Tru Nature

  I think 117 may be my new normal weight. That's what I have been the past couple of times I've weight myself. It's definitely not my wedding weight, but last summer I was 116, and with doing a lot of exercise videos, I thought I looked really good. ;)  My body works well in a way that once I switch from junk like pizza, chips, cookies, and ice cream (yes, those all do sound amazing) to real food like fruits, veggies, salads, and sandwiches, it likes what I'm putting in it and I can quickly lose ten pounds. And it has done so several times. Thank you, body.

  It's been 20 days since I've eaten meat and over 6 weeks since I've really had dairy (just a small amount of cheese or Ranch dressing on a rare occasion). I'm not really trying to do a "vegan challenge" for a certain amount of days, it also just seems normal for now. Yesterday I thought about stopping to get a chicken pesto wrap, but then thought about the chickens crammed together in cages so they can't move with their beaks cut off and getting pumped with stuff to make them at least twice as big and their skinny legs not being able to support their bodies. I went home instead and had a quinoa burger with hummus, lettuce, sprouts, and peppers. I've learned recently that I like red peppers!

  I will admit that going to Chevy's Fresh Mex will be difficult because I love the chicken flautas there. When we went last weekend, I got the vegetarian wrap (lots of crunchy veggies with rice and beans), but I probably would not order it again. Although I would be fine eating all of the crispy chips and dip. Those chips are so thin and flaky, it's easy to pile through three baskets!! In one of the vegan books I was reading, it mentioned a term called "flexitarian" which I had never heard of before, so I looked it up. "The flexitarian diet is increasing in popularity especially with people who do not want to commit to a full vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. It allows them a flexibility that they can adapt to their lifestyle, social life or health conditions." I told Michael about this and his accurate response was, "So they are just regular humans! If they want a salad, they eat one. If they want a steak, they eat it."

  My new favorite foods lately have been acai bowls. Last weekend I found a new (its been there at least a year according to the reviews on Yelp) smoothie and juice place called Tru Nature. I had never had an acai bowl before, but loved it so much. It's basically a smoothie in a bowl with toppings. I went back the next day and tried one of their pitaya (dragonfruit) bowls. It was even better and more beautiful than the first one!!  Michael got the pina colada smoothie when he went, but he said it had too much coconut and not enough sweet pineapple, so it tasted bland.

  I also was trying to be creative with more meal options and made avocado toast one morning which was good and bruschetta Triscuts for lunch using vegan mozzarella. Wow, I ate a whole lot of those!! I would make more but I'm out of mini tomatoes for now. I work again tomorrow so I've been thinking of what kind of easy meals I can bring to eat. I love my loaded veggie burgers, but they are messy and would be hard to eat when I'm talking to the deputies at the same time. I think soups, pita sandwiches, nuts and fruit will be the way to go! Maybe spaghetti and I love my quinoa salads too.

I call this the Big Veg (instead of a Big Mac)!!

  Michael and I just got back from a local farmers market that I've been wanting to go to for a while. There are a lot of vendors selling food, soaps, and other decorative things and it wasn't just fruits and vegetables. I was pleasantly surprised to see Michael paying for three mangos while I waited for a smoothie to be made. He just whispered "yes" to himself as he cut open the perfectly ripe and juicy mango. When he gets them from Publix they have to sit out for a while because they are too hard to eat. I got two bananas and a handful of green beans, which only cost me $1.24! On Monday, Michael went with me to try a small restaurant we hadn't been to before called That One Spot. He has been such a sweetie lately when we plan to go out to eat, he lets me check the menu for vegetarian or mostly vegan options before we pick a place. It's so nice how he goes along with everything rather than saying, "You're not really vegan. Don't be dumb. We're going to (insert name of restaurant without healthier options)." He got a regular burger, I got a black bean burger, and we shared a side of sweet potato fries.

   My mom visited a couple weeks ago, which was great and we walked two miles along one of the nearby trails, then stopped into two of the lunch spots before deciding to eat at home. I was impressed with myself and all of the ingredients available for her since usually the only thing I have to offer is chicken nuggets and cereal. I laid all of the fruits and vegetables out on the counter and it looked beautiful!

 Trying different food choices is definitely a learning experience. One I am happy to dive in to. Sometimes I love it because it helps me explore different parts of a menu for familiar restaurants, sometimes it helps me find new places to eat, and sometimes I waste my money on fake meat that turns out to taste like dog food.. I'm looking at you fake bacon, but there have also been several non-vegetarian meals I have ordered at Cooper's Hawk that I did not enjoy, giving Michael leftovers to take to work. Plus it never hurts to have something keep me occupied that way I have less time to think about being sad that I'm not pregnant again yet.