Almost Four Months Being a Vegetarian

I officially became a vegetarian on July 1st.  I’ve managed to stay with it.  My only slip-ups were from ignorance.  We tend to eat out quite a bit, which can make it difficult.  I thought I was safe ordering under the vegetarian section of a Mexican restaurant menu, but not so.  I later found out that lard was more than likely in the refried beans.   

My husband has been very supportive of this.  He is still a meat eater but not nearly so much.  He gets his meat fix when we eat out or on days I don’t pack his lunch.  We rarely bring meat or eggs into the house.  I do use organic, free-range eggs for dishes I prepare for him or guests sometimes. We go to an Indian restaurant called Nawabs when I meet him for lunch.  Their food is excellent, very reasonably priced, and most of the menu is vegetarian.

I will be meeting a friend for lunch tomorrow at Bob Evans.  Other than perhaps a salad there are maybe only one or two items on the menu I can eat.  When you are a vegetarian you adapt to the rest of the world.  But that hasn’t been a problem for me.  I find I’m less hungry anyway.  Since most desserts have eggs in them, they are not an option anymore.  The result has been looser pants.  So, I’m not complaining.

I have begun to prefer my own meals to eating out.  I’ve gotten used to home grown organic foods.  You quickly lose your taste for processed foods.  I have also had to become more educated when it comes to foods and ingredients and more creative in preparing dishes.

Here is what we had last night.

This entrée consists of basmati rice with carrots and peas.  I had purchased some bok choy from our local organic farmer, John, which is sautéed in olive oil, along with cashews and tofu and a little soy sauce and vegetable broth.