Day 40 Or... The End?

I did it!

I've reached the end. And I suppose, in some way, if you're reading this you've reached it too.

I survived a vegetarian diet for 40 days and believe it or not, for the most part, I actually enjoyed it. I think it's been an excellent experience. You should really try it.

A few questions have been posed again and again to me, so I'd like to close this project by answering five of them.

• Did you crave meat?
  

What a silly question. I absolutely craved meat, especially during those first few days... perhaps the same way your houseplants crave water, love, and sunshine. Lately though, I've really grown accustomed to not eating meat. Occasionally, during the project I would see a commercial for a big juicy cheeseburger and I would yell at the TV, "I want that!" However, I've really enjoyed the variety of foods this project has forced me to eat. I actually crave fruits and veggies now. And, the sight of raw meat sometimes grosses me out. Weird.

I haven't consumed anything that was bloody or that contained bones in 40 days. And that feels good. I think avoiding meat has helped me see why some people think eating animal flesh is gross. When you stop handling and cooking raw meat, you start realizing how much you don't miss seeing it or touching it.

• Have you noticed any health benefits?

Because of my vegetarian diet, I feel more energetic. It sounds a bit cliche but it's true. This semester has been exhausting to say the least, but I really think this diet has helped my energy levels.

When it comes to weight loss you may remember (from day one's post) that people who switch to a vegetarian diet lose an average of 24 pounds in the first year and they usually keep it off. I've certainly not been a vegetarian for 365 days, but I compared my starting weight to my ending weight. I've lost five pounds in the past 40 days. That means I won't get the title of "the Biggest Loser" and you won't see me hawking low-fat Morning Star products on television. But, it's a nice start to my weight loss goal and certainly an added benefit to this process.

• Was it hard?

I'd be lying if I said it was easy. Yet, one of the main reasons why I started this project was to just see if I could do it. While it wasn't the equivalent of running a 5K each day, it did seem fairly impossible to me before I started. I went from eating giant portions of meat during each dinner to none at all.

Did everything taste good? No. (See the entry on tofu, for example.) Did I enjoy some new things? Yes. I even ate a lot of things that I wouldn't have tried before, some of which I truly enjoyed, like meatless meatloaf. But, I need to emphasize that if it wasn't for my wonderful family, kind friends, and supportive readers, it would have been much harder, that's for sure. And now, I'm sure I could go other 40 days with very few complaints.

• What has it been like writing about your experiment every day?

It's been a roller-coaster in some ways. I came to the realization recently that to call myself a writer, I must... write. It's not exactly a difficult concept to grasp, but admittedly I had fell out of the habit of writing on a daily basis. That's a hard thing for a journalism instructor to admit, but it's true. This experiment provided me with a topic, a basic structure to follow, and even an audience.

Using a blog also really enhanced the accountability of this project. Yes, it forced me to write everyday because a small but devoted audience apparently enjoyed reading about my experiences. But, it also helped hold me accountable to the biggest rule of this experiment: don't eat meat. The times that I was most tempted to eat meat, or even a marshmallow, I pictured myself in front of the computer typing "I ate meat today." Then, I pictured, almost instantly, an angry and disappointed (but mostly angry) mob forming at my door with torches and pitchforks yelling, "What happened?! You let us down!" (This is how my mind words sometimes.)

Therefore, I'd strongly suggest if you have a goal that you'd like to achieve, start a blog about it. Tell people about it. Get them hooked. If your experience is anything like mine, that audience's expectation will be a huge driving force to help you step toward your goals.

Some nights, I would happily write hundreds of words about the day and about what I ate, about what I liked and didn't like. Other nights, when I was juggling lots of responsibilities and lecture prep, I wanted to forget the blog altogether... or I wanted to type, "I didn't eat meat again today. Big surprise." Some posts were much better than others. But I was able to write something every day, which has had its benefits.

I should probably also mention that, apparently, a few people really enjoy knowing what I each for each meal. Awkward, isn't it? That proves, if nothing else, that some people will read anything!

• What now? Or... are you going to eat meat? Or... are you going to stay a vegetarian?
  

