Long time no post!

Wow! Its been like a whole week since I've posted anything. So lets catch up on what I've been eating for the past week!

BreakfastThis was my first attempt at Gluten Free Cereal and it was really good. Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise with a bowl of fruit.

Again same cereal with a bowl of berries and half a large Banana.

Nature's Path Corn Flakes, Banana and Half a Grapefruit.

Now here is where it gets exciting! Two Van's Gluten Free Flax Waffles with Berries and Banana Soft Serve a la mode. My new favorite Breakfast next to Overnight Oats Parfait. YUM!!!

Another Gluten Free cereal I'm really excited about. I love Nature's Path Multibran Flax Plus, but they make a cereal very similar that is Gluten Free called Mesa Sunrise. Its awesome I think I like it better than the Multibran. I also had a Banana with cinnamon and Justin's Maple Almond Butter.


Mesa Sunrise with Half a Banana and Blueberries.

I usually have berries and a banana for breakfast, I don't feel satisfied if I don't.


Lunch

Curry Chickpea Salad- This was something I threw together it had mashed chickpeas, curry, celery, grapes, cilantro, green onions, lettuce and sprouts.

Salad with avocado, corn and salsa on top of quinoa and black beans. You can't see them but they were there and it was good.

'Cheese' and Salsa Quesadilla with Lentil Soup. I liked this so I had it another time for lunch but with Split Pea Soup.

Cut up veggies with fruit cup, edamame beans and lentil chips.

My computer doesn't want to be nice. So I'll have to finish up with dinner and snacks in Part Two!

Gluten Free :/

Happy Tuesday! I haven't been able to get to a computer in a few days, and sadly I forgot my camera on Father's Day. I wanted to document my day and the meal I was prepared at the Woodshed, Oh well :(.

So where did I leave off? Saturday night I made myself a boring dinner, but it tasted pretty good.

Saturday Dinner was a Gardein Stuffed Chick'n with leftover Quinoa Black Beans and Corn, with Zucchini. I sprinkled some Nooch (Nutritional Yeast) on top for a little cheesy flavor. Nooch as we vegans call it is a good source of B-12 and It give foods a cheese like taste.

Dessert was Banana Cherry Soft Serve with a scoop of So Delicious Purely Decadent Chocolate Obsession on top. I put too many cherries in the soft serve, it was really cheryish. It was so good though!


Sunday morning was Father's Day and I had an unpictured bowl of Nature's Path Multigrain Flax Cereal, some berries and a glass of carrot juice.

After Breakfast I went up town for a while and did a little window shopping, then I came home for lunch.















Sunday Lunch was Lentil Chips and Salsa and a bowl of Fruit. (Kiwi, Cherries, Grapes, and Watermelon) I crave fruit so much when its hot out!

After lunch I went down to my Dad's house and helped him put up his Green House. I wish I had pictures but stupid me forgot my camera. We didn't finish so I'll try to get some.

Our Woodshed reservations were at 6. They were very accommodating and came up with something I could eat. My Dad got Escargot and Prime Rib haha he is way far from ever being a Vegan. What I had was a Pasta Bowl with a ton of Sauteed Veggies, Olive Oil, Garlic and a side salad with Oil and Vinegar.

After dinner we went for a 3 mile walk, and came across an old cemetery. I love cemeteries, that probably sounds weird but I love the history, I grew up in an old colonial house and I just have a love for all things old.


Monday Breakfast was Banana Oats with Strawberries, Blueberries and Carrot Juice.

Around 11:00 I went up to the Local Grocer's and got some So Delicious Coconut Yogurt, Dried Pineapple Rings and some Just Banana's. I'm totally doing all of shopping there from now on, I'll still be making my monthly Whole Foods trip though. They have a lot of great products, all organic and natural and many vegan and gluten free options as well.

I came home and ate Lunch.


Lunch was So Delicious Mango Yogurt with Gogi Berry Granola and Just Bananas. I also munched on a few Pineapple Rings (The whole bag) ;)

I went for a short trail run behind my Dad's house, weeded the garden and played with the chickens, I love those girls.

It was too hot in my apartment to 'Cook' Dinner so I opted for dinner in the form of cold salads.


Dinner was a bowl of fruit and a summer salad, with Tomatoes, Snow Peas, Sprouts, Broccoli, Green Peppers, and Cucumbers with Balsamic Vinegar.

Also I think I might be Gluten Intolerant so I'm trying not to eat any Wheat or Gluten products for a few days and see how it goes. I hate this idea because I love wheat products bread, cereal, Seitan, etc. :(

Today's Breakfast was Chocolate Vegan Overnight Oats with Cherry Banana Soft Serve.

It was layered but you can't tell by the picture, It was AMAZING! I got the idea from another Blog that I love OhSheGlows.

Have a Happy Day!
~Casey

Hooray for Saturday!

