I don't quite understand. What is it you're hoping to accomplish in 30 days? Learn to like veggies more? Lose a bit of weight that you'll gain right back if you go to your old ways? Pretty much any diet plan will have seemingly impressive results in the short term. But if you plan on going back to sweets and meat you'll have to learn self-discipline. Why start in 30 days, why not now?

sounds like a really BIG challenge, vf! i'm a dyed in the wool carnivore too and not sure i could do that for even a month. but at least i like veggies and the steamer was a good idea as i agree with you about most canned veggies. funny though--green and wax beans are 2 of the few that i will eat! unlike peas or carrots or corn--just open a can and i immediately lose my appetite.

cheese sauce is a great addition to steamed brocolli or cauliflower or asparagus. this is actually a recipe for fondue so you might keep it in mind when you next have some bread that's been hanging around a few days!

Cheese Fondue

Melt together in a double boiler:

C milk

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp dry mustard (I like a little more)

a grinding or two of pepper

1 C mayonnaise

2 C (about ¾#) sharp Cheddar, shredded

Pour into a fondue pot and serve with your favorite bread. It also is very good over steamed broccoli or use to make a quick dish of macaroni and cheese. Add a little parmesan and some bread crumbs on top and bake for 20 minutes.

another great sauce that is lighter and really "bright":

JuliaÂs Zingy Lemon Sauce (GREAT for any cooked green veggie!)

½ of a lemon rind, grated
2 T lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
2 T chicken broth
1 T butter (plus 4 more to finish)

Boil all the above in a small saucepan until itÂs "syrupy". Add a little salt and pepper and then whisk in the other 4 T of butter. Serve over broccoli or asparagus or green beansÂ

and this is my favorite way to serve green beans and have found that we prefer them room temp although cold in the summer is really good:

GREEN BEAN, PECAN, AND FETA SALAD
CindyMac
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
2-3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (1/3 C)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
CUT green beans into thirds, and arrange in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain and pat dry.
TOSS together green beans, onion, cheese, and pecans in a large bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.
WHISK together olive oil and next 5 ingredients; cover and chill 1 hour.
POUR vinaigrette over green bean mixture, and chill 1 hour; toss just before serving.
~adapted from Southern Living magazine

i've used the "grilled crumbles" stirred into marina sauce before and that's fine. and the morningstar "bacon strips" in BLT type of sandwich are pretty good. i'll be interested in hearing how the experiment goes. good luck!

It seems that you don't understand! I'm sorry of my post was ambiguous. I'm just going to do an experiment to see how it affects my body. That's all... just curious about what not eating meat would do. I'm expecting to lose weight and have more energy, but I'm not doing it for that reason. I just want to see what happens. I'm not saying that I'll never eat regular food again, or even that I'll continue eating only good stuff. I am just doing a temporary experiment to see what happens. I started yesterday and will do it for thirty days, I'm not waiting thirty days to do it. I'm actually excited about it... who knows I may not even want to go back to the old ways at the end of the experiment. Doubtful, but I will just have to wait and see.

Vegetables taste much better, to me at least, if they are cooked by Julia Child's method rather than steamed.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. (I put maybe 4 quarts of water in my 6-qt. pot.) Add salt (or don't) and the vegetable. After about 6 minutes, test for doneness. I find that 6 to 8 minutes is right. This is the only way I cook green beans or broccoli. The colors stay bright.

I'm semi vegetarian and can go days, weeks without touching any meat. I do drink a lot of milk though and eat a lot of ice cream LOL

I keep a lot of spices like curry on hand as well as vegetable broth either powdered, in cubes, or liquid.

Plus a variety of different types of dried noodles, ramen, steam-fried, egg, etc in various sizes. Then sort of play around with different things, cooking the noodles in broths etc. Adding different vegetables, mushrooms, anything really.

If you are avoiding red meat to avoid fat and cholesterol, watch your intake of cheese, eggs and butter, too. Take an iron supplement. I tend to be anemic so I wouldn't personally become a vegetarian.

Quite ironically, it sounds like the things you like to eat, bread, pasta, ice cream, are still valid on a vegetarian diet! When I was younger, I tried being vegetarian for three months to lose weight. I actually GAINED weight because I was munching on more carbohydrates.

My DBIL went vegan a year & a half ago because of high cholesterol & heart palpitations he was hospitalized for. After 6 months, there was no significant change in his cholesterol. After a year, his cholesterol was significantly reduced. He dropped 30 pound in the process (not that I would have considered him over weight to begin with).

A month might not be long enough to see any significant changes. I'm not trying to discourage you, just give you a heads up. As always these things take longer than you think.

I know that a lot of people are vegetarians and other people just don't eat a lot of meat...I couldn't care less whether I have it or not...don't eat much anyway...but...did you know that man didn't start to improve his own lot or start to increase the size of his brain, until he started eating meat...

Good for you!!
I actually made a vegetarian quiche this morning for breakfast. I took carrots, onions, zucchini, bell peppers, and spinach and saute' them in a little olive oil to soften and put them in a pie shell added sharp cheddar cheese and monterey cheese and topped with 4 eggs beaten with 1/2 cup of half and half and 1 cup of milk. Baked at 375 for 45 mins. It was very good. Of course I had to make bacon for Lee (Ha Ha) but I only had the quiche.

Linda

Have fun with it. Over the years I have been a vegetarian many times, usally when I raised an animal to butcher.lol
Even if you go back to the meat and sweet diet you will have more food choices. I eat meat about half the time.

Be careful and good luck!

I make a few things that are meatless. Spagetti sauce really requires no meat... mushrooms, onions, squash make delicious additions. For work I often take a bowl of peas or corn for lunch... sometimes over rice with a dash of hot sauce.

French cut green beans in a can are NOT vegtables. They are tasteless green vegtable product. Probably a good indicator that you DO like real vegtables.

Keep us posted on how you are doing!

: )
lyra

Frozen vegetables not canned are the next best thing to fresh and in somes cases can be better than fresh on account that they are usually frozen so fast after picking that more nutrients are preserved as opposed to numerous days shipping, sorting, warehousing and sitting on the grocers shelf before you buy them.

