Hello my fellow bloggers! :)
I have recently been challenged to change my diet for a week, and I chose to become semi-vegetarian! Firstly what is a semi-vegetarian? Well a semi-vegetarian is defined as a person who eats mostly plant foods, dairy prod ucts, an d eggs, and occasionally chicken, fish, and red meat. During the course of the week I also challenged my family members to join me on this change of diet. My brother opted out right at the beginning of the challenge because he is truly a carnivore and cannot bear to live without meat! On the other hand my mother agreed to the challenge and gave it a go.
During the course of the week I recorded my daily food items that I consumed throughout the week.
Weekly Meals:
Tuesday
Breakfast: Strawberries, old cheddar cheese, pain au lait, 1 fried egg and a glass of milk.
Lunch: Rice with arctic char and mozzarella cheese and potato pierogies.
Dinner: Rice with lentils and broccoli accompanied by water.
Wednesday
Breakfast: raisin bran and lactose free milk accompanied with strawberries
Snack: English cucumber slices
Lunch: vegetable chow mien
Dinner: lentils and rice
Thursday
Breakfast: peaches, apples, grapefruit, grapes (fruit salad), whole-wheat bagel with old cheddar cheese
Snack: roasted almonds
Lunch: macaroni pie
Dinner: salmon with herbs and rice with broccoli, carrots and green peas.
Friday:
Breakfast: 1 fried egg, lactose free milk 2%, a hash brown, whole wheat bread
Dinner: Poutine
Saturday
Breakfast: raisin bran cereal with lactose free milk 2%
Snacks: toasted pumpkinseeds
Dinner: rice, oven roasted chicken, carrots, broccoli and peas.
Sunday
Breakfast: raisin bran and lactose free milk 2%
Dinner: spaghetti squash with Alfredo sauce with sautéed vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, red and green bell peppers.
Monday
Breakfast: raisin bran cereal with lactose free milk 2%
Snacks: pistachios
Lunch: sautéed vegetables
Dinner: rice with mackerel
Tuesday
Breakfast: fried egg, 1 whole grain slice of toast
Snacks: cherry yogurt
Lunch: salad with oranges and toasted almonds with brown sugar
Dinner: chickpea curry with potatoes and rice accompanied with cucumber slices.
I have recently been challenged to change my diet for a week, and I chose to become semi-vegetarian! Firstly what is a semi-vegetarian? Well a semi-vegetarian is defined as a person who eats mostly plant foods, dairy prod ucts, an d eggs, and occasionally chicken, fish, and red meat. During the course of the week I also challenged my family members to join me on this change of diet. My brother opted out right at the beginning of the challenge because he is truly a carnivore and cannot bear to live without meat! On the other hand my mother agreed to the challenge and gave it a go.
During the course of the week I recorded my daily food items that I consumed throughout the week.
Weekly Meals:
Tuesday
Breakfast: Strawberries, old cheddar cheese, pain au lait, 1 fried egg and a glass of milk.
Lunch: Rice with arctic char and mozzarella cheese and potato pierogies.
Dinner: Rice with lentils and broccoli accompanied by water.
Wednesday
Breakfast: raisin bran and lactose free milk accompanied with strawberries
Snack: English cucumber slices
Lunch: vegetable chow mien
Dinner: lentils and rice
Thursday
Breakfast: peaches, apples, grapefruit, grapes (fruit salad), whole-wheat bagel with old cheddar cheese
Snack: roasted almonds
Lunch: macaroni pie
Dinner: salmon with herbs and rice with broccoli, carrots and green peas.
Friday:
Breakfast: 1 fried egg, lactose free milk 2%, a hash brown, whole wheat bread
Dinner: Poutine
Saturday
Breakfast: raisin bran cereal with lactose free milk 2%
Snacks: toasted pumpkinseeds
Dinner: rice, oven roasted chicken, carrots, broccoli and peas.
Sunday
Breakfast: raisin bran and lactose free milk 2%
Dinner: spaghetti squash with Alfredo sauce with sautéed vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, red and green bell peppers.
Monday
Breakfast: raisin bran cereal with lactose free milk 2%
Snacks: pistachios
Lunch: sautéed vegetables
Dinner: rice with mackerel
Tuesday
Breakfast: fried egg, 1 whole grain slice of toast
Snacks: cherry yogurt
Lunch: salad with oranges and toasted almonds with brown sugar
Dinner: chickpea curry with potatoes and rice accompanied with cucumber slices.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/2/2/39224007/1427387271.png)
During the course of the week I didn't expect myself to break my vegetarian diet. Even though I decided to become a semi-vegetarian, I didn't want to eat meat but I did! I learned during this change of diet I like being a vegetarian, I feel like my body digests plants, nuts, and etc. better than meat in general.
About two summers ago I was a vegetarian for about 4 months, I decided to become a vegetarian because my body wasn't digesting the meat properly, which evidently left me feeling sick all the time. So by cutting meat out of my diet completely made me feel fresh and healthier. Being a vegetarian was hard for me because I am such a picky eater so that can lead to a vegetarian that strictly eats junk. But trying it for the second time, I switched up my meals instead of always only eating eggs and grain products. For this assignment I tried to have fun with it by trying something new, which was spaghetti squash… Which by the way I am a huge fan of now!
If becoming any sort of vegetarian my advice is to make sure you are getting all of your vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and etc., when becoming a vegetarian there are many disadvantages, for example it’s difficult to get enough protein in the diet. One of the reasons why individuals lack protein is because they simply remove meat from their diet completely, but by educating yourself by doing further research you can discover new foods and a new way of eating, just like me! Some perks of being a vegetarian are you’ll have more energy because good nutrition will create more usable energy for the body and mind, also you’re body will become more “regular” because you are consuming more fiber and plant By doing more research you will be sure to have a well rounded yet more balanced diet.
