Celebratory two-year veganniversary recaps–FINALLY HERE! I know it’s only been four or five days after the magnificent half-weekend (I say half because I didn’t celebrate too much on Sunday), but to me, it honestly seems like more of an eternity. There’s already so much ahead for me–Vegan Street Fair LA Nights, a cinema dinner, move-in day–though for now, I want to soak in the past and attempt to re-live every beautiful moment through sentences and photography.

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I remember the first time ever learning about vegetarianism. A masked animal rights activist was handing out pamphlets of slaughterhouses and animal welfare in the bustling streets of New York City. She handed one to my sisters and I. We read it for the entire subway ride back home and cried for the whole time. 😭🚇 However, we all woke up the next day forgetting about everything and my parents disposed the pamphlet in our hotel room. Honestly, I’m not sure how old I was at the time. Maybe eleven? Nine? Thirteen? Well, with that aside, I can genuinely say that never in a million years did I believe I would I be celebrating two years of veganism. 🌱🎉 It’s so remarkable to look back at everything I’ve learned. No, I don’t regret not having discovered veganism any earlier. You have to fully understand your objects of abstinence to fully recognize why you don’t want to partake. Having witnessed animal cruelty, environmental exploitation, and health deterioration also justify veganism’s part of my life. Plus, the majority of my close friends are all vegans. Goes to show how passion for something truly manifests towards you. 😌🌟 Thank you to everyone who has supported me with my vegan journey. Thank you to every single resource for providing me the knowledge of veganism. Thank you to Mother Nature for signifying this philosophy’s strengths and purposes. Lastly, thank you to the vegan activist from NYC who opened my eyes for the first time. I wouldn’t be part of this lifestyle without any of you. ❤️🌿✌️

A post shared by CASSIE|21|BUDDHIST|HEALTH (@superfitbabe) on Aug 25, 2018 at 3:09pm PDT

Above is my full Instagram statement pertaining to honoring my veganniversary. I actually revered two years of veganism twice. Get it? Two years…two days? Okay, that probably made you scrunch your face and hunch back in your chair, cringing enough for your stomach to wrench up. ANYWAYS. Time to just hop into the food. I will include links and ratings of each product.

FRIDAY 8/24/18 (official veganniversary)

• Early pre-workout breakfast: Trader Joe’s Joe’s O’s with some crumbles of the Inno Foods coconut clusters (found in Costco! One of the best discoveries I’ve ever achieved from this store!) and Silk unsweetened almond milk
  • Rating: 7/10 (Joe’s O’s–nutritious but grainy and flavorless…tastes much better with Stevia and cinnamon), 8.5/10 (coconut clusters, superbly sweet, crunchy, and satisfying), 8/10 (almond milk, something I prefer as a base to other foods); average: 7.83/10

• Lunch: air-fried kabocha squash (and YES, this IS a whole pumpkin! I attempted eating a whole kabocha squash two years ago and failed semi-miserably, but hey, an active day calls for lots of nourishing food!), protein frosting made with more toasted coconut clusters and True Nutrition vegan cookies n’ cream protein, and Boom Chicka Pop light kettle corn
  • Rating: 10/10 (kabocha, AKA the magical pumpkin), 9/10 (vegan protein and coconut clusters–both individually rated as well–both taste splendid, with the protein mixing smoothly and nicely, and the coconut clusters adding the perfect crunch and extra-sweet-fatty factors), 10/10 (kettle corn–so crunchy with the perfect sweet and salty flavors!); average: 9.76/10

• Dinner: a custom spinach salad from the Tender Greens location I work at–spinach, garbanzo beans instead of hazelnuts, tomatoes, and avocado instead of goat cheese–with an unpictured side of ketchup and hot sauce (unpictured)
  • Rating: 9/10 (my go-to salad combo!)

• Dessert/late-night drink: GTS Trilogy kombucha on tap at my Tender Greens!
  • Rating: 9.5/10 (figures…I LOVE this kombucha brand!)

SATURDAY 8/25/18 (official celebration)

• Early pre-workout breakfast: a Lenny and Larry’s snickerdoodle cookie
  • Rating: 9/10 (no question, this cookie is absolutely delicious)

• Post-workout breakfast: protein frosting made with True Nutrition vegan cookies n’ cream protein topped with Mamma Chia vanilla almond clusters alongside a plate of a butterscotch blondie with strawberries and a triple chocolate brownie with blueberries (fun fact: I burnt both the tops and had to cut off the charred corners of both pastries–they still tasted spectacular!) from Doomie’s Home Cookin’
  • Rating: 9/10 (vegan protein), 7/10 (vanilla almond clusters–love the crunch, but it tastes a bit bland), 8.5/10 (blondie, otherwise a dessert that had to grow on me after a few bites…fortunately I fell head-over-heels by then), 10/10 (brownie; what can I say? LOVE AT FIRST BITE!)

• Midday snacks (finished them throughout the day while on-the-go): Louisville vegan smoked black pepper jerky and So Delicious No Sugar Added Vanilla Bean coconut milk ice cream
  • Rating: 7/10 (jerky; good, but too salty), 10/10 (ice cream, which was superbly creamy, flavorful, and satiating)

• Lunch: Tosai vegan spicy veggie roll and Pressed Juicery blue lemonade (for some reason, I cannot find the exact bottle of the lemonade I had online, but it is found at the Westfield Century City mall location)
  • Rating: 8/10 (sushi–the rice crumbles a bit, though the filling and rice combination is A+!), 9/10 (blue lemonade, a drink that is splendidly refreshing without being too sweet or bitter)

• Snack: Plain pizza alla pala from Eataly L.A.
  • Rating: 10/10 (so incredibly fluffy inside, yet somewhat crispy and warm externally!)

• Dinner: vegan spring rolls (goi cuon chay) with pickled carrots and jicama and peanut sauce from Pho 21 Canoga
  • Rating: 8/10 (need I say more? Come on. It’s a freaking spring roll for Pete’s sake)

OVERALL

By far, my favorite items to eat were the kabocha squash, kettle corn, butterscotch blondie, triple chocolate brownie, coconut milk ice cream, and the plain pizza bread. That being said, I love celebrating my veganism every single day by choosing healthy, wholesome, and nourishing foods, splurge a little bit every single day or every other day, and start throwing them dollars on incredibly special occasions like events, veganniversaries, birthdays, and holidays. By dollars, I literally mean green U.S. dollars, not like “calorie dollars” (most people think of their calorie allotment like a checkings account, which is kind of B.S.).

Again, ANYWAYS. I hope that you enjoyed this quick post! Thought I’d sneak in some quick food reviews and links since I know you will all LOVE these products as much as I do! They are remarkably fantastic and I recommend them to anyone and everyone–vegans and non-vegans alike! Nothing is more refreshing to see a mixture of creative and simplistic plant-based meals and products that anyone can enjoy. What are you waiting for? Start looking up these foods NOW and dig in from there!

What are your favorite vegan food products/meals?