Day 30

Day Thirty...  A day that will live in infamy...

I will have made it 30 Days Total Vegan come midnight, tonight!

Here's how everything went down on my final day...

Bootcamp.  Kicked my ass.  Ran outside.  I was in the "B" group.  I don't want to talk about it.

Had a Vega protein shake when I got back and 3 cups of coffee throughout the morning.  I decided for my last day that I needed to go by this place called Dulce Vegan http://dulcevegan.com/ in the Kirkwood neighborhood.  I met my buddy, Eric H, over there.  It's a cool vegan bakery and sandwich shop and a favorite of my friends, Russo and Tina.  A little secret I learned: you can rock so many baked goods vegan and never know the difference.  Instead of eggs, you can use apple sauce as a binder and just not use cow's milk.  I would encourage people to try Dulce Vegan.  Don't be scared because of the word "vegan"!

Pumpkin chili was the soup of the day- Very good & spicy!
I tried a few bites and took the rest home.

Their version of the mock chicken salad sandwich-if you go, get this!
Awesome and also a little spicy, too!

Chocolate cupcake with raspberry icing-
Eric got one and tried a bite and couldn't tell the difference

Big E- Talked him into going to this place!
Finally agreed it wasn't bad

For my last official dinner, my favorite ePhilanthropist made a salad and some soup.  

Great final meal for the blog!
Black Bean Soup and a salad

Couldn't believe how simple this soup was and it was really good!

Here are the recipes courtesy of one Laura Lou: 

Black bean soup:
2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 container fresh salsa
1 can vegetable stock
Simmer and put half in a blender, and then add it back to the pot

Added quinoa on top of soup.

Salad:
1 can hearts of palm
1 can artichoke hearts
1/2 cucumber
1 seeded jalapeño
1/2 red onion
1 avocado (unfortunately ours wasn't ripe tonight)
4 tablespoon white vinegar
Cilantro
Salt and pepper

Butter lettuce

Dessert- Mini dairy-free ice cream sandwiches
Tiny, but not bad.  I guess that's how they keep 'em at 90 calories!

That's it!  Now, I'm just counting down the final hours!

A lot of you have asked me... How do I feel? What will I do next? Will I continue being a vegan?  Stay tuned for my last blog entry as a final Recap on what I learned!

Also, for those of you in the ATL who want to join us:

You can find me at my favorite BBQ joint,  Community Q BBQ , in Decatur at 7pm tomorrow!

Day 29

Almost to the finish line!  One more day to go!

So, Monday morning came around.  Like it always does.  I opted for the Vega protein shake for breakfast.  http://myvega.com/  No coffee today!  I have the chocolate flavored powder and added bananas and almond milk.  I had some meetings in the morning and headed out.  I was starving by lunch time.  I heated up the leftover black beans and rice from last week.  I added a whole wheat pita with hummus.

Hummus pita w/ black beans & rice-
La Croix sparkling water instead of soda

For dinner, my friend, Tina Rains, invited me over for one last vegan meal before the end of the bet.  A little plug for TRains and her company: Your GoTo Girl Atlanta !! If you live in the ATL, give Tina a call!  She made fettucine alfredo without the real alfredo sauce!  The recipe called for cashew nuts instead, and had nutritional yeast and chardonnay in it.  Then the dish was garnished with sauteed spinach, and roasted asparagus and red peppers.  Tasted great!

Very good!  Wasn't much different from regular alfredo sauce

I also had a couple of beers, but who's counting.  Day 30 here I come.

Days 26, 27,28

Well, my last vegan weekend is behind me!  Hers's a rundown of Friday, Saturday & Sunday!

So, a cup of coffee for breakfast was all I had.  I was on my way up to Roswell when I had a tire blowout on RT. 400!  I was calling my insurance agent, then AAA, dreading putting the spare on myself.  I was crunched for time and really didn't want to deal with this when luckily a H.E.R.O. truck showed up!  Let me just put a plug in for these guys!.  Highway_Emergency_Response_Operators  The GDOT provides these guys for assistance.  This dude was cool.  It took him 5 minutes to put my donut on for me.  And when I offered to give him a tip, he wouldn't take it!  Solid. I ended up Googling the closest Discount Tire.  4 new tires later (sucks!!!) and I decided to hit another great Mediterranean place nearby, Aladdin's in Roswell.  www.aladdinmediterraneanrestaurant.com  They have great shawarma!  If you have never had shawarma, you need to check it out!  It's awesome, but definitely not vegan!

