That's Not a Pizza

I ran into an unexpected hiccup during my first week of living vegan. Apparently to my eight year old daughter, my "going vegan" (as she puts it) is the end of the world.

I know. Her teen years are going to fabulous.

This first week was basically seven days of, "MOM! You can't eat cheezits!! You LOVE cheezits!!", "Oooooh no mom - EASTER! How can you celebrate Easter without eating hard boiled egg?" (it's easy actually) and the shot heard round the world...

"You can't call that a pizza ... it doesn't have cheese!"

Sigh. Thanks, Audrey.

I kept reassuring her as I chopped and sauteed my veggies on our family's make-your-own-pizza night. Of course it's a pizza! You can top your pizza however you want! I brushed my pre-made crust with a nummy bread-dipping olive oil blend and topped it sauteed onions, peppers, kale and herbs and popped it in the oven along with their cheesy delights. The timer dinged, I triumphantly took it out ... and almost cried. I looked at my husband and whimpered (quietly, so the kids wouldn't hear), "She's right. That's not a pizza."

It was a simply gorgeous, flavorful veggie flatbread. But it absolutely was not a pizza. The week progressed with ups and downs, made more difficult when the kids shared their horrific spring cold with me. All I wanted was chicken soup, man. I was sick as a dog and I couldn't have my darn soup.

So here I am on the other side and I wanted to make a list of what I did eat, treats I found and how I felt ... because I know that Pizza Night Pout will happen again.

A note to myself and other folks on a new food restricted diet: make enough dinner to save some for the next day.

Veggie Pizza
Premade dairy free pizza crust, bread dipping oil blend, italian spices, kale, onions, peppers

Tex-Mex Black Beans and chips (this is a staple lunch for me)
Rinsed beans, coconut oil, chili seasoning, cumin powder, onion powder, scallions, lime juice, salsa, salt, small splash of soy sauce (adds a savory "meaty" note), hot sauce and multigrain dairy-free tortilla chips

Spinach Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce - OMG so goooood
Dairy free spinach gnocchi, tomato sauce (I tried a new one for me, Gina Rispolli Tomato & Basil) and seasonings

White Beans & Pasta
Canellini beans, egg free pasta, basil, oregano, garlic powder, olive oil and lemon juice. I may have also added some veggies at the last minute. Be sure to add beans at the end or the pasta will get starchy and gummy. Add more water to make it more saucy.

Ice-cream for Breakfast Day
So-Delicious Mini's Coconut ice cream sandwiches and fudge bars. These are great but shockingly small. My Maddie's jaw dropped and said, "That's just not FAIR!" It's still worth it to me to have a treat on hand for when my sweet tooth hits but I'd love it if they were just a wee bit larger.

Chinese Take Out (from Oye's) - this was my substitute for chicken soup
Veggie Spring rolls, scallion pancakes with extra ginger sauce and veggie chow foon. When ordering noodles be sure to order rice noodles only as yellow noodles have egg. This dish was fairly bland so I added some chili garlic sauce I had on hand to the ginger sauce and doctored up the noodles. A nice treat.

And on the snack front...
Tostitos Multigrain scoops (more filling and flavorful than the regular corn), Earth Balance Vegan Aged Cheddar Flavor Puffs (kinda like a slightly more dense, less cheesy Pirate's Booty - it does have the crunch and slight cheese-esque tang I sometimes crave however)

Wine. What? It's a fruit.

So we all survived and Audrey is adapting fairly well now that the initial shock has passed. Tomorrow she and I will be going on an overnight camp-out with nine Brownie scouts. Packing my own food will be interesting but I found some vegan, nut free (I have a nut allergy) energy bars and snacks at REI.

Being ill on a restricted diet was just lousy - there's no way around that. If you are going through a restricted diet, remember that when you are ill, your body needs warm nourishing foods. No matter how pitiful you feel, that is definitely not the time to gorge on vegan treats (cookies, snacks etc) because you feel like you deserve a treat ... nor is it the time to simply avoid eating because preparing a meal makes you depressed. Even if you settle for peanut butter sandwiches, give your body what it needs. Not eating or binging will make your recovery from illness take longer and will put an incredible strain on your adaptation to a restricted diet.

**I am in no way connected or receive reimbursement/product/kickbacks/magic powers from any of the companies mentioned here. All products mentioned were purchased by me or my mommy and daddy who buy me treats when I'm sick**