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. 🙂

Day Two: Soy, Portions and Mac-n-Cheese

Today turned out to be more interesting than I thought it would. I’m finding it’s pretty easy to have variety for breakfast and not eat meat products. There’s a place in my heart for my kitchen, and making muffins is actually pretty relaxing for me, so after lemon poppy seed bliss…I headed to work.

I knew that there were a few people at work who were vegetarian (or who knew folk who are) so I asked around a little bit for some advice. The big topic of discussion was the “evils of soy.” Really? I had no idea? While I’m not one to form an opinion without reading multiple sources, I was surprised that a few people agreed relying on soy solely as your main source of protein was bad. I’m not going to be able to do that anyway, but I thought it was pretty interesting that this is the first time I’m hearing about it. I’ve been drinking Silk soymilk for years because milk and I no longer got along. Might be worth reading more about, but if you have resources or links on the subject I’d appreciate them.

Besides the soy discussion, I’m consciously trying to move toward better portion control. Funny thing is, I slow down when I’m eating vegetables so I’m wondering if the inhale of carbs has something to do with my habit for over-sized portions. Of course, there might be another culprit for that — caffeine. I know I drink way too much and I’m quite addicted to the stuff, but darn it all! This is my last vice. So, as part of this experiment I’m going to consciously cut back to three cups of coffee a day and stick with the “no soda” option. We’ll see how long this lasts.

Wanted to make sure I had lunch for tomorrow that consisted of something other than soup, so shared salad and homemade mac-n-cheese. The mac-n-cheese recipe I have comes from the book pictured here: The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. I have to say that I get a lot of use out this particular cookbook, because there are recipes in here my meat eater will gladly indulge in. There are two recipes for mac-n-cheese here with variations for vegan vs. not. One is a milk-based sauce, the other is tofu-based. I haven’t tried the tofu-based one yet, but am keeping that as an option since I have issues with cooking tofu.

The true test of this pesca-vegetarian journey is going to be the next few nights, which look like they’re pretty busy. Until next time…

Day One: My Pescatarian Adventures

sushiIt’s no secret that I’m a big fan of sushi, but I’m also a fan of eating right. So I decided over the weekend to start on a 30-day excursion that I call “My Pescatarian Adventures.” Most vegetable-based (with the occasional sushi goodness) this is a shift for me from the chicken/carb/vegetable means I’ve been eating. I’d like to share with you some of the things I’ve learned. For those of you who aren’t interested in these adventures, I’m going to start off each post with “Day + Number” so you can skip on by if you’re not up to reading these. I’ll still keep posting about writing; this is something “new.”

For everyone else? Here’s my summary of Day One.

Most Restaurants Suck

My restrictions are: no sugar (or corn syrup) and no meat, except for fish. Little caffeine and no “straight-up” dairy. Human-size portions preferred.

Going out to eat is an exercise in insanity, because it is virtually impossible to find edible menu items with those restrictions. For beverages, I pretty much have to stick to water. Few places offer alternate, caffeine-free and no sugar beverages (even the sushi places), so water it is.

We went to a local restaurant, and there were only two things on the menu that would be considered vegetarian. For fish options, there were only dinner items, so I was out-of-luck on that front.

I almost postponed the start of my adventures due to a lack of choices. (Thank heavens for friendly reminders.) While I wasn’t unhappy with my choice, it seems like eating out might be a chore.

Why do Grocery Stores Keep Veggies Wet?

Built a menu list from a bunch of recipes we had on hand and went grocery shopping to support my adventures. That part was pretty easy, but the veggie shopping was disturbing.

While my grocery bill was less than what we normally spend, there are a lot of “shower sprays” that continually wet down the vegetables making them “look” fresh. I have a few veggie storage containers I got from Tupperware that work really well to store veggies over the long-term, but I’ve had a hard time using up the veggies before they go bad. Is the constant watering the cause?

This might mean more frequent grocery shopping just for vegetables. We’ll see how that shakes out.

On to Day Two…




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