Veganuary anyone?

[mnpeasantry]

So, never had a lot of luck with launching popular threads but wondered if anyone was game for a bit of vegan January?

My plan is to eat a plant based diet and cut out booze for all except 3 pre planned events in January.

I've put together a list of meals that sound good to me and not too arduous to put together on top of working and caring for two under 3.

Meals include:

Chips
Quinoa and sweet potato cakes
Avocado
Guacamole and tortilla chips
Veg chilli
Lentil soup
Brocolli and cashew stir fry
Spicy coconut noodles
Onion bhaji
Aubergine curry
Hummus
Sweet potato and white bean chilli
Curried coconut veg noodles
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/veggie-noodles-with-curried-coconut-sauce/
Sweet potato chickpea curry
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/sweet-potato-chickpea-amp-spinach-curry/
Pumpkin, chickpeas and coconut curry
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/pumpkin-chickpea-coconut-curry/
Vegan shepherds pie
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/vegan-shepherd-s-pie/
Best vegan burger
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/the-best-vegan-burger/

Why? Feeling a bit fat after Christmas and still need to lose a bit of baby weight. I feel that I have become a bit meat based in my meal planning lately and would like to diversify a bit. I'm aware of environmental and ethical issues surrounding the consumption of meat and I feel like I'm starting to believe that dairy doesn't really agree with me and triggers a number of allergies in my family.

So, is anybody with me? Let's (hopefully) improve our health and fitness, complexions, environment, digestion, etc! Feeling hopeful.

So tonight I ended up with a salad and chips! To be fair it was a place I didn't choose but I had to go with my friend's choice as she had to get a flight, was only in London for work this week, so we had to stay within airport range and I just told her to choose whatever made her life easier.

I will never understand why people get so worked up about food choices of others either.

Some people seem to feel deeply threatened by anyone making choices that differ from their own. I've been lucky in that people I've talked to about it have been either indifferent or too polite to say anything.

TMI but is anyone else suffering from bad wind? The only real difference other than the absence of meat fish and dairy has been the addition of soya to my diet, I wonder if it's possibly a reaction to that.

Yes! Terrible blow offs which clear the room I was walking through a supermarket the other day when one just came out - so embarrassing....
On another note - I am really struggling to find 'normal' recipes which aren't things like 'aubergine pesto rocket and kale okra pizza' or 'buckwheat maple pecan buns'. Every recipient I seem to find is something complex which there is no way the children will entertain! I know it's a whole new lifestyle but surely there must be something simple things?!

Beans on toast, veggie pasta, veggie sausage and mash, veggie burger and wedges, 'normal' veggie pizza (just no cheese, loads of other toppings), veggie curry or chilli and rice - loads of simple things :-)

I've stuck as best as possible to gf vegan for 3 weeks now. It's actually easier than I thought. Have tried a few new recipes, some more successful than others, but adapted old receipts easily too. Was very impressed at Pizza Hut to have a really yummy veggie pizza no cheese on a gluten free base (I researched and apparently the bases in restaurant are vegan but the takeout ones are not, it got very confusing and I was out of options so went with it!). Unlimited salad on the side. On evenings working late and no time for dinner, I had one 'meal' of crisps and a flapjack from the garage, and another of graze veggie protein snack and a nakd bar. Junky but did the job in a pinch.

I've been watching lots of vegan what I eat videos on YouTube - very interesting raw vegan foods as well.

I lost 4lb in the first week, and put on 1lb in the second it was period week though. And I'm really not drinking enough water. Weigh-in day again tomorrow!

I've actually not had the windy problem. My DP has though when he's shared a few of my meals. I don't think his gut is used to lots of fibre or legumes.

Str4nge it's only recently that I've been experimenting more with the chia-seed-flaxseed-and-unicorn-tears-muffins with dragon-fire-caramelised Martian-space-root-topping end of the internet. Initially I found it fairly easy to just "vegan-ise" whatever I would have eaten before.

