Tag Archives: Holiday

Valentines Day!

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So yesterday was Valentines Day, a day for most full of indulgent meals, sweets and treats!  In my world, even though I am in a long standing relationship, it was mostly just another day.  I woke up, grabbed my baggie of strawberries and a wedge of laughing cow cream cheese.  It was my indulgent breakfast treat.  I worked through the day, and mid afternoon I indulged in a small packet of skinny cow filled caramel chocolates before trudging off to the gym.  Yep, off to the gym instead of out to dinner.

I tend to think of going OUT on Valentines day much the way I view going out on New Years Eve.  It is amateur night.  Moreover due to the fact that I generally customize my order no butter/oil stuff on the side, doing this on one of the busiest nights I just think is not respectful to anyone.  The servers are busy, the kitchen is swamped, it’s just not right.

Dinner at my house was english muffin pizzas and fruity fluff pie for dessert.  Robb and I exchanged presents, we never go all out for the holidays, mostly because we are kind of, well I’d call it lazy, but moreover budget conscious.  He got a baggie of his favorite cinnamon bears, a new snuggly blanket, and his favorite dinner of chicken wings to eat when I am not home (he eats his dinner when I leave for work in the morning).  He had told me about my present just before the big day because there was a chance that it wasn’t going to come in time.  It actually arrived yesterday, a waterfi!

I am excited to try out my WaterFi on Saturday, or more likely Sunday.  My Waterfi is a 5th generation waterproofed iPod shuffle! How awesome is that!  I get so bored at the gym waking in circles around the vortex.  I find myself counting over and over again, so now I will hopefully have the drive to go longer, and maybe faster!

How did your Valentines day go?

2012 the year that the world Ended… A lookback.

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So by now we all have learned that 2012 would not bring about the end of the world, contrary to what some of my coworkers deeply believed.  It would not bring about the apocalypse despite all the snow being dumped just south of my home here in Minneapolis.  What did 2012 bring about… the death of Twinkies, which were never a food  I ate but was often accused of eating too many of… I am glad to see them go.  It was also the year my gym membership was basically “life tuition” as I developed new heath problems, from my feet to my back, hips and knees problems seemed to be the order of things.  Physical therapy replaced the gym for the later part of 2012 and even that has been replaced with no activity as I sit here in a coffee shop on a Saturday morning evaluating what is to come for 2013.

I have been in my job now for almost a year.  Each day I wake at 3am and head to work, I am on from 4am until 2pm Monday through Friday.   My job is extremely high stress and extremely critical.  This week I took my 2 vacation days and I ended up having to go into work to fix a crisis at 5pm on Tuesday.  My job allows no flexibility for me to sneak in things like a quick walk around the block for exercise.  The most working out I get in at work is running into the warehouse to grab parts off the shelves for people when we are super busy, all this while I am doing other things.  It is crazy, and it sucks a lot at times because I feel like a punching bag when things go wrong.  Generally when anything goes wrong, from anyone elses shift, because I am there during primetime it becomes my fault, and my problems and I am the punching bag.  I have not taken to eating my feelings, but I have identified (again) that I know why i never thought I ate my feelings in the past.  It was simply because I wasn’t in touch with anything.  Not the feelings themselves nor the feelings of hunger.  You cannot satisfy that which you do not know.

This year after regaining a portion of my weight, due to lack of exercise I joined WeightWatchers.  Call it denial, whatever.  I don’t like to talk about the gain, but my clothes don’t fit right, I don’t feel good, and I can see it, that “bloated look” is FAT. I LOVE my meetings.  I look forward to Saturday mornings getting to go and share with people.  My leader, Judy, who I didn’t like the first time I love now.  Her passion and enthusiasm is awesome! She is also trying to groom me so to speak to be a WW leader once I hit goal.  It will be a long road from now but she thinks I will be perfect for it.  She is always asking for my imput on the topic and what I have to share, as if I were a lifetime member.  I like the earliest meeting of the day best, it is full of lifetime members, the other meetings of the day are great too, but there is something about the first meeting of the day that is so full of energy that feels like home.

I’ve struggled a lot with the #WW program lately, having not been exercising because of my health I track some days I  don’t track others.  This week I posted a 7 pound loss after the last probably 6 weeks all being small, but steady gains.  Go figure the week full of cookies and treats at every turn I could ignore.  I guess I need the temptation everywhere in overload to be able to ignore it.

