Stop Saying "I Can't"

It's over. I would say it's finally over but actually, it wasn't so bad! We just spent the past month and a half following a vegan diet. I know what you're thinking: Why?! But those 6-ish weeks taught us so much more than just how to survive eating nothing but plants. The biggest lesson? 

Stop saying I Can't!

The biggest surprise I got from going vegan for Lent was that, if you pay attention, major life lessons can be found everywhere. In this case, veganism reminded us that sometimes the biggest obstacle to achieving a goal is yourself. Don't get in your own way!

I can't remember where I saw this quote but I recently read something like (I'm paraphrasing here): 

The biggest obstacle to achieving something is believing that change is possible. 


Do you know how many times someone has told me they "could never" be vegan? Do you know how many times I've said that?! This is the girl who was convinced she couldn't start a morning without something hot and milky. I am the girl for whom cheese was it's own food group. It turns out that being vegan wasn't as hard as I thought and I had a lot of fun doing it. 

The thing is, I'm not just talking about changing what we eat or exercising more. Everyday I see examples of people thinking less of themselves and what they are capable of. People I care about. People I admire. People who are smart and talented, who have such tenacity, and don't even see it. 

Stop saying you can't! Of course you can't, if that's the stance you're going to take. Instead, make the decision to give it a shot, whatever it is. Acknowledge all the things you've accomplished in your life. Acknowledge all your so-called failures. Then, realize that all those experiences gave you new skills and a different perspective and maybe that thing you thought was too far out of reach is attainable after all!

I am a domestic goddess...you can be too!

Before the whole vegan thing I would have told you that I wasn't much into cooking. Especially not for something as ordinary as a weeknight dinner. It felt like too much work. I would prefer to throw together a salad, a PB&J or a snack of yogurt and fruit. Baking was my thing. I could also get down with finding something in Food & Wine magazine to whip up for a party or a holiday dinner at someone else's house (I've yet to figure out how to take the fun and leave the anxiety when entertaining in my own home). I left the weekly groceries and weeknight dinners to my husband, who loves that stuff.

Being vegan forced me out of my comfort zone and into the kitchen. I cooked our dinner at least twice a week. I did the groceries every week. I planned out our meals. I learned that making soup can actually be really fast & easy. I finally learned how to prepare three dishes at once without bursting into tears or burning something. I even started changing recipes to fit my taste or to use up some leftover ingredient I had in the fridge. Best of all: I grew to love cooking and I'm ready to make it a habit! 

In New York City there are lots of people who don't know how to cook or don't do it because it seems like too much work to feed just one or two people. I'm here to tell you first-hand that it's really not that hard. As with anything else in life that you are trying to do, you need to just jump in, get started and figure it out from there. For me, it was all about using cookbooks and recipes as a guide. The two main cookbooks I used were:

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (as well as her website Post Punk Kitchen)

Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr with Chef Chad Sarno

You can see a photo log of many of my vegan meals at my Instagram page. For the recipes, you can check out my Facebook page or my Pinterest board "For When I go Vegan." 

Don't be afraid of what you don't know.

That's my husband's tip for you. About veganism, he says:

Is it easy? No. But I'd do it again. It was fun and there is always so much you can learn.

My husband, who when I first met him was definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy, found that he loves seitan (wheat gluten, a great stand-in for meat) and drinking blended vegetable shakes, especially after a workout at the gym. He found it a challenge to keep to his vegan diet during busy days at work and business dinners at meat-centric restaurants but is happy he did it because of everything he learned from it.

For me, veganism turned from a challenge into a fun way to experiment with new foods, new recipes and new ingredients. Cashew cream, almond milk and easy vegetable-based soups will continue to be a part of my life (get the recipes on my "Soup's on!" Pinterest board).

What happens now?

In the end, I don't want to completely let go of veganism. After all, in six weeks on a vegan diet I almost never felt bloated, heavy or sluggish after a meal, even a really indulgent one. Instead, I always felt light and full of energy. Not only that, the food was delicious and I was always satisfied. While I was vegan I really only missed cheese, the occasional Greek yogurt and salmon burgers (we had been vegetarians who ate fish & seafood). So, my plan now is to try to be vegan for weekday breakfasts and lunches. Nights and weekends I'll go back to being a vegetarian. 

As for you, don't be afraid to try something new, don't be afraid to aim high and stop saying "I Can't!"

