Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Vegetarian one day a week

      Coming from a family that has its share of vegetarians and those who only eat organic I have always felt a little guilty about my food choices.  Oh sure I avoid fast food restaurants except when I am on the road traveling but somehow I know that we Americans eat an unhealthy diet of too much meat, salt and sugar.
      This year my New Year's resolution was to eat vegetarian one day a week.  First question was which day's dinner would it be.  Couldn't be Friday as that is burger day.  Thursday is fish day.  Sunday is usually a day to make a chicken or some other meat that takes too long to make during the week.  I finally decided on Wednesday as it is pasta day.  All I would have do is forget the meatballs.  Breakfast would be easy as yogurt, oatmeal or scrambled egg whites are my usual breakfast choices.  Lunch is a meal that I have frequently skipped so a cup of coffee and toast is a more than enough.
      If you noticed my choices for meals doesn't include many vegetables and relies heavily on carbs. Maybe I would be more accurate to say I have a "meatless" day.  My vegan daughter calls my diet a "junk food vegetarian."  Being vegetarian doesn't always translate into a healthy diet if it is heavy on the carbs.  I have tried to experiment with vegetables that I have avoided most of my life and have found a few that I really have come to enjoy.  Artichokes, brussel sprouts and asparagus aren't bad with a little balsamic vinegar and parmigiana cheese.  Sauteed in a pan with a little olive oil and they taste better than I ever thought.  I have even found that ground mushrooms can be a decent substitute for meat in some dishes.  Pureed carrots and sweet potatoes work well when added to many dessert recipes and I have added grated carrots and sweet potato to many of my meat dishes.

P.S.
   The last month I have tried to add a second vegetarian day each week.  Maybe I am inching my way to avoiding meat.

P.S. 1
   Surprising fact.  In Maryland gun deaths from suicides and homicides now exceed traffic deaths each year.

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