WIAW: Why I Could Never Be Vegan

Alternative post title: Oh Look at THAT, I Finally Ate Vegetables! 😀

Monday afternoon, I awoke MUCH too early for my liking, but decided to just roll with it, quite literally as I used a bit of gravity to pull myself out of bed, threw on some workout clothes, and carried my tired arse to the gym.

Health Warrior Chia Bar - Acai

Feeling a bit hungry on my way out, I grabbed what has recently become my favorite preworkout snack. I found these babies at TJ Maxx a couple of months ago and I am in LOVE! But don’t let the first little bite of the day fool you, things are about to get “meatier”! #twss 😉

While at the gym, busting out a killer bi’s and tri’s workout (*brushes fingertips across chest*), I ended up drinking a liter (33oz) of water from my Camelbak bottle. I had actually planned on staying to do a little more cardio after my circuit, but decided food sounded better than the treadmill. Ha!

Snack Plate - Rice Cakes with Cottage Cheese, Carrots, Applesauce

And what better (or faster) way to get food in your face than with a snack plate! Two honey nut rice cakes topped with cottage cheese, peanut butter, cinnamon, and chocolate-covered popped amaranth, one friggin HUGE carrot cut into strips, and a bowl of unsweetened applesauce.

Rice Cake with Cottage Cheese & Peanut Butter

I cleaned my plate, save for one rice cake which I ended up eating after I finished getting ready for work and enjoyed with a cup of (unpictured) half-caff coffee.

Reason #1: COTTAGE CHEESE!

I consider myself pretty lucky that even with my unpredictable lactose intolerance, I can still enjoy cottage cheese. After having a few episodes of lying in the fetal position after trips out for froyo, I’ve actually given up on dairy-containing frozen treats, but hey, at least I can still make my favorite protein ice cream!

BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad

Later that night at work, I pulled out a “triple P” (packed and previously pictured) salad of mixed baby greens, gluten-free chicken nuggets (Costco find), roasted butternut squash and purple potatoes, crumbled goat’s milk blue cheese, and a drizzle of this BBQ sauce.

Reason #2: CHICKEN and Reason #3: ALL THE CHEESE!

I’m not a big meat-eater, but whenever I get a craving for it, it’s almost always chicken. Baked or fried, skin-on or skin-off, tits or thighs, there’s really no way I won’t eat it…well, except for livers…yeah, Mom? You can KEEP those! And I think it goes without saying that I have no control in the face of life-altering cheese buying decisions! 😉

Zevia

All washed down with one of my favorite Zevias!

Quest Cookies & Cream

A handful of hours later, it was snack time…enter my latest Quest bar love and another liter (33oz) of water…followed by an hour of content tummy/sleepy head-bobbing.

Reason #4: QUEST BARS!

My one true pre-packaged love. I’ve tried a LOT of bars in my day, and while I hate that sometimes they are a bit inconsistent in flavor and/or texture, I still have to say Quest is the best I’ve ever had!

Siggi's Coconut Yogurt

A couple of hours after that I felt snacky again, but knowing I was probably just feeling the lack of sleep and needed energy, I decided to keep it small with half a container of Siggi’s yogurt and saved the rest for the next day.

Reason #5: YOGURT!

Just like cottage cheese, Greek (and other strained) yogurts are my saving grace. Hard to think what this world would be like without fluffy yogurt-filled pancakes or chocolate “icing”…and seriously, what ELSE would I use as a dip for my roasted kabocha?

Scrambled Eggs with Greens, Toast with Quark

Once I FINALLY finished my shift and made it home, I scrambled up a super fast meal minutes before Benedryl-dosing and faceplanting. One egg + 2 egg whites + mixed baby greens with a side of lemon, apple, walnut, and raisin ALL THE THINGS bread topped with quark.

Reason #6: FLUFFY (egg-filled) BREAD and Reason #7: ALL THE EGGS!

