Sayonara Sweet and Sour Chicken

So tonight was supposed to be Au Revoir Pork Chops, but we weren't in the mood for pork tonight (how ironic)... so we said Sayonara to Sweet and Sour Chicken instead.

This is a recipe that I created myself and was very proud to make... I will miss making it and eating it. I saute garlic, onions, red peppers, chicken, and then add orange juice and another secret ingredient. I served it over brown rice. It came out really good tonight so it was easier to eat and enjoy than the cheeseburger & tacos. But alas, Sayonara!

Earlier today I went to the bookstore and bought a vegetarian cookbook to start giving me ideas for next week. I was in the vegetarian section for a long time... Nina was laying on the floor with some kid's books entertaining herself while I tried picking a book out. I ended up picking Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian.

I chose this cookbook because #1 it had pictures in it... I need my cookbooks to have pictures in it so I know how the food is supposed to look. #2, it was a large book with lots of recipes, including crock-pot recipes. And #3 because the recipes seem to be "easy." These days, I don't have time to be in the kitchen for hours.

So, I will try some recipes and let you know how they are.

Tomorrow, will be Ciao Lasagna... it will be a sad goodbye.

Adios Chicken Tacos!

So today I started off with a glass of Orange Juice, and had some danish while Nina and I were at a playdate at a friend's house. For lunch I had a leftover slice of pizza. For dinner, I said Adios to one of my favorite meals... Chicken Tacos.

While I cooked the chicken I felt really terrible and I pictured a chicken with it's beak cut off, pooping on itself, squished in a cage. Not very appetizing.

I served the chicken on a whole wheat burrito with brown rice, black beans, fresh made guacamole, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Similarly to the cheeseburger I had last night, I tried to enjoy the taco 100%... but I couldn't. Whatever enjoyment I did have was mostly because of the guacamole... which, FYI is one of my favorite things to eat in the world!! I "heart" Guacamole!!! And I especially "heart" Cilantro!!!!

At the dinner table, the hubby and I talked further about my venture because I wanted to make sure he would be OK with it all. He told me that he definitely won't become a vegetarian... "I'm a Meatatarian!" he said, and he also requested that I won't nag him. Deal. All in all, he does understand why I'm making the switch, he'll let me try it and support me. However, he did seem shocked when I told him I wouldn't be cooking meat anymore... "Wait, what!?" He's very mournful that I won't be cooking my delicious recipes anymore... Ciao Lasagna night will be very hard for him.

Nina however, will be fine with it all I think. She didn't even eat the chicken on her plate... instead she ate all of her beans, rice, and had 3rd's of guacamole... a girl after my own heart!! From the time when Nina was 6 months old & started eating solid foods, my husband & I always joked that she was a vegetarian because she would only eat fruits & veg and never liked to eat meat. I now joke that she knew what was good for her, and was smarter than the both of us! I should of listened to her a long time ago, too bad she couldn't talk back then.

By the way, I would really love this:

Goodbye Burgers!

OK, so tonight was Goodbye Burgers night.

When I took the ground beef package out of the fridge it was leaking with blood... not a good start. I immediately began thinking of a cow bleeding to death. And I was perturbed that I would be eating a cheeseburger for dinner. But I hunkered down and was determined that this would be my last burger! I felt as if it were a mission, like I had to eat this burger with the thought of a bleeding cow going through my mind in order to permanently deter me from ever wanting a cheeseburger again. So I dug my hands into the beef and formed the patties, and put it into the pan.



My thoughts then turned into a cow burning. Ugh! C'mon!

But in the end, I served the Cheeseburgers with steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes. My hubby wasn't home tonight to have his last burger at home. But Nina enjoyed hers.


As for me, I didn't enjoy my cheeseburger like I once had. I tried to not think about the new knowledge of toxins, hormones, antibiotics, and decaying carcass... but I couldn't. I did eat it, and tried faking myself into enjoying it... but it's just not the same.

A Meat Addict's Journey to a Better Body & a Better World

Today will be the first day of my new life (sort of), I feel completely refreshed and awakened, my eyes have been opened... I'm motivated to get things started! I will attempt becoming a VEGETARIAN! Last night I read the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin... what a life-changer!

This will sound crazy: but about two years ago I had a strange moment of clarity where I was enlightened by some unknown higher intelligence. Something told me that my life needed changing, and one of the changes that it needed was my diet. Since that experience, I've been dabbling with the thought of changing my diet and eventually trying to become a vegetarian... but I never thought I would be able to do it. So, I started small by switching to whole-grain breads, and I stopped (to the best of my ability) purchasing processed foods (cookies & donuts are my weakness). I found myself checking product ingredients, shopping the perimeter of the supermarket only, and spending most of my time in the produce isle. I told my husband how I planned to changed the way we eat in our house... he laughed at me, but was supportive.

So today, after reading Skinny Bitch I will be taking a more proactive approach. I might even dabble in being Vegan.. gasp!

This past Saturday I just did a large food shopping where I bought probably about 8 pounds of various meats (Ground beef, Chicken cutlets, pork chops, Ground beef, London Broil, and some cold cuts), and 2 gallons of Milk! The thought of the decaying carcasses in my refrigerator are now disgusting me, as well as the hormone & toxin-laden milk. But being that I grew up poor, I could not possibly waste all of this food. So, this will be my last week as a meat eater!

Here is my plan:

Throughout the week we will eat all of the foods that I have to rid the fridge and pantry of. Savoring the last bites, and trying to enjoy the tastes that I've loved for the past 29 years.

Monday: This morning for breakfast, I ate a bowl of the new Chocolate Cheerios with milk... I savored it, and prepared saying goodbye to the milk (I have 2 gallons of it!). For lunch I had a sandwich with ham, salami, and swiss cheese with Mayonnaise... then I said goodbye to it. And for dinner tonight I will say goodbye to Burgers! Goodbye Burgers!!! I know I will crave you, but I must remind myself how toxic you really are and what an animal must've endured to produce you... GOODBYE!

For the rest of the week I will continue to rid my fridge & pantry. Meat dinners will be the hardest to say goodbye to.

Tuesday night I will say goodbye to Chicken Tacos! Adios Chicken Tacos!

Wednesday, I will say goodbye to Pork Chops (with carmelized onions, yum)! Au Revoir Pork Chops!!

Thursday, say Ciao Lasagna!

Friday, Sayonara Sweet & Sour Chicken!

Saturday, the grand finale... Farewell London Broil cooked medium, with Roasted Red Peppers over fresh Spinach salad... I think I will miss you most of all!!! Your juicy deliciousness & mouthwatering yumminess will be savored... but I will have to remind myself of the cow who suffered (after I'm finished eating you this one last time!!)

I will begin my journey saying goodbye to meat & milk... and will eventually work on the cheese, and eggs.