I decided that I wanted to become a vegan.

My choice was influenced by a few things:

1. My travels and comparing the food production process
2. A close friend’s face becoming paralyzed because she ate some bad chicken breast and
3. A lifestyle change

Usually I like to dive right into challenges, but this time, I decided to start off a little slower – with Meatless Monday’s. I asked everyone I knew to participate with me, so we could support each other and talk about our experience, but… no one wanted to give up meat.

Some of my favorite reasons were “it’s not my religion” and “I need meat to survive.” I guess I was going on this journey alone.

I woke up today super excited to give meatless Monday a chance. So what was on the menu?

• Breakfast: Cream of Wheat with raisins and hot tea with fresh cranberries.
• Lunch: Fettuccine Alfredo with sun dried tomatoes and a side of green beans.
• Dinner: Salad, sweet potato fries and black bean burgers

I was very excited for dinner. Thinking about making black bean burgers kept me up Sunday night like I was a kid on Christmas Eve. When dinner time finally rolled around I was in the kitchen mixing, and mashing all while bopping my head to “Work” by Rihanna. I was making burger magic.

Within 45 min I finished making dinner, and black bean burgers were the ultimate truth! They were so flavorful, so filling and so yummy. Like better than meat burgers yummy. Not even joking! I literally swallowed my burger whole in two seconds.

So what did I learn from my first Meatless Monday?

1. Be prepared to tackle challenges alone
2. Good meals without meat are actually yummy
3. I can’t wait until the next meatless Monday!

Until Next Time!
– Rayna