HolidayStrategyMeeting

Above is an example of the Holiday strategy session we had this morning on ways to cope with all of the temptations we face around the holidays.  It is great to have a weekly support group meeting.

So really I am heading into 2012, a little wiser, a little wider, and with a lot more support behind me.  Do I grieve for the me that I was in 2011, It would be a lie if I said no, I miss the freedom that I had in my old job.  The ability to just go to the gym for hours, the ability to meet up with my friends and share support and stories and laughter at all hours of the night and day.  However the fact that I now have a routine should work to my benefit, should.  Now if we could just sort out the soft tissue damage in my back, and the issues with my feet… if only if only if only.  I am taking it a day at a time.  I am doing what I can control.  I can make the decision to have the small or medium skim latte instead of the large, I can choose to buy the cut up fresh fruit salad  to save myself a little time at home if it means I will have fruit for work instead of junk.  I used to think that our choices defined us.  I am beginning to rethink that.  I think choices REFINE us.

2013 the year of choice. I choose ME.  What will you choose?

Chocolate is for Lovers Day

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Gourmet chocolates, a bottle of good wine, cream sauces covering large plates of pasta, ramekins of melted butter with lobster on the side.  Breadsticks, cheesecake, hand dipped strawberries, February 14th is so often a holiday that revolves around food that goes unnoticed as a food holiday.

So what is a girl supposed to do with the prospect of Valentines day on the horizon? Or even worse… the much celebrated discount chocolate day after holiday!  I was reading on twitter, or perhaps it was a blog, about a set of friends that actually celebrate the discount chocolate day as the holiday.  I remember buying the marked down candy just after Valentines day for my wedding many years ago. I didn’t ever really get into Valentines day, and that’s okay.  Not to say that it isn’t important to celebrate your love and affection for your partner, and also your friends.

The trouble becomes how do you stay healthy and celebrate the traditional way that most couples do?  There were a TON of 5k’s this past weekend that many of you participated in.  However a 5k really doesn’t scream romantic right?  It isn’t exactly the kind of thing you curl up and celebrate, it isn’t something that can be neatly wrapped up in a bow, or sent to someones office.

So let’s face it… most ladies, diets or not are going to be given a box of chocolates this holiday.  So what is a girl or guy to do?

Are you planning on going out to dinner for Valentines day?  Plan ahead, look at the menu of where you are going out to, or better yet, offer to cook at home!  Valentines day is very much “amateur night” in my opinion.  Everyone goes out, restaurants end up with long wait times, and by and large the service suffers because they aren’t in general equipped to handle all the 2-tops they have instead of groups of 2 & 4.  Cooking at home is a great option, you can know what is going into your food, and you can make sure you are getting great quality ingredients.  Even if you don’t know a lot about cooking, making a meal at home can be a great bonding experience for couples no matter how long they have been together.  Learning to work together and cooperate is a great skill!

Skipping the wine is, in my opinion, always the best option.  I’m not big into drinking calories unless they come from coffee drinks.  There are lots of no calorie and low-calorie sparkling beverages out there that you could swap out for.  Lately I have been enjoying the sparkling diet cranberry ocean spray juice cocktail drink.  It would make a great treat with a roasted chicken dinner!

Think portion control!  I know personally I would much rather prefer to have 4 pieces of really good expensive chocolate than a HUGE box of cheap chocolate.  This way it makes it more savorable, not to mention portion control is built-in.

Chocolates that are darker, (dark over milk) have more or the good stuff in them, (flavonols) that makes eating them better for you.  Opting for dark chocolate that isn’t loaded with creamy centers and jellies cuts out added sugars that your body doesn’t want or need either.  Dark chocolate nut clusters pack an added heart health bonus.

If you are looking for a more calorie friendly option with a chocolate punch think about some chocolate drizzled fruit.  I say drizzled instead of dipped because it allows you to still have the same taste with less of the chocolate. So take your traditional strawberries and drizzle some melted chocolate over them… but lets step outside of the box and grab a few oranges, after all it is citrus season, and you can get creative too and use any other fruits you like!  You can drizzle kiwi, pineapple, bananas, and raspberries too and it is a super satisfying sweet treat!

Now, we all know activity burns calories… so remember to burn off a few extra calories with a walk… or a dance… or whatever other activities you can think of!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!  May you celebrate as you see fit, and may you find a way love and yourself!

Anybody Out There?

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Is there anyone still out there?  Apparently there are still a few of you out there lurking, looking for me.  Yes I am still here.  Lurking, living, surviving… I can’t really recall anything I have written… and I am guessing if you read in google reader you don’t recall the last thing I wrote! So here is a stream of thought from my mind to your eyeballs!  

