Have I Mentioned...

...how busy I have been?
Jeez! I thought summer vacation was going to bring me so much time to cook so many more recipes from The Kind Diet...was I wrong? Granted I have been able to savor some tasty vegan dishes but have not had time to pick up the book in the last month.
Reasons why:
1) Marathon- finished (although heat demanded the course to close)
2) 1 st Triathlon- finished with a time of 1:39:11!!!!!!!
3) Recovery, recovery, recovery...repeat.
4) Training for a half mary with my friend (a first timer)!
5) Teaching some workout classes.
6) DOVE into hothouse yoga for a week. Really- almost every day.
7) Trips to see family and friends, meet-ups, etc.
8) Organized the home office. If you would have seen it- you would totally understand the time factor here.

So- with that said I am going to share a few of my experiences over the last month with eating outside the cookbook (which I will be back to this week...by the way).
I have eaten out at a few local places this month and have been pleasantly surprised at the accommodations people will make for a vegan. Not only do they tend to go out of their way to find out what is in certain dishes but will substitute as needed. PLUS- then I get a healthier dish and know what I am putting in my body.
Example- The night before the triathlon I met up wit a large group of people I had trained with, at a local pasta place. The group leader had called and arranged a family style meal of spaghetti (with meat sauce), lasagna (also with meat) and meatballs, garlic bread baskets and salads also accompanied the main course. I asked the waitress if she had any vegan dishes. She not only gave me a gluten -free menu, she had the manager come speak with me, got me my own bread basket (sans dairy) and asked me to design my own pasta dish with their spinach noodles. It was delicious, healthy, and provided me with the carbs I needed for the race the next day.
This has been the case most places I go...granted it takes me more time to order, more trips for the waiter to ask questions of the kitchen, and an occasional visit from a manager but it provides me with a healthy meal minus the animal.
I have also been lucky enough to find a restaurant, here in town, that has a vegan menu! Yum!!! Jaimen was discovered one day while myself and my significant other were out running errands, got hungry, and decided to try something new. Will definitely be going back! Sweet potato fries, pasta and veggies, clean atmosphere, and knowledgeable staff. A+
One of the last things I will leave you with today, as I contemplate my next recipe, is a conversation I had with a dear friend of mine. We were out for a girl's night at a local winery when everyone ordered appetizers. This a was a rare case when nothing on the menu was vegan, except some pita chips that came with a dip. When I said something to my friend she asked me why I don't just be a vegetarian..."Wouldn't it be easier to just cut out meat? The dairy and egg would be hard for me."
My response: I am not vegan to make my life more difficult. At this point it is because I know too much about the things that are provided to us to eat. I have read too much, seen too much, and have learned too much to even have a desire to eat anything that is derived from an animal. I don't crave meat. I don't drive past an ice cream shop and yearn to order a treat. I don't think, even if the craving did someday present itself, that I could eat (or drink) something I know came from an animal. I just couldn't do it.
That was that. No more questions. I don't preach to people. I answer questions when people ask but never want to be pushy...just informative.
I would be interested to hear some of your experiences with this....questions/statements from family or friends and how you respond.

Also- If you would be so kind as to go to http://www.wherewillyoursmoothietakeyou.com/vote
and vote for my photo...I would really appreciate it! I am the bookworm under "Ahhh..Vega Summer!" Thanks!

I am now going to go find the next recipe! Back at it!!