Livin’ the Veggie Life.

I think its been almost 3 weeks since I last ate meat!  I feel great about myself and proud that I have kept it up.  I actually haven't craved any meat or been tempted by my husbands steak dinners and hamburgers!  

What I have noticed so far.

1.  I feel better about myself as a person.  I started going vegetarian because of where most of our meat comes from and because of how the animals are treated in these places.  It is also kind of disgusting to me how much meat we eat in the US and I just wanted to do my part in helping these animals and get myself into a more healthy and whole diet.

I know most people don’t want to know what goes on in the slaughterhouses and chicken farms, but I don’t really understand why?  Because they know its bad?  Because they feel bad?  If you’re curious please watch this.  Even if you’re not curious you should just watch it to be informed about where your meat actually comes from.

2.  When I eat a vegetarian meal I feel satisfied, but I don’t feel as full, if that makes sense.  When I was eating meat I always felt soooo full after a meal, but now I can eat a meal and feel full, but feel better about it.  It’s like I got enough food in me and that food was much better for me, but my stomach isn’t bursting.  I attribute this to my increased fiber intake.

3.  Vegetarian dishes are amazingly delicious.  I’ve had a few at restaurants, but have also played with some at home (sorry I don’t have pics, I’ve been really busy). 

Last week I made a mushroom burger.  I took the caps of two portabella mushrooms, grilled them up and then put a little pepper jack cheese in between them and then ate it on a bun with all of the normal hamburger fixings.  It was so delicious, and didn’t taste much different from a hamburger except it was a little messier and the texture was obviously different.  Actually, I thought it was better than a hamburger, and when I was done eating it I felt so good.  Again, not too full but satisfied.

4.  I’ve been losing weight.  Not a whole lot yet, as I’m still transitioning to a point and haven’t had time to keep up with exercising, but the new diet keeps me fuller longer and keeps me from snacking.  Plus, when I feel good about my eating decisions I want to keep doing it because of these feelings, so I have some motivation.

5.  My husband loves it and is totally supporting me.  He still eats meat, but told me that he really likes what I’m doing and it just helps so much to have his love and support.  He offered to try Tofu with me and everything and has liked a lot of the things I’ve made so far.  A lot of times we will make something, like the hamburgers for example, and I will just use a vegetable instead of the protein he is using.

He also has been making better decisions, like switching to whole wheat bread!  I love him and love that he is taking my diet shift so well.

So, even though I will have to pass on a lot of things I’ve loved in the past like Wisconsin brats I am more happy with this diet. I feel better about myself from a moral perspective and feel better physically.  I can’t wait to continue this and see where it takes me.
I have tried a few recipes so far, but am still taking any suggestions for vegetarian dishes.  I can never have too many!

Breakfast Tradition

Whenever these are made or talked about in our family, the reaction of outsiders is usually, "Ewwww" or "Wait, what did you say?"  These -- my friends -- are Cottage Cheese Pancakes and boy are they delicious!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1/2 cup of flour ( I used whole wheat flour)

1/4 stick melted butter

1 cup cottage cheese

pinch of salt

 

Easy huh?  Combine all the ingredients and there's your batter!  There's debate in the family of what toppings are the best.  My favorite is the traditional maple syrup.

Other Toppings that are just as delicious:

Powdered Sugar

Cinnamon Sugar

Any mix of the three

Take a chance on these.  They might sound gross at first, but I promise, everyone who was skeptical has ended up loving them.

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Snack

POPCORN!!!!   I made this batch last night and it was delicious like always!

Popcorn has always been the favorite snack for my family and I.  We grew up making it all the time...always homemade of course.  Growing up we made it on the stove in what was solely the popcorn pot.  A little oil to cover the bottom, throw the seeds in and keep it covered and moving until it stops popping.  After dumping it into what was solely the popcorn bowl (this is a sensitive subject) the butter was always melted immediately in the same pot and then drizzled over the delicious kernels.  To finish it off, we added some salt, tossed, and repeated until perfection had been reached.

This was typical popcorn in our house, and the tradition continues, but this time with a stir crazy instead of a popcorn pot.  And still the same bowl, for me anyways, since I kind of "inherited" it from my dad.  And by inherited I of course mean begged for it. If you don't have a stir crazy, get one because they are super convenient and it still has the same homemade flavor.  Also, salt and butter sometimes just isn't enough.  You need to change it up once in a while.  Soooo.....

My all time favorite popcorn has......real butter, salt, and fresh lemon squeezed over it.

AMAZING!

Other favorites among my family..

Sugar
Brewer's Yeast
Parmesan Cheese
Seasoning Salt

Give them a try!!

Oh, and PS.  Be sure to use White Popcorn.  Not that yellow stuff.

Hello Wisconsin!

As this is my first post I would love to give you some insight to my vision for this blog. My favorite thing about food is its variety, and I would love to share my experiences with this variety with all of you. Also, as a Wisconsin native, I would like to introduce those who are not, into some of our all time Sconnie favorites.

I am amazed by the way a single food can be prepared. Grilled chicken, roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, chicken salad, chicken pie....... and on and on and on. On top of that each way of cooking can be changed, transformed, and tweeked by adding more of this, less of that, pair it with pasta, potatoes, rice, veggies, top it with gravy, glaze, salsa etc. Every single combination has a completely different taste, smell, and texture, and leaves me with a different feeling inside. This is why I'm always up for trying new foods, even if they scare me at first.

Growing up in Wisconsin gave my family its set of traditional foods. Some delicious like cottage cheese pancakes, and tater tot casserole, and some not so yummy like sauerkraut noodles, and pickled herring. Ulgh...

Every family has their own traditions passed down from their parents' parents' parents' and I'm sure many have been tweeked as I mentioned before. My intention is to share some of my favorite meals, new inventions, and my opinion of the best and not so great places to dine out.

Enjoy!