Thoughts...

...on the vegan thing. Going vegan is not that hard. Actually, it's a lot of fun. But it does involve a lot of thought. I am cooking more than I ever have in my life. I don't love cooking, but I'm doing it. And, dare I say, often enjoying it. I really had to pinch myself one day when I found myself driving home quickly for lunch rather than go out to lunch (something I used to LOVE doing!!) I still eat out, of course, but as a family we seldom do now, and it's OK! Some things are tougher.

• Eggs. Mae eats 1-2 eggs every day at breakfast. She had a steamed egg every morning in China and I just kept it up. Lately she has been asking for "mo eggy peeze?" If I can convince her that Scrambled Tofu is a worthy substitute, then we're all set. The rest of us can take or leave eggs and replacer powder or applesauce work fine for replacements.
• Milk. Mae loves soy milk. Paul loves rice milk. The boys and I are the hold outs. For me, the key is breakfast. I am usually rushed in the mornings and have a quick bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with skim milk and a banana. If I can just deal with the extra minute it takes to microwave my oatmeal, there would be no problem. Then there is my coffee addiction. I've experimented with Soy Chai and it's OK. I think I could handle it. And perhaps I wouldn't get coffee as often and save some pennies! Ted is a vegan waiting to hatch. He doesn't want to drink cow's milk but has yet to find a milk alternative that he likes. We're working on it and he is very willing to try new milks. So far, we've tried Oat and Almond. Luckily he likes Calcium Fortified OJ. Sam drinks 1-2 cans of Pediasure a day. I seem to recall that he was OK with rice milk when he was younger, though, so once he is able to get off the Pediasure I think he will be easy to convert.
  
• Fish. This is only my problem. I love sushi. LOVE it. I may cheat and never cook fish at home but splurge a few times a year when dining out with friends (i.e. when it's my choice, don't choose a sushi place.)
• Cheese. No problem. We all like it but none of us love it to death or anything. Ted is a big cream cheese eater so we need to try vegan cream cheese out on him. Other than that, no problem. Plus, Nutritional Yeast + sesame seeds, ground together, make for a fabulous "Parmesan." Mmm.

Note: Everyone worries about vegans lacking nutrients. It is true that without dairy, eggs and fish, it is harder to get some vitamins. But there are TONS of specially formulated "Vegan Dietary Supplements" out there that fill the gap. We eat a lot of greens (calcium) and tofu/beans/nuts (protein) so we're not worried there. There are even many different kinds of non fish source Omega-3 supplements out there (did you know fish do not produce Omega-3, but rather obtain it from the algae they eat? Why not just get it from the algae and leave the fish alone?!) But I will admit that finding a good supplement is important. The end. ;-)