January 1st–
I am so incredibly excited about this new adventure for our family and the prospect of doing our part to save our planet and affect change for the environment. If you have not read about how I got here, please feel free to check it out here:

My New Years’ Resolution: Eating more plants in 2020!

A little hungover this morning (what can I say?!) and had a veggie skillet for brunch to soak up the champagne and it was awesome. Also had a veggie sushirito for dinner and it was delicious and hit the spot.

January 2nd
Ok, made veggie chili today. It was so good and a huge hit with the family, so I will make sure to post this for the football play-offs coming up! I also made salad, roasted sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes with garlic, lemon and olive oil. PLUS Gigantes! The family is full and felt like there was a ton to choose from which kept everyone feeling satisfied.

January 3rd
I am three days in and finally posting at a little more length! I did a dry run for 6 weeks this fall, so many of these revelations I have had before, and some of them are surprisingly fresh or new!

First thoughts- (and I am being totally candid here) It feels weird not to be on a diet. I am as sucked into diet culture as the next and have faithfully signed on to “diet” every year in January since I was a teen. Programmed to believe that those extra few pounds (or a few more!) of Holiday indulgences made me less than, and needed to be fixed right away. So right off the bat, this whole new approach to food is refreshing.

Second thought- It feels weird to be “allowed” to eat carbs. Every diet plan (I think!) out there frowns on them, so I have too. Even though I don’t eat grains like wheat and corn due to allergies, there are plenty of other starchy carbs that I have shunned just out of believing that they are not good choices for me. So, in my pursuit of eating plant-based in a healthy and sustainable way, I have to try to be balanced and for the first time as an adult am bringing on the carbs!

OK- I can’t forget to mention that it takes about 5-7 days to let your digestion system adjust. Before I first tried my stint in the fall, I told a girlfriend that there was no way in hell I could do this, simply because I had such a hard time digesting lentils and beans and quinoa. But 5 days into the project, none of those foods was a problem for me. Having said that- I am not quite there this time YET! This is probably a significant increase in fiber happening with your diet (it is for mine!), so give your body time to get used to the change. Any discomfort does pass pretty quickly. Everyone is different, but it could just take a few days or up to a week.

Lunch- the girls went to sushi with their cousin and ate fish. They were upset about it, and I had to remind them that they shouldn’t feel bad about it! That they should absolutely feel free to eat what they want in the moment, and the main goal is to eat MOSTLY plant-based. I want to make sure they don’t feel restricted and can eat what feels good for their bodies. I have to remember to keep stressing that so they don’t get a complex about it.

Dinner tonight! Coincidentally the other day, when picking me up from an appointment, Pete found a Vegan Thai restaurant, so we went before going to a basketball game tonight! My dad came too and it was pretty good. Well the noodle dishes were ok, but the curry was excellent. And the fact that every dish was also marked for gluten was fantastic. For the Seattleites, I am giving it another try before posting about it so I only recommend something good!

*Oh worth noting! While this is something you should talk about with your dr, since every person is different, I have started a B12 supplement. I had low levels even when eating animal protein regularly, so this feels especially important now.

January 4–
Last night had to have been my “digestive system’s high (or low!) point. Rough nights sleep for all the tummy action, so I woke up exhausted. And bloated. This is probably the point where you go- REALLY? I thought I was supposed to feel so great, blah, blah, blah… I am practicing patience today

We went to boxing today (like we do every Saturday) and I thought that it was interesting that David, who I box with, said that I was punching twice as hard as usual. And despite the fact that I got the worst night sleep, I had SO much energy today! I worked out, cooked a bunch, and cleaned out both kids rooms and closets. Went to bed feeling very productive.

January 5– Slept really, really well last night. Digestive trouble seems to be over- actually everyone said they feel good today. I made fresh zoodle rolls and a huge batch of homemade Green Curry and cookies for my whole family for the Seahawks game and the Golden Globes and it was devoured. We are rubbing off on my extended family and I am so excited that everyone liked the curry and left full as usual (but full of veggies!)

Felling really good at the end of today and excited for all of the recipes that I am ready to make this week and to keep going on this journey and see how I feel.

January 7th– Feeling really good. I find that I am actually not very hungry during the day, which is SHOCKING after the way I ate in December. I am guessing it is because of all the extra fiber? I don’t know. But then I will honest to God wake up in the middle of the night and am hungry. I think I need to add some extra fat to what I am eating at night to stop that. I know that weight is not the point of this at all, and that this is about making a lifestyle change for far more important reasons, BUT as a side note, my pants don’t feel quite as tight which is nice.

January 8th- This is Pia and I personally have loved going plant-based. At first, I sometimes would get cravings for chicken wings or a good chicken burger (i don’t eat pork or beef anyways.) Now, I find myself not even liking the taste of meat. What is really interesting is that I can already tell I have more energy! For example, I wake up early for school and I’m not close to being as tired as I used to be.  I am also way more energetic during and after school.  I always nod off in one of my classes and this week I have not had that problem at all. It’s like a whole new me, and it’s also helping the planet so let’s just say I love being plant-based!