Where do I begin when starting to eat plant-based?

And how on earth am I going to be able to cook food?

Those were my first thoughts when I switched to a plant-based diet overnight.

I knew I had to get rid of a lot of stuff lurking in the fridge and freezer. (Don’t worry—I didn’t throw food away; I gave it to some neighbours.) But what do I replace it all with?

These questions and more popped up in my head.

How do I whip up a good sauce with no cream or butter?
What do I eat when there’s no meat? (Unintentional rhyme there!)
And the biggest question of them all – how will I survive?

I had heard of tofu and tasted it at some point, but I didn’t like it. And more importantly, I can not eat tofu all day! I first landed on tofu because I knew it contained protein. At the start of my journey into this new way of living, “Will I get enough protein?” was my biggest concern.

One of my character traits is that I like to solve things. Figure things out, so this “Will I survive?” question was right up my alley, really, when I think about it.

And so it began, the big hunt for information. I gathered podcast episodes, YouTube videos, and books. I cooked, and I ate. Some of my first dishes were not my proudest moments, but they were edible. And I improved. I changed my diet in January 2020, and here I am, five years later—alive and kickin’!

I decided to share what I’ve learned and put it out there on the vast canvas of the internet.

So, if someone else just flipped the switch to embark on a new way of eating overnight, welcome! This place is for you.