Going Vegetarian for 40 Days and 40 Nights

I consider myself a mostly healthy eater, but one thing I probably eat more than I should of is meat. All kind of meat: beef, pork, chicken nuggets, fish and shellfish, I love it all.

^ Anthony and I, preparing pork loin and turkey for our 2009 Thanksgviving dinner party. ^

I've definitely gotten better about my meat consumption in the past few years: Growing up in my house, my mom cooked Pennsylvania Dutch food. We rarely ate a lunch or dinner without chicken, turkey, pork, or beef, with the exception of the occasional pizza dinner or PB&J bagged lunch. We never ate fish in my family, either, which limited our options, as well. So for a long time, I was a strong believer in the idea that a meal just isn't a meal without meat.

But the last several years of working at health publications (and living in uber-progressive Brooklyn) have been full of constant reminders about how meat -- and animal products in general -- are best eaten in moderation, at the very most.

Now I'd say only about half of my lunches and dinners contain meat. And while I tend to choose lean poultry and pork over red meat, I still know that I could afford to eat a little less animal product -- not just for my own health, but for the heath of the planet.

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I were discussing vegetarianism, and he surprised me by suggesting that we go veggie for Lent. Neither of us are Catholic and so we don't observe the "no meat on Fridays" rule, but I do usually try (usually unsuccessfully) to give up something from Ash Wednesday to Easter -- chocolate, beer, etc. -- more as a test of willpower than anything else.

Giving up meat (and fish!) seems a bit more daunting, though, as it's become such an ingrained part of my (almost) everyday life. But if Anthony's willing to do it -- a guy whose idea of a good Friday night almost always involves a big juicy steak -- I suppose I can do it, too.

As the main cook in our apartment (he's pictured at left with a scallop-and-pasta dinner he recently whipped together), he's interested in doing it more as a challenge to learn how to make new foods, while I'm interested in it more from a health and societal standpoint.

So this week on Fat Tuesday, Anthony and I are heading to the local barbecue joint and treating ourselves to a meat-filled feast. Then on Wednesday, we'll start our 40 days of vegetarianism.

Our goals are to experiment with new ways to cook with healthy, plant-based foods; to not resort to pizza or pasta or buttery grilled cheese whenever we get lazy; and to pay attention to how our bodies feel during this time. I can't imagine that I won't be craving a burger or a turkey sandwich at the end of our 40-day experiment, but maybe I won't feel like I need one just as badly as I sometimes do now.

Has anyone else recently converted to vegetarianism, or given up meat for a period of time? Anyone want to take the plunge along with us this week? I've got some recipes to get me started, but I'd love whatever tips anyone in the community might have. Thanks, and wish us luck!

Tags: cooking, goals, lent, vegetables, vegetarian

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Comment by Whole Living on March 15, 2010 at 12:54pm: Wendy, Melissa and Laurie, thank you so much for your recipes and menu suggestions! Wendy, I tried a variation of your dish -- used whole-wheat penne as the pasta -- and it was delicious!! And so very filling :) I am tempted to try tempeh bacon, even though I generally do not like meat substitute things. But bacon at brunch is what I miss the most, I think!

Comment by wendy dagostino on February 21, 2010 at 9:03pm: sounds delicous

Comment by Laurie on February 21, 2010 at 5:57pm: Here's an example of our Sunday afternoon vegetarian lunch:

Homemade whole wheat bread with tempeh "bacon", avo, pickles, lettuce, jarlsberg "lite" cheese, lentil salad with sun dried toms, carrots, parsely, chopped kale, olives and fat free feta, and a spinach salad with pomegranate seeds and sliced almonds with a udo's oil, spicy mustard, and lemon juice dressing.

Very yummy, plenty of good carbs, plenty of protein, good fats, etc. And delicious.

Comment by wendy dagostino on February 21, 2010 at 2:55pm: Amanda, Have a wonderful, recipe; 1 can chick peas, 1small zuchini(sliced), 1 smallyellow squash (sliced), 4oz fresh snap peas, 1/2med bell pepper (sliced), 1small bunch of asparagus(trimmed and cut 2'peices), 4cloves garlic(chopped),4ozsliced mushrooms, 1small onion sliced, 8oz baby spinach, 1-15oz can of vegetarian broth, salt, pepper, redpepperflakes, 12 oz cooked tagletelli or parpadalle(whole wheat if you can find it)
Saute garlic in olive oil with the redpepperflakes, add all veggies(except spinach) and saute until aldente, add broth and season(you can thicken sauce with a little brown rice flour), toss with pasta and mix in the spinach. If you must, some fresh grating cheese, romano or parmesean. My husband and I love this recipe, its pretty to look at and is a wonderful dish to entertain with. Serves 4-6. Let me know what you think?

Comment by Caitlin Losey on February 19, 2010 at 10:33am: I could definitely give up meat for 40 days, but it would be more sub-conscious than anything. I have the opposite problem of my co-worker Amanda here. I don't get enough protein, I love meat (fish...not so much), but I often find myself opting to prepare a quick angel hair dish instead of defrosting some chicken, pork, etc. and cooking up a real meal when I finally get home at 8:30 or 9 at night.

Comment by Laurie on February 19, 2010 at 10:04am: I have been a long time fan of the Vegetarian TImes magazine. There was a time when I had to "clip" all the recipes I liked. They have a web site now. You can simply put in an ingredient or food idea like "enchiladas" and many recipes appear. It is a fabulous resource.

Good luck!

Comment by Whole Living on February 19, 2010 at 9:43am: Thanks for all of your suggestions! It's day No. 3 and so far so good ... I am still definitely eating cheese but I'm making an effort not to over-do it. Hopefully I'll get another post up today about my progress :)

Comment by Laurie on February 19, 2010 at 1:26am: I use almond milk, as well. I love to use it in a morning smoothie with protein powder.

Yes, staying away from the dairy is important - full of fat. The rice and bean combo is where it is at.

Comment by Melissa Blackson on February 18, 2010 at 9:48pm: Oh yeah, one more thing don't get too heavy on the cheese and dairy or you'll end up blowing a lot of the benefits of going vegetarian. We use almond milk (allergic to soy) as a substitute.

Comment by Melissa Blackson on February 18, 2010 at 9:45pm: One of my favorite sites for yummy and diverse recipes is http://search.myrecipes.com/enhanced-search.html. You can either choose vegetables as the main ingredient or do a search using "meatless" or "vegetarian" as the keyword. I've tried several of the recipes and they taste great.

Also, my family lives near an Asian market, so we will buy one unfamiliar vegetarian ingredient and look up recipes for it and try it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so good, but it's fun.