I couldn't do it! I need to eat as much protein as I do carbs. If I'm out of balance..woah...the affects are crazy..Probably like Barnmom it's anemic or low iron. I do try to eat more iron clad foods during certain times..(lol)
I've gone red meatless now a few weeks..Lastnight I made the guys beef burgers and I soooooo wanted a taste..just one bite! LOL But I made Those Asian Chicken burgers from the burger thread Stacy posted. It was pretty tasty. I've got 3 left to munch on over the next few days.

Anyway Bobby, I admire the desire to make changes and "test" the waters! I too have been removing things from my "diet"..I've not missed the sweets to much..I don't crave them, that's for sure...

If one is trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you hit the nail right on the head in terms of eating - in my opinion - when you said "I don't eat for the purpose of nourishing the machine that is my body".

When I hit 50 and was diagnosed with HBP and borderline high cholesterol that was what I finally needed to recognize that I'm not ominipotent and if I want to continue to live a productive, active life long term I probably better make some changes.

I do now think about everything I eat and what value it has in terms of anything useful to the machine that is my body. If it has no value, I really try to avoid it completely. I'm not 100% with this but pretty good - I do think you have to treat yourself to things you love occasionally or you can't sustain the change in eating habits. Simply banishing foods from your diet that are purely refined carbs, fat and/or salt can go a long way. I find substiting fruit, vegetables or some kind of whole grain snack along with drinking water is much more statifying - you don't feel like eating all the time. Meat isn't bad - eating lean meat or fish in reasonable portions (weigh it) can also go along way to a healthier lifestyle. One other piece of good advice I received at a nutrition continuing education course was to eat foods that are in the natural state they "grow" in; i.e. not processed into some other form. That advice has served me well too.

Obviously the cooking forum isn't necessarily the best place to come for healthy eating ideas.....good eating....not necessarily the best for you....I love reading here and I've gotten great advice from some expert cooks but alot of recipes don't work for my situation.

Good luck with your experiment - I'll be watching for a report on your findings!!

I don't have cravings for sweets or meat (except fish), and I very rarely eat red meat, especially since DB doesn't eat it. I will have ham once in a while, which he also will not eat. We haven't given up poultry or fish, which I think are not as bad for you.

We visited some of my friends in SW Utah a couple of weeks ago, and they are both vegan, and so we switched to their diet for 3-4 days. I put soy milk on my granola and actually liked it better than yogurt. For me, cutting out eggs and dairy made me feel much better. I had been avoiding dairy already (except for occasional butter, buttermilk, yogurt, and hard cheese), but I think I'm better cutting it out altogether. Also, eggs really do not agree with me.

I also switched to almost exclusively whole grains (although I keep white flour on hand). I've discovered that I actually prefer whole grains in most cases, especially for breads. I get really good whole grain sourdough bread from the La Brea Bakery, which is now available in Utah as well.

I keep a lot of Indian spices on hand, but I also make Cajun styled dishes as well. There are lots of good vegan Indian recipes that are quite flavorful, and I prefer them to meat dishes. Try to find a South Indian restaurant to get ideas for things you might want to make.

Lars

A couple of people have commented that a vegetarian diet could result in anemia. Nothing could be further from the truth. Well, a poor vegetarian diet could result in all kinds of malnutrition, just as a poor meat eating diet could. I've been vegetarian for years, and have never had a problem with anemia. There are many non-meat sources for iron. Dark, green-leafy veggies such as kale, spinach, collard greens, mustard, and Swiss chard, are high in iron. So are many legumes.

The biggest concerns nutritionally with being vegetarian are protien and, if you cut out all animal products, vitamin B12. As far as I know, there is only one plant that is considered a complete protein, and that's a grain called Quinoa. It's tasty, and can be prepared very similarly to rice. Otherwise, to get complete proteins in your diet, you mix plant protein sources. This isn't as difficult as it seems. Think corn bread served with beans. The corn and beans combine to make a complete protein, and are great together. Also think of peanut butter sandwiches. The proteins in the wheat and the peanuts combine to make a complete protein. As for B12, as far as I know, it's only available from animal products, and it is a necessary vitamin. If you go vegan, which is giving up all animal products, and for some reason decided that it agrees with you and you want to continue with that diet/lifestyle, you'll need to look into B12 shots. But, that's definately not something you have to worry about if you're only doing it for a month. It takes a long time for a B12 deficiency to develope.

Just in case you're interested, and in case it's helpful, I'll tell you what I generally eat. My typical day I have nutty granola with milk and fresh or dried fruit for breakfast (and coffee -gotta have coffee) then I'll have a salad made from mixed greens, herbs, tomatoes, olives, whatever I feel like adding, and some feta or other kind of cheese crumbled in. I'll snack on nuts on the side, and have a piece of fruit for desert. For supper it varies a lot more, ranging from an old fashioned country style dinner with just lots of veggies and some kind of beans or black-eyed peas, to pasta with lots of cheese, or pizza, or I'll have some kind of soup, or whatever sounds good. Of course,

I'm sure your friend can help you plan and shop. I strongly recommend going to the library and looking at their cookbook section. Look for books by Debora Madison, especially her book, "Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone." The Moosewood Cookbooks are very good, also. They've put out several different ones, and they're all popular.

Finally, Bobby, if you don't like the particular vegetable you're trying, either find another way to prepare it, or try a different veggie.

This experiment you're trying reminds me of that one the guy made of movie of, only in reverse. What was the name of that movie, where he only ate McDonalds food for a month. It's amazing how much his health deteriorated.

I'm sure this is quite a challenge for you, Bobby. I wish you all the best.

Sally

I would suggest going to your library and checking out a copy of The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwheel. It has over 1,000 recipes, from the very basic to the quite complex. You should be able to find some great ideas. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area you might want to check it out if you have not already. They always have a great selection of vegetables (fresh and frozen), legumes, and grains. They have a good selection of prepared vegetarian items for when you are short on time. I'm not a vegetarian, I just look at everything since I love trying new things. Whole foods is another great source for fresh fruits and vegetables, they also have a large selection of organic, vegetarian foods for quick preparation. Many of them do not have the additives most prepared foods do, just read the labels to be sure. I try to feed my family 1 "vegetarian" meal a week, they rarely complain (the one butternut squash soup I tried was not a success, to say the least!). Good luck!

