Introducing Project Veggie

A few weeks ago my daughter, Claire (age 11), asked me if we could be vegetarians for a month. Being the adventurous type – at least when it comes to food – and having recently watched Forks Over Knives I said “sure, why not?”

Well, the obvious “why not” is that I really like meat. I also love to cook and experiment with all kinds of food. Tossing out a whole food group makes me sad. But on the other hand, there are reported health benefits to going vegetarian, we can explore some different foods and most importantly, I think it will be a fun project to do with my kids. Luckily none of us are picky eaters.

Since it was Claire’s idea, I let her set the guidelines. We start on February 15 (tomorrow), and go for 30 days. Eggs, cheese, etc. are acceptable – yay! We can do fish once a week (yes, I know fish isn’t a vegetable). She said I’m allowed to cheat if I want to. But I’m getting in the spirit of things, gathering tasty-looking new recipes and a few old favorites, and I’m going to make my best effort to stick with the program.

That all being said, tonight is my last night as a carnivore for awhile, and I’m celebrating by eating a cow. Moo.