Ally
For this Meatless Monday, the main
meal that was affected was my dinner. I did not eat breakfast, because I had to
be at my internship at 6 AM and it’s tough for me to have an appetite that
early in the morning. However, I did eat a Clif Bar around 10:30 AM. For a
small lunch I ate carrots and roasted red pepper hummus, a mug of green tea,
and two whole-wheat rice cakes with organic peanut butter. After a busy day of interning, I had a snack
when I got home – a slice of multigrain bread from Trader Joes and a few slices
of fresh mozzarella (cheese is my weakness).
Finally,
for dinner I made baked bell peppers stuffed with quinoa, tomato sauce, black
beans, garlic, onion, corn, peas, celery, carrots, and various spices, topped
off with melted cheese. As far as a resource, I found the recipe on an online
blog via Pinterest and chose it because it’s something that I haven’t made
before as a practicing vegetarian. I typically don’t like peppers all that
much, but I want to add more color to my diet and the vibrant colors of fresh
peppers are a great option. The beans and quinoa added a great source of
protein as well.
I
chose to purchase all organic produce as well as organic cheese, so I did spend
a good amount of money. However, I tend to buy a lot of organic food to begin
with since something that my boyfriend and I like to do. We always cook
together, so I didn’t notice the price difference very much. Since we so often
cook together and most of the people I interact with are aware that I am
vegetarian, the way I ate today did not affect those around me. I would think
that if I ate out more often with friends or if I weren’t already a vegetarian,
it would definitely be more noticeable for those around me.
Overall,
my week isn’t really affected by Meatless Monday because I am already
vegetarian. However, I aim to use this activity to expand on my current eating
habits. I also took note of the waste I produced while eating my meals and
snacks today. I want to try to use less of my trusty plastic sandwich baggies
when bringing snacks to my internship with me. As far as food waste from dinner,
I saved everything that was uneaten to use for lunch tomorrow – which I will
bring to work in a reusable bin so as to reduce my plastic use! Waste from
chopping garlic and onions was put through my garbage disposal.
Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love Trader Joes! It’s such a great store to buy abnormal foods from, yet, they are so delicious and healthy for you. I’m not a big eater when I have to wake up either, for some reason it disturbs my appetite if I eat a heavy meal. I completely understand it’s hard to prepare big meals during the afternoon especially when you have something important like your internship. Bringing Clif bars, protein bars, or any sort of that matter in my opinion is a great idea since you’re still obtaining significant nutrients like calcium and protein.
Whatever you made for dinner sounds extremely phenomenal and I might have to steal the recipe… I absolutely LOVE peppers (I eat them like apples). Also, you did a great job incorporating various spices and ingredients inside the baked bell pepper. You really made the meal sound exciting to taste!
I respect the fact that you’re currently practicing vegetarian ways when you eat. Not many people can thoroughly keep to their word when they said they want to go vegetarian (also considering how hard it is), so props to you. Since this day didn’t really affect you as much, it was awesome to see that you’re concentrating on your other eating habits such as reducing waste. I know for a fact that I use a lot of plastic “to go” items since I always bring my food with me wherever I go – so I should be conscientious as well. For the garbage disposals, I think are the most convenient things when it comes to waste disposal, they work like magic! Good job.
See you tomorrow!
Kara
Ally,
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you make the dedication to eat healthy and vegetarian by bringing your meals to your internship. It is very thoughtful that you are challenging yourself to reduce waste with your plastic bags. Your snacks sounded very good. I love green tea as well as organic peanut butter. My boyfriend and I like to purchase organic foods together as well. We made the effort to do more of it this week and it feels very rewarding. I can also understand why you do it because it reduces the cost when you split it. It's always nice to have someone else to cook with. It makes the task much easier and less time consuming. I love Pinterest for recipes too! It gives great new ideas and opinions of what works. Your dinner sounded very good and I love that you incorporated so many ingredients. It is great that you tried peppers even though you don't care for them much. They aren't usually something I use as well and I tried them this week. You also had great use of proteins. It sounds like you are challenging yourself even though vegetarian is already your diet of choice. Your innovative thinking to use reusable containers is a good idea as well. Iv'e been trying to use tupperware more even though it requires a lot more dishes. It saves money on buying the plastic bags as well. It sounds like you are still coming up with creative meals for your diet. Good job.
Sophie