Bobby, you didn't state whether you're planning to eat an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet (that is, eating eggs and dairy products) or a vegan diet (no animal products at all). Since you mentioned that your friend won't eat ice cream, it's likely that he's a vegan. Even if your goal is to eat the same way he does, it would probably be easier for you (and for your digestive system) to ease into it gradually.

Are you willing to eat fish? You could then have your favorite pasta with some tuna salad on the side (I love that combination!). My DD has been a vegetarian since high school (mostly for ethical reasons), but she recently decided to include fish occasionally, as it gave her more options when dining in restaurants. As a kid, she didn't like many vegetables, so it seemed funny that she would choose to become a vegetarian. But she developed a taste for beans, soy products (tofu, etc), grains, and cheese. She also loves various ethnic cuisines (Indian, Asian, etc) that are primarily vegetarian.

One thing I've learned about eating vegetarian-style is that, without meat as the "center" of the meal, the "side dishes" become main dishes. The balance is different. It can be difficult to get used to this concept (I still have trouble with it; although DH and I eat very little red meat, I still want some form of poultry or fish for most meals).

Good luck with this experiment!

Sue

I want to add my encouraging remarks to those who have said Go For It. If you let your taste buds come to life you will find that whole foods are actually tastier than processed ones. But the foods you have been making the staples of your diet are addictive ones and you can expect some bumps in the road while you're weaning yourself. Perhaps you'll learn to love simple, fresh, good quality foods like whole wheat bread, nut butters, kasha, polenta, quinoa, whole oats, brown rice, dark greens, winter squashes, yams, all kinds of beans, and fruits and vegetables you have waltzed by in your produce section.

Look to cultures that have perfected healthful vegetarian cuisine, like Japanese and Indian.

Make your carbohydrates complex, not the simple, worthless ones like white rice, white flour, and white sugar. Buy local and organic.

Don't feel bound to a plate of steamed vegetables. Since you're limiting saturated fats by avoiding meat, you needn't shy away from dishes that contain a generous amount of oil, like fried brown rice with lots of vegetables, deep fried whole grain croquettes (like corn fritters), pesto sauce, vegetables sauteed in flavorful olive oil or ghee, tempura, and hummus that's rich with tahini and olive oil. Depriving yourself of satisfying, flavorful foods will only backfire.

Don't be afraid of salt. Everything needs a little salt. Some things need even more. If you limit the processed foods (including those fake burgers and faux meat products) you'll have plenty of room in your diet to add whatever healthful (sea) salt you crave. Other salty treats: good quality soy sauce, powdered dulse, miso, and quality cheeses if you are including dairy foods.

You're not saying that you'll never eat what you call Regular Food again? Huh? IMO, Regular Food is what you are trying out for 30 days. Irregular food is the processed foods you're used to.

If you are patient and open minded and a little disciplined, you'll discover a whole world of flavors you didn't know existed. If it costs more to eat this way (and it shouldn't) think of it as paying a health insurance premium.

Good luck in your experiment. I am cheering you on!

Bobby, I've been a vegetarain for 30 years, although I occasionally eat meat which confuses some people here. Being vegetarian is just so much a part of who I am that I don't think occasionally eating meat changes that. When I eat meat it usually is because there is no easily avialable, inexpensive, healthy alternative--I long ago learned that cheese, eggs, sour cream and whole milk are not healthy meat alternatives, better to eat some lean meat than to live on a diet heavy in those foods. Also, processed carbs are not good either, so if you eat a lot of those kinds of things you will not get the benefits of a "vegetarian" diet.

A couple of tips, it has been my experience that red meat and sweets seem to feed off of each other. On the rare occasions I eat red meat I always seems to want something sweet. And I did your diet in reverse for about a week while my family was visiting one Christams. My dad susbsists on meat, potatoes, bread and sweets, and carbo junk foods, which are a combo of fat, sweet, carb and salt. After a week of that I felt absolutely AWFUL. Lethargic, constipated, couldn't sleep well, and just generally carpy. My skin started to look bad too.

Sweets and processed carbs, IMHO, are kind of like a drug. Eat a little and you will want more. Stop eating them and you will crave them. Manage to stay off of them for a month and your cravings should stop.

Get some tofutti or lowfat frozen yogurt or those fabulous whole fruit pops for your friend. Fresh fruit is yummy, have that for treats.

Eating vegetarian isn't just skipping meat, you have to redesign your idea of a meal. I eat a LOT of soup. Soup and salad or soup and sandwich are my favorite lunches, and even suppers. I eat tons of pasta, which is also dirt cheap. Good potatoes are cheap too. I'll usually have some type of pasta or casserole for dinner. I also eat tvp products, I like Morningstar Farms brand fake sausage patties and also their various burgers. Bocca is OK, and less expensive. I like Yves brand fake sandwich meat and pepperoni and sausage too.

Here's some of my favorite quick, veggie meals.

Breakfast:
Fresh fruit with nonfat vanilla yogurt. Top with granola or serve as a topping for toasted whole grain waffles.
I often eat whole wheat toast or english muffins with neufatchel cheese (a lower fat version of cream cheese) spread with my homeade preserves (store bought is OK, you can get some tolerable "all fruit" ones), and a fake sausage patty as a side.
I like heuevos rancheros, made with cornbread or tortillas, scrambled eggs (mix whole eggs and egg whites for lower fat/cholesterol), veggie refried beans, good salsa and a dollop of lowfat sour cream.
I also like a mixed fry--potatoes, zuchinni or yellow squash, red or green peppers, carrots, some sweet potato, red or yellow onions, even cauliflower is good this way. Top with salsa, sour cream, serve with whole wheat toast, some of that sausage. That's a good way to start eating more vegetables, mix them with potatoes which everyone likes.

