Hey guys, and happy Sunday! Today is the last day of my vegan week so I would like to share my experiences with you! I honestly expected it to be a lot more difficult than it actually was, but I suppose that is all because of the growing product range of plant-based food (thank god!). There are a few products that have really gotten me through this week. I definitely find breakfast the easiest meal of the day when it comes to eating plant-based food. This right here is one of my absolute favorites! You simply choose some frozen fruits (I chose mango and raspberries this time), add some milk of choice (I used almond milk, but I usually go for oat milk), and then simply add the toppings you want :) Simple as that! And it's not only very healthy, it is super tasty and insta-proof, too! Besides that, I have been eating chia pudding and lots of crackers with avocado or a super yummy vegan herb paste that I found in the supermarket the other day. 

Before starting the challenge, I did a little research on food that is actually not vegan, for example chocolate. I love snacking and especially chocolate, so this week I went for a completely raw chocolate bar (with orange flavour). I might have enjoyed this one even more than the "dark" chocolate that I usually eat! Luckily for me, two weeks ago or so, I also discovered vegan winegums! Still can't get over how good they are. Truth is, I'm no winegum lover. I love sour candy. But these vegan ones... Oh my. So tasty! I've already lost count of how many times I've bought them during these last two weeks... Now, let's move on to dinner (or lunch). I've mainly been eating indian food this week, because, well, it's just my aboslute favorite food in the world, and it's very vegetarian- and vegan-friendly! This week I've been loving to mix coconut milk with passata and mix this with my favorite spices (for example: curry, turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sea salt). Just like that, you have your vegan-friendly sauce, and now you can add it to whichever veggies you like! I've been eating it with tofu, jackfruit (if you don't know this yet, go check it our right now!), chickpeas, black beans, lentils, "veggie bites" that are made of soy, etc. It honestly doesn't get much easier to cook food, and what I love about indian food is that you can add whatever you feel like and it will still taste like heaven!♥

So, in the end I have found this vegan week quite easy! Of course, I have been a vegetarian for many years, so the bridge to vegan food is not that long. However, I thought it was still very interesting to find out which products actually do contain animal-derived ingredients. I was for example eating vegetarian salami last Tuesday, and while I was eating it I just felt the need to google it (I threw the package out). I then found out that it was actually not vegan-proof after all, since it contained egg-whites. So there I was, already "cheating" on my challenge, just because I didn't do my research properly. From that moment on, I've been looking at each and every food label in order to make sure it is completely animal-free. In the mean time, I've also been searching for some vegan recipes. I  for example found a recipe for vegan pumpkin-spice muffins, which I will also share with you guys soon. They were sooo yummy but due to the wrong vegan butter or maybe due to the pumpkin I used, the texture turned out a bit weird. But the taste... Yum! 

Alright, so let's make a list of 10 things I've been eating this week, so we can have a bit of an overview and perhaps you can get some inspiration out of it, too! There are a couple of meal/snack recipes on here that I am planning to share on my blog soon, so keep an eye open :)
1. Smoothie bowl made out of almond/oat milk and frozen berries
2. Crackers with avocado, vegan paste or vegan cheese
3. Vegan banana bread (recipe coming soon)
4. Vegan pumpkin spice muffins (recipe coming soon)
5. Raw-food balls (either ready-made or homemade)
6. Chia puddig
7. Sweet potato salad
8. Vegan pizza (recipe coming soon)
9. Salad tacos (where you use salad leaves instead of tacos) with tofu and veggies
10. Homemade soup: pumpkin or sweet potato is my favorite during this time of the year!

So, how was my experience in the end?
During this challenge I have noticed that I've been feeling quite tired and low on energy this week, but I'm also well aware of the fact that I haven't been eating enough fruits and veggies... So that's definitely a lesson I've learned: eat more fruits and veggies! Another thing I've been noticing is that my stomach is much more relaxed now than it was before (no bloating or stomach ache), which is a change I was actually hoping to see! :) All in all, I've absolutely enjoyed this challenge and I'm definitely going to try to cut our more and more foods that to some extent contain animal-derived ingredients. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and I'm looking forward to sharing some of my favorite recipes with you guys! If you're thinking of trying out this vegan diet as well, let me know! Don't be afraid to try new things, because that's what life is all about: continuously trying and learning new things♥

 LOVE, Michelle