It's kind of crazy how easy it is to take for granted the luxury that is having someone else cook for you or the luxury that is being able to eat out pretty much anywhere you want. You don't really think about it until it's not as easy an option anymore. We don't expect anyone to really cook for us as vegans because lots of people either aren't vegan themselves or don't understand the vegan lifestyle. And we can't just go and eat out anymore because a lot of restaurants just don't have options for us anymore.
So you can imagine how nice it really was to have another person cook for us. I didn't take any pictures of it while we were eating it because I was simply much too excited for food. The good news is that Leah was kind enough to send some leftovers with us, so I was able to enjoy more of it today for lunch.
I almost feel like the thing that's most surprising about going vegan isn't even the food. I've always been pretty happy about trying new things, and I wouldn't say that I would have ever considered myself terribly attached to meat even before going vegan. I was a vegetarian for a while before, so the meat part to me is kind of the easy part. What's really been most surprising to me about going vegan is how much I took for granted and didn't think about as a meat-eater.
I took for granted just the ease of being able to go wherever I wanted and order whatever without any restrictions. I feel like I finally understand how difficult it can be to be sure that you're not eating a restricted food for people who suffer from allergies. Labels are so vague sometimes, with descriptions like "natural flavors" included on ingredient lists. And when you eat out, you depend on the staff to be able to tell you what's in the food, you depend on the communication between kitchen staff and waitstaff. You sort of end up having to come to rely on the things that you are sure fall within your diet.
I also took for granted how mindless I often was about food. I bought a lot of things without reading labels. I didn't really think that deeply about the nutrition of the meals I was making. I put so much more thought into my meals and varying our menu and the nutrition inherent in what we're making. I think so much more about the ingredients of the foods I buy. I'm much more mindful about my food.
I guess the good news is that we're becoming much more aware and eating much better. We've really been eating more varied foods as well to keep it interesting, so we're getting a really good spread of vitamins and minerals.
Today, I've been trying to get some extra food made for the sake of my own laziness. I made a big pot of lentil soup tonight that we can eat for a few days for lunches. I also prepped some overnight oats for tomorrow's breakfast. My lentil soup is so easy. I just cut up three stalks of celery, three carrots, and half an onion. I use a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, a whole bag of lentils and then I just cover it with water and toss in some bay leaves. This time, I included a potato, but normally I don't. It was a good addition, and Tony said he preferred it with the potato. Then, just salt and pepper to taste and a few liberal shakes of cumin for that little something extra. That's it. I'm pretty sure I could make it with my eyes closed.
I know that it sounds kind of boring, but it's really filling. I seem to always forget how much I love lentils until I'm eating them. Tony loves this soup and has even specifically requested that I make it for dinner some nights--which is high praise coming from him. Plus, cumin and lentils pair so well together that it really adds that extra depth of flavor to this soup.
My overnight oats were also very easy. It's a 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of cashew or almond milk, 1 teaspoon of chia seeds, and a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. Just shake it up in a jar, add any fruit you might want, and place it in the fridge. I put banana in mine because I love peanut butter and banana, but Tony said he preferred to just have the oats without any fruit.
We also sat down and talked about our meals for the next few days. We have enough food in the apartment that we won't have to go grocery shopping for at least a week. The problem is that our meal plan extends out to about next Friday, but we hate weekend shopping. So from Saturday to Monday, we're going to need to get creative about using up what is still in our apartment--because, seriously, we refuse to go grocery shopping on the weekend any more. It's too much of a madhouse. I'm hoping I can parlay that forced march into ingenuity into some interesting blog posts.
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