Junk Food Vegetarian

So recently I met another Mom who told me she was a vegetarian. SWEET!  And then when I told her we were semi- vegetarians, she was NOT impressed.

Eh- I get it.

She doesn't really know what my family is doing and how we have been eating.  She's not at our dinner table and doesn't see our fridge and pantry.  So I completely understand that she might be confused about this "semi vegetarian" business.  I got it but I still felt like she was silently standing in judgement.  Bummer....

But then we talked a bit more about what we eat and she mentioned Cheetos and Boca Burgers and I talked about Lentils and Kale Chips.

Hmmm......

So here's the thing- when we make the choice to stop eating meat, we need to be even more vigilant with our bodies to make sure we are getting the proper nutrition.  In my opinion, junk food- while lots of it is vegetarian, is NOT healthy.  You might as well just eat the darn cheeseburger mmkay....which is a lesson that I personally learned a long time ago.  Being a vegetarian does NOT mean you'll be healthy. 

You see, years ago when I was in college, I gave up meat completely for about a year.  But the problem was that I didn't replace it with healthy proteins and vitamins.  I just didn't.  Instead, I ate my weight in chips, drank SoBee's like they were going out of style and hadn't touched anything green all year unless it was incognito under a layer of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.

Not good.

Simple rule to follow!

In my defense, I was in college.  And I lived on campus, which meant I didn't have full access to all the foods my body needed.  Goodness but why did I ever choose this time in my life to become a vegetarian I will never understand!  But that's just how I roll....however, even with all this unhealthy yet vegetarian food, I still managed to loose about 15 pounds.  In a time when everyone was gaining the "Freshman 15", I was losing it.

At no point during this time was I healthy.

I may have lost some weight but my body felt GROSS.  I was always tired, my skin was a greasy mess, my hair was blah, I constantly felt bloated and I was seriously addicted to salt and sugar.  While I did eventually start adding meat back in to my diet, my body still felt yucky and all sorts of messed up.  I knew I wasn't healthy and I'm pretty sure if they were to cut me open at that moment, I would smell like french fries and cheese.

Eww....

It wasn't until I had the kiddo and started him on solid foods that I had a wake up call.  I was the MEAN MOMMY who was extremely vigilant with what my baby was eating.  Not only did I follow the doctors recommendations of no peanut butter, no honey, no popcorn etc, but I also didn't allow my child to eat chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers and sweets.  For years, I packed his food whenever we went out to eat- no joke, my child would eat a jelly sandwich and fruit while the husband and I sat in the Jack in the Box and ate double cheeseburgers and extra large fries.

Say what?!?

In fact, just the other day- my Facebook memories reminded me of the very first time the kiddo ate a cheeseburger.  He was 5.  And it was made with organic, grass fed, local ground beef and cooked at home on the backyard BBQ.  Five years old you guys.  Five.  Let's just think on that one a moment....

Clearly my subconscious knew what to do for my child but why wasn't I making the changes for the husband and myself?  Gah!  I just don't know.  Stubbornness maybe?  Making changes in your diet is HARD and it just seemed like too much work.  And then the kiddo started wanting to eat the same foods that Mommy and Daddy were eating and I knew we had no more options left.  Our entire family needed to eat HEALTHIER foods and thus began our food journey.

I knew that I wanted to reduce our meat consumption but I also knew that I couldn't afford to feed my family organic meats.  So I made the choice to move us to a vegetarian diet during the week.  I learned a valuable lesson during my college years and that was that I didn't want to be a junk food vegetarian- I wanted to be a healthy vegetarian.

So what exactly does this mean?

Fruits.  Vegetables.  Grains.  Legumes.  Oh My!

When I started my family on this journey, my idea of cooking vegetables was poking a few holes in the baggie of frozen veg and sticking it in the microwave for a few minutes.  I only ever bought fruit for the kiddo and had NO idea what kinds of fruits the husband actually liked to eat.  And you guys- I had never cooked any grains and legumes other than Rosarita refried beans and white rice.  Clearly I was going to have to learn to cook completely different and I was going to have to get rid of the junk in my house.  Big changes, but I was determined to get my family on the path towards health and I knew eating less meat was the way to do it.