For those of you that have seen me during this holiday season, I thank you.  You saw me through one of the very darkest times of year for me.  You will hear me say over and over again I don’t do well at holidays.  Too many years of being told “Way to go, you just ruined X.”  X being whatever holiday it was, be it Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or even Easter a few times. 

I can recall a few happy traditions from the holidays.  I sat in the mall at Rosedale this year waiting for my dear friend Jenn, sipping coffee and chatting on twitter about holiday traditions and remembered about getting a clementine in my stocking every year.  I still take part in the clementine, or orange in my stocking tradition, even if I don’t get myself a stocking.  You will always find a bag of clementines in my fridge this time of year.  You will also find some cherry chapstick, or Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers. This year I bought a chocolate mint flavored one!  MmM! It is like girl scout cookies without all the guilt! 

I trudged through Thanksgiving, taking my own food.  As many of you know I planned to do this for a long time.  After my food poisoning bout it was definitely a safer route knowing what my tummy would tolerate. I was not however prepared to feel the way that I did at dinner.  I felt as though I was being scrutinized for my decisions.  I felt (feeling words here, I am allowed to feel) that bringing my own food was not welcomed but i need to do what I need because not taking my own needs into consideration is what got me into trouble in the first place) I did take food to share, and people very much enjoyed my green beans with caramelized red pearl onions and balsamic vinegar.  They were certainly no traditional green bean casserole but they were a nice change of pace from the normal heavy sides that go with dinner.

The trip east to visit my parents… There are no words to describe how bad some points of this trip were.  I will leave it at that.  There were however some amazing highlights!  I got to see my Aunts from my mom’s side of the family which was awesome!  Even better was the day (the entire day!!) that I got to spend with my Aunt Paulette!  Ever since I was a tyke she and I had a special bond.  As I have gotten older we haven’t been able to spend as much time together.  She is a busy woman with an amazing career and I have been living a crazy life at one point 100+ miles away and now in another state. 

We spent a while chatting and catching up, then lunch in the mountains, and shopping and dinner.  It was amazing.  Spending time with her made me realize that while there is so much bad in my life from that whole area, there is some good that I can look back and find.  Shopping trips after christmas were always with Paulette.  I look forward to planning many trips back, to match with her schedule so that we can work on our bond together. 

Back here in the real world, Christmas was fast approaching.  Cookies were being baked… probably close to 30-dozen or more came out of my oven this year.  Food is love where I come from.  Or more specifically, this is how I can show my appreciation for people.  I took cookies to co-workers and friends.  I tried to stay busy.  I shopped, and wrapped, and prayed for no snow.  I did my job, and busied myself with lots of outings with friends. 

I tried to ignore the fact that Christmas is a holiday.  I try to treat it as if it were any other day.  I bought my Christmas ham as soon as they went on sale.  In Minnesota we are a Turkey on Christmas house, I grew up as a ham on Christmas person… so this year it was both.  A Turkey and a Ham on Christmas… with lots of leftovers frozen off. 

My December calendar looked much like my July.  Packed to the gills with gatherings of friends.  Avoidance of feelings perhaps.  Sushi or coffee, or walks around the mall.  Movies or outings any reason at all.  Any excuse not to feel the feelings that surround the holiday. Not to feel the hurt that is in those wounds that sit there.

A few days before Christmas an angel was sent to remind me that the holidays aren’t so bad.  I was in Target when a friend spotted me near the entrance.  He once again invited me over for Christmas.  December 24th.  I had to work my normal 4p-4a shift.  I respectfully declined, I needed my sleep.  We walked and talked for the better part of an hour.  I was reminded of how important it is to be with people who care about you, and how important this person truly is in my life.  I dropped my purchases off at home and spent the next few hours with him doing some last-minute shopping around St Paul.  Christmas eve morning, he called again to invite me to dinner, and I said okay.

So December 24th I went to dinner, with my family, the family you get to pick.  The family I choose, the ones that matter, the ones that warm my heart and lift my spirits.  The family that seems to always know the right thing to say, even when they are booger and fart jokes.  I went off to work filled with love. The rest of the weekend I rode on the high I was given by my friends that lifted my spirits.

The New Year is nearly upon us now. That means new things for me!  Did you know I will be starting a new position at my job?  That’s right! On January 2 I will be starting at 8:00am.  Day Shift?! Normal Hours?! I will have to do things like Pack a Lunch, Schedule Workouts, Sleep Normal Hours.  Oh My Goodness! 

