The pro's and con's of living with a vegetarian.

           I will be the first to say, for years I have been somewhat of a veggiephobe. Yes, I'll admit it, brussel sprouts and broccoli freaked me out when I was a kid. However, as I move forward in life vegetables have become a neccessary component to maintain my health, and to some degree my tastebuds. Be that as it may, in the past few weeks I've found myself (gulp,) living with my vegetarian boyfriend.
          The idea of being a vegetarian has never interested me, I love dining on steak every now and then, and I like the notion of trying strange foods too much to rule any particular one out. So here we are, all shacked up with no place to go but the vegtable aisle, kind of. Luckily, he's not a strict vegetarian, he's more of a pescatarian. He eats fish, he's a little picky about the bottom feeders, but with a little bit of jazz I get away with cooking dinner for both of us.
           One of my biggest issues has been that a lot of vegetarians are not eating meat and overeatting carbs. Vegetarianism on it's own is great if you are balancing your diet and getting enough nutrients, but where is the sense in not eating meat, and downing a bottle of soda along with that bag of chips? I give credit to those of you that can be a successful vegetarian because I certainly couldn't.
            In the beginning of our relationship, I tried to use a lot of meat subsitutes, because I craved the taste and he obviously didn't. However every product I tried either tasted too fake, or the texture was just downright awful. So I began to dive into the world of experimentation. Luckily where we live, (a block from the beach) there is a lovely grocery store called Wegmans. The fish section is great, not too overpriced, always fresh and they definitely have some great meal options. I buy a lot of their already packaged fish because they put it in a disposable pan that you can throw away when youre done cooking.
           The road started off kind of bumpy, with all that fake meat, but since we've found our food compromise things sure are great when meal time comes. I've definitely opened my palate to more different vegetables and fish. I've even come up with a few recipes myself that are certainly crowd pleasers.
          The days of cooking two meals are over as Tom and I have found healthy compromises that keep our tummies full and our dietary needs satisfied. With summer right on our heels it's time to break out the grill, and cook up some lobsters, and continue to enjoy our life on the beach. So ladies, if you ever thought it couldn't be done, I'm living proof that living with a vegetarian is possible, and fun.


cheers!
abby