Hello, Its Saturday! I love Saturdays because its the beginning of my days off. Its so gorgeous out today, I'm counting down the hours until I'm out of here! Tomorrow is Father's Day and I made a reservation to my dad's favorite restaurant The Woodshed. I can't wait to post what I get to eat. When I made the reservation I informed them that I was vegan so they're going to concoct something up that I can eat. Exciting!Yesterday after work I made some tea and had an orange before I ventured out grocery shopping. Finally I was able to load up on some fresh fruits and veggies, and of course carrot juice and almond milk. I also picked up some Lentil & Adzuki Bean Chips, haven't tried them but they look scrumptious!


Starbucks Soy Iced Latte! Haven't had one of those in a while, I usually get Iced Green Tea.


At the grocery store I picked up a flat bread pizza crust because I wanted to make pizza. I was feeling too lazy to make my own.

Friday Dinner was a flat bread pizza with pesto, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and kalamata olives.


After dinner I had an unpictured So Delicious Ice cream Sandwich. I can't get enough of those. ;)


Breakfast this morning was two Nature's Path Flax Waffles with Berries and Agave Nectar (Only because I ran out of Maple Syrup)

Lunch today was a big salad from The Courtyard Cafe.


Courtyard salad contained Romaine Lettuce, Apples, Oranges, Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, and Sweet Vidalia Vinaigrette. I always order this when we get Courtyard. Also I had a Banana.

Have a Happy Day!
~Casey

Gremlins!

Happy Afternoon! Today is a much better day, and the sun is shining. Yay! After work yesterday I needed to clear my mind so I had my favorite snack and did some yoga. I typically don't like yoga that much (too mellow for me), but sometimes when I'm in a funk I need to do something mellow.


Thursday Snack was a sliced up Gala Apple with cinnamon and about a Tbs of Justin's Maple Almond Butter. Delicious! :)

After Yoga I decided to make some dinner. I was craving Stuffed Peppers in a big way, so I made up some Quinoa, dumped in some Black Beans and Salsa, then scooped it into a green pepper.

Thursday Dinner was a Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Pepper with a Baked Sweet Potato, and it was good!


Dessert was Banana Peach Soft Serve! I found a bag of frozen peaches in my freezer that I completely forgot about so I thought it would be a good spin on traditional Banana Soft Serve.


Banana Peach Soft Serve~

1 Frozen Banana
1/2 Cup or a hand full Frozen Peaches
a little MimicCreme or Milk Alt.
Blend it up in a powerful Blender or Food Processor

Note: If you have a Food Processor you don't need the Milk Alternative.

I have a lot of food in my house, at least in my pantry and freezer, but when you run out of the things you eat and drink most often it seems like you have no food. So for breakfast I wanted cereal but didn't have any milk, so I made oatmeal instead. I also ran out of Carrot Juice and I really miss it.


Oatmeal with a little MimicCreme, Agave Nectar, Frozen Peaches, Pure Vanilla Extract and Justin's Maple Almond Butter. I haven't had hot oatmeal in ages, I usually have Vegan Overnight Oats, which I will post sometime. This was very good and filling, I couldn't finish it all.
















Lunch was a Amy's Texas Veggie Burger on Sourdough with Hummus, Sprouts and Lettuce. I had Celery, Carrots and Watermelon on the side. Its so nice out it just seemed appropriate to have something summery.

Oh and here are some pictures of the cute kittens (Gremlins) I found.

They remind my of the Gremlins, they're kind of evil... haha. Its like my cat Flower in Gizmo and and I shouldn't feed them after midnight. I love them though. :)

The Blog Thing

Good Afternoon! I'm totally not used to having a blog, and I'm not doing very well keeping up with it.

Yesterday was my dads Birthday and I made him a fantastic vegan chocolate and peanut butter cake, but sadly i have no photos... :( Bummer! Now my dad is defiantly not a vegan nor is the rest of my family, but they all acted impressed so I was happy that we could all enjoy cake together! For dinner we had bruschetta, everybody else had three cheese tortellini and I had garlic & veggie raviolis from rising moon organics. We had loads of fun!

Wednesday Breakfast was a mixture of Kashi Strawberry Fields and Natures Path Flax Plus Multibran with Carrot Juice, a bowl of berries and Tazo Awake Tea.

Wednesday Lunch was a big salad with avocado, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, peas and sprouts with leftover British Baked Beans on top. Strange thing to put on a salad but it was quite good.













Around 3 o'clock I got hungry so I had a Cranberry Orange Pure Bar, which totally taste like a Cranberry Orange Nut Muffin. YUM :) and a delicious Gala Apple.

This morning it was raining and I kind of woke up on the late side, which I hate doing! I love my mornings so I tend to wake up early-ish, that for me is like 6 sometimes 7. I make myself breakfast turn on the news (Good Morning America) and check my email, etc. Its a very relaxing time for me. This morning on the other hand was not relaxing I had to quickly make and scarf down my breakfast, It makes me a not very Happy Vegan.


Breakfast today was two pieces of Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread, one with organic strawberry jam and the other with organic blueberry jam. Also I had a bowl of berries and a mini banana.

