girl goes vegan

Totally inspired by so many other bloggers creating life lists, I am making my own list. 30 Things for my 30’s. Stuff I’ve been putting off, delaying, or to scared to try! I’m kicking this list off on a proper day…my 31st birthday!

I love (my) birthdays, in fact, I think it should be a holiday. If I could get the city to give everyone the day off and, perhaps, do fireworks, I would…and supply vegan cake for all? Why, yes that would be lovely! 30 has not exactly been the greatest of all years for me and because of that I have been very much looking forward to this birthday (even though I’ve been complaining that I’m old, but 31 has got to be better than 30 was!). Anyway, on to the list and hopefully a fresh start and a less cranky mtbVegan (I hope!)

1. Learn to live life and stop worrying, about everything, all the time
2. Accept myself for who I am
   1. Take inspiration from Operation Beautiful
   2. Stop obsessing over calories in, calories out, and what the scale says. Just be healthy (and Happy!) by eating right, exercising, and listening to my body…much like Angela of Oh She Glows!
3. Plant a small container garden & a herb garden – I like herbs
4. Visit my family way more than I do now, I miss them
5. Take the GRE (must find time!) maybe later….
6. Start Grad School (read: and finish) in a program that aligns with my passions
   1. I already know I want to study Economic Policy/Public Policy/Urban Planning, it’s just a matter of how I apply this degree to my passions. It does met one passion, my love for economics. I also feel that my passions are pointing in either Vegan or Cycling advocacy. Guess we’ll see!
7. Find my passion(s) – Vegan Baker?
8. Get a job that fulfills my passions
9. Attempt to learn a foreign language – Danish is my top choice, since I’m 1/2 danish
10. Ride my bike for fun more and for racing less
11. Learn to ride harder/more technical trails, better
12. Travel – there are so many place I want to see, way more than I can afford to do in my 30’s but here’s some of the top places
    1. Portland
    2. NYC (again)
    3. DC – I’ve never been…and I’m an economist for the love of tofu!
    4. Colorado
    5. Visit several of America’s National Parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, etc)
    6. See the majority of the 7 wonders of the world
    7. Stare in awe at the Northern -or- Southern lights
    8. Niagara Falls – but stay in Lake Niagara
    9. Australia/New Zealand
    10. Plan a European or Asia trip, maybe several…
        • if it’s Europe – go to the Vatican, meet the Pope
13. Go back to Vancouver & Whistler – vacation do-over!
14. Take one bike focused vacation each year – either a long weekend tour or an all out bike vacation.
15. Take an epic bike camping trek through some wicked awesome place
16. Practice Yoga (goal: twice a week)
17. Learn to meditate properly and then meditate daily
18. Do weight training (goal: twice a week) – bone density is important!
19. Learn to kayak
20. Get a massage each season (at least), my muscles are tight and who doesn’t need (read: want) a massage?
21. Learn to take better photographs
22. Volunteer/Work at a Farm Sanctuary
23. Be a mom – either by having or adopting a child
24. Cook every recipe from my favorite cookbooks…currently the list is:
    1. Vegan Brunch
    2. Vegan With a Vengeance
    3. Vegan on the Cheap
    4. Veganomicon
25. Get my motorcycle license
26. Take a helicopter tour (see #11)
27. Stay alive
28. Every 365 days start a new 365 day project (Photo Blogness)
29. Take time each day to pray
30. Get more involved in church, I enjoy going, I just need to find a church I call home in CHI (I miss my MKE church!)
31. (Since I’m 31, lets add one more!)Revise this list yearly – as in to touch base with what I’ve done, what needs to be done still and maybe what else I should do!

Here’s hope 31 is incredible ~ or at least better! (Ah, that positive attitude!)

As you may have noticed I’ve moved things around a bit and changed the format of this blog. I’ve noticed how over the past 2 years I’ve been blogging and decided that one way to make it easier to find information here is to get organized. So I’ve now set up the blog in such a way as to have various categories. If I cook from a cookbook it’ll be categorized under the cookbook, then the type of dish. So if you want to see some Joy of Vegan Baking Cookies…you can, or say a Vegan Brunch Waffle, you can do that too, just by selecting from the categories menu on the right.

There is also a category for Product Reviews, Travel, Blogger Recipes, etc. I feel like this new organization will really help you find the information you want. I’ve gone through my entire blog and relabeled everything to get it all set up. I hope you like it, if not, let me know and help me improve my site for you!

At the top of the right side panel are pages for places to eat when you’re traveling around. Currently it’s just Chicago and Milwaukee, places I’ve lived or visited often. Let me know if you have a suggestion or place to add!

You might also be wondering where all my recipes went, well they are right on my snazzy new website/cookbook. Save a link and enjoy it, after all, they recipes are for you!

I’ve been vegan now for over 2 years and I have to say I’ve experienced a wide variety of responses to my veganism. I wanted to share some of the good and some of the not so good aspects in my vegan life and I also wanted to vent a little…

First, let’s start with the awesome. I have to say that my Dad and Sister are by far the most supportive people of my choice to be vegan. My Dad always goes vegan when I visit, not because I ask him, because he wants to. This gives me the opportunity to cook him loads of vegan food or to plan out all the vegan places we will eat.  He enjoys being vegan with me and has always loved the food I pick out. My sister, and her husband, are also both willing to eat vegan with me. The Sister came to visit and she tried loads of vegan options and she liked most of them. Still, she’s always willing to eat vegan for me and at least try something new. When I went to visit her last time she ever stocked her kitchen with some of my fav vegan items…without my even asking, they were just there waiting for me! My sister also has my back, she knows how disgusted I am when I see people eating meat in (what I tend to call) “full form” (think thanksgiving day turkey, muscles, anything with bones in it, etc) and she never eats or cooks anything like this when I’m near.

Everyone else in the family can get lumped together in the “just don’t make it difficult for me” group. It’s sort of morphed into this awful thing. I had family that used to ask  me what they could make for me and now I don’t get asked, and if I request something I get ignored completely. I tried for a while to bring things to cook and in any attempt to use something outside of the microwave I got those annoyed looks and the huff and puffing of irritation. Lately, even my using the microwave has become a bother. Whats more is that they don’t realize how difficult they’re making it on me. Often my family “jokes” with me about my veganism, I’ve had bacon waved in my face, been harassed at breakfasts out to the point of tears, eyes rolled as one family member shouts to the waitress…”she’s vegan” when I was just saying I don’t want milk with my breakfast.

My friends are a wide range of characters. Some are almost vegan, other are so “meat & potatoes” its a wonder we can be friends. Some often request that I cook for them, but are not willing to buy some of the items needed to do the cooking. It’s almost as if they think since it’s vegan and I’m cooking I must purchase everything, every time, even if they eat way more than I do. I’m always willing to cook, but sometimes a girl wants some help….and sometimes, a girl wants someone to cook for her. I’ve had a few friends prepare vegan dishes for me…and they rocked and we’re much appreciated (reciprocated with vegan desserts)! It’s nice to know that some people read the labels and find vegan eats in their kitchen just for me.

But I do have to say that the Dad, The Sister, and The Brother-in-Law are my best allies. I love you guys so very much!