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4 days and going strong!
Started
by MelanieC
on November 14, 2009
Today is day 4 of eating no meat. I'm not committing to Vegan yet as I want to make sure I do this slow and steady so I can make this last. Luckily I eat a lot of vegetarian things already. Here are some meals that I ate that were SO very yummy and let me know that since I crave these things I CAN do this.
Many things have been Vegan, but I have had cheese (which will be my hardest to give up). So far no milk, although I do have some organic egg nog I do plan on having - For now I'm not going to stress the dairy and eggs until I get the vegetarian part down.
Day 1 - dinner was ezekiel tortilla w/ roasted broccoli and onions smothered in homemade hummus and a side of roasted sweet potatoe fries
Day 2- dinner was 3 corn tortillas toasted in the oven till crispy, w/ black bean dip (black beans, cumin, chilli powder and cayenne pepper pureed in food processor) w/ homemade guacamole
Day 3 - lunch was a falafel in a whole wheat pita w/ Israeli salad and tahini dressing (just tahini, lemon and salt) - This was so good I could eat it everyday for the rest of my life :) Dinner was miso soup, seaweed salad and an avocado brown rice maki roll (gotta love japanese sushi)
Day 4 - TODAY! Lunch was an amy's Tortelini Pesto bowl (it does have cheese- but at least it kept me meat free) and snack was Mary's Crackers and cheese and dinner is going to be a Bleu Ribbon Gardenburger at Red Robins.
I think eventually I will be able to make some raw cheeses to take the place of the cheeses I use, but that is something I will think about when I have the rest under control
I didn't know how I would do not eating salmon or tuna in my maki rolls - but it was easy and yummy (not as good - but I didn't miss out )Tonight is going to be tough. I normally do not eat ground meat ever except when I go out to Red Robins for a hamburger. I'm ordering it exactly the same as I normally would.
What I meant above is I'm ordering it exactly as I would normally order it without the meat - instead ordering it with the Gardenburger.........but still getting it with the blue cheese, onion straws, etc. I want to see if the Garden burger still gives me the same taste I crave.
One day at a time is how I'm doing this.
sounds amazing! im so proud of you and excited for you!!!!! yay!!! keep us posted
Wow - It really means alot that you would comment on my post. The fact that you would take time out of your day to comment really means alot!
I am so excited to report that my "Bleu Ribbon" Gardenburger hamburger was so tasty. Not exactly healthy food I know, but I don't eat it that often. At home I use organic and whole grain breads, so this is a once in a while treat. But to know that I can order this and have it be as tasty as the regular hamburger (just a slightly less flavorable, but I can deal with that to save a cow). One thing I did notice that it was so salty. When I looked up the nutrional information I save 200 calories, but the sodium went up. Not sure why.....but I really noticed salt in my dinner. I cut open a pineapple last night and could hardly eat that because my mouth was so acidic, so maybe my tongue is just really sensative to the salt and acid/tartness in the pineapple.
On to day 5! I'm sort of sad that hubby said he wouldn't use vegetable broth in the potato soup he is making so that means I have to make my own dinner, but that is ok. It just means I have take some of his recipes and change them up and make them more vegetarian/vegan and not tell him or the kids till after they eat it. Then maybe he will see he isn't giving up anything by using the vegetable broth. One day at a time :)
why didnt your husband want to try the same soup he always makes with veggie broth? did he say why?
im sorry he did that!
we will all help you though!!!!
so proud of you
love alicia
I'm not sure........he was so supportive at first, but when we were at the store today and he picked up the chicken broth, I said I can't eat that and he didn't understand why. When I explained it to him, he said that he isn't changing how he eats or cooks and that I can cook the dish one day and make it the way I want it and we can see if it's good then, but as long as he is cooking he is going to make it the way he wants to. I was really upset for a while, but I got over it. Doesn't do me any good to pout and be mad.
I just couldn't understand why he couldn't make one swap so I could eat it. Oh well, I have tons of produce I need to eat anyway. I plan to make some cabbage sauted with onions and olive oil and I will probably add some brown rice so it's more filling and that should help up the protein some. Or maybe I'l make it with some quinoa since that is high in protein. He also made a batch of his yummy salsa and I have an avocado with my name on it for lunch tomorrow.
I know that if I start having him try some of the yummy dishes maybe one by one we can start incorporating them into our list of recipes we make. He and the kids (12 & 17) have all said they are not becoming vegetarians so this will be something that will be a continueing struggle. I think they think this is something I won't follow through on. I think dinner tonight proved I was more serious about it than they imagined.
Thanks again for your kind words and for writing a book that spoke to me. Your so non judgemental and your words in the book just spoke to me. One quote I particularly love is on page 12 - As I aligned more with nature and the seasons, I aligned more with myself.
you are so great!
yes you will get him thru your amazing spirit and gorgeous glowing skin and yummie foods.
and when you are ready say 6 months in or something or whenever it feels time to you. have him read a great book, maybe a man book. like from pcrm or from the mad cowboy.
you are great!
please keep me posted
I've made it to one week and going strong! I checked out a bunch of vegan cookbooks. I really need to check out Saitan and Tempeh although I admit they way they look scares me, lol.
Melanie -- Hope you are still doing well. Your husband sounds like mine, and my take on the stubbornness (using chicken broth) is that he feels threatened by your growth! Not that he has probably thought that through, but often when one partner in a relationship embarks on a positive lifestyle change, the other's foundation feels shaky. The status quo is easy and cozy. I knew enough after 18 years of marriage to make this transition for myself, and to not expect much from the family. I make something really fabulous for just myself, but I make a lot of it. Then I usually make a slab of something nasty for the husband (the kids don't like meat anyway, but they love cheese) and salads for everyone. They all always eat the salad, and usually they eat and enjoy my vegan creation! But this is only because I do not pressure them to eat it. That would be met with opposition! Personalities! Tonight, miracle of miracles, My husband ate some "Gardein medallions" That I prepared with a wine, garlic, caper and red onion sauce! It was the first time I ever served him a "meat substitute" otherwise I have served rices, beans, veggies. I wasn't nervous about making this bold main dish because there was leftover chinese takeout in the fridge if he would prefer. That's my sneaky little trick -- I make what he would choose less appealing than my creations, but I don't tell him what to choose. My teenagers are funny about my vegan thing. They love the karmic benefits, and like I said, they don't like meat anyway. But around their friends my diet is very embarrassing to them, but the funny part is that their friends are very interested!
Well, I really hope you are still doing well and enjoying the diet. Best of luck to you!
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