Baby Steps Toward "just" Vegetarian- Advice?
Hey my dear fellow vegwebbers!
I am looking for some advice here. I am hoping I won't get any negativity about taking too long instead of going cold-tofurkey, but I'm just gonna put this out there 'cause I could use the help.
I've mentioned a few times recently that I wanna kick the ovo-lacto off my vegetarian. Uhh... meaning I don't wanna eat dairy and eggs, you know? Now, I don't want to do it overnight for lots of reasons but I'm not saying it's too hard or anything. I went vegetarian overnight and that was great, but this seems to be pushing a little harder than I normally do.
My boyfriend is really sweet and understanding, he's never made being vegetarian difficult for me and it was even his idea that I should do it in the first place. But, I kinda don't want to freak him out. He did seem concerned when I was first doing the veg*n thing that vegan would be too much (he's just not big on change, really), but I don't think he'll say I shouldn't do what makes me happy. I've tested him by requesting no cheese at a couple of restaurants and he just laughed and said "You?? No cheese??" I mentioned I was testing out the idea as a possible permanent thing. He didn't seem to mind. So I dunno, maybe my veg*nness has made it seem not so weird.
Lately I've just been keeping my eye out for cheese and have been working on reducing how much I eat. I'm not buying any at the grocery store or anymore. I haven't had cow's milk in... gosh, a long time now. Milk just makes my stomach ache, and go figure my grandma told me a couple months ago that I had a milk allergy as a baby! Makes me kinda sad that just because something is standard my mom wouldn't have excluded it from my diet permanently. How much easier would that have been?
And I just find myself not all that fond of eggs nowadays.
I think cheese will be the hardest thing. I don't know what sort of advice I'm looking for, I guess just support would be good. I'd especially like to hear from other folks who did things gradually and what obstacles you ran into... and how you managed them with grace and finesse. I just want to make this transition as normal as possible, I guess...
;D
Isn't cheese actually addictive? I think it was in Skinny Bitch that said cheese contains an addictive chemical. I personally have never missed cheese, but if I did have a craving one day, the concept of rennet would be enough to nauseate me!
NY is a good sub for powdered parmesan and silken tofu with salt for cottage cheese (I like to use both for mexican dishes or pasta)
Anyway- there are no Trader Joe's for like.... states away. That's something that makes me sad. Poor Louisiana.
Oh dear. I am so sorry! It's a yummy pizza, too! I suppose you don't have Papa John's either? Sigh. Anyway, cheeseless pizza is yum!
As always, best of luck, JC.
Oh, yeah! There's a Papa John's here. I mean, I DO live in a city... but it happens to be a city in Louisiana (not a veggie-friendly state, everything is seafood and farmland. And swamps... if I ever wanted to eat alligator I would be in the perfect place). There's also a Whole Foods and a World Market, but those are very pricey for our budget.
Josh is still seeking a job since he just graduated, and I'm only working part-time. I'm expecting the spring half of my student loan in a few weeks. So... it's like no money at all right now. Beans, beans, and more beans. Usually on top of rice or tortillas... and sometimes there are potatoes to go along with the meal...
We're just buying up tons of frozen veggies and putting them in everything. We also have a couple jars of simmer sauces that are "inspired by" different ethnic flavors, so I toss a bunch of veggies and some potatoes in a pot and put that over it.
If we have a few dollars extra I buy some tofu to put in. I make enough to take to work with me for lunch all week. Today is leftover bean & lentil burritos!
We're pretty dang broke. Literally the only thing with cheese in my house right now are a couple of boxes of mac & cheese and a couple of frozen pizzas. We don't have the money to be putting cheese on veggie burgers or whatnot, so that does cut down on the temptation a lot.
I'm not really big on temptation anyway. I've given up more difficult things in my life.
;)b
You know, I think Josh would be receptive to that as long as there was a job in either Marketing or Internal Auditing for him.
Let the Asheville job search begin!
