It’s finally over! The long torturous month of abstaining from cheese and chicken wings! Oh my, was it awful or AWFUL?

It was actually none of those! Are you surprised that veganuary wasn’t a torturous month? Me too!

I was pretty nervous at the beginning of the month, but because I had been including more plant based meals in my diet, it was easier than I expected. I also love chickpeas so, I didn’t really struggle finding something to eat. I had A LOT of chickpeas. I put them on and in everything, in wraps, salads and curries. I even ate them as snacks.

This was one of my favourite meals! Peanut butter chickpea curry- sounds a bit weird, but TASTES SO GOOD. Recipe coming soon!

There’s a vegan version of almost anything you can think of, from vegan cheese to even vegan hot dogs. In London, especially, you have access to SO MANY vegan restaurants. The supermarkets also cater really well to vegans. While I’m not a fan of fake meats and stuff like that, it’s nice that there are options out there.

One thing I learnt though was vegan does not equal healthy eating. I found A LOT of sugar filled treats that were vegan, from sugary doughnuts to vegan ice creams. One of my favourites was this doughnut from the doughnut stall at Camden market.  It was so so good.

This doughnut stall had so many vegan doughnuts, I was pleasantly surprised.

I also had a very, very creamy cheesecake from Nora and Nama- a vegan bakery in Camden Market, who also have a BOMB banana bread.

Okay, now some real talk. Did I cheat? Uh, yes? I AM human after all. I did have a couple of scoops of “normal” ice cream and some cheese and they were DELICIOUS! #saynotofoodguilt

Why did I do Veganuary? I wanted to challenge myself, and I really wanted to up my veggie intake as well as to experiment with more plant based recipes. It also didn’t hurt that I’d be doing my bit to help the planet. Did you know that a plant based diet has a very small carbon footprint? Also, Beyonce is trying to be vegan? I just read an article that she’s challenging the beyhive to try and include more plant based meals in their diet! By doing so, you stand a chance of winning (correct me if i’m wrong) a lifetime supply of free concert tickets? WHATTTTTTTTTT, that’s crayy. Anyway, back to my own plant based ramblings.

What have I been craving? SHAKE SHACK- any surprises? I’ve also been really really craving dumplings of all shapes, sizes and fillings as well as pizza! Stay tuned (on Instagram) to see what my first non Vegan meal of the year will be!

Am I gonna be Vegan from now on? No, labels scare me, especially when it comes to food. I don’t wanna commit to any diet or way of life. I just want to listen to my body and my soul (food is very important for soul wellbeing- trust meeee!).

So, what will I be taking away from Veganuary? A new found love for avocado toast and a willingness to try different veggies! I also want to challenge myself to order more plant based dishes at normal restaurants and to also dine at completely vegan places as well!

I’ve also decided to do #fitfebraury. For #fitfebruary I’m going to try T25. I’ve done insanity before and it worked! I was quite fit and could even see some abs forming by the end of just phase 1!  I’ve missed having Shaun T yell at me and have also missed my baby abs and being able to walk up a flight of stairs without panting like I just ran a marathon.

The programme lasts 10 weeks, so obvs it extends until March. I find that telling someone online (you guys reading this) or my Insta fam that I’m trying to do something always keeps me motivated. I wouldn’t want to let you guys down now, would I?

Who wants to do It with me? Someone? Anyone? PLEASE?

Keep up with me on Instagram @themacaronaddict_ and see how T25 goes for me!

I leave you with pictures of my favourite eats from Veganuary.

Thanks for coming to my little corner of the WWW!

The Macaron Addict.