Coming Out of the Closet

So it's been a while, school and life in general have kept me busy and distracted. I've also been struggling with what being vegan means to me and quite frankly how to tell people I'm trying to go vegan. I emphasize trying, because I've made at least one slip a day. This isn't because being vegan is hard, quite the opposite. It's because I've been nervous about telling people I'm vegan from friends to complete strangers. I've even been reluctant to ask about ingredients at restaurants. I don't know why telling people is so hard for me. I think part of it is fear of having every mistake I make analyzed and pointed out by people who aren't totally supportive of my goal. I've had enough of this though, it's time for me to come out of the vegan closet so to speak. I need to start speaking up for myself, which has always been difficult for me. I need to push myself though. I've been doing it in every other area of my life. It's time to step up and be the vegan I know I can be. I'll make plenty of mistakes but this isn't about perfection for me, it's about intention. Here I go....

"Cupcakes are the answer when life isn't fair.”

I love to bake and as much as I hate to admit it, baking is probably the thing that has held me back the most from completely making the transition to veganism. Seriously, ask any of my friends my favorite food and they'd say cupcakes (I know, I need to eat healthier. I'm working on it) Anyway, I decided to make my first furtive steps into the world of vegan baking via some delicious looking strawberry margarita cupcakes. The recipe was from Sticky Fingers, and I've heard nothing but good things about their cupcakes so it seemed like an excellent place to start.

The recipe was not so different from a traditional cupcake recipe and I think it turned out pretty well (the boys in my class seem to agree). The texture of the cupcake was great although the frosting was a little too sweet for my taste. Overall, though, I consider it a successful first attempt. Enjoy some pictures of my cupcake adventure below:

Strawberry puree I made from scratch.
The batter.
The finished product!!!

Through the Looking Glass...

My name is Sara and I want to be a vegan, or at least try it out. I am easily overwhelmed by life changes, so I am looking at going vegan like an adventure. On my brief forays into the vegan world I have found vegans to be welcoming and generally all around awesome people, despite rumors to the contrary. So far, Veganworld has proved to be an exciting place filled with a wide range of people.

Unfortunately, Veganworld does not include cheese, which has tempted me time and again. I think, though, that I have been looking at going vegan in the wrong light. From now on I am going to look at it as an opportunity to discover a whole new place full of wonder and whimsy. It is a place where I can live compassionately and still be awesome. I'm going to use this blog as a place to express my ups and downs as well as my discoveries along the way. I'll surely stumble from time to time but I can pick myself up and find support within my new found vegan community by reaching out. I look forward to falling down the rabbit hole!