:^
I was the biggest junk food and convenience food eater that ever was and I went vegan cold turkey! I had no idea what I was doing and hadn't even heard of forums like this before, so I always tell people that if I did it, anybody can! When I told co workers and friends I was going vegan, they just laughed but it made me more determined. Now I cook all the time, and actually enjoy it. I used to think I didn't have time to cook but really I was just too lazy! Just like HH, I make big amounts of food at a time and freeze them. It seems like alot of work at first but now it's fun to try and veganize meals.
good luck!
Hey, JC, if you have a Trader Joe's near you, try out the Roasted Veggie Pizza. It's amazing and about 1/2 the price of the Amy's version. Dairy-free!
I always keep one or two in the freezer in case of emergency laziness.
whole foods now carries almost the exact same thing in their 365 brand - i was so excited cus their version had mushrooms on top too, unfortunately it also had honey in the crust. lame. if they're going so far to make a yummy cheeseless pizza why would they add in unnecessary honey?? it was the same price i think too as tjs.
The Whole Foods one has honey in it? Oh, well that sucks for you guys. :-[
One day (after Josh gets an awesome job) I will have to go to Whole Foods and check out what they've got.
JC, I am in exactly the same situation as you! I've been drinking soy milk rather than dairy for ages but omelettes and cheese on toast are snack staples for me and it's hard to cut it out. Got rid of the milk though so I feel I've made a start, even though I did the easiest bit first - that might be a good first step for you too :)
See, I didn't have a problem getting rid of eggs (well, I haven't started reading ingredients yet, though) because I think they sort of smell funny when they cook.
And maybe because I used to get fresh eggs from my aunt's farm and they'd have chicken poo on them...
And I think brown eggs smell even funnier...
We haven't gone to breakfast in a long time, and when we do again I'll try the egg replacer thingers they have.
Mmmmm, breakfasts. I like tofu scramble for that. But yeah, I'm sort of putting my own desire to go vegan on the back burner right now and helping James get a healthy vegetarian diet down. Simple things like omelettes are really good for him to make on his own and cheese his is absolute favourite. I'd much rather teach him to cook good veggie food and have those things available for him at my flat too than remove them from my fridge and disrupt his routine, you know?
We haven't gone to breakfast in a long time, and when we do again I'll try the egg replacer thingers they have.
those egg replacers are still eggs.. just with some of the cholesterol taken out.
you guys both need to start trying tofu scrambles! they're so good and don't have that eggy stink!
I love tofu scrambles, if you add tumeric it looks like scrambled eggs. Thats what I just had for lunch!
Hey, JC, if you have a Trader Joe's near you, try out the Roasted Veggie Pizza. It's amazing and about 1/2 the price of the Amy's version. Dairy-free!
I always keep one or two in the freezer in case of emergency laziness.
whole foods now carries almost the exact same thing in their 365 brand - i was so excited cus their version had mushrooms on top too, unfortunately it also had honey in the crust. lame. if they're going so far to make a yummy cheeseless pizza why would they add in unnecessary honey?? it was the same price i think too as tjs.
Lame. We should write them.
whole foods now carries almost the exact same thing in their 365 brand - i was so excited cus their version had mushrooms on top too, unfortunately it also had honey in the crust. lame. if they're going so far to make a yummy cheeseless pizza why would they add in unnecessary honey?? it was the same price i think too as tjs.
WF labeled a few things in their deli section as "vegan" and upon close examination (I do love that they list the ingredients) I explained to the woman that many find honey to not be vegan. Since then, I've noticed they label more carefully. I've not seen many 365 brand products at my WF; I'll have to look-- however, I'm pretty satisfied with the current TJ's pizza!
I love tofu scrambles, if you add tumeric it looks like scrambled eggs. Thats what I just had for lunch!
I'm trying to work up the courage to make my first scramble. I purchased all of the ingredients. I'm really hungry for one. I love the Amy's version of them, but they're too expensive; I purchased all the ingredients for probably 5 of them for the price of 2 Amy's ones. I don't have turmeric and I don't know how that will affect/not affect it (KMK said it's no biggie to not have it, it's basically for the color)... I'm afraid that the grocery stores will be crazy today!
eggy stink!