New vegetarians are fearful that there will not have enough options… Dead wrong! There are a great variety of dishes and recipes out there! Get creative! Open up you mind to new tastes and ideas! Also give yourself time to transition because this isn’t just a change in your diet, but your lifestyle.
Spaghetti Squash Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 medium spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Fresh basil leaves
Grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
Directions
Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and clean as you would a pumpkin. Completely submerge 1 half at a time, in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until the inside is just tender to a fork and pulls apart in strands. (Cook's Note: It is better to undercook if you're not sure.) Remove, drain and cool with cold water or ice bath to stop the cooking.
Scoop out the cooked squash from its skin with a spoon as you would an avocado and discard the skin. Use a fork to fluff and separate the squash into "spaghetti"- like strands. You can also use your hands. Reserve the separated cooked squash and dip with a strainer into boiling water to reheat just before serving. (Cook's Note: If after cooking, the spaghetti squash is a little too al dente, you can cook it more in the hot water just before serving.)
Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cream and reduce for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in the rest of the butter and parsley. Place spaghetti squash in a large serving bowl, and pour Alfredo sauce over squash. Garnish with basil and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe from: The Food Network
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spaghetti-squash-alfredo-recipe.html
About two summers ago I was a vegetarian for about 4 months, I decided to become a vegetarian because my body wasn't digesting the meat properly, which evidently left me feeling sick all the time. So by cutting meat out of my diet completely made me feel fresh and healthier. Being a vegetarian was hard for me because I am such a picky eater so that can lead to a vegetarian that strictly eats junk. But trying it for the second time, I switched up my meals instead of always only eating eggs and grain products. For this assignment I tried to have fun with it by trying something new, which was spaghetti squash… Which by the way I am a huge fan of now!
If becoming any sort of vegetarian my advice is to make sure you are getting all of your vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and etc., when becoming a vegetarian there are many disadvantages, for example it’s difficult to get enough protein in the diet. One of the reasons why individuals lack protein is because they simply remove meat from their diet completely, but by educating yourself by doing further research you can discover new foods and a new way of eating, just like me! Some perks of being a vegetarian are you’ll have more energy because good nutrition will create more usable energy for the body and mind, also you’re body will become more “regular” because you are consuming more fiber and plant By doing more research you will be sure to have a well rounded yet more balanced diet.
New vegetarians are fearful that there will not have enough options… Dead wrong! There are a great variety of dishes and recipes out there! Get creative! Open up you mind to new tastes and ideas! Also give yourself time to transition because this isn’t just a change in your diet, but your lifestyle.
Spaghetti Squash Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 medium spaghetti squash
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Fresh basil leaves
Grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
Directions
Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and clean as you would a pumpkin. Completely submerge 1 half at a time, in a large pot of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until the inside is just tender to a fork and pulls apart in strands. (Cook's Note: It is better to undercook if you're not sure.) Remove, drain and cool with cold water or ice bath to stop the cooking.
Scoop out the cooked squash from its skin with a spoon as you would an avocado and discard the skin. Use a fork to fluff and separate the squash into "spaghetti"- like strands. You can also use your hands. Reserve the separated cooked squash and dip with a strainer into boiling water to reheat just before serving. (Cook's Note: If after cooking, the spaghetti squash is a little too al dente, you can cook it more in the hot water just before serving.)
Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cream and reduce for about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in the rest of the butter and parsley. Place spaghetti squash in a large serving bowl, and pour Alfredo sauce over squash. Garnish with basil and tomatoes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe from: The Food Network
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spaghetti-squash-alfredo-recipe.html
As a result, with completing this diet challenge it allowed me to open my mind with trying something new. I tried spaghetti squash, with a twist…Alfredo sauce, which is my favorite type of pasta sauce! It just took one bite… and I was hooked! I loved the spaghetti squash, it was so crisp yet refreshing and that creamy succulent alfredo sauce was the cherry one top of it all! The dish was wonderful! I’m honestly glad I tried something new because now I will always consider buying spaghetti squash! In addition to that I was even open enough to try tofu that I made for a miso broth! Oh, was it ever perfect! Also, I noticed that my energy levels went up from the extra nutrients. As a result, I felt energized in the morning and throughout the days, even when I had long days. I love the health benefits and overall feel-better attitude due to my turnover.
In conclusion I enjoyed doing this challenge because I was more comfortable with trying new things by being more open minded, and also made me a little bit more creative with my dishes. By being more open minded is great because as a chef in training, I need to try new things more often, and as well as being less picky. In addition, I would not choose to continue to be a semi-vegetarian, because I still enjoy eating/making meat dishes. But I can say in the near future I am planning to become a vegetarian because of the overall health benefits and as well as I enjoy eating vegetables, fruits, nuts legumes and etc more than meat. But I am just not ready to convert my lifestyle just yet!
In conclusion I enjoyed doing this challenge because I was more comfortable with trying new things by being more open minded, and also made me a little bit more creative with my dishes. By being more open minded is great because as a chef in training, I need to try new things more often, and as well as being less picky. In addition, I would not choose to continue to be a semi-vegetarian, because I still enjoy eating/making meat dishes. But I can say in the near future I am planning to become a vegetarian because of the overall health benefits and as well as I enjoy eating vegetables, fruits, nuts legumes and etc more than meat. But I am just not ready to convert my lifestyle just yet!
Sources: https://culinaryadventuresinthekitchen.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/spaghetti-squash-1.jpg
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/why-go-veg-learn-about-becoming-a-vegetarian/
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semi-vegetarian
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spaghetti-squash-alfredo-recipe.html
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/article/why-go-veg-learn-about-becoming-a-vegetarian/
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semi-vegetarian
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spaghetti-squash-alfredo-recipe.html