My meat-free 40 days and 40 nights...
So I've been rather naughty, as I'm already 5 odd days into my meat-free lent, but I'm only just up and running online. Despite my laziness, I figure I should still start at the beginning, and explain why this signed-up meat-eater has decided to give up yummy animal flesh...
It all started with an anniversary dinner (5 years of happy dating, thanks for asking), and a fair bit of booze. Without thinking, I chose a fully vegetarian meal from all the delicious options on the menu at the Moon and Sixpence in Bath (which has apparently since closed down - a real shame). Before I knew it, I had challenged myself to a meat-free 2 months, which swiftly became a meat-free lent (which frankly seemed more manageable).
As Ash Wednesday drew closer I actually started getting nervous.. I really enjoy meat; there's nothing more delicious than a juicy medium-rare steak - the buttery blood oozing onto the chips, it's pretty much the only time a soggy chip is acceptable, and it's wonderful. My signature dishes are lasagne and spag bol, I find it incredibly rewarding to rustle up a succulent chicken curry from scratch, and who doesn't crave a bacon sarnie with a hangover?
My family have always been a meat-and-two-veg kind of family, and the prospect of basing my meals around something other than meat was oddly daunting. Luckily, I also love fish, cheese, mushrooms and puy lentils, so I was pretty confident my taste-buds and health wouldn't suffer. Plus I was encouraged by my pescatarian Auntie, who has faith I can do it!
I set myself 1 ground rule:
- I will not buy meat to cook and prepare for myself for the duration of lent (this is carefully worded as I knew I had a dinner party coming up with a very meaty menu and I didn't want to put the host out by demanding veggie options!)
As someone who loves to cook, I'm also excited to experiment with new recipes and expand my dinner repertoire, so I intend to try a completely new recipe a week. Success stories will be posted up here, in case anyone else fancies giving them a whirl.
And that's about it, I'm curious as to whether a meat-free diet will affect my well-being, my mood, my weight, and my wallet. I'm not particularly up for revealing my weight on here, but my BMI is 22.6 - I'm interested to see whether that will change. I also hope I'll spend slightly less money on food each week. Meat is pretty expensive these days, will substituting it for fish / cheese save me money?
So, here I am: my name is Ellen, and I'm Veggie-Curious!
It all started with an anniversary dinner (5 years of happy dating, thanks for asking), and a fair bit of booze. Without thinking, I chose a fully vegetarian meal from all the delicious options on the menu at the Moon and Sixpence in Bath (which has apparently since closed down - a real shame). Before I knew it, I had challenged myself to a meat-free 2 months, which swiftly became a meat-free lent (which frankly seemed more manageable).
As Ash Wednesday drew closer I actually started getting nervous.. I really enjoy meat; there's nothing more delicious than a juicy medium-rare steak - the buttery blood oozing onto the chips, it's pretty much the only time a soggy chip is acceptable, and it's wonderful. My signature dishes are lasagne and spag bol, I find it incredibly rewarding to rustle up a succulent chicken curry from scratch, and who doesn't crave a bacon sarnie with a hangover?
My family have always been a meat-and-two-veg kind of family, and the prospect of basing my meals around something other than meat was oddly daunting. Luckily, I also love fish, cheese, mushrooms and puy lentils, so I was pretty confident my taste-buds and health wouldn't suffer. Plus I was encouraged by my pescatarian Auntie, who has faith I can do it!
I set myself 1 ground rule:
- I will not buy meat to cook and prepare for myself for the duration of lent (this is carefully worded as I knew I had a dinner party coming up with a very meaty menu and I didn't want to put the host out by demanding veggie options!)
As someone who loves to cook, I'm also excited to experiment with new recipes and expand my dinner repertoire, so I intend to try a completely new recipe a week. Success stories will be posted up here, in case anyone else fancies giving them a whirl.
And that's about it, I'm curious as to whether a meat-free diet will affect my well-being, my mood, my weight, and my wallet. I'm not particularly up for revealing my weight on here, but my BMI is 22.6 - I'm interested to see whether that will change. I also hope I'll spend slightly less money on food each week. Meat is pretty expensive these days, will substituting it for fish / cheese save me money?
So, here I am: my name is Ellen, and I'm Veggie-Curious!
Labels: Experiment, Food, Lent, Meat, Pescatarian, Vegetarian
