Meatless March is in full swing, and aside from a swift and decided detour into a meat-free but highly sugared crap food fest last week in honor of my 45th birthday (Blue Raspberry Icee's are of the Devil), I've been enjoying finding new meals to feed my family that don't feature an animal protein at the center of the plate.
(And by feed my family, it should really read: feed me, Dan, and possibly Aidan if the meal isn't too freaky, while Cole looks on in disgust, happily eating his millionth PB&J for dinner.)
I've had some emails and comments about Meatless March. You know, what does it all mean? You're not getting enough protein! Why do you despise meat eaters? For the love of pepperoni, why are you doing this?
My answer is two-fold. First, I wanted to find ways to eat more plant-based whole grains and foods for the potential overall health benefit. Second, I want to see how my body responds to this way of eating.
And for now, that's pretty much it. Don't get me wrong, I have very fond memories of the Outback, mates. But there's no rule that says you can't revisit your food eating philosophies from time to time. Which is exactly what I'm doing.
And so far, so yummy.
I love to cook and I love new cookbooks, and during the past few weeks I've picked up a few, including this one:
(The Spicy Quinoa and Potato Croquettes were tasty and filling, served with a simple side salad.)
And I picked up this one:
(I have yet to crack the cover on this bad boy.)
And for my birthday, Dan gave me this one:
(I hope to make something from it this week.)
This reminds me a little story about how I roll, according to my better half. It goes something like this:
"Let's say I see the movie "Witness" and I decide I'd like to learn more about the Amish. I might go to the library, check out a few books, bring them home and maybe, just maybe crack the cover and read a few chapters. But very likely, not. You? You become Amish."
So right now vegetarianism is my new Amish.
I actually dropped the meat from our menus in mid February. I think I just wanted to make sure I could get back into this non-meat groove.
So far, the challenge has been interesting and tasty.
The only drawback to some of the meals I've been making? They require too many different pans, and the house smells of garlic and cumin for hours on end.
But when Dan gives me his very Midwestern response of, "Wow. This is great! This would go great with a burger," then I know I'm on the right track. More or less.
