Monday, April 4, 2011

a chemo visit and being vegan

at crushcakes


at crushcakes:  cupake and scrambled eggs


vegan meal at crushcakes


his peacecake, my vegan cake

Last week I took Rainer to his monthly chemo appointment in Santa Barbara and all went well. We stopped at Crushcakes as usual. He got his "peace" cake and scrambled eggs, as he always does, and I had to stop and think what to get for being vegan. I knew they would have something for me. They do offer a vegan cupcake daily, but what to get for lunch? I asked the girl at the counter and she suggested their dish called "Lalo's tacost" (see photo). Not very much plate appeal, but oh it was delicious! It was black beans, veggies that had been cooked down to be so sweet and soft, and a small pile of corn tortillas at the edge of the plate. This is not something I would order usually when going out, and I am so grateful to the vegan program for stretching me a bit beyond my comfort level. I truly enjoyed this dish, and listening to my body, I felt great after eating. I never feel that great if I order a heavy panini sandwich or similar (what I often order at Crushcakes and enjoy greatly is those same black beans served with eggs and toast). What I have been trying to do with this vegan program is listen to my body. I know I can't trust my head to make good food decisions for me (I will always choose the heavy or sweet thing if I let myself). In listening to my body I have discovered that not only can I survive on lots of veggies, I can thrive and feel good and happy. I do well with the structure of following a 30-day program, so I'm not sure what will happen when I go off of it (on Wednesday), but I can honestly say that I have not suffered and I've felt pretty darn good overall while being vegan. A big surprise and something I want to ponder for a bit.

3 comments:

Angie said...

Neat! I am going Vegan for a month...starting tomorrow(I need to shop first) :)
I am doing it for mainly health reasons. My diet has been heavily laden with meat and other things that aren't good for me and my body is showing it...weight gain, poor complexion, sluggishness, etc. I am hoping to see a real change in how I feel! :)

Jane said...

Drooling over your cupcake.
I am glad to hear your body is feeling the benefits of all those veggies. I have to admit I have never felt better since going vegan.
I also completely relate with what I would choose vs what listening to my body tells me to choose. Bread and chocolate are my vices but a fix of one or both can't compare with the good clean feeling I experience after some green goodness.

Sarah said...

sounds delicious. After some terrible trouble with anemia i am finding middle ground with the desire to be vegan and my bodies needs for much more iron that I can consume in veggies alone, so for me it's one meat meal a day the rest are not. That is going well. I find it is actually what I do normally, so maybe eventually my body will be able to absorb more from fruits and veggies and then I can cut it out more, but for now this feels right.
I am glad your babe is doing well too - almost done, right?