Happy May Day!
To kick off this month our family is going vegetarian for 31 days. For probably about a year Josh has wanted to try something like this, but I kept putting it off. Grocery/meal planning are about my least favorite things to do, so making more work for myself in that department just sounded like a pain.
Last year we bought our poultry from friends in Lancaster who sell pastured poultry. This provided the backbone to our meat-eating diet. This spring, due to various reasons, we were unable to order from them, so we sadly are not going to have their poultry stocking our freezer. Last year, we also participated in a CSA with Rousedale Farm and were more than pleased with the experience. Sadly, they’re not offering a CSA program this year, so we signed up with Flying Plow Farm instead. I’m excited to start receiving their veggies towards the end of this month!
Last year I learned to eat vegetables last year I didn’t know I’d like: Brussel sprouts, kale, collard greens, beets, and turnips are now some of my favorite veggies. It’s not just that I’ll eat them if they’re put in front of me, but I love them more than the vegetables I’ve grown up on like beans, corn, carrots, and so forth.
We’ve been watching and reading lots of food too: Forks Over Knives, Simply Raw, Michael Pollan’s books, and Fast Food Nationto name a few. It’s just a fact: eating more vegetables is amazingly good for you.
I realized the past several weeks that eating a vegetarian meal once a week or so had slowly taken over more days in my meal planning. Actually, without even planning on it, we were only eating about two meals a week with meat in it anyway. Also, my desire to eat meat has been diminishing as well. That and I can’t actually even eat as much meat as I used to. I used to be able to put away a whole chicken breast along with two sides for dinner. Now, it’s more like a half or a third.
So, all of these circumstances converged and making it the perfect time to try going vegetarian for 31 days.
I’ve pulled out a bunch of vegetarian cookbooks from the library, my standard fave being Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Sawnson (her blog is here.) Funny thing is, when I first checked this book out of the library a year or so ago, there were only a couple of recipes I thought looked “good” and would have made. Now, most of the recipes look/sound good to me. Shows that my tastes are definitely changing . . . for the better.
I’m sharing all of this because I want accountability, so I might as well make it public! Also, I want to “journal” the experience with my readers and share delicious recipes I discover along the way.
Also, I need help! Got any delicious vegetarian recipes you’ve tried? Send them my way! Post links to the recipes or your own blog posts in the comments section. Let the veggie fest begin!
yum, yum, yum. YOu know I’d live vegetarian, too, if it were up to me. I am not a good “meal” maker, more of a snacker myself. I have LOVED the 5 layer med.dip I have pinned on pinterest…eat it all the time as a meal. LOVE green smoothies and do that as a meal plenty of times. Using quinoa provides good protein. I have some recipes pinned on pinterest, too. That’s where I’d go. Honestly, if we went vegetarian completely, I’d have to keep things rather simple..I just don’t have time or energy to prepare elaborate vegetarian fare all that often. And, I am ok eating the same thing over and over again…for a season and then I move on. But, I applaud you for going vegetarian.And, you know that vegan choc. cake I made for you a while back rocks…I can give that to you via email if you are interested. 🙂
I’ve not found a quinoa recipe/combination I’m in LOVE with yet. I made one that was ok. If you have any, let me know!
I make spinach, black bean, corn, green chilis etc egg rolls. No meat and their baked, my family loves them, would you like the recipe? You could keep the chilis out for the kids : )
Yes please! Sounds delish!
Once upon a time, I had one of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks, I think their low-fat one. I’d check on the title, but I seem to have loaned out the book to who-knows…Anyway, lots of good veggie recipes from there – potato-cheese gnocci, Fat Tuesday’s Skinny Red Beans, some mean cornbread. Might want to check some of their cookbooks out at the library too!
Kelly, I’ve never heard to those cookbooks, so I’ll look into it!
Seems like everybody is doing these 30-day food challenges here lately – though most people I know are going a different direction – the whole “paleo” thing, no sugar/grains/dairy. I was thinking about cutting all sugar/grains for a month, but I can’t fathom doing that AND dairy.
I’ll be interested to hear how yours goes! – and please do post your recipe finds. I’d love to save money by doing more meatless meals, but we are definitely carnivores here. I’ve certainly cut down on the serving sizes of meat, but we still eat meat for almost every meal.
I too would love to hear how it goes for you, your fav recipes, and just how you feel your bodies respond. I’m such a picky veggie eater, and tend to prefer raw over cooked (especially anything green). Trying to expand my repetoire though. Made kale chips last night. Wasn’t thrilled with them but maybe I’ll acquire a taste for such things the more I eat them…
As far as vegetarian recipes that I like, you probably remember my posts a few months ago. Vegetarian Enchiladas, Minestrone & Creamy Tomato Soups, Veggie Frittata, and Creamy Potato Leek Soup, from Feb. 1, 2, 3 & 4.
Thanks Krista. We made the Vegetarian Enchiladas and they were delish!
When I was a vegetarian I loved my Moosewood Lodge Cookbooks. I like you found when Istarted buying good meat and cooking REAL food that we started eating less meat. Aaron went from two chicken breasts to a half. We eat a lot of vegetarian meals now because of our CSA box. In order to use it all up. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants though. Just throwing stuff together. I gotta check out the new Super Natural book
[…] back on May 1st I shared we were going to do a 31 Day Veggie Fest. I’d been in a food slump, and doing this challenge honestly made me enjoy my food again, as […]