Yesterday marked the day I could eat meat again.
It was quite fortuitous because I was a guest at a local school function including "Cook your own bbq dinner".
I had the chicken.
It was.... unexciting.
But thankfully only half the size of the steaks being offered from the led steer program.
Today I feel all kinds of awful, but I think that it is more to do with weeks of buzzing around catching up with me.
The truth is I'm just not excited about eating meat again. Maybe I just won't.
We'll see.
But I raised $100 from my friends and family for Save The Children Australia which is awesome. Together my work team has raised almost $1000 and they are starting a second month.
It was worth all the goofy jokes from WonderMan and co.
Now I need to go and make friends with some lentils.
Showing posts with label meat free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meat free. Show all posts
Friday, 16 November 2012
Thursday, 25 October 2012
10 days of meat-free and counting
Ten days ago I started on a month meat-free to raise money for Save The Children Australia.
I was a little scared, and kind of chose this option because I could still have hot chips while my boss (who is going junk food free) could not.
So how am I feeling after 10 days?
FANTASTIC!!
Choosing to spend an amount of time as a vegetarian has forced me to think just that little bit harder about what I put in my body.
It's taught me that food does not need meat to have flavour.
It's taught me that I can make kickass tabouleh.
I've suprised myself with how much I don't miss eating meat. At all.
(At the end of my month I might just not change back. And I don't think it would bother me too much, although I may be tempted by garlic prawns. Maybe.)
I've recently started using the SparkPeople app to keep track of my diet and exercise as well. This has been working really well for me, because I was worried that I might not get the right balance of proteins, carbs etc. Now I can see at a glance that I haven't had enough protein and grab a handful of almonds or whatever.
I've also started to bake healthier options. Using oil instead of butter in cakes and muffins. Using wholemeal flour if I can. I've even used chia seeds. That's right. WonderMan hadn't even heard of them until I gave him one of these muffins by Veggie Mama.
The one thing I do have to remind myself is to take my iron tablet EVERY MORNING with breakfast. Otherwise by 1pm I am a big puddle of wobbly jelly on the floor. I was already slightly low in iron, so this has now become essential.
And I have had my first run in with an unsupportive friend. Who insisted that being vegetarian was not a healthy option and that I would die of anaemia. But she could understand being a vegetarian if you were all hippy-la-la and couldn't stand killing animals. Because obviously that's going to make a difference when it comes to dying yourself. Yes indeed.
You should donate some coins to Save The Children. I promise not to die.
I was a little scared, and kind of chose this option because I could still have hot chips while my boss (who is going junk food free) could not.
So how am I feeling after 10 days?
FANTASTIC!!
Choosing to spend an amount of time as a vegetarian has forced me to think just that little bit harder about what I put in my body.
It's taught me that food does not need meat to have flavour.
It's taught me that I can make kickass tabouleh.
I've suprised myself with how much I don't miss eating meat. At all.
(At the end of my month I might just not change back. And I don't think it would bother me too much, although I may be tempted by garlic prawns. Maybe.)
I've recently started using the SparkPeople app to keep track of my diet and exercise as well. This has been working really well for me, because I was worried that I might not get the right balance of proteins, carbs etc. Now I can see at a glance that I haven't had enough protein and grab a handful of almonds or whatever.
I've also started to bake healthier options. Using oil instead of butter in cakes and muffins. Using wholemeal flour if I can. I've even used chia seeds. That's right. WonderMan hadn't even heard of them until I gave him one of these muffins by Veggie Mama.
The one thing I do have to remind myself is to take my iron tablet EVERY MORNING with breakfast. Otherwise by 1pm I am a big puddle of wobbly jelly on the floor. I was already slightly low in iron, so this has now become essential.
And I have had my first run in with an unsupportive friend. Who insisted that being vegetarian was not a healthy option and that I would die of anaemia. But she could understand being a vegetarian if you were all hippy-la-la and couldn't stand killing animals. Because obviously that's going to make a difference when it comes to dying yourself. Yes indeed.
You should donate some coins to Save The Children. I promise not to die.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
So everyone I know thinks I'm crazy...
I mean, clearly I am, but there's obviously a threshold where those that love me go from "Oh yes, she's slightly eccentric" to "What. The Hell?"
And always for things that seem to me quite unexciting. I have a very conventional family. Sometimes I am astounded just how conventional and mundane.
It's ridiculous really - we are a family that has accepted and supported "big" things like my unplanned, unmarried teenage pregnancy and subsequent single motherhood. I'm pretty much guaranteed to do absolutely everything in my life backwards to the norm, and everyone just nods their head and gets on with it.
But then I do something small, a lifestyle choice or a decision that affects no one but me, and they all freak out.
Like my latest choice - to go meat-free for a month.
When I told my mother I'm pretty sure she must have heard "going to drop nuclear bomb on local town".
A little support would have been nice. Or preferably just "oh that's nice" and completely ignoring it because it's not really something that requires fireworks.
People will accept so much craziness ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman") but have a heart attack because I decide I'm not going to eat Johnny Baa-Lamb for a little while. I am well aware their heads may explode if I decide to stick to it after my month is up.
I think we all know who is crazy here.
Luckily, I have great support at work. And that's because I am part of their Health Kick Team, and many others are going without wine, junk food, sugar or meat in order to help those that need it most.
I'm raising money for Save The Children. Their vision:
If going without some crispy bacon can help them achieve their goals, I'm there.
You can support me by donating some coins here.
I'm off to visit the lovely Veggie Mama, because I really don't want to starve to death before the month is out, that would be slightly inconvenient.
Oops... I forgot the IBOT thingy.... here you go! (Sorry Jess!)
And always for things that seem to me quite unexciting. I have a very conventional family. Sometimes I am astounded just how conventional and mundane.
It's ridiculous really - we are a family that has accepted and supported "big" things like my unplanned, unmarried teenage pregnancy and subsequent single motherhood. I'm pretty much guaranteed to do absolutely everything in my life backwards to the norm, and everyone just nods their head and gets on with it.
But then I do something small, a lifestyle choice or a decision that affects no one but me, and they all freak out.
Like my latest choice - to go meat-free for a month.
When I told my mother I'm pretty sure she must have heard "going to drop nuclear bomb on local town".
A little support would have been nice. Or preferably just "oh that's nice" and completely ignoring it because it's not really something that requires fireworks.
People will accept so much craziness ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman") but have a heart attack because I decide I'm not going to eat Johnny Baa-Lamb for a little while. I am well aware their heads may explode if I decide to stick to it after my month is up.
I think we all know who is crazy here.
Luckily, I have great support at work. And that's because I am part of their Health Kick Team, and many others are going without wine, junk food, sugar or meat in order to help those that need it most.
I'm raising money for Save The Children. Their vision:
~ a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation ~
If going without some crispy bacon can help them achieve their goals, I'm there.
You can support me by donating some coins here.
I'm off to visit the lovely Veggie Mama, because I really don't want to starve to death before the month is out, that would be slightly inconvenient.
Oops... I forgot the IBOT thingy.... here you go! (Sorry Jess!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)