Lunch:
I often on Sundays fire up the crockpot and make soup with whatever needs to get used up in the fridge. Usually it is some version of minestrone or minestra. Occasionally it is chili or black bean soup. I also like potato based soups like potato-kale soup. This week it is minestrone with cannelli beans, green beans, potatoes, celery, spinach, carrots, canned tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Coleslaw and pasta salads are great sides for take-along lunches. As is potato salad, you can even make it with sweet potatoes.
Another thing I sometimes do on Sunday is roast up some root vegetables, again anything in the fridge that needs using up. Carrots, potatoes, onions, asparagus, celery, turnips, sweet potatoes, cauliflower. The only things I'm not crazy about this way are peppers and zuchinni. Coat with a small amount of olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary and soy sauce or salt. Can add a teeny bit of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Add marinated or regular firm tofu for protein, or serve with crusty whole wheat bread and hummus or white bean spread. Top with parmesean. This reheats well for lunches.

Dinner:
I love pasta for dinner, or stir fry and brown rice. For pasta, I add beans or tvp for protein. For stir fry, it is usually tofu. The asian marinated tofu is great in stir fry. Stir fried veggies are DELICIOUS. Another great dinner is enchiladas. I made some last night with stir fried yellow squash and red pepper and purple onion filling, along with refried beans and a little lowfat cheddar and homeade enchilada sauce. Beautiful!
A quick good vegetarian supper is mix a can of garbanzo beans, one or two cans stewed chopped tomatoes, whatever veggies you want to stir fry (carrots and zuchinni are great, so is spinach, but entirely optional), and then add a dollop of lowfat sour cream or neufatchel cheese. Serve over brown rice or pasta (penne is my favorite for this). Romaine salad with low fat italian dressing topped with seasoned soy nuts or sunflower seeds, a whole grain roll, and some homeade applesauce for dessert, yummy and healthy. Maybe a glass of chianti and your friend for a perfect evening. Those roasted veggies are great for dinner too, along with a veggie burger, no bun.

And keep some trail mix, including no-salt roasted almonds around for evening snacks. Whole grain pretzels with honey mustard are also a nice veggie snack. I also like hummus and lowfat triscuits and those baby carrots. I make smoothies from soy milk and leftover fruit, or I buy no sugar frozen fruit. A little honey and you're good to go. I also add nonfat yogurt to this. Yogurt is great for intestinal health if you get the kind that has active cultures.

Be prepared for some changes in intestinal "health" if you catch my drift. It's all good.

Congratulations! I wish you the best of luck...highly recommend Heidi Swanson's blog - there are tons of amazing recipes here, all with great grains and veggies. I have one of her books, which is phenomenal as well.

Hopefully, when the month is up, you will incorporate some of your new habits into your every day lifestyle!

Lucy

PS - does this mean no turkey on Thanksgiving???

Glad to hear of your vegetarian challenge vf!

One thing that I could add to these suggestions is to try roasting veggies. Beautiful!

Catherine

We are not vegetarians, however we don't eat beef or pork :)

I don't like steamed veggies ... I find blanching them in boiling water for a few minutes gives them a nice crispness. LindaC is right, it is all about seasoning. Sautee onions, garlic or herbs in butter, toss with the blanched veggies and they are delicious.

You can cook chicken with the skin on (keeps it moist) and then remove it when you eat it :)

I used to weigh over 200 pounds, I lost over a 100 just by changing my diet (not dieting). I also walk daily, exercise is an important part of my lifestyle change.

When I bake, which is at least once a week, I have a wee piece.

Good luck !

Sally! Hemp seed also has all eight essential amino acids. Don't know what a person would do with all the clean hemp after eating the seed?!? Suppose brownies are vegetarian....

: )
lyra

Good luck with this experiment. There was a wonderful cookbook that was popular in the 70s called Diet for a Small Planet. Does anyone remember this? Was the author Francis Lappe? Each entry was a menu for one meal that combined foods properly to provide the correct amount of protein on a vegetarian diet. I learned a lot about how foods work together by using that book. It was before we got all in a frenzy about carbs and fat so it would be considered dated in today's food world. I must say it was a good primer for cooking nourishing and tasty vegetarian meals though. I may still have it in a box in my cellar where all my cookbooks were hiding during our kitchen makeover. You may be able to find it online.

LOL I JUST donated my copy of Diet for a Small Planet this past week . . .

I was a vegetarian for 16 years. I did eat dairy and eggs so had a wide variety of foods I could choose from so was never bored. And since I grew up on a farm, I loved fresh veggies and fruit. The key is fresh vegetables, not canned or frozen, and lightly steaming them. I use a microwave veggie steamer and that is how I cook all my veggies. There are so many vegetarian cookbooks out there now you might want to check some out of the library and see what works for you. And even though we eat meat now, we only eat it a couple of times a week. I still make a lot of my favorite vegetarian recipes. Good luck.
Clare

I don't have a lot of time to respond in detail tonight... I got a new (old) sewing machine today (had to drive 2 hours for it!) and haven't been able to tear myself away from it.

Day three done and I haven't even considered cheating... I'm surprised at my self control. Thank you all for your support with this experiment. I had a banana for breakfast (no time to make oatmeal) today. A side salad and yogurt for lunch. I even made my own ranch dressing... it's great! I am NOT going to be vegan BTW... dairy is OK with me. For dinner, I heated up a vegetarian lasagna that I had purchased. I think it was Michael Angelo's brand or something like that. TERRIBLE. I took one bite and threw it in the garbage. My friend Sheila said the sauce tasted like ketchup with water added. I think that is being too nice. The vegetables were on top of the top layer and it just looked horrible. The flavor was just awful. I've made one before, but wanted something for quick prep. Never again... maybe store brand would have been better.

Instead, I browned an onion and a clove of garlic in some olive oil. Boiled some rice. Threw in some frozen peas and corn. Shredded some fresh carrots. Added a few pieces of faux steak strips and lots of pepper. Stir fried it for a while and it was WONDERFUL.

Thanks again for your support everyone :o)
I guess I'll use this thread as my blog and try to give updates.

Way to go, Bobby.