I do plan to eat meat, but not on a regular basis. I plan to be a flexitarian, a person that focuses on a vegetarian diet but occasionally enjoys consuming some meat. It's worth noting that flexitarian was voted by the American Dialect Society as the most useful word of 2003, because of its popularity. There are too many benefits for me to go back to eating meat on a daily basis, so I plan to find myself eating almost exclusively meatless meals.

At this point, for example, I'm certainly not ready to cook raw meat at the apartment any time soon. But, during social gatherings and family get-togethers and such, I think I'll occasionally have some chicken, fish, pork or beef on my plate. I refuse to be the guy who gives ridiculous vegetarian commands to waiters or to be the party guest who says, "what are you serving that I, the vegetarian can eat?" So, indeed I'm going to eat meat; maybe even as soon as tomorrow. I'll just eat it very rarely and go from there.

Who knows what will happen? Maybe I'll end up returning to strict vegetarianism very quickly. By tasting meat again, I'll find out how much I missed it or how much I can continue to happily live without it.

- What did I eat on Day 40? Breakfast. This morning I had a banana. I opened it upside down and was again amazed at its biodegradable wrapper.

Lunch. For lunch, I finished my box of Mom's Best Naturals: Toasted Cinnamon Squares. I actually saw Mom's Best featured on a new episode of Food Network's "Unwrapped" last week. Neat.

Dinner. Today, to meet this project's promise of 20 new recipes, I made new recipe #20: Grilled Portabello and Brie Sandwiches. This was very heavily inspired by one of the recipes listed at the Newman's Own website.

While I'm not sure that I had tried portabellos or brie cheese before this recipe, I may try them again soon. The results were actually pretty good. Here's the simple recipe...

Ingredients:

• 4 portobello mushrooms, sliced into strips
• loaf of focaccia bread, thickly sliced
• slices of brie cheese
• Pasta sauce w/ garlic like Newman's Own® Tomato & Roasted Garlic or Classico Roasted Garlic Sauce
  
• fresh basil leaves

Directions:

• Clean and grill the portobellos.
  
• Toast thick french bread slices. Spread pasta sauce on toast.
  
• Add slices of brie and the grilled portobellos.
  
• Top with basil and enjoy! Good stuff.
  

Thanks again for reading and for following me on this journey! 40 days down. None to go. I've finished the Go Veg Project!

Day 39 Or... A Fad?

Is vegetarianism just a fad?

For me, maybe it is. I'll have to wait and see. I am really enjoying this new "lifestyle" but tomorrow is the last day of the Go Veg Project. At this point I plan to eat many, many more meatless meals after the project is over, choosing primarily vegetarian meals. But, I don't know if I'll ever return to full-time, non-stop vegetarianism. Then again, I can't emphasize enough how much I've enjoyed this new diet.

I've recently read several estimates that claim that there are more than 12 million people in the United States who consider themselves vegetarian. I very much understand why so many choose this diet: for health reasons, ethics reasons, etc.

For moment, consider how a widespread vegetarian diet could combat world hunger. Over a billion people could be fed with the food eaten by U.S. livestock. For example, 80% of U.S. corn and 95% of U.S. oats are eaten by livestock. If more people made a serious attempt to cut down on meat, those grains could be used to feed people. Instead, an astonishing amount of grain is used to feed animals that are, in turn, slaughtered only to feed people. So, maybe one vegetarian could really be making the world a better place. It's a little idealistic sure, but it's worth thinking about.

However, it does seem clear to me that vegetarianism, while growing in popularity, is in no way a fad. It's just a good choice to make, if you're crazy enough to try it.

- What did I eat on Day 39?

Breakfast. A banana. The kiddo's favorite fruit.

Lunch. In between my classes, I had a peanut butter and honey sandwich with Doritos.

Dinner. For dinner we tried Amy's Kitchen brand burritos and enchiladas. According to their website, their company is "deeply committed to producing and selling great tasting vegetarian food." While I really appreciate their commitment level and their meatless focus, the food was just okay.

I also made new recipe #19: Newman's Own Bandito Broccoli. It looked great, smelled great, and tasted just plain strange. Oh well. It was worth a shot.

39 days down. One to go.

