Eating out. Eating Vegan.

I'll be the first one to that eating out and being vegan is a challenge. Unless you want some sugared down lettuce with a slice of tomato thrown on it then you're probably out of luck.

Good thing there are a few more crazies out there like us who just want good, real, healthy food! We found this fantastic place called Vertical Diner.

The first time I think I was dazed. It was so good and so unexpected. After a few more trips and a few interesting dishes I found my favorite: 

The Avo Sub. 

 Avacados, lettuce, tomato, veganiase, and onion and beautifully assembled into a fantastic little sandwich.

Lucie got this California Burger which is really just vegetables on 7-grain bread. She likes it...I have a hard time with veggie burgers and fake meat.

My Dad got this beautiful burrito thing. Fake sour cream everyone.

 Lets not forget our natural Soda and Dessert! All healthy!

 One big round of applause to one of our favorite restaurants!

This is not a hot dog!

Can I just tell you the excitement this brings me. This is not a hot dog! It's a soy dog and it's non-GMO! They're called Smart Dogs and they taste great. I'm not one for fake meat and I'll be the first one to admit that I shoveled hot dogs in by the ton. 

Also those are baked beans. Really good, really healthy baked beans. 

So let the BBQ's commence! I am now fully ready for the summer and the BBQ's it brings!

March Against Monsanto

Of course we were there! 

Brittany and Diesel ready for the March. 

For those of you who don't know, Monsanto is a seed and food company. They are the ones who created Agent Orange and many harmful pesticides that are sprayed over our plants all the time. Right now the fight is over whether or not labels are required to distinguish GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. It's hard not to be biased because I am. I think we have a right to know what we're putting in our bodies. Not to mention the too-tight relationship between Congress, Monsanto, and the FDA. A bill was recently rejected that would give States the rights to decide whether labeling of GMOs was required. 

This was never just a march against Monsanto, it was a march against the politically corrupt agriculture and food industries that circulate billions among themselves without so much as a thought about the well being of the people and the world. 

Of course, we don't want to forget what the Genetically Modified Crops are doing to the bee population and how Monsanto is crushing small farms with lawsuits all over the world. Here is a link to someone who can absolutely say it better than I can if you are interested in learning more. 

March Against Monsanto: The Reason
5 Reasons Why Pesticides Are Bad
Organic Consumers

It was a great experience! To be so involved in something you believe so fully is really amazing. Salt Lake didn't have to biggest turn out and I can't say that people were particularly excited to see us marching down state street but I believe we made a difference. Even if it was a small part. 

Some people took the message very well, others were mad we were holding up traffic. Either way, I'm proud we did it! 

Eating Healthy does not break the bank.

This is how close I'm going to get to great shopping until the Farmers Markets pop up. 

I want to illustrate the point that, despite popular belief, eating healthy does not break the bank. I remember the first time I told my mom I was trying to eat a mainly plant based, whole food diet she said something along the lines of, "Yeah you can't afford that in college." Which is exactly what I thought until I proved myself wrong. I mean, at the moment I'm only buying myself food for the time between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM and a few dinners, since I still live at home. Here are some tips I've learned over the last few months about eating healthy on a budget. 

1. Plan Ahead. 

I know, every budgeting article and money saver website has told you to plan ahead. That's because it really makes a difference. I spend five minutes picking what meals I want to eat the rest of the week and then change them if they don't work out or I decide that this week I'm going to hate cucumbers and I don't want a cucumber salad. But I always go into the store with some kind of idea about what I want. 

2. Figure out what stores in your area are charging.

Whole foods is almost infamously famous for over-charging for mediocre food just because it has the whole foods label on it. That's not to put down Whole Foods in anyway, it's just a little pricey for me. For example, I don't see the need to pay $1.99 for a cucumber when I can get it at m local farmers market or sunflower market for $.99. I shop at Smiths mostly because it's close, but when I get the chance I go to the sunflower market. 

3. Give yourself time.

If you're in a hurry, which is understandable, you'll be more likely to throw something into the cart and hurry along just because the label is more recognizable or the assumption is made that more expensive = better quality. Which is seldom correct, in my experience. I'm not the knower of all things, despite my general attitude towards the human race.

For example: Here are some Honey Nut Toasty O's. These are so great. They taste just like cheerios at about half the cost and they have wholesome ingredients: Whole grain Oat Flour, Sugar, honey, Oat bran, wheat starch, and brown sugar.

4. Prepare the food at home. 

I know this sounds crazy but I mean things like dressings, sauces, things of that nature. It's cheaper and you know what's in it. You see I have a bottle of strawberry vinaigrette there, and that's because I'm lazy. But don't worry I have made it before! And my piggy bank is kind of wish I had made it this time because that little bottle cost $6.00! You need three ingredients for the homemade recipe and if you don't have vinegar and sugar in your house on a regular basis we need to have another conversation. Anyway! Making these things yourself is cheaper, healthier, and truthfully, more fun in the long run.

5. Drink Water.

It's no secret that most of the time when you're hungry you're body is actually trying to tell you it's thirsty. You'd be amazed at how often drinking a bottle of water kills the hunger craving. That gets rid of the needs for snacking and thus buying unnecessary snacks. 

This is the beginning of our story. By Brittany Cole

When my Dad first walked into my room around the middle of february and announced he was going vegan and he wanted me to join him, I completely thought it was just going to be a phase and that it eventually would sizzle out. I rolled my eyes a few too many times and listened to him rant. And I said I would give it a try. I had a previous engagement that evening and was trying to rush out the door. My dad sat down and started to watch the documentary he had come across called Forks Over Knives. At some point it caught my attention and sat down and watched it. The things they talked about in this video struck something deep in the gut and made me question what I had been taught. The videos message was simply this:

"That most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods".1

That wasn't what I was taught as a kid. My family has always been moderately healthy and more so recently but this was completely different. I tried to shrug it off and continue with my life but the seed was already there, growing, and demanding change. I remember I had about an hour and half before I had to be somewhere and I was hungry so I stopped at the Article Circle by my house and grabbed a hamburger and some fries. About halfway through the hamburger I took a long look at it and the thought popped into my mind, this is the last hamburger I'm going to eat. It had a sad, disappointed undertone to it. Like my mind had already made the descision before I consciously realized it. And so far it has been true. I haven't had a hamburger since them, nor any other meat. Animals products followed a little bit after that. It's certainly been a struggle and I'm not perfect  but this is my side of the journey.