eating this week

After hemming and hawing about making the full time transition from vegetarian to vegan, I finally decided to try a month of vegan-ish fare to see how we do. I say "vegan-ish" as I'm eliminating dairy and eggs but probably not honey (and I'm not going to go crazy checking bread and the like for dairy ingredients...though, I did check the bread we use 95% of the time and we're in the clear there.) Let's call it a plant strong diet a la Forks Over Knives. Carlos and I are fully invested while the kids are still partaking in their morning yogurt and occasional slice of cheese.

I'm fairly confident that it won't be too difficult and feel pretty strongly that once the month is over, we will make the full on switch (or very, very close to it.) Being 75% of the way through your shopping list once you make your way out of the produce section makes it much easier to avoid the temptation in all of those middle aisles!

Anyway, I've been checking out a ton of websites and books in order to prepare. It's not a huge hassle as we already unintentionally eat a lot of dairy/egg free meals. But I am excited to try a lot more new recipes this month!

mon broccoli gribriche
[since I'm posting this later today, we've already eaten this...just a couple of teenytinyminor changes: obviously, I skipped the eggs (and while I'm sure they are a significant component of the dish as written, the dish we ate was fabulous despite their absence! I also added some minced garlic to the broccoli before roasting because I love broccoli and if 2 cloves is good, 4 is better! I skipped the extra oil and added the splash of vinegar to the pan while browning the onions. I served it over quinoa.]
tues E2 basics salad (from The Engine 2 Diet)
wed brussels sprout fried rice w/ crispy cauliflower
thurs spaghetti (fast and easy...mom's night @ school!)
fri chickpea, potato and spinach jalfrezi w/ parsley chutney
sat roasted beet, asparagus and garlic salad (from The New Vegetarian Epicure)
sun crispy glazed tofu (need to figure out a replacement for the egg in this one)

As a counterpoint to the dietary changes, I'm determined to get on the treadmill and outdoors for a lot more running/walking this month. Last year, I was diligent about moving but after our California trip, never really got back into the habit, despite a couple of half-hearted attempts. So, keep trying, right? I'm goal oriented so, I'm setting a goal of 75 miles in May. I know some of my runner friends are laughing at that paltry number but I'm aiming for attainable because while goals motivate me, recognizing too early in the month that I'm not gonna make it will inevitably lead to me quitting. Because, why bother, right? The goal setting conundrum.