20

that's the number of days i've been vegan for. well, that's not entirely truthful. My main thing, no matter what, is no meat. but, if the only options at the dfac have a little butter in them, or my boyfriend buys me a drink with a little milk in it, i'm stuck. i'm getting better though! today, i bought a frozen yogurt thingy, and then i decided not to eat it, so i gave it to my neighboor (she was with me) and her roommate. ya, i still bought it, but it's a start!

but, 20 is my number! my new years resolution is 6 months. that way, i will have completely get it into my system, and when the six months are up, i can decide if i want to go back to eating meat or not. now, i am just working on making it the rest of the month without eating dairy or eggs... eggs really aren't the problem. it's the dairy. which frustrates me because i'm allergic to it, and it's till everywhere. at lunch, i get to eat a salad, rice (and not even a good rice, it's not sticky at all) and whatever cooked veggie doesn't have butter in it. i can't even have mashed potatoes or the baked potato because they put butter on both. ug.

i do really good all day, until about 5, when i go to eat dinner. because i have SO many options. and i got my dorm-room cookbook back from home (i left it there over break... whoops) so, i made something i've been wanting to make forever... vegan mac and cheese. except i didn't use macaroni, i used a package of roman noodles. yum! oh, there's no vegan margarine here, so i used a splash (about a T) of olive oil... (the recipe calls for (with 1 package of roman noodles) a splash (about a tablespoon) of soy milk, the same of olive oil, or vegan margarine, and about 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast. and garlic powder and salt (and pepper, but i dont like pepper) to your taste! simple, yummy, and well, pretty darn filling. i was absolutely starving when i got home, i ate about 2/3 of the package, plus a couple water crackers with hummus, and i was not hungry for a couple hours! perfect!

well, wish me luck at being a complete vegan for the rest of the month!

rice

my new year's resolution was to be a vegan for 6 solid months. my boyfriend isn't helping at all (he says he'll quit tobacco the day i eat a steak, and even when i ate meat, i never ate steak... it was just gross). but, hey, I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!! i'm really liking him, and am blushing at the thought, but i've slightly, maybe, kinda thought about marriage. ya, it's too soon to tell, but, except for the fact that i don't eat meat, and he says he likes to chew on baby cows (ya, i get this everyday)... and the tobacco, we really click... i don't know. if there's more about this, i'll be sure to post about it.

So, because i'm trying super hard to be vegan (i'm doing pretty good, on most days, i've only had chicken once, and a meat sandwhich once) i am noticing what i'm eating more. in the mornings, i usually have oatmeal, grits (both made with water) or leftover rice with dried fruit (i'm liking the appricots) and some sliced almonds (not a lot, just enough to through in some protein!) For a snack in class, i usually have the trail mix (it's the ONLY vegan option in the vending machine) --basically raisins and peanuts, and sunflower seeds (without the annoying shells). For lunch, i have the soup (if it's vegan, which is like once a week) a giant salad with every vegetable that i am offered (beets are the latest one, which are tasting pretty good) rice and whatever cooked veggie looks good to mix in. most of them are over cooked, or seasoned with butter, so it's just plain rice with some soy sauce. yum. (actually, there isn't that much sarcasm in that one... i like just plain rice!) Then, for dinner, i usually have rice (from my rice cooker) with beans of some sort (i really could use any bean, it's amazing how i used to hate them, and now i don't) and maybe a fruit, or a half cup of fruit juice, and some miso soup (i get the instant mix from the store... yummy!!!!)

So, obviously i like rice. my favorite is the asian rice, it's medium grain, and when you cook it, it actually sticks together, unlike the rice from the chow hall which would only stick together if i added glue. rice is an amazing staple that fills me if i eat some beans, or a bunch of veggies with. ya, brown rice is best for you, but it takes longer to cook, and more water, and it doesn't stick together, or have the delicious consistancy of asian rice. so, i'm eating white rice for now... as soon as my rice runs out, though, i have a three pound bag of brown rice that i'm going to eat up before i buy more. also, rice is cheap! yes, i understand that the price of rice has gone up, but the price of meat is way worse, especially compared to how filling rice is compared to nasty meat. so, if you are wondering what to eat, may i suggest rice. just keep a pot of rice always available! we only have a 3 cup rice cooker (as soon as it breaks, i'm buying a bigger one) so we have to make rice daily. but, we usually make it before dinner, eat some for dinner... and then there's enough left for one or two people's breakfasts! and, you can put anything in it! some of my dorm-room recipies:

• Dorm-Room-Mexican **delux version**: 1-1 1/2 cups of cooked rice, 1/4 - 1/2 cups of black beans (just open the can, put it in a paper bowl, and put in in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring once), a couple tomatoe slices (or cherry tomatoes) from the chow hall, onions (if you like them), a couple slices of ripe avacado (make sure it's ripe. trust me.) Salsa (if you like it)- just put it all together, stir if you want, or not. For to go, just wrap it up in a giant tortilla (you might need two, whoops!)
• Dorm-Room-Mexican**simple version**- 1-1.5 cups of cooked rice, 1/2 cups of beans, some salsa-- yumm!!!
• left-overs rice!!: have you ever made onigiri? rice balls? well the basic concept is to put something inside of the rice, and form it into a ball. well, get some of last weekend's grilled tofu, or last night's stir fry, or whatever is hiding behind the soy milk and put inside the rice for a fun, easy treat! (you should try to use the sticky rice, or else it won't work) put a clump in your hands, some of the leftovers, some more rice, and form it into whatever you can! i stick with a ball, or a triangle because it's too much work for me... i'm not very good at these, i just like to eat them!!
• (this is what i use rice for in the morning, after a workout) Rice -breakfast-goodness (?): 1 cup of rice, cooked, and a little water added to it, and reheated in the rice cooker (it's better if it's moist), 4 dried appricots (or whatever fruit, dried, or fresh) 1/4 cup of sliced almonds (i usually use just under 1/4 c, so 1/4 c would be the max) mix together! yum!

well, that's it about rice!