Weekday vegetarian

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A few years ago, I started incorporating vegetarian dishes into our meals. At first it was just a meal or two a week and then later I began creating more main dishes and even desserts as vegetarian, sometimes even vegan. For the most part, the kids haven’t really noticed. And there are a few things they even say they like better without meat – like spaghetti, for example. Anyway, eating vegetarian is not something new to us.

But for me, going completely vegetarian is just not something I see myself doing. There are too many staples in our everyday menu that just wouldn’t be the same and since we enjoy them, why cut them out? I know there are many reasons to become wholly vegetarian and they are all valid – for some – but they’re not for others.

Also, I just can’t see going all vegetarian myself and forcing my kids to do so if they don’t want to. And I’m just not into cooking 2 or more separate meals every meal, every day, either.

Instead, over the past few weeks, I’ve become a “weekday vegetarian” by eating only fruits, vegetables and other more healthy vegetarian foods during the week. I know that my body is one that needs some form of protein at least once in a while. This way, I cook one meal for everyone and I just increase the amount of vegetables I usually prepare and then just eat the vegetable, while everyone else eats the main dish as well.

So far, this plan seems to be working for me. I’m not experiencing any headaches or feeling like I’m not eating enough. In this initial “phase” I am also not eating bread. I may eat rice once a week or perhaps some potatoes but that will be the extent of the carbs. And those – along with lean meat and fish – will be eaten only on weekends. Hence, the “weekday” vegetarian.

This way, I allow myself to get the protein my body needs and I can hopefully keep myself from eating less healthy things day in and day out. And I’m not talking about cake or cookies or things of that nature – I’m talking about bread, crackers, dairy products and other things that just really don’t make me feel my best. Things I know I should avoid simply because my body really doesn’t like them.

When I was about 8 or so, we found out I had many allergies – milk, eggs, cheese, peanuts, oranges, grapefruits, pineapple and several others. The worst were the citrus fruits and peanuts. I could handle the others as long as I didn’t eat them every day.

But you know, like so many people do, I just ignored the ones that didn’t make feel “that bad” and ate them anyway. As I’m getting older, though, I’m finding they DO make me feel worse than I thought. Maybe it’s because hormones and things are changing as I’m getting older, I don’t know. Additionally, I seem to have picked up a few other food allergies along the way.

The worst two are hibiscus and chicory, which everyone and their brother seem to put into tea blends these days. I’ve had to stop drinking a few of my favorite teas as a result.

I’ve always been conscientious of food labels and what not since I grew up with, not only allergies, but a mom who was ultra-health conscientious. She was on the health and nutrition bandwagon long before most people, probably as a result of HER allergies.

Anyway, like I said, so far it seems to be working well. My hope is that I’ll actually lose some weight in the process and maybe even encourage my 12 year old to eat a few more veggies and fruits. The other kids all eat a pretty decent variety, especially the 16 year old. She’s very health conscientious as well.

Since I’m not a big breakfast person, eating this way is easier as well. I have simply just been making a fruit smoothie – mango and pineapple, strawberry and banana – and having that. Then at lunch, I’ll have a salad or perhaps some vegetable soup. For dinner, extra veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, carrots. An apple or a pear or some other fruit for snacks.

I’ll post a few vegetarian recipes soon. You can also peruse the archives for some others I’ve posted in the past few years.

Hope you have a great week! The weather is starting to warm up here and lots of things are blooming. It’s beautiful!

Be blessed,