On March 3, 2014 our first week of participating in
meatless Monday’s began. I almost forgot about it when I went to make
breakfast. I reached for the bacon and realized that it was Monday. Not that
having bacon is in my everyday routine I was just really in the mood for bacon.
After I had breakfast that included eggs, peppers, onions, cheese, and hot
sauce. I then realized that this would be a hard week for me to complete this
“challenge” due to it being ash Wednesday and the beginning of lent. Because of
this I will not be able to have meat 3 days this week. Which I realize is not
hard for some to do, but growing up in my house as a kid meat was on the table
just about every night of the week unless during lent.
For lunch I remembered that I could
not eat meat so I made myself something simple and quick, the classic peanut
butter and jelly sandwich. I actually enjoyed that sandwich so much I had to
make another. The only bad thing about the sandwiches was that they were not
very filling. I then had some hummus with peppers and wheat thin crackers. I did
not snack throughout the day except for one cliff bar.
I also kept dinner very simple; I
had raviolis with an alfredo sauce on top. And on the side I had a spinach
salad with almonds and cashews on it along with some strawberries. On the salad
I had a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For dessert I had the left over apple
crisp that we got on the field trip.
I thought that this was going to be
a hard assignment to not eat meat on one day of the week. I have learned so far
that it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I thought that overall the
first day went very well and I enjoyed the feeling I had from not eating
processed meat.
Bob
Hey Bob,
ReplyDeleteFrom reading your post, I noticed that we both felt the same way about not feeling completely full without eating meat for lunch. I also did the same thing on Monday morning when I was about to make breakfast and almost forgot that it was the first week of Meatless Monday too. I saw that you substituted sandwiches for meat for lunch and you had 2 because they weren't very filling. My lunch of pasta and a protein shake made me feel the same way. Although it wasn't that difficult to find a meat substitute for my lunch, I definitely agree with you and I was not full either. Like I mentioned in my own post, I'm used to having chicken with my pasta and I never realized what a difference the chicken made. Since its primarily protein because its frozen chicken that I cook on my Foreman grill, it keeps me full longer since protein takes longer to digest, making me feel full for longer and sustaining my appetite. I also had the urge to snack throughout the day between meals because my meatless meal did not keep me as full as I usually am. I think I'll have to buy some healthy snacks to eat when I get hungry between meals on next Monday. I like hummus for a snack too so I will probably get some carrots and celery to go with it so I am not just snacking on whatever is in reach.
-Tim
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying that I do not think I had as easy of a first experience with meatless Mondays as you did but I did have a few similar things happen to me. I too started my day off by opening my fridge and reaching right towards that bacon only to realize and remember that I had to put it back. Like you I regularly have eggs every morning and will often have bacon with my eggs throughout the week when I have enough time to prepare it.
You also mentioned that you grew up always having meat as a significant portion of your meals growing up and I too have had a similar experience. You could even say that I grew up in a typical “meat and potatoes” household. For lunch I needed something quick and on the go like you did so I grabbed a protein shake which is typical for me but I needed something with it so I threw together a bag of a mixture of nuts that I had in the house. One thing that I would do different in the future is to have some hummus in my fridge for a snack like you had because not only is hummus delicious but its really good for you and comes in all kinds of flavors so I want to be sure to not overlook that option next time.
I think the dinner you put together was perfect with the salad using spinach being a nice touch and adding some fruit in to mix up the flavor. This might be something that I will incorporate into my meals next week. Overall it sounds like you had a great meatless day and I want to use some of your ideas in the future.
-Brad