On Vegan Eating

I've gotten a lot of questions since my resolution post about my goal of eating 5 vegan meals a week. I am by no means a vegan... not even a vegetarian! Eating 5 vegan meals a week is just a way for me to help myself eat more fruits and vegetables; something I am REALLY bad at. I watched this documentary once that I can't remember the name of that really drove home the point to me that its incredibly important to eat raw, organic, whole, natural foods. Since then, and a lot of research later, I've really tried to incorporate more of that into mine and my family's diet.
SO, here are some of my staple vegan meals:
Green smoothies or just regular fruit smoothies- made with juice instead of my regular yogurt
Salads with vinaigrette and nuts instead of creamy dressings
Veggie wraps- one of my favorites! I sautee sweet onion, red or green peppers, beans and mushrooms in sesame seed oil... delish!
Soups- the possibilities are endless!
If you think about it, there are LOTS of foods that can be made vegan, so I've tried to do that; nut butter toast, apples with nut butter, veggies on rice, veggies on noodles, fruit bowls, etc.

In our family we try to have a meatless dinner every Monday, which has helped us find yummy alternitaves to our usual meaty dishes. Its been a fun adventure!
Just to be clear, my reasoning behind eating a more plant-based diet is not founded by my belief system or any 'save-the-animals' motives. I simply want to eat healthier and save money doing it!

What about you? Have you ever eaten Vegan? What are your thoughts or reservations?

On Resolutions

Well, its already half-way through January... have you been keeping your New Year's Resolutions?
I really enjoy making new resolutions each year, but rarely completely fulfill all of them. They are usually filled with good intentions, but I guess its just hard for me to find the motivation. I tried to make really attainable goals this year, so blog followers, YOU can hold me accountable!
Here are my goals for the wonderfully lucky year of 2013...

1. Be better organized. -this includes my kids' room, kitchen, and all our paperwork... my three organizational challenges.
2. Get our food storage up-to-date. -72-hour kits, 3-month supply, and longer term storage included.
3. Budgeting. -we are generally good at CREATING a budget, just not STICKING to one.
4. Intentional teaching. -be more active in intentionally teaching my children.
5. Be more unified. -as a couple, as a family, and as a member of my church.
6. Get fit. -I don't plan on becoming pregnant for a couple more years, so I want to really focus on getting my body healthy again. This includes exercising 3 times a week (even if its just walking my kiddos to the park... that totally counts in my book!), eating 5 vegan meals a week (I normally do eat 3 or 4 vegan meals), and eating more healthy in general.  
7. Attend the temple 12 times this year.

Not too difficult, right? I sure hope not!

What about you? What are your goals for the new year?