Hi there! I was scrolling through a thread and your sig link caught my eye. I've been vegan for almost 7 years. So has my daughter, who is almost 11. It's all because of her! When she was 4, we were reading Charlotte's Web and she wanted to know why Charlotte needed to save Wilbur. Needless to say, she didn't like the answer. I decided to humor her vegetarianism for a while. I felt like I had to do some research to make sure she was getting a healthy diet (because the Arby's and macaroni and cheese we had been eating are so nutritious). The thing is, once you start poking around, the curtain really gets torn back to everything that's going on. I could no longer stomach contributing to this and I became a vegan almost immediately. It was a very difficult transition. Primarily, because I was never much of a cook, having grown up in a home that tended more to microwave meals. So, I had to learn how to read labels, prepare meals, have work snacks and eat at restaurants and parties with no prep time. I just threw myself right in. Did I mention that it was difficult? But, now, it's just a part of who I am. I love to cook. I can't imagine eating something without reading the label. My greatest joy in April is the first day of the Farmer's Market. It's actually opened a lot of other doors for me and helped me figure out that I'm not the tough, emotionless kid I always pretended to be. I'm compassionate. I cry. I'm not embarrassed to stop and watch bugs or people or flowers. I'm a lot happier.

When forum groups first came out, I created one called vegan and you're all welcome to join. No one really uses it. I made it because that was the only group I intended to join and I wanted it to show up under my name. Lol

My pet, Vegiac, has a couple of recipes I like. I love to make tacos and soups and stir fries. I make a killer peanut sauce that we like to pour over quinoa and kale. I'm lucky to have moved to a veg-friendly town a little over a year after we became vegan. A local farm now grows quinoa and we have a local tofu maker. Our little Co-op was the first to carry Beyond Meat, which is pricey, but a fun addition to meals as an occasional treat. This makes it fun, but it's not necessary to live somewhere veg-friendly in order to eat good food.

If you're on Facebook, check out Thug Kitchen. For any new or transitioning vegans, get a couple of cookbooks. That saved me! One of the first I bought was Tropical Vegan, because I was afraid vegan food would be bland. Because, for some reason, everyone thinks vegan means nothing but iceberg lettuce. I eat more flavorfully now than I ever did before. It can get exhausting, answering questions like, "Sooooo, do you eat rice?" and "How do you live without bacon?" or "Would you eat meat if it was the last food on Earth?" or "Why don't vegans care about people?" Sigh. But I'd much rather that than ever go back. I'd better go before this becomes a book!

That was such a lovely post. Thank you for all of that! I am happy you even got to read the first post because for some reason it keeps going blank off and on! >.<

I will respond more thoroughly soon, but for now I am off! It was very nice to hear from you! :)

I'm veggie :).

I've been vegan for just over a year (I was vegetarian before)

I have some vegan meals ideas on my pinterest if anyone is interested, but usually I just make a lot of one-pot veggie meals 'cause they're quick and cheap and I can freeze the left overs for another day (I'm suuuuper lazy when it comes to cooking!)

I find it's pretty easy to eat vegan once you get into the swing of it, but finding good quality make-up is a lot harder, and putting up with people's ignorant comments all of the time :')

Have you guys ever made date bars? If I was to share one recipe, it would be that. They are SO good!

Nice! I'm going on 10 months since I started. I'm afraid I can't rightly say I'm vegan lately, as I've been very lenient on products made with dairy. I never outright drink milk (mainly cheese on pizza when out with friends and the like) or buy groceries that have any animal products in them. It's just various things I eat while out and on the go. So, yeahhh, very hard task for me lately. I still go to great lengths to cook my own food at home, and that is when I eat the healthiest! And I have to agree, one pot meals (mainly soup or stew made with vegetable/mushroom/onion stock) or stir fries and fresh salads have been very popular around our place lately as well! But really, those are the best things to eat! They are fresh, loaded with veggies and whatever protein I decide to throw in on any given day, mainly lentils and quinoa lately! I have also developed an obsession with my mom's seitan, mashed potatoes and gravy! Mmmm.

