When a carnivore goes meatless, you would expect one to experience overpowering cravings for a thick, juicy, perfectly grilled steak. Or a plateful of fried chicken. And don’t forget bacon, piles and piles of crispy bacon. But this carnivore has been eating mostly vegetarian for almost two weeks, with nary a craving, although I admit fried chicken does sound good.
A recent conversation with my doctor over lab tests worked me into a tizzy. My cholesterol levels had slowly been creeping up, due in at least part to all that decadent John Mueller Meat Co. barbecue I’ve consumed this year, and other high cholesterol foods. (Speaking of, do you have your tix to Carnivore’s Ball yet? Don’t wait, this event will sell out). And my last lab results showed a 35 point increase in my total cholesterol in only six months (and my LDL was higher, too). My doc prescribed statins. I prescribed healthier eating. Now this is not an endorsement to go against medical advice. I will be in the lab again in a few weeks, to see if my cholesterol count has dropped sufficiently to ease my very concerned doctor’s worries.
I have been vegetarian most days, with a few vegan days thrown in the mix, and one pescatarian day so far. Or pescetarian, I’ve seen both spellings used and both seem acceptable. I had two meals that included meat, and one was a fiasco. Do not suddenly eat a slice of pizza with pepperoni, bacon, salami and Italian sausage on it after a week of eating veggies. The outcome will not be pretty.
I have struggled with quick lunches, and today made a promise to myself that I will not be dependent upon the tasty yet processed Amy’s frozen meals. I’m trying to eat fresh foods that I’ve cooked myself. I even managed to talk the Husband into eating Sriracha-marinated grilled tofu, but he’ll eat just about anything doused in rooster sauce.
My biggest problem hasn’t been giving up delicious animal proteins, it’s been finding recipes I can make at home without having to purchase ingredients that I don’t know if I’ll use again. Yes, vegan cashew “cheese” sounds like I’d love it, but no I don’t want to buy agar agar. It would end up in the same spot as the asofoetida in my pantry. You know, the unused stuff corner. I’m trying my best to do something with vegetables to help make them more palatable to myself and my family, but I’m in a cooking rut, already making the same dishes over and over. I’m hoping to pick up Veganomicon at the library in a few days, and until then I started searching websites for deliciousness. I give up. There’s too much info out there. So please, Dear Reader, please let me know what your credible online resource is for tasty vegetarian and/or vegan recipes that don’t call for exotic ingredients. Help a recovering carnivore out, will ya?
