21 Day Vegan Kickstart

So, at the beginning of this month, nicely timed after a weekend filled with an abundance of food and drink, I started a 21-Day Vegan KickStart program organized by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). You can get in on the fun and see the details on-line: 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

I've been trying the vegan thing for a while now, actually, since just after the new year. I'd not been incredibly strict (didn't abandon the cream in my morning coffee, would get a massive craving for a good steak or a poached egg now and again and would indulge, etc.) so this actually hasn't been difficult at all for me - dropping the cream isn't as hard as I'd anticipated, and the indulgences were so few and far between that I really haven't noticed them gone. What has been GREAT though, is the list of recipes that the program is providing! For the most part, they are SUPER easy, while being a bit more interesting than my typical open the veggie drawer in the fridge and steam or saute up a melee of whatever I found in there. After enjoying my mid-morning snack today, I thought I'd share one of those recipes for you all! Here it is:

Easy Bean Dip

Makes 6 servings


1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
¹/₂ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Per serving (1/6 of recipe)

• Calories: 81
• Fat: 0.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
• Calories from Fat: 4.2%
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Protein: 4.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 15.4 g
• Sugar: 2.7 g
• Fiber: 3.8 g
• Sodium: 280 mg
• Calcium: 47 mg
• Iron: 1.6 mg
• Vitamin C: 6.4 mg
• Beta Carotene: 172 mcg
• Vitamin E: 0.6 mg

This is absurdly easy, crazy healthy, and really, really good. I've had it with chopped up veggies, and today, with some of those Z Crackers that you can find at Whole Foods. Yum. Seriously.

People have asked how this way of eating effects my training. In a nutshell, it doesn't. Or, I should say, it effects it in a very positive way. I'm eating insanely healthy. I'd wager that I eat more vegetables in a day than the average person eats in a week. I get in a great deal of healthy fats via seeds, nuts, and avocados, and a crazy amount of antioxidants through the variety of fruits I eat. Overall, I feel really ...... light. Bouncy. Energetic. It's all good. 

If you'd like to try to improve your diet but this whole "vegan thing" sounds a bit radical to you, just incorporate a few of the recipes into your diet. Make Monday a "Meatout Monday." Go from there and see how you feel. And leave the guilt behind when you simply need an awesome burger.

Baby steps my friends, baby steps.