Vegan Bags, Vegan... Living?!

As you are all aware by now - Nikolette makes 100% animal free (vegan) bags (unless you count all the critters we have running around the place, but they are just here for petting and cuddling).
However, vegan living has been on and off around here. I was a pretty strict vegetarian for most of my youth. I ate very little veggies though, somehow I survived high school on a diet of sugar and awkwardness. Throughout my 20s I considered myself an omnivore, but I ate about 90% vegetarian. I was never quite comfortable with meat or animal products really. I was always worried that it was bad somehow and I was going to get really sick from it.

(inhabitat.com)

Then I moved from Nashville, TN to New Orleans and guess what happened? I gained about 30 pounds over the years! Southern food is rich and fatty and over all pretty bad for you. The dietary staples are refined carbs, dairy fats and meat. Any veggies are cooked down to a state of pure mush in a vat of grease and salt. Any fruits are covered in sugar, ice cream, and a flaky crust.
I realized a few years ago what I was doing to my body and flipped things around. I got the weight off by eating, well... vegan. I would have cheat days and eat ice cream. Every now and then I would have a small tuna steak. Those days were rare, however, and I realized that when I feel the best is when I've been eating plants.
Not everyone is like me. Some poeple's bodies don't do so well without animal based foods. I'll admit at first I was eating mostly fruit and grain and my hair growth slowed and I was under weight for a while. Dan was kind enough to point out "hey, I never see you eat vegetables." So I looked at my daily intake and, huh, he was right!
Once I added in several veggie dishes to my day, guess what- my hair got crazy long and thick, I was building muscle better at the gym and I filled out my jeans a little better (if ya know what I mean).
So thus began my most recent encounter with vegan living and I feel like I'm missing out on nothing. I've been adding pea protein (just a little) to my frozen fruit smoothies and I eat enough peanut butter to keep Oregon peanut farmers in business for years to come.
Here is a carrot dish I made the other day:

Carrots, spinach, onions, garlic, bell pepper

I feel very lucky to be living in a place like Portland where people don't look at you crazy for eating plants all day and just about every restaurant has vegan options.
I find it healthier for me to look at animal products as a "treat" that I have very occasionally. If I start claiming to be all vegan all the time then guess what, I'm going to mentally beat myself up so badly that I find the nearest cheese shop and eat everything in sight. But if I tell myself I can have it I suddenly don't care and will choose a salad over a pate & cheese tray.
Veganism isn't for everyone, and I have no problem with people who consume animal foods. But for me, I just perform and feel the best on plants. And since my bags are vegan, I felt it appropriate to share this with my customers who may also be in shoes similar to my own. I am also officially opening the gates to recipe sharing! Link some in the comments or on our facebook. We all love food around here and Dan won't go into the kitchen unless he has a recipe in his hands. I'm more of a "throw everything in the kitchen into one pot and see what happens" kind of girl.
Sorry if I babbled a bit today, but food gets me excited. Almost as excited as bags do. And speaking of bags - here's some news. We have set a goal of 11/1/11 to have the new styles listed. We may be shy a few, but most everything will be up and for sale. Also we'll be doing a give away with Skinned Knees who will also be reviewing a new Lucy for you guys. We'll keep you posted.