DD is a big fan of tesco vegetable fingers with broccoli, she's just hoovered a plate of pasta with mushrooms, peas and Oatly cream, she loves pasta with cherry tomatoes and olives, tinned soup and toast with Violife cream cheese fingers, that sort of thing. Spag bol, lasagna, keema peas, Thai green curry, stir fries, roast dinners are all regular favourites too.

Thanks both. I was feeling a bit of a failure yesterday! Ds16 is incredibly fussy anyway so I don't know why I was expecting him to just suck it up so to speak. I will try to just have what we used to have and not be too fancy! Things like jacket potatoes I hadn't even considered to be honest - too busy trying to do things that I never would normally have done iyswim 😁 So tonight I had a LM pie which wasn't that great to be honest. I found it a bit tasteless. Going to try to make a pie myself this week - I bought some jus rol puff pastry so will do something vegetably at some point. Three weeks in and thinking I may stay this way !

I did a leek, mushroom and spinach topping on puff pastry yesterday, which we had with some roast potatoes. it was nice. I've been really craving biscuits and sweet stuff today, but we had nothing I could eat in so I had to go without. the craving has passed now.

For those of you who are suffering from the ahem...noxious gas problem. I've been taking a probiotic tablet from holland and barret twice a day which has helped hugely

I weighed myself this morning and I was really disappointed to not have lost any weight this week. I think it must be portion size. I'm going to try and reduce my portions and cut out snacking this week and see if it makes a difference

Ah, disappointing Simon. Was your diet pretty healthy before the switch, do you have much to lose? I lost another 4lb this week (7lb total) BUT my diet in the past few months has been absolutely atrocious, and I'm about 3-4 stone overweight at least. I'd imagine if you're starting in a better place losses might be slower.

Well done phoenix you are doing amazingly

My diet was pretty bad over Christmas but prior to that quite healthy I suppose. I need to lose 8-10lb so it will be harder.

Increased exercise and reduced portions are what work for me so I'll do that. I guess I'd hoped with eating vegan and cutting out bread the weight would miraculously fall off

Bah! All going odd tonight! Have been doing really and feeling like it's all good and normal now and suddenly have a mad craving for chocolate. Proper galaxy or a crunchie or twice or.....Arghhh!

Thanks Simon

St4nge would a nakd bar style thing do? I find raw fruit/nut bars with cocoa/cacao hit my chocolate spot pretty well. Nakd ones or homemade when I'm feeling more homespun!

I'm really lucky that the cafe next to where I work does amazing pick'n'mix style salads with loads of vegan options.

Dinner tonight is an easy bung in the oven dinner! Ready-prepared roast veggies and sweet potato wedges with LM red pepper & chorizo sausages. Yum yum yum.

Are many other people thinking of staying vegan after the end of January? I just really don't feel like eating meat/dairy/eggs at all.

If I ever really really really really really really want to eat something whatever it is I will eat it, or if am guest in someone's house and it would cause very serious offence/concern. Eggs seem too weird to eat now though? Cheese holds no appeal, I've tried some recently (soft goat) and it wasn't good. I thought I would struggle without cheese but once I gave up on the vegan alternatives I don't miss it at all.

Those little cartons of chocolate soya milk (which feature a lot in my Vegan Marathon Training Plan) are around 200 (actually more like 150) calories of sweetness and scratch a chocolatey itch. I also love 1/2 avocado mixed with a lot of raw cocoa powder and some vanilla extract, cinnamon and stevia-based sweetener for chocolatey gloop but nobody else shares my enthusiasm for that. Also around 200 cals (or safely below), where 1/2 avocado is around 70g.

Not over keen on the nakd bars - they are a bit too 'goopy'! I do have the recipe for vegan chocolate that my friend gave me so will have to sort myself out!

