I'm starting a new adventure and ending another. I just finished one month of going Vegetarian (again) and I'm shifting gears and going back on the meat band wagon. It was fun, it made me appreciate the discipline that die-hard Vegetarians and Vegans do and expanded my options for meat-less meals, even more than last time. I'm sticking to seafood, poultry and limiting my intake of pork and beef products. But, I still failed short of my long term goal of cutting out as much processed foods as I could. No one tells beginning Vegetarians (or second time around one's like me) that any convenience food for someone on a plant based diet is as just as processed as regular foods with meat in them. I have a ton of appreciation for those who continue this lifestyle, but for someone who loves to cook as much as I do, the whole month I was miserable thinking that a lot of my favorite foods were "off-limits". No more Beef Wellington and roasted Brussels Sprouts for special occasions, a nice piece of grilled chicken topped with a fresh avocado salsa, Honey glazed Salmon with wild rice and steamed veggies. You get the picture. As good as I felt, I was slightly unhappy meat-free. Maybe my body needed to be reset and enjoy a hiatus from meat, but I'm still going to incorporate Meat-less Mondays into our menu.On a brighter note, today I will be begin my Couch to 5K challenge. I'm excited and ready to start this evening as soon as the temperature drops below 90*. I'll track my progress and hopefully will be running 5k (approx. 3 miles) without difficultly by mid-June.
