Hey. Happy Wednesday! Keeping up with my countdown? I’m three classes + five finals away from the end – so close! As I was munching on my veggie wrap at school today, I realized that everything I packed to eat as my lunch was vegan… and when I thought about it some more, my breakfast was animal-product free too. Enter spontaneous idea here: I decided to challenge myself to eat an entirely vegan diet for the day. It was a success! …and really not all that difficult. After all, it was initially an unintentional effort.
Here is what my vegan for a day diet consisted of. [Don’t judge. I eat a lot!]
Breakfast
- 1 c. Raisin Bran, 1/2 banana, 1T walnuts, 3/4 c. soy milk
Mid-morning Munch
- 4 dried apricots + 6 dark chocolate almonds – I checked, the chocolate is milk free : )
Lunch
- lavash wrap w/ hummus, tomato, cucumber & lettuce
- 1 organic d’anjou pear
- Cranberry Crunch Bar [featured below]
Afternoon Snack
- iced soy latte
Dinner
- leftover simply soy, sesame, almond butter tofu + brown rice & veggies
Dessert
- more chocolate almonds + a small box of raisins
Would you ever consider living a vegan lifestyle? If you are vegan, why so? I have NO desire to become a vegan anytime soon. Personally, I think it is too ‘intense’ of a lifestyle. I am fortunate enough to not have any food allergies that require me to give up dairy. Plus, my passion for baking is too strong for me to consider giving up my buttah : )
* * *
Alright, time to hook you up with free, wholesome [and perhaps vegan] goodies! Do you remember when Santa brought me a box of Element Bars? It was surely one of my favorite holiday gifts. I was so excited when I discovered this create-your-own bar company, that I may have helped Santa and his elves in their workshop ; ) You can read about my first review of my personalized bars right here.
After complimenting the company on loving every bite of each of the dozen bars, they generously offered to send me a second box of free bars to sample. Opening the package was like Christmas all over again, except this time I didn’t know which flavor(s) I would receive. Inside was a fruity trio: Blueberry Repair, Cranberry Crunch, and Fruit Blaster flavors – yummy!
The even better part… they offered to hook one of my readers up with 1 FREE box of personalized Element Bars – a $36 value!
There are four ways to enter the giveaway:
1. Visit the Element Bars site, create your dream bar, and share your creation in a comment below.
2. Follow me on Twitter.
3. Tweet about the giveaway [including the post URL].
4. Mention the giveaway in a blog post of your own.
Each of these count as 1 entry, and you must leave a comment for each form of entry. The fun ends THURSDAY, May 20th @ 8:00pm. Good luck!
Oh!… and all who participate will receive a special discount code for 15% off a box of bars, so go get creative.
Free Food Friday
Whatcha say? It’s Wednesday!
No Dairy. No Produce. No Chocolate!
I think vegan is too intense as well, but I go back and forth with wanting to go vegetarian. :)
Yay, I already follow you on Twitter!
I tweeted it! :)
http://twitter.com/KaitorTot/status/13894140714
i would create:
oaty core
apricots
immunity boost
pumpkin spice
I designed a bar with a chewy core w/ peanut butter, soy protein, chocolate chips, immunity boost, brown rice syrup, blueberries and cashews! Sounds yummy… this create your own thing is so cool!
bar with
datey core
almonds
apricots
pumpkin pie spice
flax
My bar:
chewy core
apricots
blueberries
brown rice syrup
almonds
These look awesome. Love the website too!
This would be my creation:
Oaty Core, Cranberries, Blueberries, Walnuts, Pumpkin Spice, Whey Protein, and Fiber Boost
I love this concept of creating your own bar!
I made the transition from vegetarian to vegan because I started doing my research. What I mean by that is I read more and more articles about the misleading nutritional value of dairy products, and it just made logical sense to me that dairy is designed for babies. You know, to fatten those lil’ guys up.