Bunnyman, I didn't know that about hemp. Ver-dy interesting! ;-)

Sally

Good for you, Bobby! (Homemade anything, even the clean-out-the-fridge stuff you throw together at the last minute, usually tastes better than almost any frozen-microwable-processed food!)

I'll put in a plug for smoothies in the morning. I make them when I have no time for anything. A couple of glugs of soy milk, a banana, and a handful of frozen fruit. Toss in a few ice cubes if you like, whizz it in the blender for 30 seconds, then pour it into your go-cup and you're out the door.

I stock up on frozen raspberries/blueberries/strawberries when they're on sale, or freeze fresh when they're cheap at the store. I buy a bunch of bananas at a time; inevitably some are dead ripe before I'm ready for them, so I just chunk those and throw them in a baggie in the freezer as well.

You can play around with all sorts of tastes; sometimes I use yogurt (flavoured or not) and more ice cubes instead of soy milk. I freeze all sorts of things in cubes; tomotao juice or V-8 juice, fresh carrot juice when I have to use or lose a bunch.

Green smoothies? Toss in a handful of parsley or spinach leaves, maybe some cucumber chunks.

I'm usually literally running out the door in the morning, so I simply fill the blender with water when I'm done and let it soak in the sink; wash it out when I get home in the evening.

And I'll echo a plug for roasted veggies. Espeically if you're a carnivore by habit; it can really satisfy the craving for something "meat-y" Roasted beets were a revelation to me.

Good luck; hope you find some new favorite tastes!

Bobby, I wish you well. You have to decide, though, to what degree you will eschew animal products.

As a previous poster has noted, a vegan diet eliminates all items of animal origin--no dairy, no eggs. It's a very healthy diet assuming you have an adequate protein intake.

The risk of B12 deficiency, while unusual, is real if you do stay on a vegan diet religiously for months and months. However, oral B12 supplements are available which are not of animal origin. (I think they come from bacterial cultures, much like they make human insulin.)

IMHO the best source for the nutritional aspects of a vegetarian diet is Laurel's Kitchen. (See the link) While the recipes are good, what is even more useful are the tables and charts in the back of the book which tells you in great detail the nutritional values of foodstuffs and of the recipes as prepared in the book. The kale and potato soup is excellent, as is the tabouleh.

While the book is dated in a few aspects, it still is very relevant and informative. Good luck!!

Your challenge sounds like the BBC America TV show, "You Are What You Eat". Except she puts people on a vegetarian detox regime for 8 weeks, not 4.

There are tons of vegetable recipes you can use...just stay away from recipes using added sugars or a lot of dairy (cream). I don't like for my kids to eat fried foods so that means french fries/chips are out. I make oven roasted fries with sweet potatoes and they're really good.

And don't forget fresh vegetables in a lettuce salad. It's very easy to get your 'five a day' if you add sweet pea pods, yellow and red peppers, carrots and tomato to a bowl of lettuce or spinach leaves.

I will share that when my kids go to parties and chips and crap like that are served...of course they eat it too but when they get home they are miserable with upset stomachs because they are not used to eating all that saturated fat.

I wish you luck in doing this. You can add in fish and poultry. White meat is supposed to be easier to digest than red...I do not know if that is fact or fiction though.

Good luck, Bobby. I'm not a vegetarian by any stretch of imagination, I'm a beef farmer, LOL. However, I keep my consumption of lean, organic, grass fed beef to twice a week.

I've also had some problems with being anemic, (my old doc said "you're a beef farmer, you should be ASHAMED of yourself. Eat some of it!") but I also bumped up my consumption of broccoli, swiss chard and spinach. However, those things (according to that doc) need some Vitamin C for your body to utilize the iron, so in spite of my dislike, I've added oranges and/or orange juice. Sigh. A nice salad of spinach, beets and orange sections is tolerable to me, although I don't like green salad OR oranges particularly well. I'm probably pickier than anyone you know!

I love vegetables but I'm not very good at eating fruit. I've decided that I really like local fruit, the apples, pears, berries, fresh peaches that we get in Michigan. I'm not so enamored of citrus, grapes, mangoes, tropical stuff. I detest bananas. LOL Good thing potatoes have as much potassium as bananas (actually more, but you have to eat the skin).

Ashley has a Power Shake every morning, lots of calcium, protein, potassium and now they've found that chocolate is healthy for you too, but you could leave that out. A smoothie with milk, a banana, peanut butter and hershey's chocolate is her favorite, I can do a smoothie with my homemade yogurt, some berries, a package of Splenda and a couple of ice cubes. I also like yogurt over fruit with a sprinkle of granola, I make my own granola too.

Macaroni and cheese is vegetarian, you know, I'm using the whole wheat pasta which I like better than the pasty white stuff, and I love Sol's caramel chicken, which might lend itself well to the "fake" meatstuffs. I eat lots of soup and never buy bread, I make my own and add flax or wheat germ or something to make it healthy.

Don't forget beans and lentils either, good protein sources there, and now I want some split pea soup. A mix of beans, fresh corn cut off the cob, red onion, a bit of balsamic and olive oil and fresh cilanto makes a great dip with "chips" made from pita bread and toasted in the oven, or baked tortillas.

Michael, I'm smiling at the hemp seed remark. I have a little package of it sitting on my counter, waiting for a salad. I only got the hearts, they never gave me the hulls, next time I should ask? (grin)

Annie

Annie, you can get your vitamin C from other sources besides oranges. Okay, you don't like broccoli either, but what about potatoes? What about strawberries. Do you like peppers? Mangos? Papayas? Kiwis? Melons have vitamin C as well. Citrus fruit are still among the best sources, but it's in lots of other foods, too.

Sally

Since your one-month trial includes Thanksgiving, I urge you to get your hands on a November 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine. Ordinarily this publication annoys me (waaaaay too many luxury watch ads and pretension... I subscribed for the food stuff) but turn to page 80 and you will find what I can only describe as Vegetarian Food Porn in the form of a vegetarian Thanksgiving menu for eight complete with jaw-dropping photos. No flippin' Tofurkey here!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I cook that way a once or twice a week. I find I am happier with it when I actively plan a balanced vegetarian meal, rather than plan an omnivorous meal and just swap in some substitute for the meat. Does that make sense?