Ew. My brother was over on Sunday, made eggs, and it was so gross. I didn't remember how nasty it was, it's been so long.
Hey, JC, if you have a Trader Joe's near you, try out the Roasted Veggie Pizza. It's amazing and about 1/2 the price of the Amy's version. Dairy-free!
I always keep one or two in the freezer in case of emergency laziness.
whole foods now carries almost the exact same thing in their 365 brand - i was so excited cus their version had mushrooms on top too, unfortunately it also had honey in the crust. lame. if they're going so far to make a yummy cheeseless pizza why would they add in unnecessary honey?? it was the same price i think too as tjs.
Lame. We should write them.
i'm in.
meggs- i would avoid the grocery store especially if it's only for that. i dont think ive ever bothered using it, and if you use l2a recipe that uses the ny sauce it turns yellow anyway. just put whatever veggies you can find in it and you'll be happy. (sunflower seeds are good too)
Meggs, turmeric really doesn't have much taste, I just like the color better. Not sure why but when it's white, it just doesn't look as appealing to me
meggs- i would avoid the grocery store especially if it's only for that. i dont think ive ever bothered using it, and if you use l2a recipe that uses the ny sauce it turns yellow anyway. just put whatever veggies you can find in it and you'll be happy. (sunflower seeds are good too)
Meggs, turmeric really doesn't have much taste, I just like the color better. Not sure why but when it's white, it just doesn't look as appealing to me
Thanks, ladies. I like the yellow color, as well. I'll try the NY way. *goes to look for recipe*
So, we went grocery shopping yesterday. I think I need more preparation in order to tackle this cheese thing head-on.
Josh noted that I didn't order cheese on my burrito again (we always eat out before grocery shopping, it helps curb the spending on things we won't eat). I told him I was trying to cut back because it's not good for me and I eat way too much of it.
Well, so in the grocery store we passed by the cheeses and he said "Are we out of cheese?" and I said "We're supposed to be, remember?" and he just said "Oh, okay. You're right."
But then we got to the frozen pizzas, and I know he loves them... and I told him to hang on and I went to look at the Amy's pizzas, but they were a little more expensive and they also didn't have one that looked appetizing to me. Just wasn't crazy about the particular combinations of veggies.
So, we got our usual frozen veggie pizza. I told Josh next time, we need to just get pizza crusts and make our own pizzas like we did one time and it was really good.
He says "Yeah, but there was cheese on that one."
........"Honey, we could leave the cheese off."
"Oh. Yeah, that's true."
He's trying really hard. At least he's not freaked out. :P
But I really need to just prepare all the toppings for a pizza and freeze them, and just plop them on a crust with sauce. That sounds like a good plan, huh?
Oh, and he also sounded iffy about nutritional yeast mac & cheeze. I'm kind of afraid to make it because if I mess it up the first time, he'll never eat it again.
:o
But then we got to the frozen pizzas, and I know he loves them... and I told him to hang on and I went to look at the Amy's pizzas, but they were a little more expensive and they also didn't have one that looked appetizing to me. Just wasn't crazy about the particular combinations of veggies.
Just try it. I think you might like it.
But I really need to just prepare all the toppings for a pizza and freeze them, and just plop them on a crust with sauce. That sounds like a good plan, huh?
Good plan, AND cheaper than an Amy's pizza. I'm still bummed you don't have a TJ's so you could try the pizza without spending so much $$.
Oh, and he also sounded iffy about nutritional yeast mac & cheeze. I'm kind of afraid to make it because if I mess it up the first time, he'll never eat it again.
You try it first? Don't let him near it until you've perfected it. ;)b
YOU CAN DO THIS, JC!!!!
I buy the Amy's pizza and sometimes add more veggies to it, That pizza is really good, as is most of her stuff
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