Thursday, October 1, 2009

Cat Lady: Part Deux

Thank you SOOOO much for the incredibly nice comments on my last post! Wowza! Holy comments! I know that I've come a long way, but y'all made me feel like a model or something! I'm not doing anything special here, people. I'm just doin' the tried and true stuff: eat well most of the time and exercise regularly. But really, you're too too kind :)


October 1 is World Vegetarian Day!!! Today kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month, and, although I am a vegetarian, I'm not about to push it on you or anything. HOWEVER, there are many benefits to eating just one meatless meal a day/week/month/whatever. Maybe you didn't know that? Some benefits are listed HERE and HERE. Take a lookie :)

I've tried many new foods and began REALLY enjoying some oldies since becoming a lacto ovo vegetarian on January 27, 2009. I CRAVE the huge salad I make myself at work a few times a week. I prefer veggie burgers to beef burgers, and I might never have known what I was missing! I finally started liking cottage cheese again after a 20-year hiatus, and I recently discovered how high in protein it is. I never would have chosen veggie pizza before because I would always pick pepperoni and pineapple if I had the option. Now I love veggie pizza! Even with mushrooms! (Which I'm learning to like.) I don't feel famished without meat in my meals like many people think. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and many other meatless items are totally filling foods.

http://www.nataliedee.com/

A very nice fellow made me dinner recently, and he was completely out of his comfort zone. He's a total meat guy. (Not to mention he works in the meat department of a grocery store. Not kidding.) He rarely if ever eats vegetables. He mentioned that he doesn't even remember the last time he ate a meatless meal because it had been years. Years! Every time he makes a meal it's meat meat meat, but he planned a completely veg meal just for little ol' me :)

He made three types of vegetables! The asparagus was my fav by a longshot, but he also whipped up some peppers and cucumbers. (Can you believe he'd never even tried a pepper or cucumber before?! Who are these people?!?!) He also made penne alfredo and garlic cheese bread. We made the alfredo sauce from scratch! A first for both of us. The penne alfredo was A-MA-ZING! The scotcheroos for dessert weren't too shabby either! (Not an incredibly healthy meal, I'll admit, but soooo tasty. And it was the evening of my 5K day, so give me some slack.) I wish I had taken pictures, but we were having such a great time goofing around in the kitchen that it slipped my mind. Oops.

The point of my going over this entire meal that happened nearly two weeks ago is that even a major meateater can enjoy a meatless meal every once in a while. I didn't really think I could totally give up meat either, but here I am more than eight months later and I've never felt better :)

It's kinda funny that World Vegetarian Day falls on October 1 because it's also another special day ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NORMAN!!!!!!!!!


Less than two weeks after I went veg, I adopted my second cat. My vegetarianism is a huge reason why I got him. Also, Edwyn needed a buddy. I JUST LOVE ANIMALS!!! Norman turned one year old today, and I can't believe it. Time sure flies when you're a cat lady ;) If you've been reading for awhile, you might remember seeing Norman lying next to my scale in the kitchen.

(Yes I keep my scale in the middle of my kitchen floor. It's cool.)


Wanna see more Norman pics??

OK!!!


All snuggled up
Senior pic

A couple of my fav things:
Norman and my bookcase

The first time I saw Edwyn and Norman be friends
My favorite Norman picture EVER!

Best friends now :)

Now that you had your dose of Edwyn a few weeks ago and your fill of Norman today, I probably won't go wild like this for another year. It's soooo weird to be obsessed with your pet like THIS GIRL ;) Hahaha! OK OK I might be obsessed, too.

Before I sign off, are you gonna try anything new during Vegetarian Awareness Month?

Like I said, I'm not about to push complete veggieness on you, but it really is fun to experiment with new meals! Honestly, I'm not that creative with my meals at home, but I've decided to actually utilize my cookbooks this month. I'll probably make two things I made at Morgan's in January and haven't eaten since: Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese (tastes just like a Noodles & Co dish) and Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas (loooooooove Mexican food!). When I make them, I'll be sure to take pictures are share the recipes. Stay tuned!