Day 38 Or... No Meat on Super Bowl Sunday

I've read varying estimates, but the general consensus is that Americans spend tens of millions of dollars on food during Super Bowl Sunday.

What you may not think about is that with the exception of wings and a few pizza toppings, most of that food is vegetarian. Weird huh?

For me, obviously, all of it was vegetarian. The Go Veg Project continues with great success...


- What did I eat on Day 38?

Breakfast. Mmmm... donut.

Lunch. After church today, we had our usual monthly fellowship meal. This month's theme was Italian so I figured it was pretty safe for my diet. [If you're a regular reader, you know that I've consumed a ridiculous amount of pasta during this experiment.] Then again, at the same time, I was a little paranoid.

I thought, "What if there aren't any vegetarian dishes? Or what if there are a couple but they're all gone by the time we get to the plates? I don't think I can eat just plain noodles without sauce."

Carolyn scanned all the different entrees for me and came across both cheese ravioli and cheese tortellini. She was assured that there was no meat involved in either dish, not even in the sauces. There was also a giant pot of steamed carrots, cauliflower and zucchini. And much to my delight, there was plenty life by the time I filled my plate. Delicious.

Dinner. Tonight, we had a little Super Bowl get together with our friends, the Kells. They made wonderful vegetarian-friendly personal pizzas from scratch for everyone. I even got to try vegetarian bacon and vegetarian pepperoni, both of which were pretty good. It was also good fun to hear their kids say things like "Why do they all pile up on each other?" and "Why did he fall down?" while watching the football game.

For our dessert I made new recipe #18: Bananas Foster Upside Down Cake. If you've ever had bananas foster, imagine it served over a tasty coffee cake and that's pretty close to the end result. I'll post the recipe if a reader asks nicely.

For now, I've got lots of grading to do before the morning comes.

38 days down. Only 2 days to go!

Day 37 Or... Keep On Cookin'

Perseverance.
It's not easy to persevere sometimes, particularly when it comes to preparing a new recipe. Luckily, I had been meaning to make a specific vegetarian dinner for days so it was easy to keep on cooking, despite some setbacks.

Tonight, from the "Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Favorites" cookbook, I made new recipe #16: Potato Cakes (baked, not fried) which was topped with new recipe #17: Mango Peach Chutney. Again, I can post the recipes if you'd like... but you'll have to ask.

It seemed like one thing went wrong after another.

I realized I forgot to buy the dill and parsley for the baked potato cakes, so I had to substitute other spices.

I added the sliced peaches to the saucepan (for the chutney) before I realized they should have been coarsely chopped.

When boiling the potatoes (before breading and baking them) I apparently didn't add enough water, which practically ruined the bottom of the pot I was using. I've boiled potatoes, pasta, etc., countless times and I've never done such a thing before. If you want to buy me a new large saucepan, let me know.

And despite following the recipe as closely as possible, the potato cakes weren't browned when they should have been. Was it the breading, the oil, or my choice to make 10 potato cake "patties" when the recipe claimed it made 14?

Yet somehow, eventually, we got to sit down and eat dinner. Sadly, it didn't live up to the hype that I had created for it in my head.

It wasn't bad but I'm not sure I'll make it again, at least not the chutney. The mix of peaches, mango, onions, brown sugar, vinegar, apple juice, and various spices just was a little too much of an odd-tasting concoction to me, especially with potatoes.

But, I did get to use a new spice, cardamom, for the first time!


- What did I eat on Day 37?

Breakfast. Cold pizza.

Lunch. Reheated pizza.

Dinner. As I've already said, potato cakes topped with mango peach chutney.

37 days down. 3 to go!

Day 36 Or... The Best Laid Plans...

I had every intention of cooking baked potato cakes with mango-peach chutney today.

The Caribbean stew was such a success that I was excited about using the Moosewood cookbook again. Would it again be the blueprint for a yummy meal? When I woke up, I had every intention of cooking not one but two new recipes when I got home from work. However, today was again one of those days that left me feeling absolutely exhausted.

Teaching classes + office hours + an unexpected mini-crisis or two + a late afternoon committee meeting + Friday = zero ambition to cook a meal from scratch when I got home... no matter how good the recipe might be.

