While I have always tried to keep my meals healthy and fresh, in the past few years I find myself eating more and more plant based.  I do adore cheese, seafood and eggs, which I haven't given up completely but my moto is eat mostly plants- most of the time.  My family isn't always on board but regardless, they end up eating way more veggies!

Why Plant Based?

In 2005, my aunt Amy, who's like a sister to me, almost died of a rare blood disease.   This disease destroyed both of her kidneys and thank god for my sweet Aunt Barb (her sister) donated one of hers.  Most of Amy's life, she had been healthy but yoyo dieted, did Weight Watchers and struggled to stay thin.  This had nothing to do with the blood disease, which doctors have few theories and are pretty muched stumped as to how she got sick.  After her kidney transplant in 2006, Amy was warned that transplant patients don't grow old and she would most likely need another kidney after 10 years.  For the next 9 years, Amy would be hospitalized over 3 dozen times and in and out of the ER 100's of times.  It was tough, really tough.

In 2015, her teenage son Alex went vegan.  She found herself eating vegan out of convenience because she was cooking vegan for him and she started noticing a difference in how she felt, not to mention her labs were getting progressively better.  Since going vegan in 2015, Amy has only spent one night in the hospital, she still has Barb's kidney, and she is living a full life that her doctors did not think would be the case 15 years after getting this disease.  Other benefits of a plant based diet she's experienced:

~ Weight control - no more diets and she's consistently a size 2 and weighs what she did in high school

~ Beautiful Skin and Hair - the difference in skin tone and texture is amazing

~ Anti-Inflammatory - arthritis pain in her neck is nearly gone

Amy's sickness and plant based success story is why I tried it, but there are also a number of other reasons to try a plant based diet.  Here are some of my favorite resources:

Top 22 Vegan Documentaries 

Natalie Portman's Eating Animals

Fed Up

Grilled Artichokes

Vegan Kale Pesto

Vegan Feta Cheese

Buffalo Chicken or Cauliflower Flatbread

Fajitas - Veggie or meat/chicken

Vegan (or not) Butternut Squash Lasagna 

Spicy Indian Dal

Salad on a Bagel

Vegan Pancakes, French Toast, and Quiche

Shrimp & Grits

Sweet Potato Quinoa Patties

Chessy Baked Farro

Peruvian Chicken

Roasted Chicken on Veggies

Beef Chili

Best Steak Seasoning

Spaghetti and meatballs

Grilled lobster tails

Pesto Salmon

Shrimp Boil

Awesome Austrian Meatloaf

Grilled Shrimp in Spicy Butter

Tilapia

Ceviche made on a Salt Stone

Homemade Pasta

Faux Fettuccine Alfredo

One Pot Pasta

Red Beans & Rice with Chorizo

Roasted Carrot and Pickled Beet Salad

Salsa

Spanish Rice

Grilled Veggie

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Zero Calorie Miracle Rice

Meat & Cheese House

Charcuterie

Fresh Pesto Bruschetta

Mama's Cheesy Garlic Bread

Creamy Seafood Chowder

Tortilla Soup

Pumpkin Soup

Tex-Mex Breakfast

Green Seafood Chili

Raosted Garlic Sauce

Stuffed Mushrooms 

Roasted Veggie filled Wonton Cups