Falafel plate- always a go to vegan meal- great!

For dinner, we met friends out in the Oakhurst neighborhood again. We went to this Mexican restaurant and there are usually some vegan options.  www.matadorcantina.com

Tofu tacos and a couple beers with friends- I'm tofu'd out!

On Saturday, brunch at Ria's Bluebird http://riasbluebird.com/ in Grant Park.  This place is pretty good.  Get there early if you can because this place is very popular.  This was a big step for me!  Brunch is tough because there are so many good things that aren't vegan!  Eggs, cheese... bacon.  Oh, sweet bacon.... That's why I haven't been going to brunch.  Soysage and breakfast skillet without eggs or cheese.  First time having soysage-not bad. Still not as good as the real thing.

Bionic breakfast with a side of soysage

That night, a group of us were checking out a show at Eddie's Attic www.eddiesattic.com in Decatur.  So, we met at Raging Burrito beforehand.  www.ragingburrito.com  Raging has been an ATL staple for a long time.  This place is usually good!

Burrito-Pineapple Jerk with tofu-excellent alternative!
About one the best things I've had so far.

On Sunday, I met my buddy, Dawson, for lunch after picking up my car in Decatur. Another plug: Uber  After a few drinks last night, it's always better to cab it.  Check out Uber.  It rocks.  That's all I gotta say.   I decided to try the vegan pizza at Mellow Mushroom.  http://mellowmushroom.com/  I'm not sure if you can tell by this photo below, but it looks like someone puked on this pie!!

Daiya cheese pizza with onions and mushrooms-
Edible, but doesn't look too appetizing!  Definitely  not as good as a regular pie!

I don't think I can say I'm a fan of this fake pizza.  If you're going to go for a 'za, go for a 'za!  I guess you could go with no cheese, but that wouldn't be pizza.  That's like a big round bruschetta.  And I friggin' love pizza.

For dinner tonight,  green curry with vegetables and coconut ice cream for dessert!  Bought everything at Trader Joe's www.traderjoes.com and mixed it up.  Super easy and good!

Green Thai curry with brown rice and vegetables- Tasty!

Non-dairy ice cream- chocolate made with coconut milk- Awesome!

2 more days to go!  Bring it.

Day 25

I'm still alive!  Day twenty-five!

Sorry about the late post for those of you keeping score.  Went out for beers with my buddies last night.  That's probably all that needs to be said. I'm blaming Wortmann for those last 2 Jamesons!

Coffee for breakfast.  Need to get back on the smoothie/shakes at least.  I've never been a breakfast person.  More of a hungover brunch person on the weekends!  For lunch, I browned some onions and garlic and added them to some black beans and rice.  This is what I imagined I'd be eating everyday this month!

Black beans from Whole Paycheck w/ onions & garlic

Finished product- Notice my Big Green Egg plate in the background?!

 For dinner, I decided to try these vegan hot dogs that my buddy, Dawson, brought me during the SuperBowl.  I had some leftover hummus on the side.  Also, thought I'd be living off hummus everyday during this bet!  Pretty close.  So these vegan dogs look just like the regular franks.  I would even say close to the same texture.  But, they are disgusting!  I like my "lips and *ssholes" to be the real deal.  If you're gonna eat a hot dog, eat a hot dog.  My advice.

Look like franks, made out of soy

Couldn't add enough condiments to make these things  taste good!
I gave the other one to my dog, Shadow.
He even looked disappointed after he gulped it down 

Hummus-Always a good time

 I met my boys out in Little 5 at the Wrecking Bar www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com  This place is great.  They brew their own beer.  Decent menu.  Took a look at these fries and decided to order a little something even though I already had dinner.

Fresh cut french fries-the bomb.  Had a few

Had half of this vegan seitan gyro. OK
Side of roasted vegetables-awesome.  Beer-IPA-Awesome.