I’ll admit that most bread and other vegan baked goods I’ve had in the past have been pretty tasty, but, in my opinion, NOTHING compares to the light fluffability of an egg-filled treat! And you guys KNOW this #yolkpimp could never live without her eggs!

 While this list certainly isn’t all-inclusive…I mean, we didn’t even get INTO my love of ceviche, pizza, and pancakes…I do think it paints the proper picture to prove my point. BAM, bonus points for unintentional alliteration! 😉 Everyone has reasons behind their dietary preferences and well, these are mine. Just don’t think that after last week’s pancake rant and now this post, that I’m calling all vegans to be burned at the steak stake or anything! 😆

wiawloveyourveggiesmonthbutton2Now head on over to Peas and Crayons and see what tasty dishes (vegan or not) everyone is linking up this week because no matter what your preferences, today is the day we celebrate what we ALL have in common…FOOD!

What’s the best thing you ate yesterday?

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65 Responses to WIAW: Why I Could Never Be Vegan

  1. Oh hey sweet friend! How’ve ya been? I miss you. 🙂

    I couldn’t be a vegan either – I just feel incredible when I’m consuming high quality animal protein and fat. Plus… like you said… cheese.

    How is that new Quest flavour? I wonder how many years it will take for Canada to get it. Probably 5.

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      JO!!!!!! I miss you too, love! I need to get caught up with you BIG time! And seriously…I’m so jealous of your access to game meats! Mark my words, one of these days, I WILL try elk!

      I like the cookies & cream…it’s got a good texture, but I have to say the cookie dough is still my favorite! At least you have THAT one, right? 😉

  2. I was a vegan for two years and let me tell you… never will I go back. My reasons?

    1. Greek yogurt
    2. Fish fish fish
    3. Cheese
    4. The ability to go through life without reading ALL the ingredients to things.

    (cept I can’t eat gluten so I still have to but yaknoww)

  3. Do you think I’ve let you get away with too much before? First declaring you’d give up on your quest [no pun intended] for vegan pancakes. Now publishing a whole anti-vegan post? Seriously, Heather, I don’t recognize you anymore [insert a dramatic near-faint moment]. If I didn’t like you so much I’d -consider- getting angry. But then again you know I stray from the vegan path with quark [it’s funny to think it’s such a regular over here while you can’t find it everywhere?] whenever I feel like it, too, so at least in that point I’ll agree. And if Quest bars were sold around here I’d probably find another reason. But for now I’ll be just a little insulted by your post – until your letter finds its way to my apartment [hint, hint ;)].

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      MP!!!! Oh I’ve missed you! And yes, I was actually JUST beating myself up yesterday for STILL not getting your letter written (*hangs head in shame*). I promise…no, I SWEAR it will be done this weekend for sure!!

      PS, you know you could never stay angry with me for long…even if you tried! 😛

  4. Deeelicious! I want it all! 😉 And no, I could never been vegan either. I love eggs, Greek yogurt and cheese waaaay too much to give it up!

  5. Katy says:

    Best thing I have eaten this week was my mixed berry scones. 🙂

  6. Haha I couldn’t do the vegan thing either. I could maaaaaybe go vegetarian, but I couldn’t give up my eggs. Although I think even as a vegetarian, I’d get bored pretty quick.
    Best thing I ate yesterday – chocolate mug cake. Because chocolate.

  7. Oh yum!! All of those eats look so good! And I want (no…need…I NEED) that chocolate covered popped amaranth ha

  8. Kat says:

    I couldn’t be vegan either. This little mouse eats ALL the cheese, and those vegan substitutes just cant even compare! Sorry, I need my cheese to actually melttttt!
    Im not a HUGE meat eater but every now and then I get hit by the urge….like yesterday when I had chicken for lunch AND dinner. Say whaaaaat? I felt like a major meathead. 😉

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Omg, right?! I can get the butter substitutes and some of the meat subs aren’t half bad, but nothing compares to ooey gooey melty CHEESE!!!

  9. This post! I always go back and forth about how I should go vegan, and then I’m like
    …but chicken. Chocolate. Yogurt. CHOCOLATE.