In all honesty, we struggled a bit.  I used a few crutches like Morningstar Farms "ckicken nuggets" and processed fake meat products until I learned to make these things myself.  But in the years since we began our food journey, I have learned some VERY valuable lessons.

#1- Homemade is where it's at!  It is unbelievably easy to whip up a batch of Black Bean Burgers and much cheaper than buying a processed version at the store.  And because you are making them yourself at home, these burgers are legit- GOOD FOR YOU.  Like, you can eat burgers and they are HEALTHY FOR YOUR BODY.  Now this is just crazy!

#2- If you don't buy it, they won't eat it.  Probably the easiest thing when making changes in your diet is to simply stop buying the junk.  There's whole isles of the grocery store that I no longer go down!  See ya soda, chips and packaged cookies. Adios deli and meat counter.  Buh-bye!

#3- Put as many fruits and vegetables on your plate as you possibly can.  My goal when making a meal now is how many healthy foods can I cram into this dish or on this plate.  Seriously.  I put carrots in everything, love to add a big handful of spinach to a dish or pile in the bell peppers.  When in doubt, just serve a meal with a big salad or a bowl full of fresh fruit.

#4- Learn to convert your family's favorite foods to a healthy vegetarian meal.  Changing the way you cook is a big deal but learning to turn your family's unhealthy favorites into a healthier, vegetarian meal- PRICELESS!!  Your people will actually eat foods they somewhat recognize and it's actually much easier than you think.  Substitute the meat for things like beans, lentils or quinoa or simply leave it out and add in more veggies.

#5- Have a backup plan.  Always Mama's- trust me on this one!  Sometimes a meal doesn't turn out the way you would have hoped or perhaps you're running late getting dinner started or simply don't want to cook AGAIN.  I get it.  So have a backup plan in place for these nights.  Keep some homemade frozen vegetarian meals on hand (ones that you've made, NOT store bought) or even have a couple "cheats" in your freezer or pantry. I recently discovered Hilary's vegetarian burgers and I can't say enough good things about them!  Serve with a side of fresh fruit or veg and you're good to go!

#6- Master a 20 minute dish.  Every single Mama should have a 20 minute meal up her sleeve regardless of your choice to eat a meat free diet.  Mine is Broccoli Garlic Pasta-  it's a complete meal and done in under 20 minutes.  And bonus- there's very minimal clean up required.  Love that!


Alright- so I hope this little story has helped you as well as the six tips above.  There's a good way to be vegetarian and a not so good way.  For me, this is a lesson that I seem to keep coming back to time and time again.  Being a vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean you'll be healthy.  You have to work at giving your body the proper nutrients that it needs and when you eliminate one food (like meat) this means you need to take extra care to maintain your health.

And regarding this Mama at the very beginning of this post- well.....I personally felt a bit judged when I told her we weren't full on vegetarians.  I'm assuming this wasn't her intent as she's really a very nice woman, but the feeling was there nonetheless.  I can only hope that I don't do this to others when I talk about our diet.  I would never want to make anyone feel judged or guilty- I simply want to share our story and offer hope for a healthier life.

The truth is that my family is very healthy.  We eat a plant based vegetarian diet (no junk food here!) at least five days per week and several of those days, we are eating vegan meals.  No animal products at all.  But you guys- we also really LOVE cheeseburgers.  This is the choice that is right for my family at this point in our lives.  And I'm not going to apologize for it and made to feel bad or guilty.

This is my message to you all and what I hope you'll take away from this blog post.

Please make the right healthy choices for your family.   The key word here being- healthy.

New Year, New You

This last week has seen a TON of messages come my way from those of you wanting to make some healthier choices in your life.

Holy Buckets but I'm so excited for you!!!!!!!

