Food Shopping - Vegetarian & Organicatarian Style

I went food shopping today, and shopping (when you're conscious of what you're eating) takes a lot longer these days. I spend most of my time in the produce isle. I bought about 80% organic fruits and vegetables. Some foods I wanted weren't available as organic, such as bananas, mushrooms, zucchini, and green beans. I was also surprised that I couldn't find any organic orange juice. I also always spend a lot of time in the bread isle. I have yet to find bread that is organic and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Today I got some organic Soft Wheat bread from Vermont Bread Company that was on sale for $3.00 each. I bought 2, and I plan on freezing one.

Today, I also bought some tofu, and veggie burgers for the first time ever!! I bought Nature's Promise Organic Firm Tofu, and MorningStar Grillers Original Veggie Burgers. I also got some portobello mushrooms that I'm looking forward to making (too bad they aren't organic)... I'm thinking some portobello burgers.

I'm wondering how to cook the tofu, so I will be looking up some recipes.

Threads for Thought

While I was in TJ Maxx today buying my sister a birthday present, I saw a Tee shirt for $7 from a company called Threads For Thought... can you guess why this caught my attention?? (Ehem, look at the name of my blog).

When I looked at the tag on the garment, I also saw that it was made from sustainable organic cotton, and a portion of their proceeds go to charity. Also, there was a statement saying that organic cotton was 90% less toxic than regular cotton... so that sparked my interest.

As usual, I checked out their website. Here is some of what their website says:

"Our foundation is the belief that we should be responsible world citizens and positive contributors to a sustainable future. We create clothing from sustainable materials, build factories that respect their employees, sell clothing that is affordable, and pursue quality above all else.

Style can't be traded for sustainability, nor can sustainability be traded for style. At Threads for Thought we know that neither is exclusive, and work to lead the world in both."

Their clothes from their website can be a bit pricey, but at stores like TJ Maxx they are a lot cheaper. I picked up a nice organic cotton shirt for $7.99. You all know that I fully support companies who stand for better business practices, in this case, the use of sustainable materials.

I've been a Vegetarian for 2 Weeks

Wow! 2 weeks have already gone by! Even though I've had some bad days, I feel so proud and accomplished.

Here are a few changes I've experienced within the past 2 weeks:

I felt very irritable towards the end of Week 1, and the beginning of Week 2. However, I'm not 100% certain it was indeed diet-related. It could have been just a couple of bad days, but my first thought was "meat withdrawal."

When I was pregnant with my daughter over 3 years ago, I experienced the opposite of the "pregnant glow." I had terrible red skin & acne and it never went away, until now! My skin has cleared up greatly, I'm so excited!

Overall, I just feel healthier, and my body feels lighter and "clean." I feel more confident because I know I'm eating healthy foods, and that just makes me feel good. As a bonus, I think I've lost about 5 pounds. I never weigh myself, but I have less chub in my belly, and my pants have gotten looser. Pre-baby weight, here I come!!

Indian Takeout

Tonight for dinner we ordered Indian food. I usually order the most delicious Chicken Tikka Masala, so I was stressed when it came time to order. What vegetarian meal could I get?

I ended up getting Vegetable Samosas, and a dish called Ragara, which are spiced potato patties with sweet curried chickpeas and yogurt sauce. WOW! It was awesome! I put the Ragara inside some Garlic Nan with Basmati Rice. I will definitely order this again.

Knowing that I can now order Indian food at one of my favorite restaurants and still have something wonderful to eat gives me great peace of mind. Next time I wont be so stressed out!

My Own Vegetable Garden!

A couple of weeks ago my husband gave me a book called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. The book teaches an easy method of vegetable gardening which uses raised gardening boxes. So, my hubs also built me a 4ft x 4ft gardening box, and today I started my garden.

I went and bought a bunch of herbs and vegetables to transplant into the garden. I bought some sweet basil, parsley, rosemary, arugula, bibb lettuce, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and red onions. I didn't get to plant them all today because it started to rain.

Nina helped me with my gardening today, and we had a great time. She helped carry the plants, and dug holes for me.

Encouragement

I want to thank all of you who read this blog, and for the admiration you've given me while on this endeavor. You have all given me the encouragement I need to help fight my cravings on those "bad days," and you are helping realize that I may be making some sort of difference (even if a very small one). I am helping you all to think further about the food that goes into your mouth, and that means a lot.

I also want to thank my husband, the "meatatarian" who has been so supportive and encouraging, (and who has liked some of my vegetarian meals better than I have).

Today I had a couple of get-togethers with friends so I ate a lot of food. I enjoyed some hummus and pita, cucumber salad, strawberries, cantaloupe, and a Niçoise Salad that I may for lunch. It was delicious! It was another Ellie Krieger recipe, and here it is if you would like to try it: Chopped Niçoise Salad

Tonight for dinner, I made another recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook. I made Gorgonzola Fettucini with Walnuts. It was pretty good, but it was very rich in flavor. A small amount filled me up. I filled up my plate but only ate about half of it. I think this would be served better as a side dish instead of a main course.

To make up for the meat I've been missing I think I will try to start using meat substitutes. For example, I'll try some tofu, veggie burgers, etc. For the time being, perhaps that will satiate my hunger for MEAT!

Today was a Bad Day

Last night I went out with some great friends and had a wonderful time sharing laughs and food. I had a delicious salad with cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese; zucchini sticks; and shrimp risotto... technically I guess I cheated. Vegetarians don't eat shrimp. It was only about 4 shrimp, but still, I ate them.

Tonight for dinner, I sautéed a vegetable medley of zucchini, eggplant, onions, garlic, spinach, and tomatoes. I served it on top of couscous and I sprinkled some feta cheese on top. It was OK. I REALLY missed meat today. I wished there were some chicken in this dish. I told my husband, "I don't know if I'll be able to do this vegetarian thing... people will be so disappointed in me." So I thought perhaps if anything, this whole thing would just be an experiment. If I can't cut it, I'm going to try to make it 30 days as a vegetarian and see where it goes from there.

Today I really felt like a drug addict. I know what it must feel like to really want something you shouldn't have. I feel disappointed in myself.

After 30 days, if I decide to eat meat again, I will only eat organic, free-range meat. And I won't be serving meat once a day like I used to, I will only eat it once in a while. My meals will not revolve around a meat dish, but will center around vegetables. After typing this paragraph I feel even more guilty. I'm writing compromises, as if I've already decided to give up.

I will try my best to be a vegetarian... and I have not given up yet.