Cheers,
Diane


Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net / stockimages

It's over. I would say it's finally over but actually, it wasn't so bad! We just spent the past month and a half following a vegan diet. I know what you're thinking: Why?! But those 6-ish weeks taught us so much more than just how to survive eating nothing but plants. The biggest lesson? 

Stop saying I Can't!

The biggest surprise I got from going vegan for Lent was that, if you pay attention, major life lessons can be found everywhere. In this case, veganism reminded us that sometimes the biggest obstacle to achieving a goal is yourself. Don't get in your own way!

I can't remember where I saw this quote but I recently read something like (I'm paraphrasing here): 

The biggest obstacle to achieving something is believing that change is possible. 


Do you know how many times someone has told me they "could never" be vegan? Do you know how many times I've said that?! This is the girl who was convinced she couldn't start a morning without something hot and milky. I am the girl for whom cheese was it's own food group. It turns out that being vegan wasn't as hard as I thought and I had a lot of fun doing it. 

The thing is, I'm not just talking about changing what we eat or exercising more. Everyday I see examples of people thinking less of themselves and what they are capable of. People I care about. People I admire. People who are smart and talented, who have such tenacity, and don't even see it. 

Stop saying you can't! Of course you can't, if that's the stance you're going to take. Instead, make the decision to give it a shot, whatever it is. Acknowledge all the things you've accomplished in your life. Acknowledge all your so-called failures. Then, realize that all those experiences gave you new skills and a different perspective and maybe that thing you thought was too far out of reach is attainable after all!

I am a domestic goddess...you can be too!

Before the whole vegan thing I would have told you that I wasn't much into cooking. Especially not for something as ordinary as a weeknight dinner. It felt like too much work. I would prefer to throw together a salad, a PB&J or a snack of yogurt and fruit. Baking was my thing. I could also get down with finding something in Food & Wine magazine to whip up for a party or a holiday dinner at someone else's house (I've yet to figure out how to take the fun and leave the anxiety when entertaining in my own home). I left the weekly groceries and weeknight dinners to my husband, who loves that stuff.

Being vegan forced me out of my comfort zone and into the kitchen. I cooked our dinner at least twice a week. I did the groceries every week. I planned out our meals. I learned that making soup can actually be really fast & easy. I finally learned how to prepare three dishes at once without bursting into tears or burning something. I even started changing recipes to fit my taste or to use up some leftover ingredient I had in the fridge. Best of all: I grew to love cooking and I'm ready to make it a habit! 

In New York City there are lots of people who don't know how to cook or don't do it because it seems like too much work to feed just one or two people. I'm here to tell you first-hand that it's really not that hard. As with anything else in life that you are trying to do, you need to just jump in, get started and figure it out from there. For me, it was all about using cookbooks and recipes as a guide. The two main cookbooks I used were:

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (as well as her website Post Punk Kitchen)

Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr with Chef Chad Sarno

You can see a photo log of many of my vegan meals at my Instagram page. For the recipes, you can check out my Facebook page or my Pinterest board "For When I go Vegan." 

Don't be afraid of what you don't know.

That's my husband's tip for you. About veganism, he says:

Is it easy? No. But I'd do it again. It was fun and there is always so much you can learn.

My husband, who when I first met him was definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy, found that he loves seitan (wheat gluten, a great stand-in for meat) and drinking blended vegetable shakes, especially after a workout at the gym. He found it a challenge to keep to his vegan diet during busy days at work and business dinners at meat-centric restaurants but is happy he did it because of everything he learned from it.

For me, veganism turned from a challenge into a fun way to experiment with new foods, new recipes and new ingredients. Cashew cream, almond milk and easy vegetable-based soups will continue to be a part of my life (get the recipes on my "Soup's on!" Pinterest board).

What happens now?

In the end, I don't want to completely let go of veganism. After all, in six weeks on a vegan diet I almost never felt bloated, heavy or sluggish after a meal, even a really indulgent one. Instead, I always felt light and full of energy. Not only that, the food was delicious and I was always satisfied. While I was vegan I really only missed cheese, the occasional Greek yogurt and salmon burgers (we had been vegetarians who ate fish & seafood). So, my plan now is to try to be vegan for weekday breakfasts and lunches. Nights and weekends I'll go back to being a vegetarian. 

As for you, don't be afraid to try something new, don't be afraid to aim high and stop saying "I Can't!"

Cheers,
Diane


Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net / stockimages