These questions can really be divided into two main categories.  #1- I want to eat less meat.  #2- I want my family (especially my husband) to eat healthier.  First can I just say how thrilled I am that you've turned to me for a little guidance!  While I am in no way an expert at this, it's clear that I've been on this journey for quite awhile now and have had some BIG success in getting my family to get a mostly plant based, whole foods, organic diet with very limited meat.  In short- we are Flexitarians!  Each year, I feel like we personally make big strides in our health and our diet and I completely understand the desire to do better and make healthier choices!  With that being said- let's address those questions y'all!

#1- So you want to eat less meat?  Love, love, LOVE IT!!!!!

Let's just address a big misconception.  Protein.  Good Lord but the moment you tell people you want to go veg, they suddenly become nutritionists and experts on protein.  Yeah, no.  Here's the truth- if you are eating a well rounded diet full of LOTS of veggies, they you are most likely getting enough protein.  Plants have protein, lots of protein.  My own personal truth here is that when we started eating more vegetables, reduced the carbs a bit and focused on whole foods from the earth- I felt full faster and longer.  In addition, my entire family has had yearly physicals and blood work done and we are NOT lacking for any vitamins or nutrients in our bodies.  In fact, we are healthier than we've ever been!  So this really does work!

Secondly, lets talk about what kinds of foods you should be eating when you decide to eat less meat.  Please for the love of God, do NOT run out and buy a ton of "vegetarian" or "vegan" marketed processed foods.  I'm talking, Morningstar Farms, Quorn, Yves, Gardein and the like because these things are filled with chemicals and GMO's.  Sure- they might be OK every once in awhile as a special treat but they should never be a mainstay in your diet.

So if you shouldn't buy prepackaged vegetarian foods, they how are you going to feed your family?  Well folks- you're gonna need to learn to cook.  You'll also want to experiment with grains and legumes- quinoa, lentils, beans OH MY!  I've learned how to take some of my family's favorite foods and substitute these healthy protein sources in place of chicken, beef and pork.  Quinoa works well in most dishes that you would normally use chicken and lentils are a great substitute for beef.  Of course, you can also simply add in extra veggies and leave out the meat entirely.  I do this ALL the time!  I have many of our family favorite recipes here on the blog- be sure to check it out!

Want to read more?

• Eating Well When You Don't Have the Time
• Transform Your Health: A Husband's Journey
• Tips For Food Shopping

#2-  How do you get your husband and other picky family members to eat a healthier diet?  Well you guys, this one is simply all about persistence.  Slow and steady will win this race.

It took us 7 years to get to the point we are at currently which is pretty much no meat in our house AT ALL and many vegan dishes throughout the week.  We are 95% organic and homemade and we no longer eat out at many fast food spots and other restaurants.  True story- I bought a pound of organic ground beef from our local farmer and it took us two months to eat it.  No joke- TWO MONTHS.  Wow!  What a change from just several years ago.

I wrote a great post recently on exactly this topic, you can click here to check it out.  But I'll just summarize for you here and tell you that the true key to success with this is to go slow, keep at it and look for foods and dishes that your family already likes.  Do NOT try to serve anything to "weird" or out of the ordinary to your family right out of the gate or they will approach every meal with skepticism.  A few other tricks I've learned is that flavor is very important to vegetarian dishes- SPICES are your new best friend and when in doubt, put some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream on it and call it good.  Seriously, don't underestimate the power of cheese mmkay...


As you begin this journey a few other things to keep in mind are this- simply look for ways to add more fruits and vegetables to your meals.  Start snacking on the whole foods instead of the processed foods.  Begin with one meatless meal each week and slowly increase that over time.  Remember- slow and steady.  You got this!  And can I just say how proud I am of you all for making this choice!  I promise you that you won't ever regret it!

Tips to Get Your Red Meat & Potato Lovin' Man to Eat More Veggies

I was a vegetarian when I met the husband and he was an "everything BUT vegetarian" when we met.  Just let that sink in a moment.