Chocolate avocado "mousse" does sound interesting, always meant to try it. I've got a bunch of avocados in the freezer. Maybe tomorrow :)

Found some vegan/gf refrigerated soups in Tesco, one Mexican Chilli Bean I had for lunch today which was good, and a Pea and Mint one I'll probably try tomorrow.

I had some really horribly painful leg cramps last night. The kind that wake you up shouting in pain. I don't know if it was not enough water, the glass of wine I had, or if it's something nutritionally. Wasn't pleasant though.

If I get a chocolate urge I either have a couple of squares of 80% dark chocolate or make a hot chocolate using almond milk, cacao powder, nut butter,maple syrup and cinnamon. it tastes really luxurious and indulgent.

Well I'm another 2lb down this morning so I think it was because it was the wrong time of the month so my body was holding onto it 😒

I'm definitely carrying veganuary on to Feb and beyond. I've just sorted out all the cheese to give to a friend as I won't be eating it. I do have a few quorn products in the freezer that aren't vegan though so I will probably have to eat those because I couldn't stand to just throw it out.

2lb is quarter of the way there Simon! I def find I don't lose weight during my period.

I'm having a go at making tofu frittatas like these, although I've used koko coconut milk instead of soy milk and instead of sautéing veggies I've used sundried tomatoes, red peppers and black olives that I have in jars in the fridge. Topped half with sunflower & pumpkin seeds and have with smoked vegan cheese from Tesco (which does not taste good raw, flavour ok but texture horrible), so hoping it melts alright. Bit of an experiment, hoping they come out ok! If they do, I'll have 2 now, put 2 in the fridge and 2 in the freezer and see how they fare reheated in the microwave, cos they might be good packed brekkie/lunch ideas for work.

Hi all! Just place marking really so that I can come back to pinch some of these delicious recipes. I've been vegan for nearly 6 months, lifelong vegetarian before this and always wanting inspiration.
greenevi.com/red-lentil-spinach-pasta/?utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly&utm_campaign=yummly

I made the above last night. Had it for dinner with pasta yesterday, and then spread some on toast with avocado this morning - it was delicious! Made a welcome change from usual peanut butter and banana. I wouldn't go to the effort just for breakfast alone, but great way to use leftovers.

Lunch is spinach, cucumber, mixed seeds, hummus and pitta breads.

So the tofu frittata things turned out pretty good! Kept nicely in the fridge overnight and were good cold so would work well for a packed brekkie/lunch. It would work very well as a quiche filling also. Also thinking about adding some kind of flour, maybe chickpea, to make it a drier, more muffin like texture so it would stand up to transport better for taking to work.

The Tesco free from smoked cheese, bleh, I could do without. It added nothing.

LM quarter pounders are the best 'meaty' vegan burger have found so far. They made a fab dinner cut into strips and put in wraps with greens, roast veggies and some aquafaba mayo I made, which has lasted 10 days in the fridge no problem. A very passable approximation of a steak fajita wrap!

Went past Holland & Barrett today and picked up some "secret veggie" sausages, looking forward to trying them over the weekend.

Hope everyone is geared up for a good last weekend of Veganuary! I'm definitely going to continue into Veganebruary as well. Even if it means making up a meal of side dishes at my friends birthday on Sunday, as they've decided to go to a steakhouse .

Meant to add a piccy of the tofu frittatas

Look pretty eggy right?

veganuary is over! How did everyone do? have you been tucking in to cheese toasties today or are you sticking with it?

I'm sticking with it, although only where it's practical and possible which it almost always is. Seem to have gained a bit of weight but that always happens when I start running more but that's fine

I'm going back to occasional sustainable fish and eggs from our own hens, but will continue to avoid dairy products.

Had absolutely no idea it was possible to freeze avocados!! Brilliant

Pleased to see a few will be sticking with it - hopefully people will continue to share tips and recipes on this thread!

Jen, tesco actually sell bags of frozen avocados! they're great for sticking in smoothies etc

Great to see some others are sticking with it