Meat, It's What's (Not) For Dinner

So I told you I would continue to post on my venture towards semi-vegetarianism. Starting in January I swore off red meat...now, it hasn't been difficult to not eat it. I didn't really eat a lot of burgers or steaks before...just every once in awhile. However, it is difficult to remember sometimes, since I have eaten red meat for my entire life. It just comes natural, to be at a restaurant and begin looking at all of the options (including the ones with red meat) and then think "Oh! Look away! Look away!" Haha...it's like re-teaching yourself where to look on the menu.

When Cody and I went to San Francisco for the day, on the way home I was like "Hey, let's get 'In N' Out!" (It's an awesome burger joint only in the west) and then 2 minutes later I thought "Wait, I don't eat burgers anymore! Nevermind!"

So, it's not really something I'd say that I miss, but I am constantly thinking about what I am going to eat whether at home or out. Which I think is a good thing...I have been eating a lot more fish/shrimp and salads and pastas. I actually have only eaten chicken once...and truthfully, it was because I wasn't really thinking about what I was ordering. Otherwise, I probably would have ordered my dish w/o chicken...no biggie.

I had my first veggie burger the other day...honestly, not too bad! It was loaded with some stuff ;) but still, it definitely doesn't taste near as "off" from a regular burger than I thought. And for some time now, I've been in love with these puppies:

Morning Star's Chik Patties (made out of vegetables)

But honestly, they taste delicious! So close to actual chicken! I haven't branched out yet to the other Morning Star options (sausage, bacon, etc.) but I plan on it...

The only other thing that I think is hard when becoming a vegetarian/semi-vegetarian is making others aware of it. We went to a dinner at a neighbor's house and I hadn't mentioned that I wasn't eating red meat anymore so I had to sneakily place my ham onto Cody's plate when the host wasn't looking! :o Ahh, I felt so bad...it's just something that I definitely need to be more vocal about if we are eating at someone's house. I think most people that I've told think I'm crazy for giving up meat...but I have my reasons and it's going well. So, here's to a healthier me! :)