animal-friendly eating...most of the time

(note: i started writing this post on monday. i'm happy to say i'm feeling much better now. =)

i am sitting here like a lump on a log feeling super bloated and "dairy-ish" (as alicia would say) after a weekend of not-so-animal-friendly eating. i overdid it with the dairy and cooked foods. big time. and i am paying for it. BIG TIME.

as i have mentioned before, i am still transitioning to an entirely plant-based diet. i should really consider changing my blog title to something like "animal-friendly eating...my transition" or "animal-friendly eating...most of the time". (when i created the blog i was going through a very easy period of refraining from animal products. but, you know how life is - constantly changing!)

will i ever eat 100% vegan? maybe, maybe not. i choose not to stress over it anymore. i like to live in the moment and therefore experience some difficulty exercising willpower at family functions and celebrations. yesterday was no exception.

i attended a friend's baby christening and indulged in a big creamy bowl of penne vodka and sinful almond ice cream concoctions topped with chocolate sauce. plural because i didn't stop at one. or two. yes, ladies and gentlemen, i ate three almond ice cream thingies. see what i mean about a lack of willpower? who does that in public?!

so now i feel like crap, physically. however, i don't feel the guilt that i used to feel. i have learned that guilt is a wasted emotion. a large majority of the time i make good choices for the animals and my health so i choose to focus on that. like my friend don from the sunny raw kitchen says, "when you drop the ball, just pick it back up again."

so let's talk about the good things i've been feeding myself! =)

first, we have a simple yet delicious avocado and sprouts sandwich on Matthew Kenney's amazing Cumin Flatbread. this bread is perfect - pliable, savory, and a tad sweet. i would love to post the recipe, but i got it from his book, Entertaining in the Raw.
 

next, we have an italian style quinoa dish i came up with for johnny boy's 29th birthday dinner, served with a yummy salad and garlic bread made with earth balance butter. i'll post the recipe for the quinoa after i make it one more time.

 

last but not least we have my latest obsession, quinoa and veggie sushi rolls. i add a few splashes of rice vinegar, agave, and tamari to my quinoa before i roll it up with cucumber or zucchini, carrot, and of course, avocado. i can eat three rolls (18 pieces) in less then three minutes, easily. sooo yummy!!!