If you have been following for a little while you may remember that I tried out the whole strict vegetarian thing for a year, then added poultry and seafood back into my diet. I still really enjoy vegetarian meals a couple times a week. There are so many combinations out there using beans, vegetables and other meat alternatives that it feels like another world of food and flavors. Over the last two years I have fallen in love with olives, come to like onions, and I'm starting to like red peppers...totally crazy and out of the norm for me. I think a lot of it has to do with a cleansed palette if you will; not having steak, burgers or bacon has made me want to try new things and see what else there is out there.
I'm glad I stuck with it for a year and I could see myself switching back. I just would need to do a bit more research on getting all of the vitamins I need to allow me to workout still, which is the main reason why I added seafood and poultry back into my diet. I would get about 3/4 of a mile in on a run and be at the brink of exhaustion. Protein powders made me break out like crazy and most of them tasted like chalk — so that wasn't cutting it. A couple weeks after adding poultry and seafood back in I was fine for at least 2 miles before I felt even a little weak.
I am now about two and a half years into not having a hamburger, steak, bacon, etc. and I don't even miss it! Sometimes when I smell a steak cooking on the grill it makes my stomach grumble, but have you had vegetables on the grill? YUM! Veggie burgers are surprisingly tasty (with cheese) and I have found that I like tempeh. Tofu is good, but only when it's prepared right. Order this out at a restaurant for your first time, don't try it at home as you won't be impressed.
Struggling with what to make for dinner is a major determent for sticking with any diet. Pinterest is a huge help when deciding on dinner but it is often overwhelming with soooo many recipes. A lot of times I just flip through my cookbooks until I find something. The easiest for me as a vegetarian and now a pollo-pescetarian has been to make a meal plan for the week and construct my grocery list from there. I can cut my trips to the grocery store from once a week to once every 10+ days when I go that route.
A quick vegetarian meal I found recently and really enjoyed as a chicken salad lover is the Mashed Chickpea Pitas. So easy and hubby (meat eater) even liked it!
If you are considering testing out the vegetarian waters I say go for it, try it for a day. Challenge yourself to a week, a month... who knows you might end up loving it and finding a new favorite food!
I'm glad I stuck with it for a year and I could see myself switching back. I just would need to do a bit more research on getting all of the vitamins I need to allow me to workout still, which is the main reason why I added seafood and poultry back into my diet. I would get about 3/4 of a mile in on a run and be at the brink of exhaustion. Protein powders made me break out like crazy and most of them tasted like chalk — so that wasn't cutting it. A couple weeks after adding poultry and seafood back in I was fine for at least 2 miles before I felt even a little weak.
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| The norm of what my meals look like in a day. Not shown of course are the in between snacks I can't live without. I.e. granola bars, guacamole, occasional dark chocolate, coconut fruit bars and other various sweets... |
Struggling with what to make for dinner is a major determent for sticking with any diet. Pinterest is a huge help when deciding on dinner but it is often overwhelming with soooo many recipes. A lot of times I just flip through my cookbooks until I find something. The easiest for me as a vegetarian and now a pollo-pescetarian has been to make a meal plan for the week and construct my grocery list from there. I can cut my trips to the grocery store from once a week to once every 10+ days when I go that route.
A quick vegetarian meal I found recently and really enjoyed as a chicken salad lover is the Mashed Chickpea Pitas. So easy and hubby (meat eater) even liked it!
If you are considering testing out the vegetarian waters I say go for it, try it for a day. Challenge yourself to a week, a month... who knows you might end up loving it and finding a new favorite food!
Have you tried vegetarianism? Do you have any favorite recipes to share?
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Veggie for 13 years now and I don't regret it one bit! Soaking black beans Sunday morning, cooking them in the afternoon. You and your family can have beans all week for less than a dollar! There are so many good recipes (easy ones) for black beans!
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