While I didn't eat meat- I also didn't eat a lot of veggies.  My idea of being a vegetarian was eating potatoes and pasta.  So yeah, not good.  The husband on the other hand ate as much red meat as he could and showed NO signs of ever stopping.  Clearly we both needed some work in the diet department.

We continued on this path for several years and I eventually started eating meat again because it was easier to just make one meal for us both than two separate ones.  Let's face it- the husband certainly wasn't going to give up eating meat so my only choice was to start eating it again.

Then the kiddo was born and my view of food changed drastically.  It no longer became about buying and eating what was cheap and tasted good but rather about food that would nourish your body.  I slowly began changing our diet and converting the whole family to a plant based whole foods lifestyle.  But as any wife with a picky husband will tell you- this was a serious struggle for the husband.  He understood the why, his brain knew the logical reasons and the methods behind what I was doing but his heart and his stomach just weren't in it yet.

Fast forward over 7 years later and the husband is now eating completely vegetarian meals at home Monday through Friday as well as at least one vegan dish during the weekday.  In addition, he's making better food choices when eating out and staying away from most fast food options that he used to love.  You can click here to read about how this journey has personally affected his health but for this post- it's all about HOW this has happened.

How do you get your red meat and potato lovin' man to eat a plant based, whole foods diet?  Seriously, how?!?  Below are some tips on how I've accomplished the impossible and they can apply to anyone in your family, not just your husband.

• Acknowledge that this will take time.  Baby steps folks.  It took the husband just over 7 years to get to this point.
• Be patient but don't give up.  Persistence pays off!
• Slowly stop buying and cooking meat.  Since I do all the grocery shopping in our house, I control what comes in and what doesn't.  Take advantage of this and simply stop buying it.
• Introduce one vegetarian meal each week.  As you get into the routine of doing this, I suggest a designated day that is dedicated to going vegetarian- perhaps Meatless Monday? 
• Keep this simple- nothing too weird or unknown.  My suggestions are anything chili based (because what man doesn't love chili?!?) or cheese based.  Cheese or black bean enchiladas are a great 1st vegetarian meal!  Soup also works well.
• Watch some of the documentaries on this list together- if your husband will do so.  Education is key.
• Add veggies to every single dish.  Start with ones your family likes but slowly start experimenting with new veggies.  It's OK to serve two different veggie sides- you can NEVER have enough veg.
• In the beginning, do NOT worry about the meals outside the house.  Focus on what you have ultimate control over and that's the food you are cooking at home.
• Learn how to convert your family's favorite dishes to vegetarian meals.  It is so easy to do!  Simply leave out the meat, add in extras like rice, beans, lentils and learn what items make great substitutions for certain meats.
• Change your dinner plate.  No more meat, starch & veg.  Meat is no longer the star of the show.  In our house it's veg, veg, grains/legumes.  Half the plate is veg and typically the other half has veggies in it.
• Become a fan of the one pot meal.  Cook it all in one pot, serve it in one pot- combine everything and it's more difficult to notice that the dish is missing meat.  Think orzo with veggies, soups, pasta with tomatoes and spinach etc.
• Serve fruit bowls on the side.  The kiddo calls these our "appetizer" bowls and they work perfectly for cut up fruit.  Replace the junk in any meal with a fruit bowl.  Things like chips, fries, tator tots, crackers, pretzels etc and then start reaching for the fruit bowls for snacking instead of that junk food.
• Buy an immersion blender and make a big pot of soup at least once per week.  Soup is by far one of the easiest vegetarian dishes to make and by using your immersion blender, you can add TONS of veggies and then just blend them away into the soup.  Your family will never know!
• Adopt a "2 bite rule".  We've always had this with the kiddo but the concept is simple- you MUST try something and take at least 2 bites.  Why two bites?  Well because usually for the first bite, you're busy moaning and complaining about it and not really paying attention to the flavor.  By the 2nd bite, you've calmed down just a bit to really taste it.  And if after those 2 bites, you don't like it- then you don't have to eat it.
• Pack your husband's lunch.  Lunch time can be difficult for anyone but make a commitment to packing a healthy, "real" food lunch every day.  Check out this previous blog post to learn about how I go about packing the husband's lunch.

