No Meat Update

 

Happy Friday lovelies! Hope everyone’s week was awesome! I feel as though mine was! I am just so excited for the weekend ahead that the weekend went by in a blur. Not to mention I really feel as though spring is around the corner! I can feel it…smell it! Is that weird? Maybe it’s just this “winter haters” hopeful thinking.

I thought I would give you all an update as to how lent is going. For those of you who don’t know, I gave up meat for lent! And, I am proud to say, that I haven’t had ANY meat yet.

Now, don’t let that last sentence fool you, it’s been hard. There has been MANY business (and non business) meetings at a restaurant. Truthfully, and that’s the hardest. Sometimes restaurants don’t have very good vegetarian options (AKA: St.Huberts) or sometimes the temptation of a meat dish you want is overwhelming. But, so far, no meat!

Suppers at home have gotten creative. It’s hard to figure out a meatless meal that Ryan and I will both like. I thought I’d share some of our meals lately.

Breakfast items are great. Not only are eggs a great source of protein but it’s a meal that we both love!

Everything has become homemade. During this time of lent, I wanted to lean towards making things homemade! No processed stuff! And truthfully, I think it’s having benefits to both of us. I just feel better.

Instead of buying Ragu I decided one weekend to make a big batch of marinara sauce! I wish I had a recipe to share with you. It was so yummy and SOO much better then the jarred stuff from the store! I doubled the pot so I lots in the freezer for future meals!

Something that has been hard is making one meal but making two versions of it. I love chicken curry! Curry has to be one of my favorite spices. One night for supper I chopped up a ton of vegetables (peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, zucchini) and made my curry sauce as usual. It turned out amazing and the flavors from the vegetables were unreal! Truthfully, I liked the vegetarian option better then chicken curry! 

I knew Ryan wouldn’t feel the same! He has a very limited list of vegetables that he will actually eat. So, I just chopped up a chicken breast and cooked it in a separate pan. 

My version.

During this process I also wanted to find a couple of meatless meal options that Ryan and I would both love! A couple of soups have made that list (homemade tomato soup, yum!) as well as this recipe for roll up lasagna!

Somehow I convinced Ryan to try it and he loved it! Later when I told him there was a WHOLE package of chopped spinach in it, he made a “grossed out” face. But, he did like it! And I made the whole recipe and freezed half of it! This easy, cheap and delicious meal is definitely making onto the next meal plan! 

 

One night I decided to have a “Greek Night” as a theme. Complete with kabobs, greek salad, pitas and Tzatziki sauce. While Ryan wasn’t a fan of the salad we both agreed that the kabobs and tzatziki (and I’ll probably still force salad down Ryan’s throat! ha ha!) will be on the summer meal plan!

Ryan’s beef kabobs and my vegetarian version!

The thing about this time without meat is that I wanted to fill it with healthy fruits and vegetables that I might not have eaten before. My salads have become very creative with new twists on it everyday! I am beginning to crave vegetables instead of other food!

My lunch this week with left over pita bread.

And then there’s dishes that we have made before like bacon and leek Mac & Cheese that I made vegetarian! And, it was JUST as delicious. Even more so in my opinion because without the overpowering flavor of the bacon you could REALLY taste the leeks! Yum!

 

And wine. Wine (made into a sangria) is meatless…:)

Overall, although it has been hard at times, going meatless has been an adventure. Between trying some recipes that we love and even some that we hate. Either way my food palate has expanded for the better. I am tasting my food and loving vegetables like never before. Not to mention the healthier I feel. Less bloated, weight lost and since starting, my acne prone skill has not had ONE PIMPLE on it! That’s huge! My skin is like brand new!

Those benefits alone make me wonder if I was eating too much meat. The energy I have, as well as all the above benefits, make me think that even after lent is over that my meat intake will be significantly less.

Happy Friday!

xo