Peace, friends :)

13 comments:

  1. Great post! I actually made the decision to become a pescatarian a few days ago and I feel so relieved! Meat just doesn't sound at all appetizing to me, and the last few times I've had it, I didn't enjoy it or feel great after.

    I will be eating (non-factory farm) eggs as much as always and limiting dairy as much as possible. Right now I will keep with fish but the idea of shrimp has been unappealing to me as well...

    So today's theme made me happy!

    Also, this nice fellow who made you dinner . . . hmmmmmmmmm :)

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  2. ACK! You linked to ME?! HA, love it! I can't believe it, I'm one of those "obsessed" pet owners! How did this happen!

    This post is getting me thinking...about meat. And about maybe going a bit with out. We'll see :) You and Dori keep working on me and I'll get there one day.

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  3. I'm wondering how often I have a meatless meal. I'll think about it this month....

    I also have a black and white kittie...Luella (Lulu). She is the love of my life. How did it go when you brought Norman home? Did they ever fight? I want Lulu to have a buddy, but she seems to hate other cats she sees through the windor. :)

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  4. Happy Birthday Norman! As always, love the pictures of the cats! Thanks for sharing, and I'll for sure have some meatless meals this month!! Looking forward to searching tasty recipes! :)

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  5. Happy Birthday Norman!

    I too, am a crazy cat lady.. sigh, I don't know how it happened, but they are so darn CUTE!

    Have a wonderful day! Thanks for the info on vegetarianism! :)

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  6. I love the 1st pic. hehehehe!! My cat is a vegi freak. Steals them every chance she gets. hahahahaa!!

    I have gone vegetarian before, mainly it was just chance. A friend of mine is and I was eating just about every meal with her... So... it just happened. Didn't miss it. Lost weight eating vegi. BUT then i met my husband. it's really hard to have 2 didn't needs in the house. And since I'm the only cook... Well, it just so happened since I DO like meat... that i went back. I've tried getting us to go vegetarian... he won't have it. I even tried saying i won't cook it, you want it... you cook it. yeah... didn't stay for long. Oh well. I do eat less meat than a year ago. And yes, I'd say at least 1x a week... I make a meatless meal. We have gone to no red meat in the house because of my Dr's orders and he's not loving it, but dealing with it. So that is a step in the right direction... Maybe that's the key... telling him My Dr said I can't eat meat, and that means we can't have it in the house.... hhhmmmmmm. :):):):) LOL

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  7. Norman is a cutie pie! We have a B&W kitty, too, and he is A MESS! Love him, though, he keeps us laughing. October 1st is also my kitty Spider's bday, too, she turned four and she is my sweet little girl. Your kitties are just too cute.

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  8. Great post, I'm definitely learning to love veggies more and more and maybe fit in a vegetarian meal here and there? Thanks for the inspiration!

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  9. Aaaah - your cats are cute!!!

    I'm a through and through meat-eater - I have to admit I love the stuff, but I have at least a couple of meals a week (sometimes even a couple of complete days a week!) where I don't bother with it - the veggies just taste pretty damn good too!!! You've got to give to the veggies - they're just so pretty and colourful, and so much variety in texture and taste!

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  10. I didn't know that cottage cheese was high in protein! I am going to pick up a little container today and try it. I am hoping it will give this wannabe-prior-prior-fat-girl a yummy alternative. Here's to my own 30 lbs gone and counting.

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  11. Hi there...as a former vegetarian (I still don't eat mammals) and a forever cat lover I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed reading through your posts and I think that its fantastic that you've lost so much weight. You look great. Keep up the good work!!

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  12. haha i love that you wanted to hip check someone after whip it! i felt the same way!

    i feel like i am struggling right now with eating right and excercising. it is such a change that i don't know what to make or snack on!i know i have to keep it up to see results it just feels so tough right now! i think i will have to try shaking up my excercise routine. all i have been doing is running and i need to do more! thank you for getting back to me, it is nice getting advice from someone that has gone through "the change" from unhealthy to healthy.

    -sami

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