Do You Need Expensive Kitchen Equipment?

I remember having kitchen equipment envy when I first became a vegan. All the blogs I read and YouTubers I watched had a Vitamix blender and fancy food dehydrators.  

It's been 3 years and I still don't any fancy equipment. Not because I don't want it (ha!) but because the equipment I have is still working from my old YouTube video. 

To get started, you only need a few items for your kitchen (you probably already have these items).......

Chef's knife -Chop it up!

Blender- I wouldn't get a $30 one because they usually can't handle cashews and other ingredients, but you can get a pretty powerful one for under $100. I have this KitchenAid one

Produce brush-You can get one for $5 at Target

Cutting Board

Food Processor- If you don't have a food processor, I would recommend one that holds at least 5 cups and wouldn't spend less than $50....in my experience the cheaper ones aren't very good. I have a Giada food processor...it's pretty good but I wouldn't mind upgrading.

Start Your Vegan Journey TODAY | 5 Tips

It has been 3 years since I jumped head first into this vegan lifestyle. I read Sistah Vegan (after Skinny Bitch helped me become a vegetarian for 2 years) and decided to kick dead animals (land and sea) and animal byproducts (eggs, dairy, etc.) to the curb. Even though things haven't always been perfect in this journey (I've slipped, fallen and jumped back on the vegan wagon a few times), I do feel it has been one of the best decisions that I've ever made.

I get questions about getting started all the time, so I've got you covered with 5 great tips!

Plan all meals and snacks-This is HUGE! You have to plan in order to stay on track.  If you're used to eating whatever, this may be difficult in the beginning, but I promise you will get used to it.

Clean out your fridge immediately- Get rid of the dairy, eggs, meat. I became a vegan for ethical reasons, so please give these items to someone else who can use it instead of tossing it in the trash.

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Don't bring non vegan ingredients into your home-Make the decision to not bring any meat, dairy and and eggs into the house and spend time experimenting with vegan ingredients.

Replace Ingredients-Instead of using dairy milk, replace with almond and/or soy milk. You can also replace your breakfast eggs with tofu scramble, your conventional butter with Earth Balance and use flax egg or Ener-G to replace eggs in your baking recipes. Don't feel like you have to stop eating certain things and instead look for a vegan replacement.

Most importantly, make the decision to go vegan. A lot of us talk about what we want but don't make the decision often enough to make the change. Decide to make a change to your lifestyle and get busy!

Are you starting your own journey today (or really soon)? Let me know your concerns or questions below!

Easy Way to Ditch the Cow's Milk

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Ha! It's funny how I never considered how unnatural drinking milk was until about 5 years ago.

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Cow's milk was pushed on most of us at a very young age. There isn't a public school in America that doesn't require milk as an option on the lunch menu.

Like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau asked when I saw her speak at VegFest, "Why are using the middle man to get our calcium? Where does the cow get his vitamins? Eliminate the middleman and go right to the green leafy source (kale, spinach, collard green)."  Preach!

I'm a firm believer that the only way to completely make changes to your diet is by replacing the "bad stuff" with something else.

These days, even the most basic grocery store offers soy or almond milk as excellent alternatives to cow's milk. You can use plant-based milk for cooking and cereal and say goodbye to cow's milk forever.

If you haven't transitioned to plant-based milk yet, make that the first step in your vegan journey.

Check out this awesome chart with the many uses and nutritional benefits of the most common plant-based milks. 

When did you ditch the cow's milk or are you thinking about doing it?  If so, which plant-based milk is your favorite?

Where Do I Get My Nutrients on a Vegan Diet?

I love infographics because they make everything so simple.   I saw this one on PETA's site and wanted to share. You can easily get everything you need from a vegan diet by eating a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, beans, and grains. Check out ways to get protein, calcium, iron, omega-3s and vitamin D below....

Wondering About a Vegan Diet? - An infographic by the team at PETA

Five Baby Steps To A Vegan Lifestyle

It wasn't that long ago that our family dinners consisted of Gordon's fishsticks and boxed macaroni and cheese. We all have to start from somewhere.

When I read Skinny Bitch in 2008, I knew it was time to make some changes for my family's health and to protest the terrible realities of factory farming.

Our journey to vegan eating was very gradual. 

Some people tell me they're interested in eating a few vegan meals a week, but making a complete change isn't something they want to do right now. I can understand that. In fact, even though Skinny Bitch (a vegan book) helped me to become a vegetarian, I didn't become a vegan until 2 years later.

Here are some changes you can make immediately in your journey to vegan eating: 

Switch out your milk and butter-Use Earth Balance vegan margarine opposed to conventional butter in recipes and to butter toast.  The flavor is very similar to conventional butter and there's no cholesterol. Also, instead of cow's milk, consider soy, coconut or almond milk in cooking and eating cereal.

Tempeh stir-fry

Cook one vegan meal a week- It really doesn't have to be all or nothing. Head to the library and check out a few vegan cookbooks for inspiration. Experiment with new ingredients and slowly get used to making vegetables and grains the center of your meal.   Check out my recipe page for some recipes, too.

Read/watch one vegan inspired book or documentary- Books and documentaries are so inspirational and help you to take ACTION. Skinny Bitch, Sistah Vegan, Earthlings (very graphic), Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, Vegucated, and Food Matters are some great books and documentaries to start with.

Drink green smoothies- I think green smoothies are a great simple breakfast and will help you make better food decisions throughout the day. Simple Green Smoothies has a lot of great recipes on their Instagram.

Lastly, Don't beat yourself up- Changing life long habits can be overwhelming. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Learn to celebrate all the small victories and keep pushing forward!