    Annnnd cue major jealousy over that quest bar. The best thing I ate yesterday was a PB&J quest bar, but have been looking for the new ones forever! The joys of living in an arctic wasteland. 😉

  10. That’s it woman! I’ve decided our first date is going to be at TJ Maxx then Marshall’s, and then maybe Ross because they are slowly but surely stepping their “foodie isle” game up. Although, I say that lightly haha 😉 But seriously, what’s up with you taunting me with this BBQ chicken nugget salad sent from the cheese gods with little bites of crispy purple potato? C’mon. Dontcha know sistas only got tuna, rick, and veggies for lunch?

    Sigh, why oh why did I have to go pescatarian. I might try to swap your nuggies for salmon. Andddd I just said nuggies…I digress.

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Nuggies…bahahaha! Omg, I love it! That one is right up there with “bloobs” on my list! 😉 And can you BELIEVE that I just discovered Ross? I never knew they were hiding little foodie gems within their walls! Haha! This date sounds like a dream! Some people like long walks on the beach…some people like long walks around the grocery (or specialty food) store! Ha!

  11. yup, eggs, cheese, yogurt are precisely why I could never be vegan!!

  12. Sarah McLaughlin says:

    I’m not vegan for the food. I’m vegan for ethical reasons. That said everybody has their own journey in life and finding the diet that makes you happy is important. I just happen to be happy with a vegan plant based diet and could never imagine changing that. 🙂

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      As long as you’re happy, that is ALL that matters! Like I said, I know everyone has their reasons…and no one should ever tell anyone what they should (or shouldn’t) eat! 🙂

  13. The best thing I ate was turkey meatballs with spaghetti squash. New recipe I made the other night & it was delicious. By the way, I love rice cakes! I think they haven’t gotten enough attention since the 80’s.

  14. Emily says:

    I regularly ask myself why (and how!) I was vegan for two years. Seriously…what was I thinking? I LOVE CHEESE. And yogurt, and normal baked-goods…
    While I’ll never go back to eating meat- I just don’t like it- I’m definitely happier as a vegetarian. Being vegan was hard-work!

    Oh, and not having Quest bars in my life was just a sin…
    Love this!

  15. I love purple potatoes. I also love that chocolate-covered popped amaranth is a thing. The best thing I ate yesterday was probably the Greek yogurt with kasha honey sunshine cereal & berries on top.

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      I bought some of that cereal a couple of weeks ago! It’s pretty tasty…especially with peanut flour and blueberries on top! 🙂

  16. Lyric says:

    Yeah I tried to be vegetarian (and vegan for about a week) but I had no idea what I was doing nutritionally wise and I craved chicken; something that had never happened to me before! I had also been trying to improve my running and read online that if you aren’t going to invest in vegetarianism/veganism nutritionally wise you can become very susceptible to injuries! So I had to give it up and you know I really did miss eggs and chicken and yogurt and CHEESE!

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      I’m so glad you listened to your body, girlie! That’s the thing…veganism just isn’t for everyone. Personally, I know I would just feel like I was living a life of restriction…I mean, if I CRAVE a food, I’m gonna eat it! 😀

  17. I was vegan for YEARS… I could never be again. My reasons? SALMON, eggs, tilapia 🙂
    Dang milk allergy…

  18. I was vegan for a little over a year, and it was yogurt that made me crack — all the soy and almond based ones I tried were just… not good 😯 That and I didn’t like the super restrictive nature of it. Oh… and ice cream <3

  19. Oh man. I’m right there with you. ALL THE CHEESE! I could never be a vegan. Vegetarian, sure. Never. Vegan. Ever. (Respect em, I do. But I can’t join em!)

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      A-MEN!! Heck, most of the time, I eat vegetarian without even realizing it…but I don’t think I’ve gone vegan for even ONE day! Ha!

