Vegetarian for Lent... crashing and burning

NotSoDoomedRunner

NotSoDoomedRunner

Barefooters
Apr 27, 2011
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#1
So my wife and I gave up meat for Lent. We are Methodists, so we did not HAVE to, but chose to. We have been Methodist for 4 years and have given up things we consider to be "vices" or things we want to do less of or give up... hopefully form a habbit. You can also do things... so far I've given up alcohol, cussing (this was by far the hardest, but I don't seem to cuss very much any more), done more charity work (this one stuck the best), and this year, meat.

I actually thought I might stay vegetarian when it was over. I don't like the idea of commercial farming, what it is doing to our environment, or how animals are treated. I think I'm fine with the old hunter model of natural meat eating... but that is far from today. I also think it is healthier in many ways for someone like me.

Well, we have gone 1 week. So far dinners have included: Black Bean Burget at Friday's (yum!) Cheese Enchiladas, Spinach Enchiladas, Taco Soup, Boca Burger (YUCK!), Tempeh stir fry at home (YUCK YUCK YUCK!), and tofu stirfry at Mama Fu's (yum). I am starting to worry. This is terrible. Any of you veggie people have great ideas that meat loving people like?

I have to say, hot wings is my biggest craving right now.
 
#2
Question Doomed from a meat lover, I thought vegetarians didn't eat cheese or any other animal products? Or is that vegan? I'm just curious and not criticizing, I tend to get these terms mixed up and confused. I had actually switched to trying to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables prior to this week (bad week and don't want to talk about it much and fell off the eating healthy kick). Good luck with Lent and I hope this goes well for you. I'm not sure if I could completely get rid of meat.
 
#3
try Lentils....they are "meaty" and wonderful. After a bowl full of lentils and rice you won't be hungry...I promise!
Its also important to get the right seasoning that you like.
you could also do pasta with mushrooms....they tend to be "meaty" too.
Falafel is some pretty good stuff too!

Nick....Vegan is when you don't eat animal products such as eggs, milk, etc.
Vegetarian is no meat, but you can eat eggs, milk, etc.
 
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#4
also, seasoned beans with rice...yumm
We like to put a bunch of veggies in our beans like tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, green onion, hot peppers, etc.
You can mix beans too, black beans and pinto beans, or black beans and garbanzo beans....you get the idea.

I would also suggest a veggie stirfry with a bit of olive oil and sesame seed oil. Some cabbage, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, anything else you can think of!

so many options!!! :hungry:
 
#5
quinoa salads are amazing too....geez I'm getting hungry...hahaha

Okay I'm going to stop now!
 
#6
Ah ok thanks Zetti. I for some reason can never keep that straight in my head. I think it's because growing up, vegetarians didn't eat animal products (at least where I'm from in MT) and then at some point they broke off into different factions of vegan and vegetarian. Maybe the terms were always there and people back home just called them the one and same, I don't really know, all I know is that vegetarians back home when I was growing up were against consuming all animal products.
 
#7
NotSoDoomedRunner said:
I have to say, hot wings is my biggest craving right now.
Click to expand...

https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/chikn/buffalo-wings-veggie-wings

I don't eat these very often but a nice switch once in a while. You can get at HEB.

The Lightlife Smart Deli products are ok for a quick sandwich if you do not feel like cooking, and they are non-GMO. My son loves them. I eat them in spurts. Also, there are various vegan cheeses in the same section at HEB. I get the rice cheese, supposedly more healthy than soy but I can not make that claim.
 
#8
I have a million ideas but but enough time right this second.

You can substitute potatoes for a lot of meat products. (mixed with sauce for enchiladas, in hamburger helper, etc)
 
#9
DMR, if we weren't meant to eat meat god wouldn't have made it taste sooo good.

also, ever notice vegetarians try to make their dishes taste like meat? tells you something there. :p
 
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#10
What about vegetarian chili? Or vegetarian spaghetti? You can add cheese to the chili, and with the spices and tomatoes, yum, yum! Then there's veggie pizza! YUM! :)
 
#12
rbondi said:
https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/chikn/buffalo-wings-veggie-wings

I don't eat these very often but a nice switch once in a while. You can get at HEB.

The Lightlife Smart Deli products are ok for a quick sandwich if you do not feel like cooking, and they are non-GMO. My son loves them. I eat them in spurts. Also, there are various vegan cheeses in the same section at HEB. I get the rice cheese, supposedly more healthy than soy but I can not make that claim.
Click to expand...

