First of all, thank you everyone! The kindness that is radiating through this blog motivates me all the time and I just love it. 

Alicia has recommended malt sweetened chocolate chips in previous posts for chocolate cravings. A lot of dark chocolate is vegan. I love chocolate and I think a little bit every now and then plays an important part in staying sane. :)

As for restaurants, if you find they have things on the menu that ARE vegan (rice, veggies, beans) just ask them to combine certain things to make a meal. If it's a nice restaurant, I find that if you call ahead and say you're vegan, they'll prepare something wonderful for you. They always appreciate the heads-up, too! As for breakfast, my go-to's are oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk and raisins or fruit-sweetened jam. Fills you up for hours and has great fiber and protein (and is so easy), that or Ezekiel bread with hickory-flavored tempeh. Carbs are good for you if they are whole-grains. I find that they actually make me less bloated and more happy-full. Mmmm...

Jennifer...thank you for the breakfast ideas.  I can't weight to try the Ezekiel Bread with the hickory-flavored tempeh.

Congrats Jennifer!!! I participated in January's 21-day kickstart and enjoyed the experience very much allthough I have been vegan/vegetarian since November 08 when I purchased Alicia's book, and would like to announce that another 21-kickstart is in April so please join and pass the info to friends and family that would like check it out for more fantastic support and recipes!!

Congrats Jennifer, It is great that so many people are learning and changing their lifestyles.. I to found a peace I did not have before becoming a vegan. It is nice.... 

Loved it! Congratulations. I am 21 and have yet to encounter someone my age who has gone vegan.

Congrats Jennifer! You are a superstar :)

I am a vegan(ish) sometimes I will eat something that has an animal by product in it. I also live in someone elses home who are meat eaters, live in a small town that does not hardly have any vegan options and then top it off I am on EBT (food stamps) so I am finding it hard to eat a kinder diet. HELP???? Could use some meal options. THANKS!

@Denise Grose - I had just the opposite happen to me.  When I went to my GP for my yearly check up and blood work (this is when I went vegan 2 years ago), he asked me how I'd lost the weight (45 pds!!!) and I told him I was on a vegan diet.  He actually encouraged me, telling me he was on a vegetarian diet and had been most of his life due to his upbringing in India.  We monitor my B12 level once a year and if I get brutally sick (my immune system is out of whack so when I get sick, I get down in the bed, crawling to the bathroom sick for a good three days).

My suggestion would be to look for B12 fortified foods.  I'm transitioning back to a vegan diet right now, and I've found that Nasoya (I believe) puts out tofu called TofuPlus.  It's fortified with the vitamins that vegans can possibly be low on, including B12.