This is the second time in the last 4 years that I have been vegan, the first time lasted about a year, and it has been a very different journey. The last time I ate vegan it was very utilitarian, strictly speaking it was for weight loss, and it worked brilliantly. But it was short lived, once I accomplished my goal it was a slippery slope back to my old habits. This was also a time in my life before Katie, so the meals were all just me eating on my own, very boring stuff, usually a bowl of beans and rice in hot sauce with a giant side salad. And even when I wasn’t vegan, I didn’t cook for myself, I had no desire to. I love to cook, but the joy I get from cooking is from feeding other people and making them smile. Yet even before being vegan, I didn’t cook too often for her, it was easier to get takeout, it’s almost like all the fast food made me lazy. Being vegan has definitely reignited my passion for cooking, and hers as well. The other day I was watching a YouTube cooking show that I love called Sorted Foods, and they made a Pork Pie that looked amazing, it was the hot water crust that intrigued me, and that got me thinking about what else could go in there, so I made a vegan vegetable stew that was amazing, and filled the pie with that, it turned out to be just like a Pot Pie. I have never made anything like it in my life, I love seeing those amazing meals being prepared and thinking about how you could do it with no animal products, it’s both a challenge and an incentive to get back in the kitchen and make things, rather than prepackaged, overly processed, store bought crap; we are eating healthier and spending a considerable amount less on food than before. It also means a lot more family time, whenever one of us is cooking a meal we aren’t on our phones distracting ourselves while eating takeout, we are usually helping each other too much and are much more engaged than if we were just eating out. In all, the pros of eating a vegan diet are just so amazing for us, I don’t want anyone thinking though that I am saying it is absolutely the best thing for everybody, we know that different people need different diets, but Katie and I are thriving on plants and are absolutely loving it.
-Matt