Vegetarian

I haven't eaten meat in about a week and a half. I don't really miss it. I have had to get a little creative with my menus, but I've discovered some really great recipes that I likely would not have tried while I was still eating meat. So far, I haven't even attempted to go vegan, as I have learned that animal products are in almost everything. I bought some veggie cheese slices, only to find out that they contain milk protein. Of course, it doesn't say "milk protein," it says "casein." Kind of sneaky, don't you think? I have also learned that sugar isn't necessarily vegan. Who would have thought that bones from cows are used to whiten sugar??!!?

So for now, I am simply refraining from eating meat, and trying to greatly reduce other animal products. I will continue to educate myself about animal products that are in food, and hopefully I can save the lives of a few animals.

Moving towards vegetarian

I am seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian. The more I learn about how the food is processed (and how the animals are treated), the less I want to eat. I have already eliminated all mammals and seafood from my diet, but I still continue to eat birds. I was given a cookbook several months ago that has mostly vegetarian recipes in it, and the more I use it, the more I realize that I can be satisfied without meat.

I am having a hard time giving up cheese, though, even though I won't drink milk anymore. (I have switched to vanilla almond 'milk' which is actually REALLY REALLY good!) It really doesn't make sense to me that it is perfectly acceptable to drink the milk from a cow, but wouldn't everyone freak out if you drank dog's milk? But for some reason, I don't think about where cheese comes from when I eat it. Since I like cheese so much, I think it will be hard to give it up without a good substitute. Can anyone recommend a good soy/vegetable based cheese?

To anyone who has made the switch from carnivore to vegetarian, I would love to hear from you! I'm going to need recipes that will satisfy my steak-loving husband!

TTFN!

(Picture from bluediamond.com)