  20. I’m SO with you on the egg love!! I can’t imagine my life w/out eggs – I think I eat up to six a day! So good!!

  21. Ragnhild says:

    I think that those of us who wants to be vegan for life, are it for the animals and earth, not just for “fun”. If I should ONLY think of myself, I would deffinently eat cheese (no meat though, yuck!). But Im doing it for the animals too, and there is no way Ill go back. Ive been vegetarian for 15 years and vegan the last 7, and it IS fun!! 😀

  22. Triple P is cracking me up. And the reasons. Yes, agree to ALL Of them. How good was the yogurt? Do I need to go buy it? Cottage cheese is my jam. So is your PB. That’s danger zone.

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      I really liked the yogurt…barely sweet at all and still had that SMACK of tartness that I like so much about plain Greek yogurt! So good!

      Oh and I figured out how I spent so much! I checked my receipt…did you know those extracts were like $7 a piece?! Daaaaaaamn! 😯 Lol

  23. Brittany says:

    I loveee eating a vegan diet, but fully support you and your reasons for not! HA!

  24. Cheese. Ice cream. Yogurt. Cheese. Eggs. Honey. Cheese. Eggs.

    I love my vegan peeps and I give them mad props. I don’t think I could do it though.

    Cheese. Eggs. Cheese. Eggs. Cheese. Cheese. Eggs. Eggs. Cheese. The end.

  25. I’m with ya on not being able to be a vegan. Seriously, I love cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, questbars, and chicken. I love my veggies very much, but I don’t think I could just eat primarily that.

    Your eats look AMAZING. 😀

  26. Alex says:

    Glad I’m not the only one with an alternate post title this week!

    I could never be vegan either: A life without yogurt and Quest bars is not one worth living!

    Also, that salad!! I’m going to have to borrow those topping ideas. It looks delllicious!

  27. Ashley says:

    I’ve been vegan for 2 years and love it and it doesn’t feel restrictive to me at all–I’ve actually tried more new things than I ever did as a meat-eater. But I totally get that it’s not for everyone!

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      I think that’s GREAT! I know that I’ve definitely become more open-minded about trying new foods since discovering healthy living blogs…I was an extreeeeeeemely picky eater all the way up to and through most of college, but now I’ll pretty much try anything once TWICE! 😉 And I actually love experimenting with plant-based proteins, but I just know that I personally wouldn’t want to exclude other protein sources from my diet. Like you said, it’s just not for everyone.

  28. Haha I love this! Sometimes when I go out for a really delicious vegan meal I think to myself that being a full time vegan can’t be that hard… but then I think about all the non-vegan foods I love and I realize there’s no way I could do it! I love egg whites in my oatmeal, salmon sushi rolls, Greek yogurt, and cheese way too much!

  29. Pingback: That Time I Went Vegetarian – Everyday Lyric

  30. Courtney says:

    I could never be vegan, and I could never be vegetarian! While a piece of red meat tends to “go right through me”, I need a juicy steak in my life every once in a while. Seafood, eggs, cheese, chicken, chicken stuffed with cheese…. ya, no. For me personally, I would lose a part of my life that I enjoy. The best thing I ate was definitely Indian food with my Grandma yesterday. We both had the lunch special which included salad, rice, vegetable korma, chicken curry and (the best ever) naan bread. We also split an order of gulab jamun, which is basically plain Timbits dunked in syrup….. I’m going again with my boyfriend on Saturday….. 😀

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      “I would lose a part of my life that I enjoy.” <- My thoughts exactly!! And holy yum! You just made me so incredibly hungry! It's been forrrrrrEVER since I've had Indian! That needs to change soon!

  31. I love the chia bars, have you tried the newish coffee flavor?!

    Bahah doesn’t food always sound better than the treadmill? Cardio had been pretty much non-existent in my life lately, and I have to say it feel fabulous to be able to stuff my face immediately post-weights. I am so with you on the egss, yogurt, cheese (goat at least) and cottage cheese (which I have been able to eat after FIVE years!!). And well, Quest bars are just necessary for existence. Okay, so I guess I am not vegan for the exact same reasons as you. 😉

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Omg, I’m officially OFFICIALLY kicking myself!! When I first found these at TJ Maxx, they had banana nut, coconut, apple cinnamon, and coffee…I can’t believe I didn’t get the coffee ones! I was just afraid they’d taste burnt or something! Gahh!

