One Month Challenge: Gone Meatless, Week 2

October 9, 2010 4:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Emmy g+ page

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Emmy's going 31 days without beef. Or chicken. Or turkey. Or....you get the idea.]


By Emmy

So, I’ve successfully made it through my first week without meat… and it hasn’t been too bad!

I’ve really liked that not eating things with meat has really forced me to try different foods and eat a more balanced diet, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen through this experiment. I’ve discovered that my school’s market actually has AMAZING hummus and vegetable plates that I’d never tried before. Like really, I don’t know what they put in the hummus, but it is madly addicting! I’ve also found a great vegetarian pad thai, a yummy Mediterranean veggie salad, and an amazing pesto tortellini all in just one of the campus markets! Who knew veggies could taste so good?

But I’m not taking any of this for granted. I’m lucky that my university offers so many Vegan/Vegetarian options and I know that not every school is quite as accommodating. If I had to exist on salads and plain noodles all month, I think I’d go crazy. Thank god I’ve got a variety of interesting and tasty options to choose from.

The only really difficult thing this week has been when I’m eating dinner with people who are eating meat. I never realized how good that stuff smells. Like the kind of smell that makes my mouth water and belly rumble. I feel like a Pavlovian dog… or maybe that dog in the Beggin’ Strips commercial; the minute I smell it I can’t get the craving for a burger or chicken or pepperoni out of my head.

For instance, last night, my friend was trying out a new recipe for Chicken Parmesan and it looked delicious. Obviously, I had to refrain from diving head first into the oven partaking in the yumminess because, as much as I wanted to pretend chicken wasn’t meat, it most certainly is.  It wasn’t that big of a deal because I still had some delicious pasta and salad for dinner, but I definitely had a hard time refraining from taking even the smallest bite of that breaded chickeny goodness. I also felt really bad turning down a meal my friend had so graciously cooked. She knows about my challenge, but still…. I wonder if actual vegetarians ever feel that way.

Or if they ever miss chicken parmesan as much as I do. For real, I can’t stop thinking about it. I already know what I’ll be cooking come November 1st.

[Check out the other One Month Challenges we've taken on! And if you've got a challenge you want to tackle, email us and we could feature you next month!]

13 Comments on "One Month Challenge: Gone Meatless, Week 2"

  1. girlnextdoorfashion says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20103:33 pm 

    At home you can buy Quorn which is a chicken substitute that actually tastes and has the texture of chicken.

    I haven't seen it here much in the US but some supermarkets do it :]]

    You can literally exchange anything with chicken in for that instead!!

    I've been meat-free for nearly 10 years now and quorn is perfect when you want a chance from beans and vegetables!!

    Keep up the good work!!

    Charlotte xxx

  2. Kay says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20104:11 pm 

    Good luck with the rest of your month! As a vegetarian, it has been interesting reading about your experiences.

    I love what you said about pretending chicken isn't meat, because when I first became a vegetarian, I did that more than once haha!

    And when people make food with meat in it, I definitely feel a twinge of guilt every time I turn it down, like I'm being a bad guest/friend/eater. I wish I didn't, and I feel like I shouldn't, but regardless, I still do.

  3. A says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20106:39 pm 

    oh man, morning star has AMAZING chick'n patty (soy derived). they taste exactly like the real thing, without the meat obviously.

    the post about the Quorn product– i've seen them in rainbow food stores, and they're derived from a fungi, so i imagine they would actually be a bit healthy than the morning star brand seeing that they don't have soy. too much soy intake isn't something you should strive for, and being a vegetarian, you eat a lot of it. any alternative that doesn't have it is great in my eyes.

    you can get all sorts of meat substitutes from super-markets…boca burgers, ground "beef", chicken nuggets, sweet & sour chick'n, ect.

    good luck!

  4. criolle johnny says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20106:44 pm 

    Quorn is a fungus grown in a vat. There have been a number of valid complaints about quality and allergic reactions.

    http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/

    Damn close to "soylent green".

