During the past few months, I’ve really given a lot of thought to the food I’m putting into my mouth and how it’s used. Not in an over complex way, but more obvious – If I eat a sugary snack at 3pm, it will feed my addiction for sugar (and I definitely have one) and I’ll just want more. Simple and obvious, but I still want something sweet. Probably out of boredom the dreaded desk job brings.

I can’t seem to cut out all sugar though, but being aware of its effect helps limit my intake. Plus, do you know how long it takes to burn off 100 calories?!

So, in this challenge, I’m not just focused on omitting meat but really focus on what I am eating and how it makes me feel. Fresh ingredients with little preservatives, fresh herbs to season food, limited salt, oil, sauce. Let the flavor shine through organically, so to speak.

So, ontoDay 3 of our meatless challenge!

I worked from home, so had a bit more time in the morning. I made scrambled eggs (no cheese, yogurt or milk, we eat way too much dairy!), on 1/2 a toasted sundried tomato tortilla, topped with a fresh, hot, salsa. And of course, Tapatilo sauce! And all the pills, daily vitamins we’ve taken for years: B12, C, glucosamine and chondroitin (for my running & Mike’s physical job), a womnen’s daily and a b complex. Kind of ironic that we had just received the TIME magazine with the highly discussed Bitter Pill article. A must read about how medial bills are killing us, although the food to health relationship wasn’t mentioned….makes you scratch your head!

Now, the food. The salsa, which I bought at Weis Market for $4, is fresh and super tasty. And wouldn’t you know, I recognized all the ingredients!

 

The remainder of the day consisted of a salad topped with a lentil and rice pilaf mixture I had made over the weekend (it’s good to have easy-to-serve protein around). I topped off the salad with plain balsamic vinegar and paired it with a garlic and onion pop cake. A tangy, crunchy, nutty meal. Mike, who is home making a wood cabinet, ate granola and Greek yogurt. Probiotics!

Later in the evening, I cooked shrimp with garlic and cilantro mixed with spicy Thai rice noodles. Yummmmmm. It was delicious! And remember, Mike and I are not giving up fish or seafood. For those strict vegetarians, I commend you in your journey. I’m taking it one ecosystem at a time.

That being said, day 4 took a surprising turn as I ventured out in the evening to a Vietnamese restaurant with a girlfriend. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The day started on a positive, clean note. Mike and I had discussed if either one of us had been feeling any different. The general consensus: not really. I felt a bit more alert, not sluggish, but I have freakish amounts of energy, so that may have been a normal thing.

I went off to work, eating my pop cake, banana and chunky peanut butter breakfast. I’ve cut down my coffee intake (knowing caffeine is an inflammatory agent) so had my one coffee-to-go cup (as Mike calls it) and washed down my desk breakfast with lemon herbal tea and water.

Lunch consisted of a 30 min spin class, followed by a 39 min core max class (kicked my arse!) with the main course consisting of leftover orzo & tofu parm. After that kinda workout, I would eat anything, but damn this was good!

That evening, I was meeting a girlfriend at Pho & Beyond, a little Byob in Willow Grove. My first time here and I could tell by the aroma that hit us in the face it was gonna be good. We walked in, opened our bottle of wine and looked at the huge menu. It was full of meat!!! DAMNIT! The did, however, have quite a bit of tofu options, veggie dishes and meatless appetizers, so all good….or so I thought!

The traditional Vietnamese dish is Pho, so naturally I wanted to try that. Searching the menu, they all contained meat. Except the homemade wonton noodle dish, Súp Hoành Thánh. Perfect! We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls to start, so we were set. They came out and were huge, ridiculously chocked full of fresh ingredients and served with a peanut dipping sauce. Oh, I was happy!

Onto the main dish…

Served with a side dish of bean sprouts and jalapeño peppers, plus two sauces (one sweet, one a bit spicy) the dish came out pipping hot. Egg noodles, scallions, cilantro, fresh line, homemade wonton. FILLED WITH CHICKEN! I bit into one and immediately realized the meat mistake. DOH! It was delicious though, so as not to be a food-waster, I finished that one, and ate around the rest.

My first slip up in the Veggie challenge and it was only 4 days in!! Mike has let me know that he is winning the 30-day without meat challenge. Touché Mike. Touché.