The other element that spurred my decision was that I felt a little bit hypocritical. That’s not to say that I’m judging other vegetarians. I really don’t like when people assume that. But, personally, that’s how I felt. I became vegetarian because I wanted to end animal abuse, or at least mitigate it. So refraining from animal product completely made me feel better about my diet and myself.
Becoming a vegan has been easy for me because I try to make sure I put myself in a supportive environment and that I know exactly what I can and can’t eat.
However, since I’m traveling ALL over Europe for the entire summer, it will definitely be a bit more challenging to find vegan-friendly restaurants/food. That said, what’s life without a good challenge now and again? I’ve been in Europe for two weeks now, and because I can’t go out and buy tofu and veggies and cook them (because I’m jumping around from hostel to hostel without a kitchen), I’ve been sticking to a more RAW diet of fresh fruit and veggies. And my body has been responding fantastically.
Thanks for the post.
Amanda
amandaonfoot.blogspot.com
My delicious creation would consist of:
A crispy almond butter core
prunes
walnuts
chocolate chips
soy protein
and an extra fibre boost!
My bar would contain: chewy peanut butter core, blueberries, flax seed, and whey protein. I can’t wait ’til it gets here! And I agree, it’s so much easier to be vegan when it’s unintentional. I have a hard time intentionally doing it for more than a few meals.
Simple is better in my opinion:
Chewy bar with almond butter
Blueberries
Almonds
i chose:
oaty core
apricots
almonds
honey
whey protein
fiber boost
YUM! this is awesome!
i became a follower on twitter!
i feel silly writing a third comment, but you said to post for each form of entry! haha
i tweeted about the giveaway!
ajmontanaro great giveaway on http://www.nutritionnutontherun.com/2010/05/12/vegan-for-a-day-giveaway/ @HILLontherun – design your own bar!
Awesome idea!
I would create:
Crispy Core
Cherries
Almonds
SunDrops®
Soy Protein
I love this site! Thanks for telling us about it. “My” bar:
datey core
cherries
flaxseed
walnuts
chocolate chips (I wish they offered dark chocolate chips, though)
I would do dried cherries, apricots, almonds, and soy protein!
Wow, that is so cool! I designed an oaty, honey, cherry, flaxseed, soy protein bar!
I made mine chewy with cherries, almonds, sun drops and an omega-3 boost! I call it the Cheery Cherry Sun Bar.
datey core
almonds
blueberries
apricots
pumpkin pie spice
flax
I love it when you can personalize stuff! I am in the process of creating some running shoes on Nike too :)
My mastermind creation consists of:
oaty core
whey protein
cherries
flax seeds
chocolate chips
agave syrup
My bar: PumpkinBloobBar
Crispy Core with Almond Butter
Flaxseed
Whey Protein
Fiber Boost
Blueberries
Pumpkin Spice
Agave Nectar
YUM!
I am following you on Twitter.
I tweeted about the giveaway!
Okay, I feel bad because I just clicked to your blog through a comment on Teri’s blog because your title caught my eye and I liked you talking about trying out a vegan diet for a day and realizing it isn’t for you (I know I wouldn’t be able to live a vegan lifestyle either). I feel bad because I don’t want you to think I only clicked here for the giveaway. Your blog really interests me and I look forward to reading more. :)
But for the giveaway – my bar would be a chewy bar with apricots, chocolate, walnuts, honey, and soy protein. That site is really cool. I like the idea of creating your own bar. This is a great giveaway.
hmmm…can I make more than one bar?
I would pick a chewy peanut butter core, honey, chocolate chips, blueberries, and cranberries…yum!
I blogged about this giveaway here:
http://corgipants.blogspot.com/2010/05/giveaways-to-enter.html
It’s amazing how much you learn about nutrition and the ingredients you put into what you bake or cook when you become vegan. There really is a substitute for any meat products you use – avocados, cashews, and bananas replace anything creamy or buttery you want to make; flax seeds replace eggs; hemp and almond milk for dairy milk, and so on. Cooking this way makes food a lot more nutrient dense and provides a wider range of vitamins and minerals than using meat products (that most likely didn’t eat a nutritious diet themselves) in everything.
