Today I woke up feeling determined. My first vegan day was a breeze and I was genuinely pumped to see what surprises my second vegan day would bring.

vegan

Photo by Amanda Shulman

Breakfast: I did a rift on my absolute favorite smoothie from this juice bar in Florida. I tossed a banana, a spoon of almond butter, two dates, some almond milk, cinnamon and a teensy pinch of ginger into a blender. The resulting smoothie is a thick creamy concoction that tastes warm and cozy due to those comforting flavors of the dates and cinnamon. The bananas make it creamy but the dates provide flecks of texture. I’ll gladly have this any day.

vegan

Photo by Amanda Shulman

vegan

Photo by Amanda Shulman

Lunch: Lunch was leftovers. I can see you through my computer screen frowning at the word leftovers, but I implore you to change your mind! If you were eating roasted sweet potatoes, eggplant with quinoa and radish salad you wouldn’t be frowning either. I felt clean.

vegan

Photo by Amanda Shulman

Dinner:  Tonight’s dinner was a mishmosh of deliciousness. A roasted cauliflower parsnip soup that was seasoned with coriander and cumin, some escarole and cannellini beans sautéed with garlic, lemon and olive oil, and a solid heap of brown rice mixed with cranberries for good measure. I could actually get used to this.

vegan

Photo by Amanda Shulman

Dessert: I tried to make vegan cookies and they actually came out amazing. I’m working on finalizing the recipe to share with you, but think of wholesome goodness like banana, oats, brown sugar and coconut milk. Oh, and chocolate.

Final thoughts: While I had a major moment of sadness today when my friend was eating fried chicken right next to me in the library, I managed to persevere. Once again I’m feeling good and feeling clean. TEAM VEGAN.