Lunch was so yummy! I made a big salad with Romain Lettuce, Shredded Carrots, Snow Peas, and Sprouts. Topped with Sesame Sticks, Dried Cranberries, Slivered Almonds, and Prebaked Marinated Tofu. I love Marinated Baked Tofu for a quick meal or salad topper.

This day pretty much hasn't been that great for me. I'm really insecure sometimes, its something I'm working on, like many things. I always feel like I'm being compared to my Cousin, who is like an older Sister to me. Shes gorgeous, tall, thin, and guys naturally like her. Me on the other hand is the cute, short one. Now I don't think I'm ugly, but I don't think I'm that pretty either. Anyways to make a long story short today this guy came into my place of work, which happens to be a family business where I work with my Father, my Uncle, and my 'Gorgeous' Cousin. This guy basically called me ugly, and of coarse thought my cousin was beautiful. I'm very sensitive and had a total breakdown. He wasn't anything special himself, but it was just that fact that my whole life I was always compared to somebody else. It really hurts, but its just another thing I need to look past.

Is their anyone that people compare you too? Do people ever say things that make you feel ugly?

I know this Blog is called The Happy Vegan, but I think we all know that us as human beings can't be happy all the time. Overall I'm a happy person and I've overcome a lot of obstacles and I'm continuously trying to improve myself.

My First Blog Post!

Hello Everyone, or No one! My name is Casey and I'm a Vegan, yeah I know what you're thinking there are way too many vegan blogs out there. Well I don't care :) In my blog I'll talk about what I eat and my journey into veganism, also my hobbies and pretty much anything that I feel like posting about.

Firstly lets start with what I ate for the past few days!

Breakfast on Saturday was a bowl of Kashi Strawberry Fields Cereal with a glass of Carrot Juice and Tazo Awake Tea. Strawberry Fields has become one of my favorite cereals, I saw it at the grocery store last weeks and just had to try it.

Lunch was an incredible Thai Tempeh Wrap from Chinook Cafe. YUM... its my favorite thing to eat there. The only thing I don't like about Chinook is that they now use styrofoam containers instead of the plastic ones they used to use, but regardless they have good healthy food.

I also had vegetarian Split Pea soup! The wrap also came with yummy pasta salad.


Dinner time I was still kind of full from lunch so I snacked on some grapes and Mary's Gone Crackers (Not Pictured) Also I had a sliced up pink lady apple sprinkled with cinnamon. I also added a dollop of almond butter on top. Almond butter is my new best friend!

Then around 8PM I had one of these bad boys.

Before I became a vegan I absolutely loved ice cream sandwiches and I'm telling you these are 10 times better! So Delicious makes the best products.


Sunday was the baptism of my Nephew Gage Michael-Joseph, I also happen to be the God Mother, which I was very excited about.

Breakfast was two crumpets with organic strawberry jam, a half a grapefruit and a glass of carrot juice. (I love my carrot juice.)

After the baptism there was a BBQ where I ended up eating some tortilla chips and this awesome black bean and corn salad type thingy, it was very similar the this Mexicali mix my stepmother used to make when we were children. I was going to have a vegan burger but the grill guy wasn't very courteous and used the same tongs as the meat. So luckily for me I always come prepared, when you're a vegan you have to.

I packed an Orange, Puffed Bananas, Dried Mangos and a Chocolate Fudge Brownie Pure Bar.


Around dinner I was super hungry. So I thought I would try out Gardeins "BBQ Pulled Pork". I've had there other products but never tried this one, so I though I'd give it a go.

Eww... Looks just like meat!

The finished product.

For dessert I was craving ice cream or a frappe or something. So I made a Cherry Chocolate Frappe!

I used 1 Frozen Banana
A hand full of cherries
Enough Coconut Milk to cover the Cherries
A heaping spoonful of Cocoa

Blend it all up... It reminds me of Cherry Garcia kind of.

Yesterday for breakfast I had...

Another boring breakfast. A bowl of Nature's Path Flax Plus Multibrain, with Berries on the side and of course Carrot Juice. :)

Lunch was thrown together very quickly. My mom and I were heading out to get the oil changed in our cars. Mommy Daughter bonding haha.

An Ezekiel Wrap with Hummus and leftover grilled veggies.

All wrapped up!

After we got back I made a huge discovery in my shed.

KITTENS! Three of the Five Kittens I found. So back up town we went and got supplies. My cat Flower was less than pleased. They're all very scared and kind of feral, hopefully they'll get used to me. Well they have no choice. When they get more comfortable I'll find them homes and maybe keep one or two Hehe.

Snack I had an orange.

For dinner I had two pieces of Ezekiel Sprouted Grain bread with Earth Balance and sliced Tomatoes under the broiler, with British Baked Beans and Kale.

Dessert was a Bowl of Cherries and a So Delicious Ice Cream Sandwich.

Hooray! That was my first post. If you did happen to read this I hope I didn't bore you too much. It will get better I promise.