I think this is actually the piece of the puzzle I have been looking for.  I kept trying to get a piece to click, one piece of the puzzle needed to slide into place for me to get my life to slide onto the tracks to move faster in the right direction.  Guess what folks, the bullet train is about to head off on the fast track! 

I am excited and nervous about my job.  It is with the same company, doing relatively the same job, but with more responsibility etc.  So it is definitely a positive thing.  Plus no more Zombie-Kris at the PriorFatGirl events!  Plus… Weekends Off!  It will take some getting used to as everyone at work adjusts to getting the scheduling worked out, but this shall be exciting.

That’s all for now… work duties call!

Leftovers

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So after the turkey is roasted and you have eaten the same roast turkey dinner for the third meal it is time to start your mind churning to come up with some ideas for those leftovers right?

Now some options are buy a smaller turkey, (not in my house!) or don’t take home leftovers!  Other options are to make lunches and dinners and freeze them off for future meals.  Let’s be honest though I can only eat so much turkey as plain turkey.

So what do you do with your leftovers?  I am a big fan of making things that pull double duty, meaning I can cook them for a meal and make enough of them to freeze half off!  There is the ever popular Turkey Noodle soup, or here in Minnesota Turkey wild rice soup.  Something with lots of mushrooms and veggies to stretch it out.  There is turkey pot pie, where you can substitute out some filo dough instead of that pie crust to cut down on some of those calories.  I generally make just the filling and freeze that off so it is ready to thaw and top with dough!  You can also make a turkey chili either traditional red chili or white, and that freezes great!

Tonight on my menu is Turkey nachos!  Yep that’s right lots of veggies (and beans) and some spices and seasoning and I will be in heaven! I will very likely make a turkey hot dish (called a casserole where I come from) for dinner tomorrow night.  There really is an endless stream of possibilities for leftover turkey that even extends to things as easy as sandwiches both hot and cold.  Also don’t forget to freeze off some turkey by itself to add to your salads over the next few months.

Now you know why we never buy a smaller turkey around the holidays, and actually we buy a bigger one than we need!

Do you have a favorite thing to do with your turkey leftovers?  Care to share a recipe or a tip?  I would love to hear it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Off To The Races!
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This morning I will be taking part in my first annual Thanksgiving 5k.  I will be making this a reoccurring part of my future holiday plans.  I feel that it is important to start these traditions as part of my healthy life.  I love that I get to spend my morning with my friends since I don’t get to spend the dinner portion of my night with them.

I just wanted to take a moment to say Thank You to everyone that stops by my blog, thank you for your support along my journey!  Thank you for being here with me.  I am so thankful to have such a great support system with my friends here in blog-world and on twitter and Facebook.  I am also so blessed to have such an amazing community here in Minnesota.  Without Jen over at www.priorfatgirl.com I dont think that I would have such a far reaching support system.

I am also thankful for the #f2fpack, they were there with me, through my first 5k all those months ago.  We all have our ups and downs and we keep trucking on through our journeys!

I am also thankful for the Charities Challenge and Gary Westlund in particular for being so amazing and supportive of those of us trying to make exercise a part of our lives.  If you are in the Twin Cities (or are coming into town) this is an AMAZING group to do a race with and I highly encourage you to.  They celebrate everyone finishing, because there are those of us for whom finishing really is a victory alone!

I am thankful this year that I continue to make the choice to keep being healthy in the face of negativity and criticism.  I am strong in my convictions and that I have found my voice.

I am most thankful that I am finally regaining my life and health.

I hope everyone has a spectacular day whether it is spent with family or friends, whether you eat a Turkey or Tofurky (yum!)! remember today isn’t about the food, it is about giving thanks for how blessed your life is.

Welcome to Hell Week!

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~Sirens Wailing~ Red Alert Red Alert! ~Sirens Continue~

Another major food holiday is about to land upon us!  Halloween is squarely in the rearview mirror, and the candy dishes are starting to run low.  Everyone has gotten back on track right?  Regular workouts of whatever variety they like, be it swimming or running, bike rides or roller skating have been resumed, or continued by most everyone I have been in contact with.  Everyone is getting set up for success right? RIGHT!!!

So are you worried about Thursday?  This week tends to be where diets are often thrown out the window.  I have every intention of not letting that happen to me!  As I have mentioned before I will be taking my own food with me to dinner on Thursday.  I have some things planned and I may have a few last-minute substitution plays in place as well.  I will also be roasting off my own turkey to have to make soups and such with for the subsequent week.

