SAY CHEESE!! oh NUTS!

Say CHEESE…Oh NUTS! It’s been a week on the Engine 2 diet and I am feeling really great! Cravings seem to be slowing evaporating into hunger skies above and the whole grain/PlantStrong foods I am in taking are defiantly marinating well with my body now. It’s also been quite a mental change of pace for me as well.

I was feeling quite anxious the weeks prior to the challenge. What with the holidays just ending and all the hoots and hollers of family and friends, I just felt real unsettled and a little lost, especially at work, which is never a good thing. As I venture further into this PlantStong concept, my head has cleared and I’m feeling settled again.

Ok, so I know it sounds bizarre or maybe uneasy to swallow, but things haven’t stopped being completely stressful and fast paced around me, I just feel like I am now flowing with them. It’s a good feeling and I’m hoping all of our E2′ers are feeling something quite similar.

My last class I also discussed the relationship between and minds and the foods we’re introducing to our bodies. Detoxing from the “bad” and introducing the “good” can only lead to positive responses in our bodies. Have any of your “bad” cravings stopped since you’ve begun your challenge? If so, are you too feeling the confidence I am feeling when I reach for those carrots and celery sticks as snacks instead of that once stress reliever, too many calorie and sugar chocolate bar!?! haha! Ok so I’ll be honest. I’m not easing through this as much as I’d like. There is a downside.

Probably the hardest thing for me on a Vegan diet and this is going back to when I as vegan in college as well and that’s the banning of cheese! I can let go of everything else dairy with ease. Alternative milks are a staple of mine already, but whenever I try to write the goodbye letter to cheese, I have no alternative better to replace it with so it makes it very hard to do. BUT WAIT! So, before when I was vegan, I just let the thought of eating cheese go.

Sure there are soy cheeses and what not, but honestly they never tasted similar to the real deal so I wouldn’t even try. Now that I have been introduced to “nut” cheese, thanks to the RAW foods movement, I can honestly say, I could easily replace dairy cheese with this progressive approach to cheese! We’ll be making some nut cheese at my class tomorrow night and I’ll show you how tasty a treat it really is!

You can use it as a spread or just dive right in and eat it plain and simple, it’s delicious! Completely RAW completely VEGAN, healthy for you and easy to make! Another area I feel the temptations a flowing are when I get those calls to join a friend or group of friends out for a bite or a drink! For the first few attempts, I blankly said no to their requests and explained “I’d be no fun, because I can’t really eat anything out or drink.” Of course it was understood and I stayed in for the night catching up on some much needed sleep anyway.

But then I got to thinking how there are so many Vegans in this world and so many individuals with special diets that I am sure are faced with the same problems when they choose to hit the town. Some ways to get around feeling “left out” when dining out, is to check out the restaurant’s menu online ahead of time. That way you can leisurely plan your meal at home instead of panicking when you’re at the actual restaurant.

Try ordering a meal made from side dishes. Most restaurants always have potatoes and veggies or rice as side dishes. Just ask for them without the added condiments such as butter or cheese! When I first became vegetarian, I lived off the side menu. It came out just like any other meal and there was no “left out” feeling when I wanted to spend a night out with friends and family. Don’t let your diet control your life, YOU control your diet and life! Happy EATING OUT!