As we are slowly coming to the end of the contest or the beginning of a new lifestyle? Maybe?

Also, my friend took this picture and isn't she hilarious. I bought that flower for my mom.

Anyways, we are coming to the end of the vegan challenge.

I am still reading the Proteinaholic book written by Carth Davis. I was hoping to finish reading by the end of this week, but work doesn't allow for much reading time. However, I have learned a ton and am excited to share with you. The goal is to finish by next week. :)

I'll have you know, that I have not made any oopsie this week. My fearless bestie has held me accountable and it's extremely frustrating and I am beyond grateful. I will have you know that I refuse to believe honey isn't vegan and I cannot wait to eat my honey mix cereal. I don't actually like the taste of honey, but they do make excellent cereal.

The Struggles

Not all health stores are created equal. When Choogirl was in town we went to Whole Foods and there were a plethora of vegan-friendly foods. So, naturally, I went back. I was craving pizza and blueberry muffins. Much to my delight, they had a whole pie already made. It was out with the other nonvegan pizzas. I didn't even have to request it nor be guilt-tripped into buying a whole pie. I tried a blueberry vegan scone and cheese pizza and it was divine! I was too hungry to take a picture, but trust me when I say it was amazing.

Well, I decided to go to another store called Fresh Market to buy some vegan treats. THEY HAD NONE! They had a lot of FRESH food items, but none already made stuff. They had a lovely bakery section, nothing was vegan. Lots of cheese, sushi, and other stuff that wasn't vegan. So, all that to say lesson learned. Not all markets are vegan-friendly if they look like they might be.

Made in a factory that uses milk and eggs.

What is that! There were so many foods that were made in nonvegan factories, does that make it not vegan? Is being vegan similar to being kosher? I didn't buy any of these items, but I was extremely shocked at how often I saw it. What if I was allergic to dairy like some are to peanuts? Would even the exposure to it be literal? I don't know, what say you, vegans?

The naysayers were silent this year.

Last week, I addressed some vegan hate I saw on the platform and in real life. This week there seemed to be a lot more acceptance. Friends bought vegan-friendly desserts. Coworkers and bosses, asked about going out to lunch and made sure it was a vegan-friendly place. Mom, who said she will pay me not to be vegan, made a special dish for me all week. I hope the consideration continues.

I watched a few Europe tips videos this week and apparently London and France isn't the most vegan-friendly places. Any tips would be helpful. However, vegan travelers said it was challenging, but not impossible. Some mentioned, they had to send their food back a few times because what they said went in the food wasn't all that it came with. I don't think I will have the courage to send food back, but then again maybe that is more acceptable in Europe.

Wait, why are you considered with eating vegan in Europe? You're going in August and the contest ends next week.

True and true. I am going to Europe and the contest ends soon. However, I have loved the contest. I have eaten like a queen and it has helped me with self-control. I am excited to eat honey again and some other treats, but this isn't the end of my vegan journey.

As I mentioned last week: I remind myself why I took one this challenge. First, I wanted to do this challenge to help boost my fundraiser efforts. I am blogging my way to Europe and the SBD prize is exactly what I need to get there. Secondly, I want to live a healthier lifestyle. Whenever I take on a health challenge I commit to it 100%. Only if I will revert back to my old ways after the challenge ends. Also, if I slowly dive in with the mindset that this is a long-term commitment then I give myself more grace. With this challenge, I really want to prep myself to eat less animal product and processed foods.

Some Victories

Outside of people being nicer about my lifestyle change. I have also noticed that I am not as hungry. As you will see below, I pack a ton of snacks. However, these past few days I haven't been as hungry. On another positive, the tummy discomforts are less, but still not gone. I think it's because I am eating a lot more beans than normal. Maybe too many beans, but I like to have more hot meals than cold ones. So, I can't do salads every day. As a true Latina, I gotta have my rice and beans. :)

Also, I struggle to take food pictures.

I am not a food admirer as much as a food consumer. When I see yummy food, my first thought isn't to let me take a picture. It is usually after I am almost done that I remember I should probably have taken a picture. I decided that I would take a group picture of my meals every morning. Enjoy!

THE MEALS

Breakfast

As I mentioned, this meal is the same every day. Sometimes, I'll eat a fruit too. Pictured below is what I eat throughout the day too.

Lunch & DINNER!

I was eating a lot of rice and bread, so I cut back the last two days and ate more veggies. As I mentioned, what is for lunch is also for dinner. We went to a lovely city an hour North and we found an amazing chinese restaurant.

DINNER & LUNCH!

At the chinese restaurant, they had this amazing ginger dressing/sauce. I put it on everything. Unfortunately, they said no cheese, but there was eggs in my noodles. I will not lie to you, I did eat the noodles and attempted to scoop out as much of the eggs as possible.

Snacks

Pictured below is very yummy and some not so yummy vegan snacks. The chocolate bar, my bestie bought for me. Dark chocolate isn't my favorite. This wasn't my favorite, however, the bag of chocolate is AMAZING! Just like any food, there are some you love, others you don't, and everything in between.

PS: Technically the challenge ends Monday. Stay tune for my last week update. Will I stick to it? Will I fall into temptation? Only time will tell. See you all next week!