Why I’m Not Vegan Anymore
Over the last year I’ve been asked more than once: “Why don’t you call yourself vegan anymore?”
It’s a fair question. I spent years building a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a blog around vegan life.
My content was full of grocery hauls, recipes, and motivation for anyone who wanted to eat fewer animal products.
So, when I stopped calling myself vegan, I knew people would notice.
The truth is, there wasn’t a dramatic falling out. I didn’t suddenly turn against veganism or reject the community. I just realized, after more than a decade, that the label no longer fit the way I wanted to live.
How I Got Here
I became vegan in 2010 after being vegetarian for two years. The funny part is that I didn’t even set out to go vegan. I read a book called Skinny Bitch, not realizing that it was about veganism, and by the end of it, I decided to give it a try.
For me, veganism was never primarily about health. It was about ethics. The health benefits were a nice bonus, but I’ll be honest: I wasn’t exactly a healthy vegan. I could have happily lived on french fries and vegan ice cream.
What kept me vegan for so long was the sense of purpose and community.
It felt good to be part of something bigger than myself.
When Things Started to Shift
Eventually, life caught up with me.
I went through a tough season of burnout and mental health struggles, and suddenly the label that had once motivated me started to feel heavy.
Veganism wasn’t the problem. The problem was that I had tied so much of my identity to being vegan that I felt like I was failing anytime I didn’t live up to it. Food labels became one more stressor when I was already overwhelmed.
It wasn’t a quick decision. I battled guilt for a long time. I felt like I had let myself down, and I worried I had let down the community I had built. But eventually I realized that forcing myself to hold onto a label that no longer fit wasn’t sustainable.
Why Plant-Forward Fits Better
These days, I use the term plant-forward. It means plants are still the center of my meals, but I no longer pressure myself to be “perfect” if every plate isn’t all plants.
This shift has been freeing. It gives me room to focus on what actually matters: eating in a way that fuels me, supports my health, and feels sustainable for the long haul.
When I first shared this publicly, I lost over 4,000 YouTube subscribers. That stung. But it also clarified something important.
My work was never meant only for the vegan community.
My real mission has always been to help everyday people eat more plants in ways that are affordable, approachable, and real.
And I still believe that deeply.
What I Want You to Know
Here’s what I hope you take away from my story:
You don’t have to let a label define you.
Perfection is overrated. Progress is what counts.
Doing your best each day is enough.
This is about food, yes, but it’s also about life. We are allowed to reset, to change our minds, and to move forward without shame.
Want to Expect Going Forward
I will continue to share recipes (it’s so important to me), grocery hauls and tips to help everyday people eat well… but you will also see more posts and videos about MONEY…my journey, paying off debt (taxes & student loans), saving, and how we can all make more of it. lol
I’m excited to be on this journey with you.
Thank you for being here.
5 Easy Plant-Based Meals from a $50 Grocery Haul
I’ve been trying to eat more meals at home lately, mainly because DoorDash had me in a chokehold for way too long. It was convenient, sure, but expensive and honestly not making me feel my best. So I decided to start fresh by going back to the basics: cooking more, budgeting better, and keeping things mostly plant-based without making it complicated.
In this video, I take you with me to Aldi to do a real grocery haul on a $50 budget. I’m sharing five meals I made with the ingredients I bought, and I kept them super beginner-friendly. No wild ingredients, no two-hour cooking sessions, and nothing bland or boring.
These are meals that actually fill you up without draining your energy or your wallet. That’s what I care about most these days.
Here's what I made:
A berry banana smoothie that takes 2 minutes
Lentil curry with rice that gets better the next day
My favorite chickpea salad wrap, perfect for lunch
Crispy tofu with creamy peanut noodles
And a fresh juice made from carrots, celery, apple, lemon, and ginger
Everything is included in the video, but if you want the grocery list and all five recipes in one printable, I've created a guide that you can download.
It’s $5, and it’ll save you from pausing the video every five seconds to take notes.
[Grab the $5 PDF here: Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes]
This is the same shopping list I used, plus full instructions for each meal and a few extra tips for making plant-based eating less stressful. You don’t have to go 100% vegan to eat better, save money, and feel good about what’s on your plate.
