Here we go! Day 1

Hello there! I am a 24 year old (soon to be 25!) woman living in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am self-employed as a regional actress (definition: I make some money by acting but still have to keep part-time work).

The goal of this blog is to document my journey towards being a successful vegan female long-distance runner, leading to the longest distance I will have ever raced: The Flying Pig Half-Marathon in May. This blog will follow my journey, what I eat every day to keep myself well fueled, the workouts that I do, and simply how I am feeling.

Here's some history on me. I grew up in a family of meat eaters, and not just meat eaters, but busy ones who typically turned to processed convenience foods. As a result, I ate a lot of crap. I rebelled around 8th grade and tried to become healthy, but with so much information out there, leading a truly wholesome lifestyle is boggling. Thus started a really distorted relationship with food and with my weight and how both related to my identity.

Fast forward to age 20: I decided to become a vegetarian. Working in Philadelphia, I encountered so many vegans and, not knowing what a vegan even was, did some research and found myself horrified by the crimes committed against the environment, animals, and our bodies by the meat and dairy industry. I wavered between veganism and vegetarianism for the past five years, but have been more consistently vegetarian, mostly out of laziness but also because I just did not know how to do the veganism thing in such a way that I felt strong and healthy.

Which leads us to now. I have read sooooo much on the topic of veganism, and finally feel equipped to commit to this thing, due almost entirely to Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, as well as a great 12-Day Program book by Dr. McDougall. Unfortunately, I have been met with a lot of negative scrutiny: Where do you get your protein? Grumble grumble HIPPIE grumble LIBERAL...

So I've decided to prove those in my family (who, let me clarify, I do dearly love and know they have my best interests at heart) and my select friends who scoff at the idea that one can be both vegan and live a vibrant lifestyle--and not only vibrant, but super athletic!

Healing Foods of the Day:

raw cashews and raisins

Quick and Easy Meal:

Brown Rice covered in "Cheeze Sauce" with a bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots that I threw into the sauce

--This was really tasty! I adapted a recipe for the cheeze that I found online because I didn't have any veggie broth, and I think I preferred it this way. It was milder, not as salty.

Veg Impromptu Cheeze Sauce:

2 cups plain rice milk

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

garlic to taste

dollop of mustard

sea salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat the rice milk, then set some aside to dissolve the cornstarch in it. Once that is done, add the thickening mixture back to the whole, then throw the rest of the ingredients into the pot. Once the nutritional yeast has dissolved, turn the heat to medium low, add the frozen veggies, and heat until they are cooked through, frequently stirring. SO easy, and yummy! The cheeze was creamy, and the flavor did not overpower the dish. I prefer using the rice milk to vegetable broth. It tasted more like a creamy cheese sauce without the dairy cruelty.

Suggested Reading: The Kind Life by Alicia Silverstone