#2: I recently bought Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. I had planned to go to bed early for once until the book sucked me in and I read for an hour and a half! I highly recommend you read it if you're interested in going vegan (or even vegetarian).
#3: Starting today, Monday, and ending (or not) Friday, I am going completely vegan (besides honey). So far it's going great! I am excited to make this commitment because I am finally getting the hang of it. I think the hardest things for me to give up permanently are greek yogurt and hard boiled eggs. Sad stuff, but I will survive!
Which brings me to my topic: Vegetarianism. I became a vegetarian when I was in sixth grade. For years I had been repulsed by the reddish liquid in what appeared to be a vein on my chicken breast. I always thought it was blood but my parents said it was some sort of chemical or something. Either way, EW! The last straw was when we had to dissect a chicken in my science class and it was bloody and one of the boys was trying to wave it in my face. For the next 5 months I was a legit vegetarian. Then my parents bought me some fake meat frozen meal and I hated it. It tasted like plastic. That was the last straw for them because I didn't eat many vegetables anyways. I was picky!
I never fought it after that because I knew I couldn't win, but in high school I vowed that once I hit college, I would no longer eat beef or pork. I couldn't bear the thought of those adorable animals being slaughtered, but I didn't give a crap about poultry or seafood. Who knows what my logic was. Regardless, nothing changed the first two and a half years of college.
Many things have happened in the past school year, and I have been slowly changing my view on meat. I don't recall the last time I had meat (maybe a month ago?), but I haven't been missing it.
I'll save my transition towards veganism for another day, but at least I can easily live without meat. I want to. The inhumane slaughtering of animals, the environment they are raised in, the hormones and chemicals pumped into them, and the insane damages to the environment and our hearts are more than enough reason for me. What I am trying to say is, I am a vegetarian again. I am not an expert, but if you have a specific question, maybe I can help clarify. Or, as I mentioned before, buy The Kind Diet (or borrow it from me if you're local!). You could also go the Michael Pollan route, but he's sometimes a little too intense for me.
You may not be interested in being a vegetarian, but at least please consider cutting down on your meat consumption. "Being vegetarian" just once or twice a week can make a significant impact!
#5: I had some veggies in my fridge that I almost forgot about and I wanted to be able to use/preserve them (I don't like wasting food!) Here are the two things that resulted:
Kale Chips
1 head kale (any variety works)
1 tbs olive oil
Dash of sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 300F. Separate the leaves of the kale from the stems, rinse clean, and dry. Tear into pieces and toss in olive oil and salt. Spread a single layer of kale over parchment paper on a baking sheet (I had to use 2 baking sheets). Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp. Once cooled, enjoy!...or store in an airtight container or baggie for lunch : )
Nutrition Facts: 117 calories, 6.6 g total fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, 4.4 g protein, 105.2 mg sodium, 13.4 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 181 mg calcium.
Talk about nutritionally dense snack! These don't smell the greatest, and they have a slightly bitter flavor, but I enjoyed them! Definitely a good way to get you veggies.
Roasted Red Peppers
Red bell peppers (or orange or yellow)
Olive oil
Rosemary (optional)
Directions
Move an oven rack as close to the broiler as possible. Turn your oven to broil. Clean, quarter, and remove seeds from the peppers. Place peppers skin side up on a greased baking sheet (don't use parchment unless you want it to potentially catch on fire.) Carefully place in the oven on the top rack (without touching the broiler; your oven mitt will catch on fire. speaking from experience...). Let broil for 5-10 minutes, until the skin in very charred and "bubbled" up. Let cool slightly and remove skin. Transfer to a mason jar (etc) and soak in olive oil and rosemary if desired. Enjoy on sandwiches, in pasta sauce, in dip, etc.
If not, have you ever tried it out? What prompted that decision, and why aren't you any more?