I also have my battle plan in place for Thursdays exercise.  My gym is closed on Thanksgiving.  This is one of the things that I really dislike about my gym.  It isn’t open 24/7, the hours can become a terribly difficult issue at times with my schedule.  So I will be participating in a 5k on Thanksgiving morning.  Currently there is a nice thick layer of icy gunk on the sidewalks and roads here in Minneapolis.  It makes me worried about my race.  I have had several slip and falls resulting in some serious injuries, but I will be playing the wait and see game about how I will handle race day.

I am hoping to find a way to make the food not the focus of Thanksgiving dinner, perhaps taking a game along might help.  I may stop at a place like Half Price Books or even Target and see if I can pick up Apples to Apples or something like that which we could use to break up the food-food-food feeling.

With all this being said I do want to remind everyone that Thanksgiving is just another day of the week.  It is just another meal and there is no reason to treat it as anything more than that.  It is very easy to blow things out of proportion when you have family or friends getting together and you want to put out a huge spread.  Remember to take things one decision at a time.  Start today with a big glass of water before your coffee or tea.  Remember that this is not an all or nothing pass fail system for life.

It feels like it is going to be an oatmeal kind of week, as the first snow has fallen in the Twin Cities.  Warm my insides and keep me full and moving as I hit the gym and stay on track.

Remember you have the power to forgive yourself and continue on even if you make a bad decision! Happy Monday everyone!

I Challenge You!

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So as those holiday months of nonstop eating have started, the end of year battle of the bulge that leads to all of those famous New Years resolutions.  Those resolutions that so many people make year after year to go to the gym more, to lose weight (but never making a measurable goal) are always going to be made.  How are you doing on last years resolutions, or commitments to yourself?

It is too early for me to be jumping on the New Year New You bandwagon, we aren’t even to Thanksgiving.  What I wanted to remind you of today is that so often during the holidays we pile our plates full of food with no regard to how things look.  Pile on a few slices of turkey, and a small scoop of this and a tablespoon of that.  Three bites of stuffing and just a taste of grandma’s corn and soon your plate becomes a sloppy mess.  Perhaps it is a bit of the fact that I am one of those people who dislikes my food to touch unless I decide that it should and I am mixing it in a certain proportion.

SaladNomsSo perhaps now is the best time to start a new habit.  Eat with your eyes first.  We have all heard, without a doubt, hundreds of times that you eat with your eyes first.  I know it takes time to make your plate look pretty.  It takes time to make your plate look good, set your table, and set the ambiance of your dining area.  Did you know that I think you are worth the time it takes to do those things?  So my challenge to you is the same one that I am undertaking for myself.  Make your food look good!

Take photos of your awesome plates of food, and perhaps share your recipes along the way!  How long are you willing to try to go?  One day? Twenty-four hours? 7, 14, 30-days? Part of what taking the time to make your food look better will do for you is allow you to connect with your food.  It allows all of your senses to become immersed in the experience of enjoying the meal.  It will help you feel more full and it will extend the length of time you deem as your meal time.

So no more sloppy plates! Think Top Chef, Iron Chef, and any of those cooking shows we all watch.  You are getting hunger satisfaction points for presentation! What do you say?  Give it a shot!

My food pictured above was a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, peppers, banana peppers, onions, cucumbers, egg, blue cheese crumbles, Cholula hot sauce, and Gardein brand vegetarian chicken wings

Did The Orange Monster Get You Yet?

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Gossamer and Bugs Bunny in Hair-Raising Hare.

Monster On Your Back

So You made it through the last week at your office, resisting the brownies topped with candycorns. You avoided those mello-creme pumpkins right, because what exactly is that stuff?Did you run the Monster dash Saturday morning? 5k, Half-marathon, marathon? If you did I want you to give yourself a big high-5! I wished that any of the costumed 5k events in the twin cities had been on a Saturday this year because I would have loved to come out to do one of them. Sadly my job didn’t allow for switching around this weekend to get my run on. Did Saturday night prove to be harder? Did you party with friends and have a beer or two and then a slice of pizza? How about those tiny candy bars? Chips, popcorn, pretzels? I hope you managed to avoid those tricks!

