Two weeks of being (almost) completely sugar-free have come to an end. I confess I had a few tough days with very limited options (major flight delays anyone?) but the whole of my two weeks went very smoothly. I’ve done a lot of sugar cleansing in the past and didn’t feel a terrible need for it but really appreciated the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and branch out beyond my standard dark chocolate. You will see an example of that here 
Interestingly what I have been feeling pulled towards is a more raw and vegan style diet. I can’t say my mind is easily on board with this, I love, love, LOVE my goat cheese and occasionally being able to have some wild fish or free-range egg dishes…sadly, it has not been loving me back. I’ve done a lot of focused cleansing in various forms over the last couple of years and I’ve watched as my body often asks me to step it up before I emotionally want to. But alas, here we are. I’ve decided to join Marlena (again) in her vegan challenge for the month of July. I hopped on board last year with the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MOFO!!) and concluded at the end of it that veganism just wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to admit how incorrectly I was doing it though. I used my vegan month as an excuse to dive head first into baking again and try out how my body liked beans, and grains, and tofu…it didn’t. I got puffy, put on some weight, and just felt tired. No good. These days, I find I’m naturally leaning into meals centered around big avocado salads with baked squashes or greens with delicious nut butter dressings, or the rarer meal that includes fruit or a small dish of quinoa. I continue to juice, implement my various cleansing tools, and this is feeling much nicer for me. I also, for the first time in my life, even though I was raised a vegetarian and played with veganism, feel drawn to it for ethical reasons as well as health. I know there are a million arguments out there but it’s started to feel kinda strange to bite into an animal, especially when it isn’t a need for the particular body that I live in. On the other side of things, I’m having a hard time with the idea of ever embracing a labeled way of eating or living. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and I’m excited to once again embrace a new avenue of kitchen creativity and experimentation in the coming month!
This is obviously NOT a vegan recipe and I realized I had to get it posted before next month 
Ingredients:
2 free-range eggs
NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia
sea salt
cinnamon
goat feta or chevre (optional)
Heat a small pan on medium high and melt a pat of organic butter into the bottom. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together with vanilla stevia and a pinch of sea salt. Pour eggs into pan and let cook thoroughly on one side before flipping to the other. Once both sides are cooked, slide out of pan and top with cinnamon and feta or chevre.
How funny that you should post this recipe! My sister and I made some eggplant French toast a few days ago, and we ended up with leftover egg-cinnamon-vanilla-almond milk-stevia mixture, so we threw that in the pan and concluded that it was better than the toast
Good luck on your month of veganism; I look forward to your posts!
My experience is extremely similar to yours! My body wants all raw and vegan, and I’ve played around quite a bit, set myself back a few times, etc. I still do more grain than serves me well and I eat goat cheese or eggs about once a month. I don’t feel well when I do, but I don’t feel there’s value in labeling myself a strict vegan and proclaiming that I’m never going to eat those things again. But then I have to wonder how many times it takes of eating something and not feeling well afterward before I’m ready to give it up! Its been a gradual and very emotional process for me. I can feel my body moving forward before I’m ready, I feel like its dragging me along at times. I really want to follow, I just get caught up in anxieties and the draw toward the comforts of certain foods. I’ve been eating cooked food only at dinner and with a raw salad and lately after dinner I feel like I’m about to explode. I feel so heavy and tired. But I don’t want to give up my cooked food! For whatever reason I look forward to it all day. There’s so much self-exploration to be done!
Funny you should post this and Marlena’s challenge. I think I may join in it, I was thinking along these lines anyway. I am so close to vegan anyway. I haven’t had eggs in over a month and rarely do. I also limit cheese to once every two weeks for the most part. Although I love goat cheese, I definitely feel better with very limited quantities – so sad, but true. In answer to your question if people ask, I tell them I am close to vegan.
I look forward to your recipes for the month of July.
I, also, decided to join Marlena’s Vegan challenge a few days ago. I have been experiencing a lot of the same issues as you have. I have been eating a bit more goat cheese than my normal fare and it shows and how I feel. I do LOVE it but I feel heavier, not as energetic, skin not as radiant and put on a few pounds. Nothing big, but I just don’t feel my light, fabulous self full of energy – which I enjoy! I have been drawn back to a higher raw meals myself. The only NON-vegan items I eat are goat cheese and organic eggs. So this won’t be a drastic change – just more creative – which I love! Going to also get back to daily dry skin brushing, rebounding, enemas, yoga stretching, deep breathing and more grounding techniques during this time. I look forward to yours, Marlena’s and others recipes for inspiration and have a few of my own that I will be posting. Have a beautiful weekend!
I feel like I’m pushed in the same direction as well. I would love to eat cheese, but all kinds give me stomach pains. I “check in” with goat cheese ever couple of months, but sure enough I’m up all night with a stomach ache. I naturally stopped eating butter and eggs awhile ago… every time I planned an egg meal or slathered something in butter, I would only get through a couple bites, so it wasn’t worth it anymore. I never thought fish would bother me, but lately its doing the same and I’m eating less and less. It is the most convenient to order when you’re out with friends or at a family function, so I hope to keep in on the occasional list. However, taking on the vegan label for a month, while focusing on the ‘clean’ foods, sounds fun!