What I learned during Vegetarian January

So, when my husband proposed that we do Vegetarian January my first thoughts were that this would be a whole struggle. I mean the last time I tried to do this I did not last a week! I got sick, thought I was going to die from meat withdrawal (if that is a thing) and ran to the nearest Wendy’s for a single with cheese meal. I vowed that this time it would be different. I can happily say it was different! So here are the deets on our Vegetarian January journey:

Oh, we have come a long way baby!

The Vegetarian options are endless- Back in the day we had Tofu and vegetables and more Tofu but today you have everything from plant-based sausage, eggs, cheese, mayonnaise, butter, to hamburger meet!

Fried Mushrooms: “taste like chicken.”

So apparently you can make a Fried chicken sandwich with Oyster mushrooms and batter- No you REALLY CAN!

I made this but you can find some bomb recipes @ #frugalmami!

Come on- Everyone Poops. Some, more than others

I did not feel bad eating tons of raw or grilled veggies because I realized after about a day that my system was just going to get rid of it immediately. IMMEDIATELY. OMG I can only speak for the ladies because it seems like men have scheduled bathroom meetings however many women tend to have issues in the bathroom. If you do experience issues in this area- try going Vegetarian for a little while. Your insides will thank you!

This is a great segue into how lite and energized I feel. I think this feeling is absolutely a direct result of the natural cleanse that is taking place). We have also been juicing so perhaps we were getting some vitamins that we were previously missing out on.

(FYI: parmesan cheese is NOT Vegetarian! Whoops)

Weight loss

Now I must say that I did not track my weight because I really did not want that to be the focus of why I was doing this, but hubby lost over 10 pounds this month and he is now committed to reducing the amount of meat we consume in our household.

We need more Vegan Fast Food!

While we were able to create our own tasty versions the “mushroom steak and cheese” Our favorite spot during this month was a little place call Bollywood Marsala. They offered excellent varieties of Vegetarian selections, but we could not help to notice there was lack of healthy options when we wanted something

quickly. May I dare say that we may be living in a Food Swamp?! We depended on salads from some awesome chefs that lived nearby but DC and VA seem to be filled with all sorts of boutique salad spots and Vegetarian junk food…can we get a NuVegan, Slutty Vegan, or maybe a Chopped in Southern Maryland?

Last but not least- SO is it true what they say about Vegetarians? YES!! (Bahahaha) and with that- ENJOY YOUR DAY folks. Do not be scared to jump out the box a little. You might realize that you were missing out on something life changing! 😊