  5. Doug1 says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20108:48 pm 

    Stupid idiot.

    Paleo is the way to go. Which means MEAT.

    Agriculture only or mostly is peasant food.

    Low stature, high disease rates for the peasants. Not for the hunting and meat eating upper classes in

    agricultural societies. There you have it.

  6. Ashley says:
    Sat, 9th Oct 20109:58 pm 

    ok doug, really? that's an incredibly stupid comment you just made. There are SO many scientific studies that prove a well-done vegetarian diet is the most beneficial to your health. People who choose to ignore that are ignorant.

    Anyway, congrats on making it through the first week successfully! It really does get easier, and to whoever said Morningstar made a great chicken patty was spot on! It's pretty easy to make a semi homemade version of 'chicken parmesan' using the morningstar patties, store bought tomato sauce and plenty of cheese…just sayin'….

    btw, quorn or whatever is pretty disgusting, I couldn't even finish one quesadilla with it…not recommended.

  7. kelly says:
    Sun, 10th Oct 20107:38 am 

    Boca also makes breaded chicken patties (good for sandwiches). seriously, chicken nuggets are probably the thing i miss the most, but these boca chicken patties are AWESOME. and they're vegan (unlike morningstar's and quorns, i believe). I know you're only going vegetarian but incase you're thinking about making the full switch…it's good to know.

    ps. i know you're looking forward to eating meat now. but just wait. i think you'll be surprised by how bad it makes your body feel after eating it for the first time in a while. and honestly, is it the meat you miss, or the toppings? i realized that i didn't actually miss chicken, i missed the breading or sauce that was on it. that breading or sauce can make other things taste just as good (or better). so just… think about it :)

  8. Zoe MacLean says:
    Mon, 11th Oct 20103:40 am 

    Congrats on making it through two weeks! Who knows, you might find you love it, and keep it up for longer than the month?

    I'm a vegan, but I started off as a vegetarian. The hardest thing for me was the first Christmas when my family had a ham in the fridge, and it took all my will power not to "pretend it wasn't a meat" like you did.

    I've been vegetarian since 2005 and vegan since the start of this year, and I now find that the smell of meat is not the least bit enticing. I also try to avoid meat substitutes, not only because a lot of them are over processed and full of soy (not good in large doses) but because I find simply trying to replace meat in my diet isn't the healthiest way to go about it. Like you mentioned, the need to go in search of new (and usually surprisingly delicious) foods often means that you discover a great range of meatless meals that are great the way they are!

    Good luck with the rest of your month!!

  9. Sarah says:
    Mon, 11th Oct 20104:24 am 

    If your friends accept you for who you are or who you are trying to be (even if it is for a month) they will understand. I have taken to not eating meat for 95% of my meals. I still haven't managed the right ratio to get my protein but I only eat meat basically once a week (if that). Remember to fix yourself good foods and you wont even crave meat. The few times I do is because of protein deficiency.

    My friends always cook dinner on Thursday. I go over and all meat has been cooked on the side or there is a special plate just for me. I have never had to go hungry or feel awkward because of this. Taco Salad, Spaghetti, other pastas all had cooked beef on the side for carnivores to partake in. All I had to do was walk past the meat.

  10. molly says:
    Mon, 11th Oct 201010:48 am 

    Two words for you!

    NATURES….BURGER.

    So delicious, and a staple of my diet since becoming a vegetarian. It's wayy less expensive than boca or other pre-packaged veggie burgers, and a lot tastier, in my opinion.

    You can get it in the section of stores where you get rice/beans/granola out of the dispenser thingys. Brain-fart….the bulk food section where u write the number on the baggy.

    SO GOOD! great in manwich too :)

  11. Elizabeth says:
    Sun, 12th Dec 20102:03 am 

    I’m kinda late to comment, but I think the Morning Star Chik’n patties are awful. And they are processed and the soy is GMO.

Tell us what you're thinking...