You are what your food eats.
I’d never heard of this energy bar site before… totally awesome. I’d create a chewy, cranberries, pumpkin seed, agave syrup with soy protein and name it “Maggie’s Snack” for my granddaughter. She’d love to have a snack bar named after her :) Hope I win! Now I have to wait ’til the 20th…
All throughout this blog post, I couldn’t stop staring at the sushi on the sidebar! MMM…ha! I could never go vegan – I’m too much of a cheese fan – but there are some decent vegan recipes out there; this vegan chili doesn’t look half bad! http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/bold_vegan_chili.htm
great giveaway girl! the bars sound amazing and the company does such a great job nutrition-wise! i am totally going to recommend people to this site.
i made one with the endurance chewy core, apricots, dark chocolate, cashews, and flax… that’s fuel i could enjoy :)
-r
The Live Laugh Eat Bar!
chewy core w/ blueberries, flaxseed, brown rice syrup, and soy protein (10g woohoo!).
oaty core, apricots, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice, and soy protein. amazing giveaway girly!
follow u on twitter! @healthybeachbum
tweeted!
I agree – don’t think I could go vegan officially – but have also done it for a day unintentionally! I do think vegan recipes are some of the best, though – hellooo, Veganomicon!
Following you on Twitter, btw :)
…and I just had entirely too much fun creating a bar with a datey core, cranberries, walnuts, and whey protein. Yum!
Apricots, Cherries, Fiber Boost, Blueberries, Datey Core, Agave Syrup
follow on twitter @throuthehaze
I love the sound of these bars…and it was so fun to design my own (though they warned me that I tried packing it with “too much” stuff, haha)
Although I’d really want to try a dozen flavors, the one I designed was: the oaty core with organic almond butter, blueberries, cranberries (organic), chocolate chips, fiber boost, and immunity boost :)
And I’m following you on Twitter!
Sorry for all the comments in a row, but I tweeted the giveaway!
ah! what a great giveaway!
i “made” a bar with a crunchy peanut butter base, maple syrup for sweetness, and peanuts for crunch! yum!
Yum, all those bars sound good. I’m always looking for new snacking options! Thanks for the tip.
i’d create PB base, chocolate chips, fiber boost, and flaxseed!
I already follow you!
I’m not sure if Canadians may enter, but just in case: my dream bar has a chewy almond butter core with apricots, blueberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
oaty core, blueberries, chocolate chips, and whey protein!!! :)
My creation would be: chewy core with chocolate chips, peanuts and 4 g. soy protein.
My bar would be: chewy core (with almond butter), apricots, almonds, honey, and soy protein. Mmm.
Here’s my creation:
Oaty Core
Apricots
Raisins
Almonds
Honey
Chocolate Chips
Peanuts
Omega-3 Boost
Whey Protein
great giveaway! I’d have an oaty core with blueberries and milk chocolate!
I already follow you on twitter @earlymorningrun
Date Core
Apricots
Flax Seeds
Maple Syrup
Whey Protein Boost
Almonds!
love this giveaway! i now follow you on twitter, and i made a great creation – chewy core with almond butter, blueberries, cherries, walnuts, flax seeds, agave syrup and soy protein! even if i don’t win i’ll probably order a box for myself because it looks so good :)
i love your blog by the way – and in response to your question, i have been vegetarian for about a year on and off again for the past 3 months. i was challenged by a friend to go vegan for 21 days and i’m on day 11 – it’s so much easier than i thought it would be! i’m not sure i’ll ever be able to make the switch for good, forever (like you, i love baking, and i also love cheese occasionally) but it has made a difference in the way i feel and i’ll definitely try to keep up many of my new eating habits. it’s a good challenge even just for a day!