  32. Lauren says:

    Okay, after seeing Quest bars ALL OVER the HLB world, I finally bought one the other day and was so excited to break into it today…. it was DISGUSTING! I’ll pretty much eat anything (oh hey, I was one of those people who actually thought airplane meals were good…), but I could not do it. It was like eating an old bland tootsie roll. I’m going to have nightmares about it. 😛

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Oh girl, the first few…hell the first DOZEN I tried tasted like that! I was like, “what the hell do people see in these things?!” The overall texture of the bar makes a HUGE difference in the taste. If it’s hard as a rock, then it will have ZERO flavor, but the softer they are the better they taste…or at least that’s my experience! What flavor did you try? Aww, hopefully you’re not scarred for life and can one day give them another try…or not…but I swear the cookie dough one is laced with crack!

  33. Remember that time I was vegan? And then vegan with benefits? And now what I call “recovering vegan” which really just means “I eat whatever I want, I just don’t like meat that much and am scared of getting sick from it so I steer clear but the amount of fish I consume pretty much even precludes me from calling myself a vegetarian”? Yeah…

    I also have recently decided I may not have lactose intolerance, but it might be the whey that is the issue. I notice most troubles now after I’ve consumed whey protein bars, etc. I also think that Arctic Zero has a TON of whey in it, which is what caused ME the writhing in pain situations…

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Hahaha! Remember that time that Veggie Heather did the exact same thing?? It’s a REVOLUTION!! Bring on the meat! Or ok, in this case, the seafood and yolkporn! 😉 I’m glad you girls are eating what you want when you want it…be FREEEEEEE from labels! YeeHAW! <- Yeah, I have no idea why I just said that! Lol You know, I have the same thing happen to me if I try to eat an entire container of AZ in one sitting...but oddly enough a scoop of whey protein doesn't cause me any trouble at all! And I'm still waiting for the day where I can get froyo without feeling like I've been impregnated with an alien demon! Hahaha! Ugh... 😕

  34. Amen. Amen x 10000. All your reasons as to why you can’t go Vegan- Yes.

    I don’t mind the occasional Vegan dish but even a full day Vegan (which I once did unintentionally) does not seem maintainable. It also goes without saying that I could faceplant all your meals. Ha, the number of times I intend to do light cardio post weights but then bolt in favour of food- always.

  35. Ah-FREAKING-men! As much as I do love vegan dishes, I could never commit to a 100% vegan lifestyle. Greek yogurt, QuestBars, Chicken… holy moly I cannot let go of them! I like Sarah’s style: “I eat whatever I want….” 🙂

  36. I think cheese platters sum up for me why I could never be vegan. Greek yoghurt, poached eggs and my beloved chai lattes (with dairy milk all the way) make a compelling argument.

    Let’s not forget milk chocolate either though 😉

  37. Anna says:

    Eat all the cottage cheese you want, girlfriend! It contains a very, very small amount of lactose. Lactose is the carbohydrate in dairy, and if you look at the back of the package, you’ll see cottage cheese has barely any carbs. That’s probably why it doesn’t bother you 🙂

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Ohhhhhhhhhh! I feel so dense! I mean, I knew that…but I didn’t KNOW that! I’ve always heard that a lot of lactose intolerant people can tolerate cottage cheese, but I guess I just thought it had to do with the processing of it! Thanks, girl!

  38. Calee says:

    Believe it or not, eggs are the reason I couldn’t be vegan. I’m basically vegetarian again (mostly because I’m cheap) but I eat a ton of eggs (and yes, runny ones too! only my special eggs though because damn I’m picky).

    • kissmybroccoli says:

      Well I obviously need to start shopping where you shop for your eggs Miss Double Yolk Queen! That was awesome!

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