I'm just going to do an experiment to see how it affects my body. That's all... just curious about what not eating meat would do. I'm expecting to lose weight and have more energy, but I'm not doing it for that reason. I just want to see what happens.

Bobby, that's why we went vegetarian for a few years...to see what it was like. It turned out to be a whole new, fun cooking experience/challenge. We got into food combining to make complete protein (lol, Blueiris, you had the right book..Diet For a Small Planet).

We're getting back to eating less meat, after years of trading beef for bookkeeping and raising 4H pigs. Last week, after a discussion about little we spent on food back then, DH asked why we never had lentil burritos anymore. So we cooked up some lentils and made a make-your-own burrito bar. Our company was shocked at how good they were. We still make lots of things vegetarian... lasagna, pizza, stuffed peppers (w/brown rice, cheese, cashews), frittatas, green chile casserole. My neighbor makes the best marinara...it's simply a bunch of chopped garlic sauteed in olive oil, chopped tomatoes (or good quality canned tomatoes) and a handful of bay leaves, simmered down until thick. We had that a couple of nights ago over cheese ravioli, with garlic bread and a grilled romaine salad...yum.

I'd have a tough time if we eliminated dairy and eggs, though.

What great ideas and recipes. I am on day five and not missing meat or sweets very much at all. I think that the longer I go without them, the less I want them.

Yesterday, I had an apple for breakfast. A few boiled peanuts for a snack. Spaghetti sans meat for lunch... and I didn't miss the meat at all! For dinner, I had a bowl of cucumbers and carrots with a teaspoon of homemade ranch dressing and a fake chicken strip sliced on top.

These are just quick things that I'm making on days that I work. When I'm off (Thursday and Friday) I will do some real cooking. My vegetarian friend is coming over Thursday and we'll make that crumble together.

Anyone have a good recipe for homemade ranch dressing? The ones I googled are OK at best. And, no I don't like balsalmic vinegar dressing! I am being conservative with the amount I use. I actually measure it! Who would have ever guessed!?

Also, I'm curious about beets... What do I need to know about them... how should they taste and how do you pick out a good one? What are the nutritional benefits of them? Thanks!

Does time go by seems you just started. I'm guessing the people you work with miss your old way of eating. Bobby brought the brownies, now just a fruit plate.:-)

I do miss baking and bringing food in. I could still make things for others, but that's just too much temptation! When I do the grocery marketing now, I LOOK DOWN AT THE FLOOR once I pass the produce aisle on the way to dairy or faux meat products. If I don't bring it home, I can't eat it, so the real self control is at the supermarket.

Love beets - never had a bad beet. Here's a great site for very comprehensive nutritional value of foods.

Beets are one of my favorite vegetables. Unfortunately I don't fix them much because they are kind of expensive in an urban grocery store usually, and they are a little touchy to prepare. Don't get me wrong, they are easy, easy as far as technique, but beet juice stains and I am a clumsy cook.

A lot of people like roasting them. I like roasted beets, but I also like steamed beets which I think are a little easier to prepare. Just cut off the tops and bottoms of the beets, scrub them a bit, then roast or steam, or even boil. You have to peel off the outside skin of the beet after they cool. My preferred method for cooking beets is in my steamer. I also steam the greens along with them. Very good served just with butter and salt, or a little parm. cheese. I adore beet greens, they are my favorite green, but it sounds like you don't like greens in general, so you might not like beet greens. You can also eat the stems, at least the non-woody ones. If you don't like the texture of greens, you can sneak beet greens into lasagne or soup. The classic beet soup is borscht, which I love.

Once the beets have cooled and you have peeled them, you can put the beets in salads. Below are my two favorite beet salads, and I think a good way to perhaps introduce yourself to beets. Another way to serve them is sweet and sour, sometimes called harvard beets, or there's beets in orange sauce. I never have them that way since I prefer them more savory, but you might prefer them the other way. I don't have any of those type of recipies, but there are plenty out there, I once even posted a beet thread about four months back you might be able to find that. I have the recipies saved some where so I may be able to get them some time but I'm pinched for time right now.

Potato Beet Salad from "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites" cookbook

4 med. beets, scrubbd and leaf stems trimmed off
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup minced red onion or scallions
1 cup non fat yogurt (when I make this I use a mix of 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup yogurt or lowfat sour cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or dried dill weed to taste)
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 small dill pickles, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (Can also use plain cukes in a pinch)
2 tsp. prepared horseradish (optional, I never use it)
1 tsp. sugar (optional)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Boil or steam beets until tender, immerse in cold water to cool, then peel. Check for tenderness by piercing them with a knife. If they can be easily pierced, they are done. After peeling, when they are completely cool, chop them into bite sized pieces. (I like little half moon beet pieces)

In separate pot, boil potatoes until tender for about 20 min. Drain potatoes and cool.

Put the beets, potatoes, onions and pickles in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Stir gently to distribute the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least 30 min. before serving.

Note: depending on what else you're eating, you can also add feta or goat's milk cheese crumbles to this salad, and serve over a bed of lettuce.

Beets with Goat Cheese and Dill from Williams and Sonoma "Vegetable" cookbook

6-8 small beets (or 3-4 large ones)
1 1/4 lb total, approx.
2 shallots or 1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
salt
1 TBLSP balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBLSP olive oil
1-2 TBLSP chopped fresh dill (or 1-2 tsp. dried dill weed, but fresh is so much better)
3 oz. fresh goat cheese (or feta if you don't like goat cheese, I love it)

Clean beets and remove stem ends. Place in baking pan just large enough to hold them. Pour water into the pan to a depth of 1/2-1 inch. Cover the pan with aluminum foil or a cover. Bake in the oven at 375 until the beets are tender (easily pierced with a fork). This will take about 40 minutes for small beets and an hour for large ones. Replace the water if the pan looks like it's getting dried out.

Once done, remove beets from the pan and allow to cool enough so you can handle them. Peel the beets and cut them into wedges.

