ALL OVER

Sad day in New England.
Football season is over.
Patriots should've had that one!

Oh well, at least my meatless tacos were a huge hit!

SUPERBOWL

Sunday can't come soon enough!
As a MA/ New England resident, the Superbowl has caused quite a hype up here!
It is Patriots day at my school today - red, white, and blue everywhere!!!

I'm hosting for the Superbowl so its time to go grocery shopping and start cooking up those vegetarian dishes!

GO PATRIOTS!!!!

"WHAT, THAT ISN'T MEAT???"

Substituting meat is not always easy...
Some "tastes like chicken" products are not that great.

I found a product that tastes just like meat.
I used the product to make a taco dish for a gathering and after everyone ate it, I told them there was no meat. They didn't believe me! Everyone insisted that the ground up brown stuff was meat. Wrong! I actually had difficulty eating it because I felt like I was eating meat!

 <- Here is the product: (I found it at Hannafords)

No cooking necessary on the stove - just microwave it!

Already flavored and saves a lot of time!

Perfect for tacos or any Mexican dish!

Give it a try - found in the Vegetarian section of grocery stores (next to produce)

Check out their website: LIGHTLIFE

PARTY DISH

Biggest hit at gatherings...

Black Bean & Corn Salad

2 TBSP Rice Vineger
1 TBSP EV Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lime Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
---- Whisk these together in large bowl
Add..
2 cans Corn (if canned, cook then drain & run under cool water)
4 cans Black Beans, rinsed, drained (I use Low Sodium)
1 Red Onion, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
*optional: 1/3c Chopped Cilantro
---- Mix all togther

Eat by the spoonful or enjoy with some Scoops tortilla chips!

BANQUETS, WEDDINGS, AND PARTIES

Ok, it is NOT EASY to eat at gatherings where the food is already provided for you. If the host doesn't know you're a vegetarian, he/she most likely will have no or very limited veg. options. If the gathering is at a restaurant, I don't bother to ask the host so they don't get offended. Instead, I ask the waiters or manager for a veg. option and it typically pulls through for me. Cookouts and house parties are easy because all you need to do is bring your own dish for everyone to enjoy!
So, what about the Super Bowl? Party food ideas coming up!

CHALLENGE #2

This week, find a vegetarian recipe or alter your own recipe.
Switch one meal out of the whole week to a vegetarian dish.
Can you do it?
Tell us about it!

VEGETARIAN CHILI

Best Vegetarian Chili in the World!

^Click Me^

Pleaseeee try to make this! I follow the recipe exact and it is AMAZING! I've made it for numerous people, including my little brothers, and everyone has absolutely LOVED it! It is one of my favorite veg. dishes! I freeze a bunch of it because it makes a lot...

CAN'T EAT THIS, OR THAT . . .

So, not only am I a vegetarian, but I eat way healthier than normal human beings. I have an intolerance to foods with white flour, peanuts/peanut butter, or anything fried. So, just when you think a bowl of pasta sounds great because there is not meat, think again. Being vegetarian isn't just about eliminating meat and eating anything else I please. I have a ton of self control and it sure pays off. As I mentioned before, a lot of people go vegetarian and don't know what to eat, so they go for the pasta, fries, etc. - anything easy. Branch out, find some recipies like the one I'll post tomorrow!

CHALLENGE!

Happy Friday!
I have a CHALLENGE for you....
If you eat out at a restaurant this weekend, order a vegetarian dish. If you eat at home, cook a vegetarian meal.
Come on, give it a try!!!
Comment on how easy or difficult it was for you...

RESTAURANTS

Eating out is not easy! Everyone around you sits down, flips through the menu, and easily orders something with meat or seafood. Hmmm, what to do?
Not all restaurants are vegetarian-friendly. You could easily order a bunch of fries and call it a day. Some vegetarians fall into that trap - substituting meat for food with no nutritional value. Here's what I do...
Look through the menu for any appetizers or entrees that contain beans, mushrooms, avocado, etc. Most often, a restaurant that has that food on hand will alter a meal for you. I often times find a salad that already has a bunch of veggies, then ask if the cook can top it off with a veggie burger or portabella mushroom or black beans or something else with protein. That way, the salad is easy to make and I still get a "meat" substitute.
So, my #1 restaurant tip: look at the whole menu to "steal" items from other dishes and invent your own! Hey, the customer is always right! If they want you to come back, they'll be accommodating for you!

WHAT EXACTLY DEFINES A "VEGETARIAN" . . .

Vegetarianism: plant-based diet that excludes all forms of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood)
- Ovo Vegetarianism: type of vegetarianism that includes consumption of eggs
- Lacto Vegetarianism: type of vegetarianism that includes consumption of dairy products
- Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism: type of vegetarianism that includes consumption of both eggs and dairy products
Veganism: abstaining from any animal products
Pescetarianism: diet includes seafood, but excludes all other forms of meat

So, there you have it - I am a vegetarian. I do not eat eggs, meat, or dairy with the occasional exception of yogurt due to the health benefits. I don't feel terrible eating yogurt because I know the animal does not need to be killed to produce that product. A lot of individuals fall under the pescetarian category by rejecting meat, but still consuming seafood. That was the last step for me - eliminating fish. My greatest challenge was going out to eat at a restaurant and deciding what I could order. The easy solution was to say no meat, but I'll have fish. I finally cut that out and found plenty of other substitutions to eat as a vegetarian.

What to order at a restaurant? Stay tuned!

FROM THE START . . .

I grew up in a family of 6 - supportive mother and father, older sister, and two younger brothers.
We ate by the clock... breakfast at 6, snack at 9, lunch at 12, snack at 3, dinner at 5, snack at 8...

That is what I knew and what I was familiar with. I didn't think twice about what I was eating or when I was eating it. I didn't know a single thing about nutrition. Eventually, when I moved on to college, I had to make my own choices. I began eating healthier and worked out constantly being an athlete. Still, it wasn't until I graduated college and moved out on my own that I changed my lifestyle completely.

At this point, I wouldn't go near red meat or any type of deli meat. However, I would still eat chicken and fish because I didn't know how else to get my protein. I began researching substitutions for meat, protein, and nutrients in general. Tofu, tempah, and legumes entered my vocabulary and I learned how to prepare the products in ways that I would enjoy them. Still, I wasn't sure I could ever give up my chicken! I set my mind to it. NO MORE MEAT! That was it - I didn't want to eat animals and didn't need to now that I had so many substitutions on hand. No more processed food or meat for me. I officially became a vegetarian. Yet, the journey had just begun...