3 Weeks Being a Vegetarian

I've officially hit the three-week mark for being a vegetarian (unless you count the piece of bacon I ate in a moment of weakness), and I'm happy to report that I have not become iron deficient, or lost any of my hair.  I also have not succumbed to unexplained fatigue causing me to fall asleep randomly. I purposely fell asleep during "Snow White and the Huntsman" because it was so freaking boring, but it had nothing to do with my new divorce from meat.  They just announced "Snow White and the Huntsman Part 2".  I wonder if they're just going to hit us over the head with mallets as we enter the theater--it's certainly more humane than making us sit through that goop twice! But, my real point is that none of my fears were justified.

In truth, they were really everyone else's fears.  The minute I announced my intentions, I was flooded with unsolicited advice about how handle my unnatural choice to give up meat.  I was warned about a whole slew of crazy problems that were sure to result: fatigue, iron deficiency, memory loss, muscle atrophy, unexplained cravings to shoot wild elk with a compound bow.  And if I had a dime for every person who asked me where I was going to get my protein, I'd have enough money for a Big Mac Supersized Combo! 

What was really surprising was how easy it was.  I really thought I'd have to transition my way to meatless.  I was going to begin with red meat, then drop pork the next month and so forth, but I just kind of stopped.  The key to success was making the same things I'd always eaten, but meatless.  This meant shish-ka-bobs filled with vegetables, huge salads with every possible goody dumped on top, portobello mushroom fajitas, and pizza with fresh tomatoes and tons of red onions. I even made delectable refried beans in my crock pot.  Yep, you heard it first--I reconstituted a bean!  I know, you're getting hungry just reading about it.  So dive on in!  Embrace Meatless Monday.  My family licked their plates clean when I made a meatless paella, and the veggie pizza went faster than the greasy pepperoni.  Even they were surprised at how painless it's been to be a mostly vegetarian family. 

I could use some new recipes.  Please share your yummy meatless dishes.