If you enjoy this video and the PDF helps you, let me know. I’d love to keep making more realistic meal content like this.
Thanks for being here.
Why I Finally Stopped Drinking (17 days sober)
I filmed a video recently during my lunch break. It wasn’t planned. I just sat outside and started talking about what it’s been like to be 17 days sober.
For years, I drank wine daily. Every night felt like a reward or a reset or a way to quiet my mind — until it became the thing running my life.
I wasn’t blacking out or falling down, but I also wasn’t really present.
I wasn’t reaching my goals.
I wasn’t showing up fully for the people I love.
I was spending too much money and losing too many weekends to naps, noise, and numbness.
The truth is, alcohol was costing me my future, and I had to stop pretending it wasn’t.
I’ve quit before. I once made it to 90 days. But then came a social event, and I convinced myself I could drink in moderation. It didn’t take long before that turned into daily drinking again. This time, I’m not telling myself that story. I know now that moderation isn’t for me. And I’m finally okay with that.
These past 17 days have been uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable because of the boredom. The quiet. The moments where I’d usually reach for a glass just to fill the space. I didn’t realize how much I had been using alcohol to numb stress, grief, anxiety, even restlessness.
Now it’s just me.
I’m facing it with my therapist. I’m writing through it in my journal, but it’s still scary.
Some of these emotions have been buried for years, and they don’t come out quietly.
Even so, I know I’m doing the right thing. I want to protect my brain. My body. My peace. This is about more than sobriety. It’s about healing — the kind I can actually feel.
I’ve started resetting my apartment and working on a new workout routine to help me sleep better. I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to show up in ways I never could when alcohol was in control.
If you’ve ever felt like drinking is holding you back, even when no one else seems to notice, you’re not alone.
There’s nothing weak about wanting to feel everything again. Even the hard stuff.
You can watch the full video here
One day at a time,
Monique
Mid-Year Check In (my 2025 goals update)
I was thinking the other day about how quickly the year is passing and how much change can occur in such a short time.
This time last year, I was neck deep (yes, neck) in summer school work to finish my associate’s degree and working full-time.
This summer, I’m spending time learning more about myself and how to navigate my bipolar diagnosis.
So far, the medication seems to be working, and I’ve been very intentional about getting fresh air, daily journaling, and improving my sleep.
Let’s discuss the goals I set back in January and how things are progressing today.
Goals & Updates
Goal: Money Moves: Pay off over $10k in debt (not including student loans)
Update: Umm, so I’m filing for bankruptcy. My debt since the beginning of the year has ballooned to over $20K on my $53K income. I’m nervous about the possibility of having my wages garnished since defaulting on payments, so I’m hitting the reset button. I talk about it more in this video
My relationship with money is still toxic, but I’ve been working hard through writing, reading, and budgeting to improve it.
I also realize my bipolar disorder plays a crucial role in my “well ima spend it” attitude.
Goal Education: Complete eight classes (I will go all year) toward my degree in English and begin weekly drills for the LSAT.
Update: Nope. I needed a break after burning out so badly last year. I return to school in August and will only take one class (or two at most) at a time for a while.
Goal: Be Intentional: Read instead of scrolling on social media
Update: This has been going very well! I listen to Libby and Audible daily and read so much more than I have in a while. It’s been great learning about finances, social issues, health, etc.
Goal Health: Ditch the Wine
Update: As I type this, I am seven days sober!
Focus for the Rest of the Year
Intention: Break everything down into micro-steps to get better results. One of the things I discovered this year is that I have to do things a bit differently, being neurodivergent. Instead of thinking I can take on projects and complete the big steps in one day, I have to give myself grace and be willing to break down everything into digestible steps to achieve my goals over time.
Intention: Continue with my sobriety to improve my health, sleep, clarity, and mood.
Intention: Collaborate with my editor (just hired one!) to establish a consistent YouTube video schedule. I plan to share plant-based recipes, money-saving tips, and short vlogs.
Talk soon!