Not many updates to report on… my aunt’s birthday was on the 15th (11th day of cleanse) and so there were some rules broken there, though much less sugar than the week before. I went to the bigger Organic Lives location on Saturday and wasn’t too wowed by the deconstructed Veggie Burger ($12, see below) but the OMG Coconut Cream Pie ($7) was well worth it. And no refined sugar! They really like to load up on the alfalfa over there.
The veggie burger “pattie” had a nice spice but not much other flavour or moisture to it, so I won’t order it again, but their menu is quite big so lots more opportunity to try other things. Stocked up on a lot of the same groceries at PriceSmart – it’s so much cheaper than Famous Foods. Also, Famous Foods products aren’t always locally sourced so I found that it was about the same where the produce was from (damn those organic bananas from Ecuador!).
On top of the sugar cravings (which I’ve been curbing with fruit and soy yogurt) it’s also been hard to go completely caffeine-free, as herbal tea isn’t always available. But I’ve done pretty well so far on skipping alcohol (1927 in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia looks like it has amazing cocktails) and gluten (though I do miss bread). I’ve even avoided veggie meat since I’m trying to stay away from processed foods as much as possible during the whole process.
This Saturday, Leo and I celebrate our 5th anniversary together at Chambar, where we had our first date. I’ve heard amazing things about their mussels, so I’m going to try them… but I likely won’t do a meatfest. Dessert’s in though.
I’ve decided I want to stick to vegan baking for my sweet tooth. Though I know of a line of chocolate that’s both sugar-free and gluten-free, I think that putting effort and love into desserts, using agave syrup (which I’m dying to try) is a much better way to go.
- Almond Fresh unsweetened almond milk
- Van’s waffles
- Tofu
- Coconut milk
- Canned lentils
- Blueberries
- Celery
- Carrot
- Green pepper
- Green onions
- Potato
- Onion
- Two BC-grown tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Organic bananas
- Dried apricots
- Raisins
- Walnuts
This week for meals, I made another quinoa salad, lentil stew, and coconut curry with tofu, potatoes, and eggplant on brown rice.
