Veggin' Out!

Hi Everybody, how has your week been? Working through life over here, one steady footstep at a time, as always...
I'm glad that I have decided to get back into blogging, though; sharing with you all truly makes me happy and helps me stay relaxed and focused enough to get through the myriad of challenges that life brings our way. I'm sure I'll be writing more about that soon at my other blog, but over here, this is where we celebrate the lighter side of life. It's why I started this blog! Anyway, I wanted to share with you something new...

I have recently gone back to vegetarianism, after many years. I have a few blog posts that I have written about trying to get out of the "funk" that I've been in all winter long...maybe all YEAR long. I was wondering when I would be ready to make my way back into that life that I left the day my mother died: fitness, healthful eating, the desire to excel. I was struggling and I didn't know how to pick up that journey where I left off. It took some time, from when I wrote that last post (you can read it here) to finally start to take heed of my own advice; my own instincts. It just became a natural progression in the journey that I am on to start taking better care of myself, and that seamlessly included the cessation of eating meat. If you read my other blog at confessions of a think-a-holic, you will get the 'gist' of the journey that I have been on. Vegetarianism is not for everyone, and I certainly NEVER thought I would EVER eat this way. Ever.
But I do. And I am a happy eater and I don't think I have ever had more delicious food.

That being said, I just wanted to share with you a couple of recipes that I tried that are now family favorites. Our son even loves it. Every night I am able to cook up something easy and delicious...and for me, guilt free!

This first recipe was influenced by the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich at Panera Bread. I tried it there for the first time ever a few weeks ago, and it is my new favorite.

Look at all that yummy stuff in there! 

This meal was such low cost. It's a huge difference from buying meat (that I never got around to cooking anyway). I bought some Cobblestone Wheat bread and an assortment of Veggies that I knew we would like. That's the idea...don't force yourself to eat something you hate. You will resent it and will not make any changes that way. 

This is how I put it together:

I spread hummus (any flavor you like, I used garlic, but we love ALL hummus) on one side of the bread, guacamole on the other. Sprinkle some feta or goat cheese onto the hummus, so it will stick. Lay your baby spinach over that (again, so it will stick).

On the other side of the bread in the same way, I put a few pieces of green leaf lettuce onto the guacamole, then cucumber slices, roasted red bell peppers, and 1-2 artichoke hearts sliced up. Add some tomato slices if you like (I do not, Noah and Tyler do) and some red or sweet onion slices (Tyler and I do, Noah does not). Put it together and slice in half.

Best. Sammy. Ever.

Serve with a side of pretzel crisps, or our favorite--veggie straws with sea salt.

You have a quick, cool and light summer meal.

So good...

Another favorite I found on allrecipes. It's a portobello mushroom cap marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, onion and garlic. It is accompanied by the best asparagus I have ever had. No kidding. Also from allrecipes, it is oven cooked and then a butter, soy sauce and balsamic mixture is poured over the top. Yum! I cooked the mushrooms in a skillet instead of on the grill, but they turned out delicious, nonetheless. I just put a little olive oil in the pan and cooked it cap side down for a while until it started to soften. Then I took a chance and flipped them over, gills down. It worked just fine, and I didn't lose any of the onions or garlic, like I thought I would. Then, I just used my judgement, checking for it's softening, and flipped it a couple of times to incorporate all of the flavors, and they were done. These truly are the "steaks of the mushroom family". We'll grill it next time and I'll let you know how they turn out...or you can let me know!

It doesn't seem like much, but it was filling, and you can always add a side salad, quinoa, rice or fruit. You'd be amazed what you find delicious when your body tells you what it needs. I'll be updating you with more healthy and quick veggie meals periodically as I try them.

If not for the animals...do it for your health!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to stop by my other blog for some inspiration, too! 

Have a fantastic weekend!

Nanette

*I received no endorsements from Cobblestone, Panera Bread/St. Louis Bread Co. or allrecipes.com. All decisions and opinions are my own.