Man, these look good. Which HEB do you go to? I'm not sure the Kyle one has those.
 
#14
Some people who are concerned with the meat industry will buy locally raised meat, dairy, eggs. Some people even raise their own chickens for meat and/or eggs.

My in-laws introduced me to veggie meat products. However looking at the labels, those are highly processed and can have high sodium and cholesterol. So I'm not sure that they are really any better. In fact, one coworker who used to eat a lot of those products stopped a few years ago because of this and lost weight.

Even large scale vegetable farming has problems.

It all depends if one is more concerned about the commercial food industry or doesn't want to eat animal products or nutrition.

Also, one's taste preferences can change given enough time, so don't give up yet.
 
#16
That is a lot of sodium. The sodium is what is holding me back on the vegetarian thing and its alternatives to meat, my blood pressure is already on the high side of normal. One of our customers has a large manufacturing plant that makes a lot of the alternative vegetarian meat products. When I do a site visit I always stop by their demo and test kitchen to try out their latest foods, and to be honest I haven't found one that I did not like yet. Again if you read the nutritional content you will find that a lot of them have a high sodium content.
 
#17
dutchie53 said:
That is a lot of sodium. The sodium is what is holding me back on the vegetarian thing and its alternatives to meat, my blood pressure is already on the high side of normal. One of our customers has a large manufacturing plant that makes a lot of the alternative vegetarian meat products. When I do a site visit I always stop by their demo and test kitchen to try out their latest foods, and to be honest I haven't found one that I did not like yet. Again if you read the nutritional content you will find that a lot of them have a high sodium content.
Click to expand...

For me, it is something to be used in small amounts. Also, that stuff is EXPENSIVE!

I've been a vegetarian for my entire life and, for me, a common misconception is that I'm attempting to use veggie products to replace a meat option. I use vegetarian products in situations such as veggie hot dogs and hamburgers to try not to stand out and make people feel as if they have to make something special for me.
 
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#18
migangelo said:
...ever notice vegetarians try to make their dishes taste like meat? ...
Click to expand...
I've never really got this. Any fake meat I've tried tastes vile to me - I assume real meat tastes hundreds of times better? (Genuine question, haven't eaten any for 30 odd years, have no recollection of how it tastes).

As for what to eat, amazed no-one has mentioned curry yet! Indian, Thai, Chinese - all good. Spanish fajita hits the spot for me sometimes when nothing else feels like it'll fill me up. I do tend to default to things pasta based, stir fry based or soup.

I don't know what's available over there, but if you want to make a stand against large scale farming & animal cruelty I honestly think that searching out small local farms with good livestock management does so much more than boycotting meat full stop - if I was truly going to follow my principles I'd have to start eating meat again, which really doesn't appeal. Game (as long as it's proper game, not half farmed stuff) is the ideal way to eat meat in my view.
 
#19
ChasingShadows said:
What about vegetarian chili? Or vegetarian spaghetti? You can add cheese to the chili, and with the spices and tomatoes, yum, yum! Then there's veggie pizza! YUM! :)
Click to expand...
Yes, this!!! I made spme veggie chili last weekend by following a recipe from Scott Jurek's book "Eat & Run" and it was AWESOME. There are lots of really great recipes in that book, actually. :)

My husband and I did a vegetarian month last fall and after truely sticking it out, we've both found we don't really feel the need to eat meat anymore. We still eat it occasionally (mostly on the weekends) and we still enjoy it, but I find myself naturally beginning to prefer fresh vegetarian options to the classic meat dishes I used to crave. Keep it up and it WILL get easier!!

I don't think anything will ever "cure" my love of buffalo wings though. I'm starting to drool all over the keyboard just thinking about them...
 
#20
CSA is your friend. Google 'community supported agriculture' + your zip code. If you can get a couple people to go in together it makes it easier (you get lots of produce in many cases, don't want waste). It's whatever is in season and comes from small local farms.

I know you're doing this as the Lenten sacrifice, not a total lifestyle change, but...I can't stand vegetarian 'meat' dishes. If you want meat, eat meat. If not, have veggies. Homemade veggie/black bean burgers are an exception; I know I'm not trying to eat a 'burger,' it is a different experience to me:).
 
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