No Sweets, Meats, or Dairy for 40 Days

Lindsey and I have decided to give up meat, all white sugar and white flour, and dairy, or essentially "go vegan", for Lent. I was pretty skeptical at first if it was even possible, but I think we have some pretty good meals (both tasty and nutritionally balanced) picked out for about the next 10 days. At that point, we will likely assess what works and what does not. Yesterday we started by "cleaning house": we unloaded our fridge and cabinets of anything that will not work with our diet and likely lead to temptation. We then took the whole family to Whole Foods, which was slightly overwhelming: a new store, new diet and upset kids. $299 later we were ready to start fresh. Since we already had made the mental commitment and also had the groceries, we started our Lent a few days early; there was no Fat Tuesday for us!

So, tonight was our first vegan meal: Wasabi Avocado Salad (recipe at VeganYumYum.com).


Wasabi Avocado Salad


Oliver and his dinner.


Oliver taking a big bite.

Dinner was a unanimous success; both tasty and meeting our daily nutritional requirements. I wholly anticipate this meal with be featured in regular rotation, not only for the next 40 days, but for a good while after.

I followed dinner up with a Chia Fresca. Yes chia, not chai. Like Cha-cha-cha-chia. It is a drink made from the same chia seeds used on the chia pets, added to water (where they semi-gelatanize), and with a splash of lime. This drink has been a staple of the diet of the Tarahumara, an indigenous people of northern Mexico known for their athletic prowess, particularly endurance sports. The Tarahumara are prominently featured in a book I just finished reading: Born to Run. I highly recommend the read, by the way.

I did not take any pictures of my Chia Fresca because, plainly, it looks absolutely nasty. Lindsey thought it looked like swamp water, and it about had the consistency of such. However, it tastes pretty good: sort of like lime water and grass.