And, oh! This vegan sausage (for all the veggie peeps! - Great recipe!) recipe I've been making so much lately! I just adore it. i eat it in a bun, like a sausage, or slice it up and put it on pizza, in stir fries, and I have been wanting to try it in a mock jambalaya of sorts as well. :) It's essentially seitan, but i make them rather spicy, like a sausage should be! :D

Those date bars look good, packed with nutrients and easy to make! i made a version of those once but they were rolled into balls (that way they look less like a large crap, and more like little turds!! XD ), quite scrumptious though, and so fun! ^_^

Thanks for sharing hun! And, I am glad you see you joined veggiechat. ;)

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And, yes! I have to admit, actually, the hardest part of trying to live cruelty free (the only way to describe it, to me, really) is the hostility and ignorant (and by ignorant, I mean people who are un-educated in the area) comments from people. I do wish that, if I am not pushing my stuff on someone, that they could just live and let live. It doesn't make sense to me. :P Ahh well. I have just given up talking about it unless I am in the company of people who are also vegan/vegetarian. That's about it! It just makes things easier. :)

Also, - I am soo sorry I haven't responded to you all this time! I read over you comment and also made a visit to your pet 'Vegiac's page! He is so cute, and imaginative! I sometimes feel like I need some kind of companion or such to defend me about various aspects of the lifestyle. :P

I can't believe a little mention from the story, for your daughter, is what turned both of you into life-long, 'cruelty-free', healthier individuals! That is so amazing. And GOOD for you for respecting your daughters wants and needs at the time. Wow, it must have been so much work for you at first! My daughter is now 19 and we only started less than a year ago, so I can't really decide what she eats (although she is pescitarian) anymore, nor do I always have to cook for her (she's out with friends so much!). You are a beautiful person who cared about her daughters needs first and then followed suit in a pursuit to do better for yourself and others. I applaud you for that. I KNOW it is not easy! I feel bad now that the last recipe I shared is laden with gluten! in fact, it is the main ingredient! >.< I hope you join, VeggieChat, and I will be sure to include some of the greater gluten-free recipes I use! And, oh my god.. 'Thug Kitchen' looks so amazingly cool. I went to the page and the first thing i see on the top of the page is a recipe for "Motherfucking peach Pancakes". XD that's friggin' hilarious and sounds soooo delicious! >.<

I am so glad you shared.. I like youuu. :D I LOVE Vegiac, and I just read his/your whole story. I feel for you, I can relate to a certain degree on the animl part, but not on the gluten part. I hope you find (or perhaps have found) a vegiac 'soul mate' some day!! Someone who can completely understand. ^_^ I know there are a lot around the internet anyway!

Again, thank you for sharing, and i hope to chat sometime soon. Drop me aline anytime! ❤

I think that's fine tbh! I know a lot of vegans who get very angry if people eat dairy every now and then, and sure I would promote going 100% vegan if possible but I think eating dairy every now and then is still a whole lot better than eating meat and other animal products all of the time? So you're still doing a good job, well done! :)

I tend to make sandwiches to take with me, or if I go into a cafe have a baked potato with beans, but it all depends on where you're going and what's available in your area.

I've never tried tofu or seitan or anything like that? Just because it's hard to get around here, but yeah veggies and gravy is my favourite ___ Thanks for the recipe! I'll try making that since I can't get fake meats here yet :) Plus I've been wanting to make this recipe! :D

Exactly! Luckily my mom is really cool about it, and my best friend, although he's not vegan, will make me nice vegan meals when I go to his :D And I have a vegan aunt who made me christmas dinner (I think she was excited to have another vegan in the family! lol). But at christmas I went for dinner with work friends and I had roasted eggplant so they obviously noticed I wasn't eating meat and asked if I was vegetarian and I said I was vegan and the table instantly blew up with "Vegans this, vegans that, vegans always pushing there opinions on everyone, well this is MY opinion" and I was just sat there quietly like "ummm...?" xD

Tagging 'cause she's vegan and I hear she bakes nice cakes :P

thanks for the ping Emma. and yes, my cakes are awesome, even if i say so myself.

coincidentally, it's my veganniversary, hehe! been a vegan for a full year now. i think i should bake a cake to celebrate. i have no one to actually eat my cake though, so i guess i'll just have to eat it all by myself.

whoa WHOA you've never tried tofu? how is that even possible oh my god. fried tofu with mushrooms is probably my favourite dish ever. U it's so easy to make, too!

Daang, that recipe looks yummy! ^_^ And, oh my, sounds like a not so fun dinner party. Wow. xP

My family had Thanksgiving dinner today (we're in Canada) we tried two new, nice little recipes that I rather enjoyed; Stuffed Zucchini (I used some of my vegan Parmesan cheese with it rather than the cheese it calls for) and stuffed acorn squash. Both were scrumptious! I also had mock meatloaf with potatoes and gravy. So good! But, the zucchini... oh my gosh. I am particularly obsessed with roasted zucchini lately, just sliced thin and roasted with a little butter and salt and pepper, mmm mmmm. I had only been using it either shredded in salad or chopped up in stir fries recently, I never imagined that just it all by it's lonesome like that would be so wonderful. ><