The Secret to the Garden

    Today is day 3 of being vegan and I have to say, I am feeling better than ever.  That being said, I still miss cheese quite a bit and can't wait to have it again.  Going to the gym is better because I have more energy, I am wanting to get out more, and just overall in a better mood.  On Saturday I went to New Seasons to just get a few staples of things I would miss.  Below is a picture of everything I picked up.  Since I knew I am going to miss cheese, I bought two different kinds, one shredded cheddar by Vegan Gourmet, and the other is an almond jalapeño jack style cheese by The Original Almond.  Knowing yogurt would be a good snack option and for breakfast, I bought SO Delicious Greek style coconut milk yogurt in three different flavors.  Ice cream is the best thing to have at night because it just satisfies me, so I got Almond Dream mint chocolate chip ice cream, which is definitely one that I do not feel bad about eating. Lastly for this shopping trip, I bought Veganaise and Tofurky deli sliced meat, for sandwiches and the Veganaise will also be used for an eggless egg salad mix (recipe will be posted in a different post).  Another thing I have majorly limited is drinking alcohol, which I only drink once a week and have a maximum of two drinks.  This will help me not have any toxins in my body and not put on the weight or regress me with toning.

     Will all of this new energy, I am now able to really kick my workouts up a notch.  I have almost doubled everything that I do, and still have energy once I am done working out.  When I go to the gym, which is 6 out or 7 days a week, I do cycling for about 20-25 minutes, and then do an entire routine to work out specific parts of my body, as well doing full body workouts.  Below I will post links to different workout options to try that I recommend.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/21-Day-Butt-Challenge-37204809#photo-37620425

https://laurenconrad.com/blog/2014/02/tone-it-up-love-your-body-with-kettle-bells/

ANY TONE IT UP WORKOUT! (I love them and their workout routines)

     A great alternative to working out in the gym, is working out outside.  This morning one of my best friends and I went on a hike through Forest Park to the Rose Garden, then went to lunch.  Since we were feeling so great after our hike, lunch was going to be something that would keep this energy up.  I had been hearing and seeing posts about Garden Bar, and since its not too far from our hike, we decided to give it a try.  Boy oh boy, I already love me a good salad, but this one is heaven.  It is a very simple format, where you can order a salad that they have come up with already on the menu, or make up your own.  Since I am all about the creativity of cooking, I wanted to try making my own up.  First was the picking the lettuce which I chose the garden mix because I didn't want to limit myself to one kind of lettuce.  Next you are able to put 6 topping on it, mine being; avocado, carrots, tarragon corn, cucumber, pepperoncinis, roasted mushrooms, and pepitas.  Last but not least at all, is the dressing, which they ask you if you want it put on light, medium or heavy.  I cannot even tell you how many times I have been somewhere and ordered a salad, then it's either soaked in dressing or there is barely any one there.  So I opted for medium dressing on mine, and chose the green goddess dressing.  This dressing is a new obsession of mine and I am dying to get my hands on the recipe for it.  Eating out is something that could end up being difficult, even in a city that is very vegan friendly.  But it is something that is easy to do once you find substitutes and find go to places that can accommodate to those new dietary restrictions.

    In a few days I will post some recipes for you all to try and can promise you will not miss any animal products when eating it!