So when I wrote this, the biggest reaction seems to have been – You want to be a vegan? WTF???

I hear ya.  Sounds nutty, right?

But here’s the deal.  I was a semi-vegetarian for about a year – and then in July I put my flag in the ground and said – that’s it – no more meat.

And once that decision was made – easy.  No regrets.

One of my reasons for taking so flippin’ long to commit was that my ex felt that it was anti-social for me to want to eat different things from the rest of my family.  And I didn’t want to tell them all that we were going herbivore.

a) My kids don’t even willingly eat healthy mainstream meals.  If I try to feed them a lentil, I worry about the repercussions.

b) I don’t like to make trouble.

c) I was being wimpy.

So – finally I committed.  For just me.

And after 6 months of vegitude – my cholesterol was higher than ever.  And my weight is apparently climbing the same ladder.  Rats.

Much of the problem is cookie related.  The holidays officially kicked my ass.

But it also turns out that it is super easy to become a cheese-itarian.  Or a pizza-tarian.  The vast majority of non-meat, non-salad foods in the land of the suburbs involve copious quantities of cheese.

Applebee’s, I’m looking at you and your blasted artichoke dip.

I need to be eating copious quantities of veggies.  Not cheese.

Although I love cheese.

Oh cheese…I love you.

I [heart] cheese.

And it is likely that this is the sort of love affair that needs a responsible parent to come in and bust us up for our own good.

(But Mooooommmmmm…I loooooovvvvveeeeeeee cheese…and he looovvvveeeesss meeee…)

So – cheese and me are through.

Well, we are semi-officially through. We still fool around a little bit on the weekends.

Shhh.

Part of why this cheese-less life seems like a super amazing idea is that I found this website.  And the companion cookbook is now my bible of yum.  If I lived anywhere near Oregon I think I’d be totally stalking Mama Pea.  Luckily – other coast.

I also found another fab resource – The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.  Uncheese is ALMOST as fun as actual cheese.

The latest complication is that I have discovered that I can’t eat soy.  Not if I want to be a happy person.  And I kind of do.

So now I need cheese-free, meat-free, soy-free foods.  I may have to reconsider my anti-salad stance.

After 3 weeks of near-veganism, I have had a minor re-evaluation (and expect to have continued adjustments along the way).

Dairy is semi-officially moving into the category of a “sometimes” food in my life.  (There are not really “official” categories – I don’t have a rule book or anything…it’s all in my head.  These are the same rules that say I will never eat an oyster, lima beans are not to be trusted, and any vegetable can be made better by roasting it (except lima beans…))

Anyhoo – on an everyday basis – dairy and I have parted ways.  I put almond milk on my cereal.  I like coconut milk “yogurt”.  Daiya “cheese” is my new soy-free friend.

But I can’t quite imagine the social implications of cheeseless pizza.  And to say I will NEVER eat ice cream makes me want to cry.

For now.

Who knows – I am a work in progress.

But if I could be as healthy as these ladies – I might not miss the ice cream.

The Kind Life

The Happy Herbivore

The Blissful Chef

Yeah – who am I kidding – I’d still miss it.