Day 5 and Beyond: Being a Pescatarian Takes Planning

pack-of-vegetablesThese past, few weeks have been an education for me, because I’m learning it’s not easy to change your eating habits overnight. While I haven’t broken down and had any meat yet, it takes a certain amount of planning and discipline to keep up with this diet. Coupled with evening plans and the “convenience” of eating meat, one month is definitely not long enough to stick with a vegetarian plan.

Part of what started the hiccup for me is when we were given a freezer full of organic meat. I’ve had a hard time with processed meats before, and the rest of my family eats meat. While we tried to have a vegetarian meal here or there, we’ve been supplementing our diet with probably the most organic meat you can get.

In a way, falling off the vegetarian wagon has made me feel a bit guilty. I really want to make the choices for that healthier lifestyle, but time seems to be my enemy. In theory, it’s great if you can stick to a shopping list and have a clear cut schedule, but in these gorgeous summer days that seems to be a luxury for me.

In a way, I feel like the hiccup makes me more determined to get back to a better integration of fresh vegetables and tofu. Already, I’m trying to plan my meals this week now that I’ve been getting caught up on all the little things that seem to distract me from focusing on good eats.

Thank you to everyone who have supported my efforts to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my diet. Really appreciate your kind words as I move toward better (and healthier) eating habits with my crazy schedule.

Day Four: Protein Bars and Peanut Butter

So I knew things were going to be a little stretched today because I didn’t plan extraordinarily well for breakfast. Since I “feel” like I’m eating less than I normally do (e.g. don’t inhale a big burger or sub at lunch) — I’m finding that I’m becoming more conscious not only about what I eat, but when.

This morning started off okay, I had some apples with a little bit of peanut butter, which is one of my favorite snacks. By the time lunch rolled around I was pretty hungry, but the mushroom/lettuce/cheese pitas (that were made for me) ended up being not enough protein for me. I was full, but I was fading fast even though I only had two cups of caffeine.

So I did what I normally do when I’m “crashing” and got a small protein bar to tie me over until I got home. I was still pretty crabby, but dinner ended up helping. I’m making sure that I limit my pasta portion in comparison with my veggines and get a brand with protein in it.

Not sure whether or not this is because I was eating too much protein and now I’m scaling back or what, but it’s something I definitely need to keep an eye on.

Day Three: Good Karma and Laziness

So today I didn’t eat enough for breakfast, which translated to an egg breakfast sandwich (No, not from McDonald’s…) which tied me over to lunch. By that point I was feeling pretty good. Only two cups of coffee, and a strange sense of awesome came over me. One of my co-workers proclaimed that I was feeling all that “good karma” because I wasn’t eating meat.

Not sure about you, but I find that quite amusing.

Since I had the leftovers from last night, I thought I was going to make it through to the salmon and mashed potatoes dinner I had planned. Then I gave up. Why? Sheer laziness… My other option was vegetables plus tofu. Even though I got some tofu sitting in my cupboard, I am an amateur when it comes to making and preparing tofu. Anything soft crumbles and ends up reminding me of flan and feta cheese. Which pretty much meant that I hit the “I’m lazy I don’t want to make vegetables + grains” wall.

So instead of fabulous mashed potatoes or a salad, I’m writing this with my smoothie in one hand and a deep regret. Was doing pretty good on low caffeine until about 6 tonight, then *poof* and now I’m over-energized…

Today was pretty challenging in that food prep does take a bit of my time. I’m swamped the next, few nights so I know I need to make a concerted effort but still…feels like there’s a bit of “work” involved to me. Sandwiches and turkey burgers were a great stand-by when I was eating meat, but now I have to think about it.

So note to self: need filling “finger food” I can stock if I’m lazy. And yes, that does happen even in my world from time-to-time. Everyone needs a break. 🙂




Monica Valentinelli >

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