BLK Jack - 21 of 21

********* Warning , A Graphic Photo Was Inserted At The Bottom Of This Post *******

So the CU Boulder Extension Campus here in GJ offered up a vegan cooking class for a 6 week course. As you can see by the photo below, I was the youngest "student" by about 3 decades. Day #1 , they instructor asked us to give an utterance and why it is that we are here. The standard response was diabetes , doctors recommendations , and cost of beef. I was one of the last to speak and I happily stated ," I am just here to judge you all." Wish you all were a fly on the wall as everyone damn near broke their necks to shoot me a dirty look. 

With charisma I clarified that I am a self proclaimed BBQ Master. I explained that when I bring a dish to a party, presentation is utmost important to me. I am interested in dishes with a full spectrum of color while exploring my protein options. The older ladies didn't except me but nodded as they turned their focus back to the instructor. Classic 

After completion of the course , I excepted the 21 days animal free challenge. As you see in the above photo, weighing in at 199lbs on day number one. 

Overall , would definitely recommend this course. I fully appreciated the herbs and spices aspect and what marries with what item. Didn't really catch the scare tactic in which some of the silver sneakers mentioned. But in reality , they were only attempting to regurgitate what they heard on Fox News that morning. Easy to NOT subscribe to their misdirected propaganda. I am here for the education and kindly leave your personal agendas to yourselves. Thank You 

The final was a head scratcher? All we had to do was prepare a meal and explain the dish. Very few , I mean very few , left their comfort zone and whipped up a flavorful dish to share. One poor guy after 6 weeks mustered up Humus with carrots from his garden. The ladies that nailed the deserts absolutely killed it. A silk tofu chocolate muse?? YES PLEASE!! I guess what disappointed me was I was they only one that prepared a dish that I knew nothing about , I brought with me the two packages I used for others to see , and the instructor was so appreciative and supportive as I gave a run through of the nutritional information. Yes , nobody provided any information other than there obvious. I would be game for attending the class again but with like mind individuals for sure. 

Those cute little pumpkin muffins with vegan chocolate chips??? Yes please. A few little nuggets that I learned, vegan chocolate , almond milk , soy curls , and just how bad cow milk cheese actual is for us. The true chemical break down of meat byproducts and how our digestive tracks pass them on because they do not recognize it as food blew my puppy marbles. Back in the day , like 30 years ago , vegan cheeses were terrible. Now , the only difference is the grated vegan cheese does not melt. Serving two Thai peanut sauce based pizzas proved my point. One pizza with a traditional marinated chicken and mozzarella cheese vs soy curls chopped to resemble chicken and vegan mozzarella. Seriously , nobody could tell the difference taste or smell wise. 

Something else I learned was how we humans intake Vitamin B12 from animals. Thankfully , we were told to pop a B12 supplement about every 4th day. If you're interested , bacteria on or in the soil is influenced by the cow as it eats the grass. Somehow the cow's digestive tract produces microorganisms in an abundance and we then consume that in milk form , cheese , or steaks off the grill. You doctors out there could explain this process 100 times better than myself as this isn't in my current wheelhouse. HHHEE HHHEEEeee

And from the photo below, you can clearly see the results from my 21 day challenge. I promise you that I did not alter the program , I never once starved myself , I did not increase my cycling milage , I still consumed fresh tasty oats wheat and barley on my birthday , and I still ate three times a days like always. The difference was the no snacking because I was full. The difference was the protein and fiber intake as I felt full after every meal. The difference was remaining engaged while prepping meals. The difference was adding extra spices just because. The only thing that could be argued is that I drank way more H20 than normally. But keep in mind, I live in the desert and have always pounded water. I definitely drank way more water and most likely less craft brews than normal but it wasn't like I ever projected the attitude that I AM VEGAN and beer SUCKS. Hellz No 

One interesting observations would be how different my overall energy levels have become. The morning fog has been lifted and a single cup of Joe is good enough for shuffling out the door in the AM. I have always enjoyed preparing meals and feeding friends but now I am seriously taking pleasure in the creativity aspect as well. On day number 21 , about to create a dish from an internet recipe and guess what I do next???

******* WARNING - BLOODY WELL RIGHT - WARNING - LOOK AWAY *******

All I was doing was opening up a can of garbanzo beans to rinse and set aside while I prep the other veggies. As I opened this can and felt something strange but had no idea what I had done to myself immediately. I turned on the faucet to rinse the beans and these quarter size droplets of blood began splattering down into the stainless steel sink. WTF?!?!?! Only to discover that my left ring finger has this flap of tissue with blood "pouring" from this gash. No Pain, Didn't Even Realize It, and I Am Thinking Oh Phuc Me. I use my hands for all my avenues of $$$. Last day of this challenge, I am standing in the kitchen by myself ,wondering how will I be traversing my happy A$$ to the urgent care unit for stitchers?? 

I could have sore that the Doc told me she used seven sutures but when I changed my dressing , I am only making out 6 stitches. Again , there was minimal pain involved here until those two shots to the nerve for numbing up this finger. That Sh%t Was Uncomfortable!! Then , not thinking , the Doc asked me about my last tetanus shot. Because I said um , she says ," Thats all I needed to know." The reason that I am bringing this up , that was the worst part of this whole Phuc N mess. The actual injection wasn't all that bad but the next morning was unbelievable. I spent all morning working through the pain of just lifting my arm straight forward but no way could I laterally raise my arm. Even today my deltoid is sore to the touch and its rather painful to try and scratch my back with that arm bent that way. Sucks 

So in conclusion; shed some pounds , shed some blood , enjoyed learning , reading a lot , keeping myself in the correct lane , and pleased with myself for sticking with it for 21 days. I am NOT leading the Vegan lifestyle but I do not have any interest in dairy at this time. Will start BBQ'n again at some point. I figured I would miss vanilla ice cream but not true. Almond milk is tastier than oat milk but no interest in Half & Half in my coffee. Never thought that I would prefer plant based pasta over regular pasta and the cooking time is only 4-5 min. Who Knew?? Looking forward to the cooler temps of the Fall Season as I have ear marked a number of soups to try. And I am throughly digging The Cure's new acoustic album that was all captured in BLK & White. Lots of good reads and calming musical soundtracks throughout the day. Yahooo000   

Enjoy Your August My Friends ,

Cheers