When will you be 'normal' again?

Apparently I have a thing with food because that seems to be all I write about.......

A lot of people have been asking me when my 'raw vegan kick' is going to end. They tease and make fun. I'm not even raw vegan, let alone plain, old vegan. I'm an omnivore, but I see the value in eating more raw food (who thinks it's weird to eat an apple....that's raw vegan folks). I also have the ability to eat desserts that I cannot have otherwise due to the dairy content. Because raw vegan desserts are made of different combinations of fruit and nuts, I'm satiated LONG before I over eat, unlike regular desserts. I could eat a whole pan of conventional brownies for a meal. It's usually 'one and done' with raw vegan desserts because it isn't loaded with mostly refined sugar and flour but fiber and good fats. Not to mention my face has cleared up a lot since stopping dairy consumption. It turns out I may just have an intolerance myself to dairy products and never knew it until I HAD to stop consuming dairy for Wren's sake.

So, no, I'm not going to start eating 'normal' again because what did normal get me? Let's see.... Overweight. Tired. Acne. Lacking in lifeforce/energy. An overall dumpy attitude. Why would I WANT to go back to that? Yes, I'm still overweight, but I've been losing weight since I started eating raw vegan, and the times I've strayed for a week or so I've gained weight back. I'm not a proponant of eating all raw, all the time. I personally couldn't do it, or rather, would not want to do it, save for a designated time period. Hot dogs, spaghetti, and fastfood as staples are a thing of the past, and I and my family will be the better for it.

The hardest part in all of this is helping my husband transition. He's a man of convenience when it comes to food, so it's 45 seconds between him and a 'meal' of a hotdog with a slice of american cheese and BBQ sauce. I find myself buying two different kinds of food (healthy and unhealthy), and I'm ashamed as the cashier rings out hotdogs after a head of kale, pears, bananas, etc. Not to mention, because the baby and I eat mostly whole, healthy food, the bulk of the grocery budget goes to support the healthy food, leaving said unhealthy eater feeling like he is getting the shaft. Before I had my baby in February, I used to take one day a week and cook a few things so we could eat leftovers throughout the week. Admittedly, I don't do that as much as I used to. I can't believe I once thought I didn't have time before having a baby, and I'm sure I'll think the same thing if we have more than one. It's just as convenient for him to heat up leftovers as it is for him to heat up a hotdog, but then again, I run into my ever growing ethical guidelines with food. As mentioned above, spaghetti, as a staple is out. No more sauce in a jar. No more whole wheat or regular pasta noodles. No more Aldi's brand, greasy, hormone ridden meatballs for ease of convenience. I now have to find either acceptable replacements or make everything from scratch. I would love to make everything from scratch, but I work full-time and have a baby and house to somewhat maintain, as much as my husband may contest I don't really maintain it (the important things in life, mister). The precious little time I have with Wren every evening is usually focused on Wren, trying to get as much love in as I can before she goes to sleep. I cannot explain to you how much it crushes me every day to have to leave her to do something I loathe. I've had to leave her every weekday since she was 9 weeks old. Anyway, ....

So.... How to make healthy food my husband will eat. As much raw as possible, but one of the downfalls with raw vegan cuisine is that, when transitioning in any sense from a Standard American Diet (SAD)..............your expectations are rarely met. Raw vegan brownies taste similar but are not dead ringers for SAD brownies. Brownies have been the only thing I've made that have rivaled the original version. Now, there have been some things, like raw vegan cheesecake, which taste good, but it's not like eating a cheesecake. Differences in textures and tastes... Let's be honest, I'm working with different combinations of nuts and fruit to simulate things that normally require milk in some form and, if not from scratch, a bunch of chemicals. It's just that, simulate. It isn't that these things do not taste good on their own but that calling it a certain name brings certain expectations in taste and texture.

How do I make healthy food sustainably in my limited time at home? How do I make this healthy food with an 8 1/2 month old roaming around and sometimes clinging to my legs to be picked up (can't be around a stove when that happens)? How do I do all of this and work on vegan baked goods recipes for my upcoming online vegan bakery (and raw vegan unbakery.....and conventional bakery if my MIL decides to sell product as well)??? I so feel like having the opportunity and sacrifice of being a stay-at-home-mom would make some things in my life so much easier. Hydroponic garden. Time to make good food and vegan baked goodies. *Sigh*

Well, I best get crackin' on this bakery.