Place the warm beets in a bowl, add the onion or shallots. Combine the dressing ingredients and toss to coat. (It has been my experience that you need to make twice as much dressing as the recipe calls for to get a good kicky flavor).

Spoon the warm dressed beets into a serving bowl or individual plates. Can serve on a bed of lettuce. Top with dollops of the goat cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can save leftover beets in the marinade, will keep for a couple of days.

Both salads good with toasted sunflower seeds tossed onto them before serving, for extra protein and some crunch.

I like to take the beet and potato salad to work with a lowfat swiss cheese sandwich, sometimes also add fake ham to the sandwich. The beet/goat cheese salad is good with a hummus sandwich, hummus and cukes on rye is one of my favorites. Can also serve with baked pita chips and hummus dip.

It's great to try new things....My observations on being vegetarian:

1. I know quite a few vegetarians who don't eat vegetables. They focus on grains, pasta, eggs, milk & cheese. Remember to eat your vegetables.

2. Instead of trying to make fake meatballs, fake burgers, try completely new recipes...It can be amazing to discover new tastes and flavors. If you enjoy cooking, Anna Thomas has two excellent vegetarian cookbooks, "Vegetarian Epicure II" and "The New Vegetarian Epicure". She also includes menus. The New Laurel's Kitchen is an old classic.

3. Give your body time to adjust, particularly as you increase your fiber intake, your gut might rebel.

4. I don't know which part of the country you are in, but farmer's markets are great fun. We have them year-round in Northern California. It's fun to pick something new up and then figure out how to cook it.
Enjoy!!!

Bobby, I wish you luck in your experiement, but I have to tell you I don't understand why you are giving up foods that you love.
If you didn't like meat I could understand it, but you do. I love vegetables and there are a few meals that I make that are vegetarian, but I don't make them for that reason. I just happen to like them. But we also like meat. The only reason I would give up a food I enjoyed would be because I was allergic to it or it made me sick. There are a lot of diets out there that don't require you to give up the foods that you like. You just need to eat in moderation, especially the foods that are higher in sugar and fats, which usually means foods that are higher in calories. People can lose weight and get healthy eating well balanced meals that include meat. In fact as an example,Moe and I have both lost weight this year. Moe has lost over 30 pounds and I've lost 16. And we did it without giving up our favourite foods. Moe started walking as his exercise which also contributed greatly to both his weight loss and his health. Moe has gone from having very high cholesterol to having extremely low cholesterol. In fact it is so low that the doctor recently took him off Lipitor ,that he has been on for three years. And you have seen the meals that I cook. We didn't give up any of the foods that we like. We just eat less of them. I still bake our breads, we eat pasta at least once if not twice a week. We almost always have some sort of starch with our meal, (rice, Potato, pasta) and we almost always have meat.

Ann, you're right, I also lost a substantial amount of weight and ate whatever I wanted and liked, including dessert, meat, bread, whatever I was hungry for. I just ate half of it. I do use artificial sweetener in my coffee, drink my tea plain and splurge on an occasional Diet Coke. I'm trying to drink more water, too bad I don't really like it.

I won't give up beef, I've spent my life raising it and growing the healthiest, leanest, hormone and chemical free beef I can. I just tend to not make something like a pot roast when it's just me. The exception is ground beef, I just don't like ground meat in most things, although I will eat it in chili (even though I like chunks of beef in chili better). I should eat MORE meat in fact and I wouldn't have problems with my iron levels, but Elery doesn't really like beef and eats it very seldom, so I still have to cook it for just me if I cook it.

Sally, I know you can get vitamin C from other sources. I DO like broccoli, and I like it plain but it has to be cooked, not raw. No cheese sauce, thank you. I only like fresh strawberries in season, not that it matters because right now, in White Cloud, Michigan, there are no strawberries available, not even the ones that taste like nothing and have been shipped halfway around the world. Kiwi makes my mouth sore, if that makes sense. I don't care for mango or papaya, but I do like pineapple. I don't care for canned fruit, especially. Peppers are OK, but extremely expensive out of season. I will only eat tomatoes that have been grown locally, the others taste like nothing at all.

I do cook in cast iron, which allows some iron to leach into the food. This works especially well with acidic foods, but then we're back to those red sauces that I don't especially like, and sometimes I need to reseason the pans, depending on what I cook.

See, I told you I was picky. I'm also reluctant to eat olives, lamb, jello in any form, chocolate dairy products although I like both chocolate and dairy. I only eat butter, I'm not eating margarine for any purpose. It's too icky. Add most canned soups unless I've canned them myself, pizza, things with a red tomato based sauce, grits and anything with a lot of chemicals I can't pronounce. I also won't eat at Subway because I can taste the preservatives on the food and I don't like chocolate chip cookies, which my girls think is un-American, LOL. Cheesecake isn't one of my favorites either, you can keep that along with ice cream. I still haven't learned to like beer or wine, either.

Now, understand, in a pinch I've eaten all of those things and if you're hungry you'll eat whatever is available. Right now, though, I have the luxury of refusing things I don't like. :-) I have also eaten them out of politeness, when served them by someone else and it hasn't killed me. I do follow Renee's 7 year rule and try things I don't like at least once every 7 years to see if I've changed my mind. Actually, it's closer to once a year, and I have decided that I like brussel sprouts but I still don't like olives.

So you see, Bobby, you thought you were picky, next to me you'll eat ANYTHING!

Beets, now, I love those, I've never met a beet I didn't like. I'll even eat those imposters that come in a can, in a pinch. My favorite way, though, is to just boil them until they are tender, peel them, slice them and eat them with salt and pepper. They are also good roasted and I can pickled beets every year, I eat those as a side dish and not a condiment. Harvard beets get served at Christmas because my mother likes them, and I use them in salads like the spinach/orange/beet one I mentioned above. Add a sprinkle of pecans and a slightly sweet poppyseed dressing and even the "shipped in from who knows where" oranges are passable.

Annie

Annie, do you like beets? When I was pregnant with my first, I was anemic. My mother gave me beet molasses, and it helped. I would think eating beets would do the same thing.

Also, if you like organ meats, they are particularly helpful.

