Menus Menus

The first thing we always want to know is. . .WHAT SHOULD I EAT??? That is always the hardest thing to figure out. Especially if this kind of thing is a big departure from what you normally eat. The internet is a huge source of help in this area, and I suggest taking it one day at a time.

Start with something comfortable. Like changing breakfast. I gave you a few suggestions here. Some of my favorite places for looking for recipes of this sort are on Martha Stewart. Even just typing in Quinoa, or Black Beans on her website will open up a myriad of ideas, and they are usually things that you can make without too much fuss. I tried a new recipe this morning with some Quinoa I had left over in my fridge. It was awesome!

Once you find a blog you like, you can find other resources as well. I love Cafe Johnsonia, and Fresh Clean Start. She has links to blogs she likes, and you can hop around from there. Don't have time to blog hop? Buy a vegetarian cookbook! I recently purchased Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone that was recommended by my other cookbook that I get each month in the mail, Everyday Food (a Martha Stewart Publication) but you can just pick one up in the grocery store if you want. They usually have them in the check out aisle. I plan on making vegetarian cooking part of my families dinner repitoire as well.

If you really want an easy idea of how to get started, please read this post by Celia Fae. She gives a great outline of what the diet is and how to get started quickly. I actually kinda hate calling it a Diet, but for right now, I don't know what else to call it.

As I mentioned, right now, I am doing the "plan" (how about that?) for breakfast and lunch. And then I modify my families dinner to include more veggies, or a big salad.

For lunch today I had a "flat out" wrap (whole wheat with flax seeds) with Hummus on it, piled (and I mean PILED) with black beans, cucumber, red bell pepper, mushrooms, farro (a wheat alternative that I had cooked and put left overs in the refrigerator-looks kinda like rice) avocado, spinach, and salsa. I put a small dab of sour cream on it and ate it up! It was awesome! It just tasted like a big old veggie burrito.

Just think of making your favorite sandwich at subway without the meat. Give that a try for starters! If I am in a hurry, I do a salad (because I can throw one together pretty quick). Celia says she doesn't eat salad hardly at all because she feels like she is depriving herself, so, she has veggie chili on hand all the time. I am planning on making a red bean chili and adding some lentils to it to store in my fridge for next week. The options on that are endless. You can just heat it up and eat it, or you can put it on a wrap and eat it like a burrito or throw it on top of a salad, hot or cold.

When it comes right down to it. You have to start thinking outside of the box. Good luck! And if you try it, let me know! I would love to hear what you are making and what you like!

Update: Last night my husband and I went to our weekly dinner and a movie. We went to Outback where I did have a steak (see? I haven't gone completely vegetarian!) But I ordered veggies instead of the potato. My husband CANNOT go to a movie without popcorn, candy and sodas. I had him get me a small bag of my favs at Fuzzywigs, and I got the popcorn and sodas. I totally expected to lose it upon tasting the popcorn and wanting to eat the whole salty bag, and sucking down that soda like crazy. I had a handful, and nothing. . . I mean, I had another handful, but I didn't crave that salt like I normally do, and didn't even have to eat anymore. And I only drank 1/2 my soda. Another miracle. Seriously. I do think this kind of eating changes your cravings, and body composition so that you don't have those cravings as bad. Skeptical? Try it! So far, 7lbs lost.