As a child, on numerous occasions,people offered me some chicken, a hamburger or two and maybe a hotdog.  The moment I opened my mouth and said I was a vegetarian I received many confused stares and a flood of questions.  The most popular question was “What do you eat?”

This puzzles many people because in some cases meat is one of the primary parts of a meal. In order to understand what a vegetarian eats it is crucial to know what is not eaten.

According to the International Vegetarian Union, vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat, fish or poultry as well as products that come from an animal.

There are a few different types of vegetarians and there is a difference between a vegetarian and a vegan.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian: A vegetarian that includes eggs and dairy in their diet

Lacto-Vegetarian: A veggie that does not eat eggs or any other any animal product but includes dairy.

Vegan: Complete exclusion of any animal product or byproduct.  This means no dairy or eggs or even any products made using animals.

I would consider myself somewhat of a lacto-vegetarian since I love cheese.  Yet I am unable to drink cows milk so I drink soymilk on a daily basis as a delicious alternative.

Below will give an idea of possible meals throughout the day

Breakfast:

Many mornings I eat some cereal (I’m partial to the Multigrain Cheerios or even Cookie Crisp) with soymilk. It is important to get protein so I usually heat in the microwave Soy Bacon or Veggie Sausages.  Those are available in the frozen food section.  Other options for breakfast are fruit with yogurt, oatmeal, Farina (cream of wheat or rice) or even toast with peanut butter.

Lunch:

Sandwich’s with cheese instead of meat. Try a veggie patty from Subway and try to incorporate as many veggies as possible.
-Soup & Salad

– A Slice of Pizza

– Stir fry greens (garlic sautéed in olive oil with green beans, sugar snap peas, zucchini and broccoli)

These are just a few options for lunch.  Usually people eat a larger meal for lunch than for dinner.

Dinner:

– Tacos or Burritos with Refried Beans and sautéed veggies (any you like)

– Pasta with Veggie Meatballs (YUMMM) and your favorite Marinara

– Sautéed Veggies (another great option) with a Salad on the side

– Mashed Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes or a Gratin

Tonight for dinner I kind of cheated.  I made a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and cut up vegetables on the side.  I like to personalize my dishes.  For my 15 minutes mac and cheese I followed the instructions on the side of the box for the cooking process.  I then added 1 tablespoon of butter, a 1/2 cup of whole milk (soy just tastes bad in this), the instant cheese packet, 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, a pinch of pepper and a small packet of the Laughing Cow Light Spreadable Swiss cheese.  Sound cheesy enough? For the veggies I chose Green and Red bell peppers.  They are crispy and delicious as a side dish.

I am currently in the process of deciding an amazing meal to cook for my brothers birthday get together on Saturday.  I am really inspired by the mac n cheese I made earlier today.  I might tweak it a little bit and make it more grown up tasting.

Look for my upcoming entries.

Peace love and no beef.

G.K.