So, what's a vegetarian guy to do when he wants to come home and crash? What do you eat on the quick? Well, Isaiah made that simple. After throwing the idea of pizza out there as an option, he proceeded to yell, "Zza! Zza!" until the three of us finally returned from Little Casears with the cheese "zza" in hand. The "hot and ready" pizza certainly wasn't ready, not even close, but I was thankful for it anyway, despite the wait.

Still, at times like tonight, I wish there were more easy vegetarian options in restaurants in the small town of Williamsburg. Even I can get tired of pizza. Maybe I can swing a trip to the Sunspot in Knoxville in the next few days for some awesome vegetarian dining. That would be a nice change of pace...

I'll get to the potato cakes and chutney hopefully sometime before the weekend is through.

- What did I eat on Day 36?

Breakfast. I scarfed down half an apple. Delicious.

Lunch. For lunch Carolyn and I enjoyed the tasty simplicity that is leftover Rotel dip.

Dinner. Little Casesars cheese pizza. Did it taste fantastic? No. Did it add any variety to my diet? No. Was it convenient? Absolutely.

Day 35 Or... I Can Count Them on One Hand.

I remember when 40 days seemed like a very long time to go without meat.

For a very brief moment in time, I confess, I thought it might be too much. Now obviously, it doesn't seem like too much. In fact, I can count days I have left with one hand.

- What did I eat on Day 35?

Breakfast. Oops again.

Lunch. I enjoyed some Lean Cuisine vegetable egg rolls with rice. The meal actually took over 15 minutes to microwave, but it was worth it. Mmmm....

Dinner. After a stressful day, we went with Rotel dip with chips for our evening meal. Then later, I had some celery with peanut butter.

Tomorrow, baked potato cakes with mango-peach chutney!

35 days down. 5 to go.

Day 34 Or... Thankful

As I being the final week of this experiment, I just want to go ahead and say a quick thanks.

Thanks for reading this blog. I recognize that most of my readers are friends, family members, and my students, but also there are actually a few strangers that have stumbled their way here. Wherever you fit along that spectrum, thanks for taking the time to follow me on this journey and for being so supportive thus far.

And speaking of thanks... Thanks to another good friend and faithful reader, we were loaned a copy of "Moosewood Restaurant: Low Fat Favorites." The Moosewood Collective has authored some of the most successful vegetarian cookbooks in history. Moosewood is also an award-winning restaurant in New York state that was called "one of the thirteen most influential restaurants of the 20th century" by none other than "Bon Appetit" magazine.

A quick look through the cookbook has revealed lots of recipes that I want to try. I didn't even know where to start first. I decided that tonight I should make either Caribbean Stew or Bakes Potato Cakes with Mango-Peach Chutney. But, I couldn't decide between the two of them. So, I let my Facebook friends vote and after about 10 votes came in, the consensus was to try the Caribbean stew... new recipe #15. You can find the recipe in the cookbook I mentioned earlier. [If you'd like for me to write out the entire recipe, I can later, just leave me a comment.]

The recipe was a wonderful mix of some admittedly unusual ingredients: Sweet potatoes, chopped onions, allspice, thyme, tomatoes, lemon juice, chiles, cilantro, kale, and zucchini. The recipe claimed that it would "fill the kitchen with a heady, tropical aroma" and that was certainly true for me.

Something about a simple mix of the onions, the thyme, and the allspice really embodied the stereotypical scents of Caribbean cuisine.

I hadn't had kale before and, while it was certainly my least favorite part of this dish, it did help to hold everything else together.

Each bite was something a little different. You'd get a bite that had some spicy heat, a bite that was quite sweet, a bite with semi-crunchy zucchini and kale, a bite of soft sweet potatoes, etc.


In fact, I'm not sure my words, especially my words written this late at night, can do it justice.


- What did I eat on Day 34?

Breakfast. Now that I think about it, I rushed out the door without eating breakfast. Shame.
Lunch. Carolyn and I ate the rest of the leftover pasta.
Dinner. We thoroughly enjoyed the Caribbean stew. I'm actually even looking forward to the leftovers. By far, it's been one of the best things I've consumed during the past 34 days!

34 days down. 6 days to go!