Eat Like A Vegetarian...

...sing it with me now....

Although, my title doesn't seem to roll off the tongue quite as easily as 'walk like an egyptian'. BTW. Why did we do that STUPID dance back in the 80's? and Why did we think the Bangles were so cool? She has such a whiny voice! Did you know that they are still touring?

But I digress, back to the subject at hand. Yes, I have decided to convert my eating ways to that of a vegetarian. Although, I will admit, I am not a 100% vegetarian. I do consume chicken and other fowl, as well as, eggs and milk products. How anyone survives on a vegan diet is beyond me. I may understand it later as I've been at this longer, but for now it's a mystery.

Why be vegetarian? For me it has nothing to do with the ethical treatment of animals...although, as a lover of what God has created, I think it's my job to treat animals ethically and it bothers me greatly when they are not. But, I also believe that animals were put here for people (not to be abused, mind you). I have done alot of reading on the Christian Vegetarian Association website and I agree with the majority of it, but I am not an 'animals come before people' type person.

My decision was based on this: beef and pork make me sick. I mean physically ill. I have been noticing lately that I have not been feeling well after red meat and pork consumption (and as of last Friday night, popcorn too). I mean like a rock in my gutt. And painful. So taking my cue from that I began discussing with my family about vegetarianism. As soon as I mentioned it's health benefits my family jumped on it. Tony and Stefani were on board right away. As of last week we very abruptly became vegetarians. We had to clean out the freezer, but that wasn't hard. I stopped eating meat immediately and felt, oh so much, better for it. Not to mention I have dropped 3-4 lbs. We will see how much exactly at tonights weigh in. Stefani wants to lose weight cuz she has gotten really heavy over the last 9 months. I think this is making a difference in her too. She was complaining yesterday of having to continually haul up a pair of pants that were previously too tight on her and now are getting loose. Last time she weighed herself she'd dropped 2 lbs. It may not seem like alot, but when you struggle to lose even 1 lb...2lbs is a big deal!

We had 'tacos' last night. I made my own corn tortillas...a recipe I will post later cuz they are virtually fat free and pretty tasty. We used fat free refried beans and I mashed black beans in with it, then just topped with cheese and sour cream. They were really good and really filling. That is one thing I've noticed is that the food is so much more filling. I can barely eat a whole plate of food anymore. Stefani went out to eat with her grandparents and later when I talked with her, I found out she made really good/smart food choices...other than the fact that her sub was a 12" and not a 6". Nobody needs 12" of sandwich. IMHO.

And like today...I was hungry, but not hungry enough to walk next door and get greasy food from the greasy food place (the thought actually turned my stomach). So I had some yogurt and an apple with peanut butter...which, BTW, has just become my new favorite snack (the apple and pb). Oh yummage! The perfect comfort food. It's my first time having it..I always thought it would be gross...oh no..it's brilliant.

And then last night at the football game everyone was talking about going to McD's or Hardee's after and getting their uber huge burger...I literally had the most disgusting image of a grease-laden, slimy, nasty, stinky burger in my head. I've never thought like that before. I could always see some redeeming quality in going to a fast food restaurant. I worked at Hardee's in high school and I can literally still smell the stink of the fat/grease vats that they had....omg...horrendous. And that is what those burgers smell like to me. I just cannot eat there anymore. If nothing else, it'll save us money.

So anyway. Just had to share some thoughts. As I get or come up with new recipes, I'll share 'em. Oh just have to share this beautiful website. I got lost reading it for like 2 or 3 hours one day...(see I got so lost, I don't know how long I read it!)....Vegan Visitor. Beautiful recipes and she's very witty. I can't wait to try cooking some of the things she has posted!

Happy eating everyone!

biz