Still Lovin' It!

So, it has been over a week since I have officially switched to being a vegetarian, and I still love this new lifestyle!!! At first I had been nervous because we had a house guest last week, so I wasn't going to officially start until after she left, but that wasn't an issue for me at all, especially since I am not making the kids go vegetarian. So, I had ham in the house for her to have ham sandwiches for lunch. Otherwise she was pretty flexible with our new way of eating. I was even surprised that when I had taken her to subway she ordered a Veggie Delight, so I knew she wasn't totally sick of not eating meat! :o)

So far things are still going great. My body is feeling great, and I am loving the new foods I get to prepare. Tonight I am going to start experimenting with beans. Our grocery store has a bulk section where you can buy tons of different beans, rices, and grains, in as small or as large of quantities as you would like, so that has made it really fun and easy as well! On the menu tonight is Hawaiian Salmon burgers (I AM still eating fish!), with coconut rice and red beans. We'll see how it goes! :o)

Other things I have become addicted to include: tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwiches on Ciabatta bread with balsamic vinagrette, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and cottage cheese mixed with crushed pineapple. Yum, yum, yum!!! This whole vegetarian thing really is easier than I thought! :o)

Thanks for following me on this journey!!!

I passed my first "test"!

Tonight we decided to take a drive down to Seal Beach and eat at Ruby's out on the pier. For those of you not in Southern California, Ruby's is a 50's style diner that mainly serves hamburgers of all different varieties. And I have to say, a hamburger did not even look tempting to me! I ordered the Vegwich, and was actually very happy with how much I enjoyed it!

This may sound strange, but one of the things I have been looking forward to about going vegetarian is that I don't have sooooo many options staring me in the face. Jason had read a book that had concluded that more choices actually make us more dissatisfied with what we end up choosing in the end. More choices lead to more buyers remorse, or fear that we have not chosen the best option. I am really excited that my options are now very limited for eating when I go out to eat. And tonight I was very satisfied by my limited options.

I left feeling satisfied, but not overly full as I know a burger and fries would have made me. And I don't have the regret that I used to have after eating a burger when I would feel so stuffed afterward.

So far I am surprised at how satisfying this vegetarian lifestyle is for me. I had a friend that told me it wasn't so hard, and I am starting to believe him! I am still feeling more energy, although there has been some major processing of life that has been weighing on me the last few days. But, overall I am really happy with how my body feels. And dare I say my pants are fitting better, which I shouldn't be able to say in pregnancy. Don't worry, I'm still getting the necessary calories, but I really think my metabolism is kicking it up a notch. No, I am not TRYING to lose weight while being pregnant, but so far I'm really happy with the results!

So Far Really Good!!!

So, it is 5:45 AM, and here I am at the computer. This happened yesterday morning as well. And both mornings I woke up completely on my own. This is just short of a miracle! My entire pregnancy I have been sleeping in until 7:45ish, waking up right about the time Jason is leaving for work. And I've been taking a few naps a week. But, remarkably, since becoming vegetarian (this kind of unofficially started on Saturday...) and finding protein in other sources I am not as tired anymore! I know, it has only just begun. We'll see if I am still up at 5:45 in a month!

I am really amazed at all the foods that are high in protein. Yesterday I was pretty sure I had all my daily recommended protein in by lunch time. And I wasn't as hungry or wanting to snack either.

Thanks for staying with me on this journey! I will continue to update as time goes on!

My Attempt at Vegetarianism!

Hello again trusty blog. It has been a while since I have blogged! Honestly, it feels as if life has been stagnant and I have not been having any new revelations to blog about. But, I now have one, and it is a good reason to resurrect the dusty ole' blog! For lent I have decided to give vegetarianism a try; from there we will see if this becomes a permanent life choice.

This was not a decision that I made overnight. This was something that I had always wanted to do but never thought I could. As I have slowly cut meat out of my regular diet I finally feel like I am at a place to do this. I had never prepared much pork, as Jason doesn't like pork, so that was pretty much out of my diet. Over the last year I had given up red meat (except for the rare occasion when it sounded good to me, which didn't happen often). So, all that is left is chicken. I am by no means trying to make anyone feel guilty about eating meat, nor am I trying to persuade anyone to become a vegetarian with me. This blog is simply my journey of giving a new diet a try. (One that I am VERY excited about!)

The decision to do this became final when I had my last doctor's appointment this past Friday. I had been concerned about switching to a vegetarian diet in the middle of my pregnancy. My doctor assured me that as long as I get the recommended protein in a day there is nothing wrong with this. (Which made me realize I hadn't been getting the recommended amount of protein on a normal basis, so already this has caused me to reevaluate what I am eating.)

I plan on posting my progress on my blog, so stay tuned and see if I can successfully become a vegetarian!!!