A New Leaf

Well.. It's been a long time since I have had time to write anything. I almost considered just forgetting about this blog, but I changed my mind.

There has been a lot of changes in my life recently and it made our lives a little bit crazy for the last two months. I have started nursing school, we moved into an apartment and I also pretty much stopped eating meat altogether. Keeping up with all the crazy things they do to the animals and the meat was too much for me. I didn't want to be struggling to find meat at my standards or spend that much money so I just gave it up. Saves me a lot of money, hassle, time and stress. Also, Ryan and I have dropped a few pounds since I began this journey. (Ryan has not given up  meat, just eats a lot less since I am always the one that cooks.) I honestly don't really miss meat at all. There have been a few times when I see a hamburger and think, oh my that looks delicious, but I don't really have a desire to actually follow through and eat it.

Since this is a huge change for me it has taken some time to reconfigure the way I think about my meals, my nutrients and my cooking.  The number one biggest struggle has been making sure I get enough protein, as well as Ryan who needs almost twice as much as I do. When we first started I found that both him and I were experiencing protein deficiency symptoms. We felt weak and tired mostly. I started doing a lot of research on things I can eat that have a lot of protein, and how I can integrate that into my daily habits and cooking. I find myself having to integrate some form of protein into every meal to make sure I am getting enough. I try to daily eat items like greek yogurt, cheese, almonds, soy, quinoa, eggs, rice and beans or sprouted grains. I also occasionally eat seafood when we go out to eat or the budget has a little wiggle room.  The other issue I have encountered in this journey is that I am so focused on making sure I get enough protein that I forget about making sure the rest of my diet is balanced. Luckily my mother ingrained "fresh" food with every meal so I continue to include it. (fruits and veggies)

Overall I am loving it. I never thought taking meat out of my diet was something I would be able to do but it's been a pretty smooth and enjoyable transition! I also feel amazing. It has forced me to open my mind a little more about cooking and that has been really enjoyable. Ryan has been loving the meals, even the meatless "chicken" strips! haha

Here are a couple of our favorite recipes so far:

Just Spanish rice, black beans and vegetables.

Quinoa Chili by Damn Delicious - Freezable!

Chili Cheese Spagetti Squash by Kitchen Treaty

Butternut Squash Baked Risotto by Martha Stewart - Seriously YUM!!! Crowd pleaser!

Roasted Butternut Squash Enchilada Cassarole - Thanks Jenny for introducing us to this!

Tortellini with Lemon and Brussels Sprouts by Martha Stewart - EASY AND DELIC! (Last time we had this Ryan told me that brussels sprouts are now his favorite vegetable, and that he likes it even more than broccoli!)