Flexitarian

I read a rather disturbing article the other day about the future of food production. Scary, to say the least. Combine that with my fourth (maybe my fifth) viewing of the film Food Inc. and I'll clamoring to make some changes in the way my family eats.

My biggest enemy is complacency. I get all gung-ho and for a couple of months where we don't eat fast food, there is lots of from-scratch cooking and my vegetable crisper is a rainbow of good for you produce. But life happens. We get busy, we get lazy and slowly, slowly, all those not so good for you habits start sneaking back in. A fast food lunch here. A frozen dinner there. I don't want to cook dinner honey, let's go out! happens more and more frequently. And let me tell you....my checkbook and my rear end are living proof that bad food choices make for one unhappy momma.

I have been tempted...oh so tempted....to give vegetarianism a try. Vegetarianism is one of the smartest and healthiest ways to eat. On average, vegetarians live about four more years than meat eaters and an added bonus? They weigh about 15% less than the rest of us too. But there are a few other reasons I have been considering a plant based diet. Meat prices are excruciatingly high and will only get higher. As I mentioned in a previous post, we get most of our beef from our family's cattle ranch. But if we want pork, chicken or fish for dinner, it's off to the grocery store we go. And lest we forget... factory farming is one of the most environmentally damaging practices we humans have come up with. Cutting out meat seems smart for health, wealth and planet. But....

I LIKE IT! I really do! And my family likes it too. And really, what kind of rancher's kid would I be if I didn't eat meat? It would be like committing family treason! The rancher's daughter is a vegetarian. The sentence is itself an oxymoron! So instead of giving up meat completely, my husband and I have committed to eating less meat. Hipsters have coined the term flexitarian which basically means a part time vegetarian. Also, when I say my husband and I committed, well, I use that term a little loosely. I told him we eat too much crap, meat is too expensive, and since I'm the one who does the cooking, he better be prepared for some meatless meals. He didn't exactly rejoice in my wise and frugal descision, rather, he raised his eyebrows and reminded me that he is "iffy" about vegetables. Iffy. 

Branding time on my husband's grandfather's ranch

Well here's a little secret. I'm kind of iffy myself. But I'm sure there are ways to make just about any veggie taste delicious. Though I strive to be like her, I am definitely no Martha Stewart in the kitchen. When it comes to vegetables, I sautee it, steam it or roast it. That's it. My family has a small list of "safe veggies" i.e. vegetables that my husband and kids will gag down with a healthy dose of ranch dressing, but I would love to expand upon that list. And eat less meat. I want be less "American" I suppose. In the good 'ol USA, a "meal" means a healthy slab of meat with an equally hearty side of carbs and bitty little portion of the good stuff. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE those American meals. Boy do I! I just think that maybe we should eat them a little less often.

I have ordered a cookbook called The Flexitarian Diet to help guide me a little, but this is the part I really need help with. I need tasty recipes. Easy recipes. Recipes that don't have weird ingredients, curry (what is it with vegetarian recipes and curry?) or meat in them. Recipes that are doable for a busy family. Lunch and snack ideas too. My go-to lunches for my kids include turkey dogs and ham sandwiches. If I'm not giving them meat, what the heck do I feed them? I'd like to learn how to use all the produce we grow, like beets and turnips, instead of giving them away. I want to jump in head first but if there aren't any weapons in the arsenal, the McDonald's drive through will be seeing my van sooner than later. Help me help myself!