Guest Post: Vegetarian for a Week

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Hi, it’s Patrick, Tori’s Boyfriend, and I’m taking over the blog today.

Almost a year ago, my wonderful girlfriend decided to adopt a vegan diet. You can read her vegan story here.

I, on the other hand, love meat. I would much prefer a steak over a salad any day. I love a good filet, sushi, fish and definitely a good burger. I add chicken to a lot of meals for the added taste and protein.

Monday I saw my girlfriend tweeted that it was National Vegetarian Week. I told her that I would try to go vegetarian for a week. She didnt pressure me or try to convince me to do it, I made the decision myself. I wanted to do it to see things from her side of the table and to see if I could develop and better taste for veggies (something I’ve never been too fond of). I don’t know if I could ever go full vegan but, in honor of my amazing girlfriend, and National Vegetarian Week, I decided to give it a try.

Now, let me first start by saying that my week started on Monday night, after I had eaten delicious Chick-fil-a for lunch (#4 with no pickle and a Dr. Pepper is a meal fit for Gods). Also, my vegetarian week was a Monday through Friday ordeal. I wanted to start small.

Monday:

  • Dinner- I had my go-to peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This isn’t because I couldn’t find anything that wasnt meat, or that I didn’t want veggies, I just love PB&J (This is one of the best things that Tori and I have in common).

Tuesday:

  • Breakfast- Cinnamon Bagel with Peanut Butter & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter, and a big glass of milk (I have this same breakfast almost every morning.)

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When it came to making lunch, things were a bit more difficult. I typically make a turkey sandwich, sausage and pasta, wraps with chicken, etc. I had to figure out new and creative things to make.

  • Lunch- Veggie and hummus pita pocket with tomato, sprouts, and spinach
  • Dinner- Salad on pita with cous cous

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Wednesday:

  • Breakfast – Bagel with peanut butter
  • Lunch – Sandwich with cucumber, carrots, sprouts, spinach, mushrooms and hummus
  • Dinner- Taco Salad and chips and salsa

Thursday:

  • Breakfast – Bagel with peanut butter
  • Lunch – Pita filled with peanut butter and fresh berries
  • Dinner – An entire bag of southwest ranch salad and tortilla chips

Yes, the entire bag.

Friday:

  • Breakfast – Take a guess….
  • Lunch- Risotto with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.
  • Dinner – PB&J
For snacks at work I had what I normally have, peanut butter crackers, fruit, veggies and hummus, CLIF bars or Bonk Breakers.

Going vegetarian wasnt as hard as I thought. I didn’t wake up on Saturday morning and crave a giant steak (although I did eat a nice omelet with chorizo, avocado, and tomatoes, which was amazing).

I did find that I was hungry more often and needed to eat more substance between meals. I have come to appreciate a good salad, and more greens. Of course, peanut butter will continue to be a major staple in my diet, as well as the delicious binding substance that keeps my wonderful girlfriend and I together.

4 thoughts on “Guest Post: Vegetarian for a Week”

  2. Whoo! Go Patrick! I made my boyfriend give up meat for 6-months and he actually ended up loving it. He talks about trying it again sometime.

    While I don’t follow a strict vegetarian diet, I end up eating mostly vegetarian… and a big reason is that the closest grocery store to me is Whole Foods and it’s just too expensive to buy meat there! I do feel a lot better when I don’t eat as much meat, especially read meat, and my diet has gotten so much more varied now that I have to be more creative in order to make filling meals using mostly plant-based ingredients!

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