"I Don't Recall Asking for Your Opinion."

Day One of being a vegan went pretty well. I got up a little later than I had originally planned, and ended up having to rush around to make both breakfast and lunch. I had sauteed spinach and black beans with salsa on a whole grain tortilla for breakfast, and black beans, zucchini, and mushrooms with brown rice for lunch. Packed a banana and some pecans for snacks, and I was all set.

Eating no animal products wasn't really a problem on Day One; not having any Diet Coke was most definitely a challenge. I typically have between 3-4 Diet Cokes a day. I gave them up in conjunction with going vegan. By 4 p.m. yesterday, I had a searing headache. I mean, POUNDING. Right around this time, I had a meeting with our senior attorney and my supervisor on this pain-in-the-ass case I'm working on. Our senior attorney is a great guy, but he has an opinion about everything. And he believes that he knows the correct way to do everything. So I mention that I've stopped eating meat and dairy products. He begins to tell me that, instead, I should just "eat better. You know, more fruits and vegetables." (Duh. That's what I'm doing.). And then I tell him I've given up Diet Coke, and he gives me this quizical look, like I've just told him that I've decided to grow a tail. "Why would you do that?! You have to drink caffeine!" Maybe because Diet Coke contains a known carcinogen, tricks your body into not recognizing fullness (thus making you fat), and I consume enough of it to put down a small pony on a daily basis?! And besides, I thought, I don't recall asking for his opinion or thoughts on my diet. Yeesh. Why do people feel they need to weigh in on my lifestyle? It's really annoying.

So I suppressed my caffeine-withdrawal-induced temper tantrum and finished my day (albeit nearly an hour later than my "normal" work hours, but that's a story for another time). Got home and fixed dinner: mixed baby greens, mushroom, and tomato salad with Annie's Naturals Roasted Garlic dressing; and whole wheat penne, marinara sauce, and Nate's Zesty Italian non-meatballs. Pretty yummy.

(I also made some roasted garlic hummus to snack on and for Wednesday's Greek dinner!)