It's great that you grow your own grass-fed beef. Here in No. California, 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef goes for $8 to $11 per lb. Needless to say, I've never bought it, but I have read about why I should be eating it instead of even organic beef.

Ann H.

khrios, I love beets, as evidenced by the last paragraph of my prior post, LOL

I also like liver and onions but since I have high cholesterol and am on medication my doctor told me to never eat liver again. I should check with him again, now "they" have decided that it's actually saturated fat and not dietary cholesterol which should be avoided.

My big problem is that I "skip" too many meals, or grab some leftover veggies. I never eat breakfast, I just can't, but sometimes I'll have a glass of milk. Sometimes I remember to take lunch to work with me but often I forget and I just work through lunch hour or I have a spoonful of peanut butter. Yes, right off the spoon, LOL. When I go home I get busy and forget to have supper or I grab that bowl of leftover veggies and eat them while I'm doing something else.

I go through periods of time when I don't particularly want anything. I'm not diligent enough about a balanced diet now that I'm home alone most of the time, and I'll warm up some veggies or skip that meal altogether rather than thaw out a piece of meat and cook it.

And that's why you don't see me much on the What's for Dinner thread anymore. :-)

Annie

Tomorrow it will be a week for me. I really appreciate everyones input!

I went to the store to get a beet and they were out of fresh beets. I don't want my first time to come from a can, so I'll delay the gratification.

How do I feel? Good. I don't think about food as much anymore. I'm not always looking forward to that next cheeseburger or slice of chocolate cake anymore. I almost feel like I am weening myself off of an addiction. I am VERY proud of myself for sticking with it. I used to have no self control at all when it came to food. Then, something in my head just clicked. I realized that I'm not a puppet and am in control of most of the things that I put into my body.

Physical changes... I have noticed a bit more energy, and I've been sleeping better. And, yes intestinal changes as well... thanks to whoever warned me about that! I have lost four pounds... of course it could be fluctuation. And, again I'm not doing it for the purpose of losing weight. To be honest, it's more a mental thing than a physical thing. This is GREAT practice for setting a goal and sticking to it. Also, good to remind me to do things for the right reasons. Eating is for nutrition, not to placate boredom.

I made seasoned rice with broccoli for dinner last night. I started with the broccoli on the side, but just couldn't handle the taste and texture combination. I mashed it up with a fork and mixed it in with the rice. I wasn't even able to tell it was there. I made the vegetable crumble that Sharon posted in another thread (minus tomatoes and mushrooms... added a little tomato sauce)... it was great.

The guys from the pot luck group (remember that thread?) got upset with me because I declined to go to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot tonight. Way too much temptation. I can handle the supermarket, but I'd be weak as water at an event like that. The head guy had the nerve to tell me this when I told him my reason for declining (I should have told him I was washing my hair):

"Are you doing this to attract the vegetarian guy? Did you know that certain foods will not put the weight on, unless you THINK it will. I bet God didn't intend us to be on diets. We're here to enjoy all food. Therefore, change your thinking--not your eating habits."

My response:

"I'm doing it for myself, though it does help having a friend who knows something about it. I did change my thinking and that is the reason that I changed my eating habits. Food will not put weight on unless I think it will huh? Where's the documentation of that? If things were the way God intended, we'd still be naked and out in the wild foraging for our next meal... no diets necessary. No processed food either! I'll be excited to see the results of the experiment. Good day."

He may know a thing or two, he's 72 years old and still going strong. But, to speak to me like that... why not just say, "Good luck", or "Glad it's you and not me"???

Just wanted to check in... thanks again for your input!

Annie, if I could afford pasture raised meat and poultry, I might actually stop being vegetarian, but it's just soooo expensive. I sent my son to the farmer's market to buy some pasture raised beef and chicken, since he's cooking a lot of meat while in culinary arts school. One chicken cost $17.00! It made me happy the money went directly to the farmers, and that the animals had good lives instead of the brutality that most of the meat animals suffer, and I know it's worth every penny due to superiour quality, but it's just too pricey to buy very often, at least on my budget.

I guess saving money is one of the bonuses of going vegetarian....unless you're into expensive cheeses. Those can add up very quickly and cost as much as that pasture raised meat we bought. But I digress. Sorry,

Ann, I think Bobby's just curious about what differences he'll feel, if any, by being vegetarian for a month.

As for giving up food I like, I'm way too weak willed for that! I have greatly reduced the quantity I eat of some things, and the frequency I eat of others. I guess the biggest change along that line for me is ice cream. I used to eat at least one big bowl a day of ice cream. Now we only buy ice cream maybe once every 2 or 3 months. When it's here, I do tend to pig out a bit, but then it's gone and we don't buy any more for a few months. It's just too hard to say no to ice cream when it's in the house.

Sally

Well, experiment over. I ended a few days early because I wanted to have some leftover turkey.

I lost 10 pounds total and stayed right there. I did notice a little more energy during the experiment.

I learned that I can tolerate squash and that corn, carrots, peas, and rice is a great snack. I learned that I don't love brown rice but it's not terrible. I learned that I can control what I eat!

I also learned that I enjoy meat too much not to eat it and even though I didn't cheat (except for ending the experiment a few days early) I did end up missing meat after the second week. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to incorporate vegetables into my life now. I tried spinach mixed in with some other things and could barely tell it was there.

My vegetarian boyfriend made some awesome stuffed manicotti with spinach for me last week. It was wonderful! He's going to be so disappointed when he sees me eating meat in front of him again. Thanks for all of the support I got here!

Hi Bobby, I was hoping you'd check in and give an update.
I've been tempted to do something similar just to push me to get back into cooking.

By the way, if you want to put a couple things in the freezer that your friend can eat, the Amy's Gourmet vegetarian enchiladas and lasagne are quite good. (I can't say the same for the pot pies.) I keep a some in my freezer for those "I have no idea what I want, but I have got to eat something" nights. I also keep frozen red seedless grapes and (peeled and well wrapped) bananas in the freezer. I love ice cream, but I can't often get it home from the grocery before it melts, so frozen bananas are my substitute.