There are always two different meals being cooked in our kitchen. Tori follows a vegan plant based diet and I… well, lets just say I do not. But, for the month of February, I’ve decided to try and follow a vegetarian diet.
I tried this last year for a week and it while it seemed to go pretty well, I wanted to give it another go for an extended amount of time. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy going into it. I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy and I love to cook. I especially love to grill, and a good burger is pretty much my favorite food. But I am leaving all that behind for an entire month.
There wasn’t one specific reason I was inspired to try this. I didn’t feel I got the true perspective of a vegetarian lifestyle in just a week last year. Everyone always says that once you stop eating meat you feel better, you feel “lighter” and cleaner and I want to see what everyone is talking about. Not to say that I necessarily feel “gross” or “heavy”.
So the day before I embarked on this quest, I stuffed myself with all of my favorite meat meals. I had Chick-fil-a for lunch and a burger for dinner with a side of marinated chicken breast.
Everyone thinks that Chick-fil-a will be my downfall but I will fight the urge and resist.
So on February 1st, I said goodbye to meat for an entire month. Tori and I did some grocery shopping to get some new meal ideas for me. I am going to try Veggie-burgers, lots of fruit and a heavy dose of salads to start.
Once I settle into the groove, I plan on trying new foods and cooking new meals but I wanted to stick with familiar food to get started.
Breakfast didn’t really change for me. I typically eat a bagel with peanut butter and a glass of milk.
Lunch can be pretty simple too with pasta and peppers, veggie sandwiches and smoothies.
Dinnertime is where I’ll need to get a little creative. I’ve made a mexi-wrap the past few nights, PB&J sandwiches with berries, a pesto panini, and salads. I’m excited to start cooking and eating new things, I just need to figure out what they are.
I’m pretty excited to try this new “diet”. There will definitely be a few challenges including getting enough protein for the amount of exercise I do. I’m also pretty sure Harvey is trying to sabotage me.
I have two races I will be traveling to and working between now and the end of the month so that could be interesting.
Overall, I think this is a great experiment and it will give me an insight on the challenges and joys of eating vegetarian. I plan to post once a week so check back to see how it goes. Wish me luck and happy eating!
-Patrick