So, probably not great on the waistline, but good times with my Bros.  Stopped by one of my favorite bars on the way home. The Porter  www.theporterbeerbar.com  This place rocks.  Tons of great beers bound to give you a headache!  Great food, too!

Heading into my final weekend!

Day 24

Wednesday, February 27th, aka Day 24.  Finished the first day of my last full week of vegan madness!

Coffee for breakfast, but I actually made a bowl of cereal with almond milk, too.  For lunch, a peanut butter sandwich on wheat (no jelly again). No snacks every few hours and probably not enough water for all you diet enthusiasts.  So, sue me.  I was starving by dinner.

With no one to cook for me, I was back to my normal bachelor lifestyle.  Quick and easy.  As already referenced by the bowl of cereal and a PB sandwich!  I pulled out some of the frozen vegan concoctions from my first visit to Whole Foods at the beginning of this journey.

Vegan Mac & Cheese- Can you believe it?
 Is the apple sauce made out of Daiya, too?!! 

Veggie burgers- I'm about veggie pattied out by now,
but these were in the freezer and easy to make

Finished product- veggie burger with vegan mac & cheese.
Probably some kid's nightmare.      

Amy's makes a ton of  organic, vegan, gluten/dairy/soy free stuff. www.amys.com The mac and cheese is made with rice pasta and "Daiya Cheeze". www.daiyafoods.com  What exactly is in Daiya?  Couldn't tell you.  I would say that this meal was OK.  Definitely not the Mac & Cheese at Community Q www.communityqbbq.com That stuff is phenomenally amazing!  And by the way, they have the best BBQ inside the perimeter.  But probably about as good as that cheese powder sauce in the cheap Kraft stuff.

Veggie burgers... I'm over them.  I fed most of the 2nd patty to my dog.  He seemed to like it.  But "a dog would eat a sh*t sandwich" as my Dad used to say.  Until tomorrow.

Day 23

Day 23 today.  After today, one week to go.  That's 7 days for those of you counting!

Busy day this Tuesday.  I went to BootCamp and surprisingly felt pretty good.  I managed to get through everything a little easier despite the time off from last week!  I came home and had the usual Vega protein shake and 3 cups of black coffee.  I hopped in the shower and had to get on the road to Greenville, SC today.  So, I was proud of myself for packing my lunch for once!  Mock Chicken salad sandwich on wheat, some carrot sticks and a water.  I also brought a single serving of the Vega stuff, but it got late and I never drank it.

Tonight, a very special gal cooked me dinner!  I didn't get home until almost 8PM, so it was very nice to have dinner waiting for me!

Leftover Tofurky Italian Sausages with peppers, mushrooms & onions

Roasted Broccoli and tomatoes- tasted great!  My new favorite

Of course, I opted for the sausage on a bun with peppers, onions! Decent.
 Definitely not the pop, taste, and grease of a regular sausage, but not bad.

For dessert- vegan chocolate pie from Sevananda!  It  tasted pretty good!
Kind of like a healthy chocolate mousse parfait.  All the ingredients are raw and organic.

I'm beat.  Long day.  One week to go!

Day 22

Salutations, Salad-Eaters!  Day 22!

I was running late this Monday morning and had a conference call before heading out. I wish I had a protein shake, but I drank at least 3 cups of coffee!  I decided to try this new "Mock" chicken salad from Sevananda in Little 5 Points. http://www.sevananda.coop/  I must have walked or drove by this place a million times on my way to some bar in Little 5 but never stepped foot inside!  Someone told me their vegan chicken salad was even better than Whole Foods.

"Mock" Chicken salad from Sevananda- Pretty Tasty!
 Has more of an onion taste than the Whole Foods version.
Both great alternatives and I could eat all the time.  

I decided to make another mock chicken sandwich as a snack at 3:30pm, too!  I love this stuff.  For dinner, I experienced pure tempeh for the first time.  

Tempeh- not as spongy as tofu!  It almost looks like rice krispy treats!

Finished product- Stir fry with brown rice, tempeh, onion,
peppers, mushrooms, bok choy- Very good!

The tempeh was marinated in soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic.  Definitely, had more of a meat consistency than tofu.  I would say I probably liked it better.  Back to BootCamp tomorrow in the AM after my long sabbatical!