Vegetarian Middle Child does food cleanse

That’s right, folks. 5/7 days of the week I’m vegan, but today I start on my 21 day cleanse. Since re-reading Kathy Freston‘s Quantum Wellness I’ve just begun to realize that wellness is a 24/7 practice. And while I’m always doing great in one area, there’s always work to do somewhere else.

I’m two years, 3 months vegetarian and counting (with the odd wavering during special occasions). In 2010, I began to have some major digestive problems. Since going to the doctor and testing out various over the counter meds and food, I’ve been able to cut down on the bouts of stomach acidity but it hasn’t quite completely left me yet. So after much binging on seafood, ramen noodles and the best pork I’ve eaten in my life for 8 days in Tokyo, I’ve decided to get my body back in gear. For 21 days, these are the guidelines I’m going to adhere to as recommended by Freston in her book:

- No alcohol
- No caffeine (I know – what will I do without green tea?)
- No gluten
- No sugar (the hardest challenge)
- No casein – since I’m already mostly vegan, this is the additional challenge aside from meat products. Casein appears in some cereals and veggie-based meats.

Yesterday I walked my way to Famous Foods so I could get my regular groceries and some additional goods I knew I couldn’t find at the Pricemart I usually drive to.

Since I only had to get half the groceries for this week than usual, I was hoping I wouldn’t spend too much. Shopping at places like this can be expensive. I went $6 over my $35 budget but it wasn’t too bad since a lot of the items will last me at least two weeks.

List for this week:
- Organic bananas
- Broccoli
- Strawberries
- Soy yogurt
- Quinoa
- Nature’s Path organic flax multibran flakes cereal (not my usual maple pecan, but I know my colon’s gonna love that bran)
- Blueberries
- Onion
- Lime
- Organic lettuce
- Green onions
- Brown mushrooms
- Van’s gluten and sugar-free apple cinnamon waffles
- Peanuts
- Black beans (I know I shouldn’t buy canned, but the bulk is EXPENSIVE)
- Green pepper

For the next few days I plan to make a quinoa-based salad and then a veggie stir-fry with brown rice. The soy yogurt and berries will be a new change from the peanut butter sandwiches I eat for breakfast, along with oatmeal as well. Eating out will also be a challenge but I LOVE raw vegan so we’ll see how many places I can manage.

I’ll blog again on April 12th to let you know how I’m doing.

Living raw bliss at Organic Lives

I’ve wanted to visit Organic Lives for a long time and especially since food blogger Mijune Pak highly recommended their Coconut Cream Pie… after all, Organic Lives is said to be the city’s best raw vegan restaurant, and desserts recommended by non-vegans are all good in my book.

The main location is at Quebec Street and 2nd Avenue, but I planned out my Chinese New Year to eat with company downtown, so ventured to the brand-spanking new location at the Chopra Yoga Centre on Granville of Hastings.

At the downtown location, it’s more of a take and go. There are seats, but no tables, so unless you’re having a quick bite, it’s probably best to take your meal with you. I ordered the Pecan Sushi, Pad Thai, and Ridiculous dessert to share with my sister. The menu is definitely more limited than the main location’s, but some of the selections are the same. The counterperson was still getting used to the computer payment system and the order took about 10 minutes to make, but good god, was it worth the wait! I wasn’t even going to take photos, but I had to show you how beautiful this stuff looks, even in to-go boxes. Great photos is one reason why people should convert to vegetarianism!

Pecan Sushi: Pecans, alfalfa, cucumber, carrots, mango, tomato, seaweed, wasabi 

There was also a side sauce with the sushi whose flavours I can’t identify, but it was more on the sweet side. The sushi didn’t taste like your average Japanese sushi, as there was no rice. This baby is all good stuff and I was even ok with the dash of wasabi, which I normally don’t like. The mango was also a nice punch of sweetness.

Pad Thai: Noodles, peanut sauce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, parsley, red chili sauce, nuts

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Searching for the perfect veg burger: Stackhouse

Being vegetarian can be fun. Instead of labouring over what I’m going to eat, I can scan menus quickly for the options I have. Or I can test the patience of servers by saying things like “Can I get the Hash ‘n Eggs with veggies but no eggs?” And despite the occasional smelling of barbeque ribs or shepherd’s pie and wishing I could lick off the plate for a taste, I’ve become healthier as a result of going veggie.

But the good ol’ burger and fries has been a different situation. Instead of a bloody, juicy beef patty, I get a hodge podge of vegetable substance blends for patties – chickpeas, rice, tofu, etc. So it’s been difficult to find one I can rely on for veggie burger perfection.

One of the best I’ve had is the thin veggie burger at BBQ’s in Yaletown. But on our recent trip to StackHouse Burger Bar, I came across a great delight: the Veggie Sliders.

Veggie sliders with fries – $14

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