The key here is really all about "slow and steady" to win this race.  A few small changes really add up over time and it's MUCH easier for your meat eating husband to deal when it's just a few small things spread out
over time.  Trust me on this one.

I would also like to say that once we tackled the food inside our house, we began working on what we were eating while away from home.  Eventually the husband began making healthier choices all on his own simply because he was used to the way we were eating at home and he felt better.  He was able to feel and see a big difference in his body and this provided much needed encouragement for him to make even bigger changes.

It can be done.  You can convert the meat eating folks in your life to adopt a more humane diet full of rich, whole foods.  If we can do this, you can do this.

One Meal at a Time

My parents came over for Easter dinner yesterday.  And as we were sitting in the living room, visiting and waiting for the Ham to cook- we started talking about food.  I'll summarize for you, but basically- my Dad, who does all the grocery shopping and cooking was stating how the price of meat (not organic meat) has gone up.  How it's difficult to feed all 8 people in their household with the rising costs of food in general.

I totally get it.  Food is expensive.  And good food is extremely expensive.  Sadly, the cost of organic is out of reach for many.  And yes- I know you can coupon, shop the sales, buy in bulk....yada, yada.  I know how to save at the grocery store.  So let's just put that aside for now.  The fact of the matter is that organic food costs a shit ton more then conventional.  There are less coupons and less sales on these items and typically the packaging is smaller.  So not only are you paying more, but you're also getting less.

For my parents, and I'm sure many others out there, eating 100% organic is simply out of reach.

So as the conversation progressed, I expressed to my parents that instead of stressing out about the rising costs of meat, how about simply eating less of it?  This will save you money, I said.  Plus it's better for you!  I went over some alternatives that are healthier and cheaper- foods like lentils, barley, beans and quinoa.  These items are very easy to make, most people like them and they are cheap.  Even the organic versions are fairly inexpensive.

Now, my Dad, who is a MEAT LOVER- said this will simply not work at their house.  Everyone in their household eats meat daily, almost at every single meal.  Is your house like this?  I'm sure you can relate....bacon or sausage with breakfast, ham sandwich for lunch, chicken at dinner and then repeat.  Day in and day out.  Trust me- I know.  I grew up eating this way and for the first few years after moving out, I continued eating this way.

So here's the question that I posed to my Dad and I want you all to really think about what your own answer would be.

If you knew 100%, without a doubt, that eating meat every single day would give you cancer, would you continue to eat it?

Then I followed up with this question-

If you knew that reducing the amount of meat you eat would drastically cut your risks for getting cancer, would you eat less meat?

Now, you may be thinking....geez, that's a pretty crazy question.  But the reality is that eating lots of meat, especially conventional meat, will increase your odds for disease, especially cancer.  Google it- no joke.

So here's what I challenged my parents to do.  Simply start by making one day, one meal without any meat.  Do not add meat to the side, do not center your meal around meat and do not cheat and go eat a turkey sandwich later.  Just make the decision that you will make one night per week meatless and stick to it!  You have to start somewhere and there is nothing wrong with taking baby steps.  That's how my husband and I did it, so I know it works!

I sent my parents home with a fool proof recipe, Quinoa with Black Beans, Corn & Cilantro.  It combines yummy Mexican flavors with beans and quinoa for a protein packed, satisfying vegetarian entree.  It's easy to make and can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger household.  And best of all- it's cost efficient!

They said they will give it a try and I hope you will too!  Challenge yourself and your family- making positive changes doesn't have to be difficult, it can be as simple as making one meal.

Want to read more?

• So You Want to Eat Less Meat?
• An Organic Cow is a Special Cow

Interested in finding out more about the amazing benefits to adopting a more meat free life?  I highly recommend you check out the documentaries, Forks Over Knives and Vegucated.  And of course, if you haven't watched Food Inc yet- you simply MUST!  Here's a short clip below from Forks Over Knives.