So Sunday is upon us right? We are almost through this blasted sugar fueled holiday weekend right? What are you doing today to keep yourself from breaking into that candy for the trick-or-treaters. Are you refraining from buying candy at all? Have you waited until the last moment and are picking it up on the way home from work tomorrow? Are you going to be that one house on the block that gives our raisins? By the way, I loved your house as a kid! (Although I hear that sets you up to get egged which I don’t understand). I live in an apartment building, and since I moved here in 2005 not a single soul has knocked on my door. I have candy in the house, I almost always have candy in the house. Luckily I am not super into chocolate, it isn’t one of my trigger foods. I have had the same bag of Milky Way Simply Caramel bars for a while. They are about 100 calories a piece. I don’t have to feel guilty having a piece here or there as long as I am tracking what I eat.I also find it helpful to keep a copy of Hungry Girl’s Halloween candy guide 2011 around this time of year just incase I decide to indulge in a piece or two and know what I am in for. It isn’t a comprehensive list, and let’s be honest we aren’t really shoving that much candy into our mouths are we because we know just how long it takes to work off 100 calories in the gym! Remember once those kids are done ringing your doorbell on Monday night it is time to get rid of that candy if it truly is a temptation for you! There are a lot of options that don’t include making yourself a dumpster. You can cover the candy in dishsoap if you have to if that is the only way to keep you from eating it. There is also the ever popular take it to work which only increases the temptation to eat it there. You can also look around in your area for places to donate it! Locally there is a dentist buying kids candy for $1.00/pound, you can donate your candy there. Many homeless shelters, and women’s shelters will take that candy too, some schools might even take it. Another option is to donate it to our military. I know over the years I have sent countless bags of leftover candy that I collected to our troops overseas. Some is consumed but it is often distributed to people in the areas they are in to help form better relationships. Not a bad way to get rid of something you don’t really want around right?So I hope you all continue to be strong through the remainder of the kickoff of the “eating holidays” I make my return to the gym today for Week5 Day1 of #c25k today… first run since my 1mile victory. I am scared but not terrified. Should be an awesome thing to keep seeing my improvement.

Happy Halloween!
Tigger2011

Veggie Say WHAT?!

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So this week marks my venture back into veggie-land.  After my battle last week with food poisoning I have jumped off meat, but only temporarily.  I figured that I needed to give my gut some time to rest and reset.  Don’t get me wrong, I am an omnivore at heart, I would say a carnivore, but I do love my veggies too much to say I would only eat meat!

Do you ever go through cycles of eating no meat?  Dabble in the world of #MeatLessMonday?  I was alerted to the fact that October 1st is World Vegetarian Day!  Who knew?  I certainly didn’t!  So I am not here to preach about the wonders of being a vegetarian.  I am certainly not one to tell anyone how to eat.  I just wanted to offer a glimpse into some beginner choices for vegetarian foods! Keep in mind just because something is vegetarian, or even Vegan, doesn’t mean it is healthy!

Fave Vegetarian Foods for Beginners
Oatmeal topped off with berries, or apples, nuts and milk (or milk substitute)
Scrambled eggs
Cereal
Roasted vegetable sandwiches with hummus(which you can even make yourself)
Salads (Pasta, Potato or Green!)
Vegetarian (think Mushroom, Pear, Cauliflower) Rissoto
Soup made with vegetable broth Like onion(not beef broth based) lentil or black bean, veggie barley, minestrone
Three Bean Chili
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Vegetable Lasagna
Quesadillas with veggies and cheese
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (you can use the recipe from KitchenWerks!)
Veggie Stir Fry
Veggie Burgers
Eggplant parmesan
Frozen fruit smoothies
Cheese ravioli
Cheese Pizza
Oven roasted veggies
Grilled Veggie kebab

There are tons of options out there, it is all about finding something that matches what you are hungry for!  I am a huge fan of mushrooms and find Portobello mushrooms a great substitute for meat when I want to lighten up a meal that is traditionally very heavy.  There are also a ton of vegetarian frozen meals you can try, I haven’t given most of them a shot because well lets be honest here, they are processed!  Tons of sodium and other things are pumped into those foods and while they are great when you are in a pinch it is fairly easy to throw something together when you have good foods on hand.

Now I know there are eggs and milk in some of those things I listed up there, and for me that is okay.  I am not pretending to be vegan, I am not out to change the world.  Like I said I eat everything most of the year, but this week I am letting my insides take a break from breaking down cow and chicken, pork and fish.  rebuilding my gut with yogurt and whatever else I can find should be fun!

Who knows, maybe I will start doing meatless weeks more often just to get out of the ruts that my kitchen falls into especially in the winter.