This is the beginning of a new stage of life. I have been married for 11 days and have been living as a vegetarian for almost three months.
I must admit that saying "I Do" was a hell of a lot easier than saying "No thanks" over and over to the delicious bacon slices and chicken patties that cross my path daily. Though I've been doing it, I haven't been fully committed to my vegetarian lifestyle. In fact, on my honeymoon I fell off the wagon quite a few times... "when in Rome", you know?
Part of the problem lies in this: I LOVE meat. And it's easy to cook meals with meat as the main ingredient. But easy is not always best (Marriage will surely be hard at times, but I have no doubt it's the most fulfilling thing for both of us!). Meat CAN be good for you, but we (Most of the people I know, Americans, and probably lots of other people in the world) have come to rely too heavily on it. Also, have you HEARD how they treat those animals (the deceased are sometimes thrown into the food that is fed to the animals, they are constantly injected with hormones to keep them from getting sick and to get them to grow faster, it goes on..)???? Ick!
Though it's been hard, and will surely continue to be hard at times (try eating out and avoiding meat, nearly impossible), I'm ready to take the plunge. I'm ready to say "I Do", or more accurately "I will not" eat meat.
That being said, I'm not a great vegetarian cook. I get stumped pretty often trying to think of tasty, easy, healthy vegetarian dishes. Sure, I know a few, but who wants to eat the same thing week after week? Right now being that my new hubby has a job, and I don't, the tastiness and healthiness of our meals is primarily in my hands.
My ambition here is to push myself to become a better cook. To discover new dishes, create dishes of my own, and share what I learn along the way. I don't have a formula for doing this, but I AM going to hold myself accountable by posting at least one meal per day. So maybe, as a result, you can learn something too.
So what's for dinner tonight? It's Cinco De Mayo, so I'm going with tacos! More on that coming next...
I just said "I Do" to the love of my life a couple of months after saying "I won't" eat meat anymore... the weird thing? Deciding not to eat meat often feels like the more complex and difficult life change. As I try to navigate being a new wife, I'm also challenging myself to put some tasty, healthy, vegetarian meals on the table!
Two questions: If you love meat, why don't you just limit your intake...or be more intentional about where and what you buy? What made you decide to completely cut it out?
ReplyDeleteSecond, is Jonathan a vegetarian?
I guess that's three questions. Oh well.
Love this! Red meat was the hardest for me.
ReplyDeleteYou ARE a really good vegetarian cook... And I'm sure more of your confidence with it will come with time :)
It's funny I was thinking about cooking something for my neighbor since she just had a baby, but couldn't think what to make... if I were to make something with meat. I was like, hmm... 'what dishes do people that eat meat eat again?'
I cut out meat all together for a couple of reasons. Partially, because after a couple of months of doing so I had lost a couple of pounds and just FELT better in my body. I wasn't (and am still not) trying to lose weight, but doing so makes me think that my body was consuming some fat and calories it just didn't need when I ate meat.
ReplyDeleteThe second primary reason is that because eating meat had become SO central to my diet, I wanted to challenge myself to replace it completely.
Another small reason, that I found out while "off the wagon" on my honeymoon, is that when I have SOME meat, it becomes easier to justify having more. Until I feel really comfortable with eating meat-free meals I don't want to tempt myself.
I hope that someday I can incorporate free-range and local meat into my diet. In fact, I probably will.. but not anytime soon.
And finally, yes, Jonathan became a vegetarian shortly after I did!
good luck with your journey!
ReplyDeleteit gets easier. and it helps to have 5 recipes that you can fall back on. particularly when you don't feel like cooking or being creative.
if you ever need recipes, feel free to ask!