30 Day Vegetarian Experiment: Dining Out/Ordering In

(Pictured: Vegetable Samosa)

Dining out was a different experience. On Friday we met friends at a Vietnamese-Thai fusion restaurant. I should have tons of vegetable options right? Well, not so much. Due to my history of breast cancer, I do not eat tofu or edamame. I do not care for eggs so that eliminates most stir-fry rice dishes. I did find some lovely vegetable Samosas and ordered stir-fried vegetables (in this case pepper and onions) with brown rice. I had to be a bit more thoughtful in my ordering, but in the end, I could finds a few satisfying dishes.

Sabotage

I guess it was going to happen. After a week of vegetarian meals, my husband says he started craving Texas BBQ. To be fair, I still made some dinners with meat for him, even if I ate a salad. He decided we needed to go to Heims BBQ for lunch. For those not acquainted with this institution, Heim is home to some of the best BBQ in the state. "Surely you can eat meat for this one meal? You are not really a vegetarian after all. You can just choose to eat meat for this meal and go back to being a vegetarian for the rest of the month." Of course my husband is correct. I can simply choose to eat meat. However, I have set a goal. Consciously abstaining from meat allows me focus on including more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into my diet. Sure, it is just my own little experiment, but once I made a commitment, I need to follow through, right? So what can the vegetarian get at Heim BBQ? Nothing green except a pickle. I was able to order a side of green chili mac and cheese. A big calorie splurge but tasty and my husband's attempts to derail my experiment failed!

(Heim BBQ)

Once again the family conspires against me. Sunday was my daughter's 22nd birthday. As a lover of all things Asian, she requested First Chinese BBQ. Another meat lover's paradise. On the birthday menu: Mongolian Beef, Pork and noodles, sun-fried shrimp, steamed rice. Again, the question is "Why not just take a day off?" I must say this living with carnivores is becoming a bit onerous. At this point my answer is the same as any mom "It's just because I say so."

First Chinese BBQ

Once again, I prevailed. What is perfectly cooked pork and beef with balanced sauces compared with a kale, beet and goat cheese salad? How many more days do I have left now?

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