I tweeted AND made a CutieCourt Bar!
Chewy Core
Raisins
Cranberries
Flax Seed
Soy Protein
Touch of Honey =)
brilliant giveaway! i’d get:
crispy core
whey protein
soy nuts
sundrops
immunity boost
fiber boost!
i was actually a vegan for about 5 years. i was more of a junk food vegan though because it was before i discovered my love of cooking. when i realized i had a wheat sensitivity i had no choice to give up the vegan-ness because without wheat, i felt like i didn’t have enough options left! the past 4 1/2 years since i have stopped being a vegan have been some of the healthiest of my life!
oh! and i just followed you on twitter!
AND i just created my dream bar.
– crispy core w/ almond butter
– cherries
– chocolate chips
– soy protein
<3
This is such a fun site/giveaway!
My creation is:
Oaty Core
Extra Whey Protein
Cashews
Flax Seed
Apricots
Pumpkin Spice
i’ll link to you on my next post! :)
my creation would be an oaty core with cranberries, chocolate chips, fiber, and protein!
Great Giveaway!
I would make:
Crispy Core
Cherries
Almonds
Agave Syrup
Soy Protein (5 grams)
Soy Nuts
Doesn’t that just sound good crumbled over oatmeal or yogurt? I would call it my Nutty Bar of Awesome. Hahaha
I also added you on twitter @manderbananers and tweeted!
I would love to win me some bars!
People unintentionally eat vegan all the time but as soon as you slap a label on it, it becomes a big deal lol. I’m vegan for health reasons, beliefs on nature, environmental reasons, and I *have* developed a heart for animals ;)
my creation is:
crispy core (almond butter)
3 extra grams of soy protein
walnuts
brown rice syrup
blueberries
:)
Chewy Peanut Butter, Cherries, Flax Seeds, Chocolate Chips – YUM!
P.S. Love the blog. I found it through Ashley (Edible Perspective)
Super cool idea, I’ve never seen this! My bar is called Julie’s Pickley Pear – oaty core, apricots and pumpkin seeds. I love the all natural aspect.
I made a chewy almond butter blueberry cashew flax bar with omega 3 boost! great giveaway!
I made it quite simply with: a crispy core of almond butter (something I have NEVER had before), added crunchy almonds, sweet blueberries and a drizzle of agave syrup. Oh yeah.
I already follow you on Twitter…
and I am going to go tweet about this.
Thanks Hill.
Yum, I would create my bar with a datey base, walnuts, chocolate chips, omega-3 and blueberries!
Great giveaway, Hillary!
My creation would be:
Crispy Core with Almond Butter
Blueberries
Raisins
Brown Rice Syrup
Almonds
Pumpkin Seeds
+Fiber
+Whey Protein
I don’t have Twitter :( …but I blogged about your giveaway here:
http://freckledfoodie.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/daddyless-10-days
Crispy Core
Cranberries
Almonds
SunDrops
Immunity Boost
Pumpkin Spice
… yummm!
These bars are such a great idea!
I’d call my bar “Betsy’s Bester Peanut Butter Bar” and it would have:
A Chewy Core with Peanut Butter, Raisins, Flaxseeds, Honey, Pumpkin Spice
Yummy…my choice is a chewy bar with almond butter, almonds, blueberries and chocolate chips – some of my favorite things.
Love your blog!
My choice is a datey core with cranberries and peanuts.
I follow you on Twitter @adthomas.
I tweeted about the giveaway. http://twitter.com/adthomas/status/14375283538
Yes Please!
I blogged about the giveaway. http://blogs.myspace.com/liandxp
I love the look of the bars on the website and I even made a bar. It was made with the crispy base, raisins, cashews, maple syrup, and sun drop candies! I even named it “Crispy Sweetness”! I really hope I win!
I am following you on Twitter!
Crispy Organic Peanut Butter Bar!
I am following you on Twitter (gobronson).
I tweeted.
http://twitter.com/GoBronson