us. I want to believe she knew she was loved.

RIP, little seestor. I hope you are somewhere beautiful, smiling and singing along to “Brown Eyed Girl," celebrating your birthday. I love you and I miss you, every day.