Eat Pip-Life

:: The GOOD 30 Day Challenge

June 2, 2011

I am doing this. Starting from today. I am going to go Vegetarian for 30 Days. And then I will see how I feel. Yes. I don’t like to make grand declarations, so I think this 30 Day Toe-In-The-Non-Meaty-Water will be good for me. And then I think I will know if I want to be a Vegetarian or not. Let me tell you some things about me and meat.

    1. My blog name is meetmeatmikes 2. I only eat meat once a week or so 3. I don’t like the idea of killing things, no matter how humanely or ethically it is done 4. I like vegetables an extremely large amount 5. I am really good at making vegetarian food 6. Some of my best friends are vegetarians 7. My family likes to eat meat (except Ari is not super keen, but he loves chicken) 8. It’s not tied up in ethics or politics for me, it’s just about something dying so I can eat it. I don’t like that 9. I eat meat because my family does 10. I think I would prefer not to

    Tell me if you do this too!

    xx Pip

    40 Comments

  1. Reply maree June 16, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    the only flesh i eat (oh that really sounds awful doesn't it!?) is fish, and then only occasionally. my boyfriend is vegan but i'm not. i don't eat meat because i don't particularly the taste of it and i also don't like killing things so that i can eat them. and i love vegetables!
    cooking vegetarian/vegan food makes you more creative and makes you pay attention to the quality of what you're eating and what it does for your body…which is not to say that i don't eat crap coz i do!

    i made pips kimchi noodle salad for my birthday lunch the other day and it was delicious! my japanese friends especially loved it. i will definitely be making it again. thanks for the recipe!
    X

  2. Reply Exquisite Accessories June 14, 2011 at 6:08 AM

    Hi Pip, well back to blogging again I have lots count of how many times i stop (so crap at it) any way I have just gone through 100 of your posts I read them all you know (well aventualy) will try to not be so slack in future I have loved them all & so pleased your are doing so well, loved the Circle interview (lovley) 🙂
    Any way Vegitarian I was once for many years & did love it but falling pregnant with my first I felt guilty back then thinking would I cause any problems for my new born, so after discussing it with my mum (as she is wafting her chicken curry under my nose) I gave in probably 5 or 6 month pregnant then I gave in to her delight & started on the meat, i must say I do love vegitarian meals which I cook a lot of still I know what you mean about killing theres animals my son was most upset when he found out the lamb he was loving was that fluffy sheep in the field. so he didnt eat lamb for a while.
    Good luck with it all I am sure you will brezze through & have a few nice meals to share with us!! 🙂

  3. Reply Lorena June 13, 2011 at 6:39 AM

    Sounds like you're half way there Pip. Our home is meat free, whilst the kids and I are veggies, my husband only eats it when he eats out. He has a variety of food intolerances so that's just easier to manage. I'm a trained chef and now teach vegetarian cookery. I have lots of recipes which may interest you on my fb page (which I'm gradually moving over to my blog Lorena's Vegetarian Recipes). I can't remember when I stopped eating meat, well over 24 years ago. I occassionally ate some fish at functions and family dos till I read Tristram Stuart's "Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal". Reading "Eating Animals" is propelling me towards a more vegan diet.
    I concur with those above who have kids thriving on a vegetarian diet. That's all they know so it's perfectly normal to them… good luck!

  4. Reply *--*--*--* June 9, 2011 at 1:27 AM

    hi! As you know we have a mini vegetarian in our family, and he is ace. No problems with sticking to it, and it is entirely his choice. About to turn 8 and has been veggo for close to 2 years already! WHAT A TOTAL CHAMP!

  5. Reply Jamie June 7, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    how perfect that i discovered your blog TODAY. i'm on the same journey…but i gave myself 21 days & i've already self-sabotaged. but i'm moving forward. also i'm adding yoga everyday, so far so good on that front. do you follow crazy sexy life? GREAT site for just this thing.
    cheers!

  6. Reply Drink More Tea June 6, 2011 at 4:04 AM

    I think by ignoring the ethics of meat eating you can justify it but when you really open your eyes to what goes on in the "production" (I hate that animals are produced) you realise you don't want to pretend its not happening just so you don't have to deal.

    Do you have the "Martha goes green" cookbook?
    Its indie-adorable and I totally recommend it.

  7. Reply Josephine Tale Peddler June 5, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    Good luck, Pip. You have inspired me again. I'm going to give it a shot as well. I don't eat a lot of meat but have been thinking of cutting it totally out for some time. I was vegetarian for years and only took it back up when I was pregnant. xx

  8. Reply Lark June 5, 2011 at 3:10 AM

    Good for you Pip! I have been veggie for about 18 years and our whole family is veggie. My youngest kid has tried meat at parties and we are relaxed about that, but our home is meat-free. My kids are full of energy and pretty smart too, so I don't believe meat makes a difference to kid's diets, it's all about balance.

    The one thing I would say about being veggie as a grown-up is it's hard to keep slim, as you can end up eating loads of cheese and yoghurty things, so watch out for that.

    I don't know if anyone's mentioned Meat Free Monday yet (http://www.meatfreemondays.com/ led by Stella and Paul McCartney) but they have great recipes and ideas on their site and they are on Twitter.

    You shouldn't need meat substitutes (as beans and veggies are so ace), but your family might like your face recipes made with Quorn mince, which you can get in Coles now, it's the only nice one I have found, tres delicious in Shepherd's Pie.

    Being veggie is kind to the environment as well as animals. Even if you only end up eating just a bit less meat every week, that will still make a big difference. Enjoy!

  9. Reply Karena June 4, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    What a fabulous challenge to set yourself! 🙂

    I've been a vegetarian since 1985 & although I've never found that choice a difficult one, I've found veganism much more challenging. After 6 months of a strictly vegan diet, I finally caved in. Now I try to eat vegan meals several days a week, & a little dairy the rest of the times. I bake my own vegan bread & love experimenting with seitan. Hats off to all the dedicated vegans out there!

    There are some GREAT vegetarian recipes here http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/series/thenewvegetarian & when I blogged about it on Tumblr, a lovely fellow-vegetarian linked me to this great site http://101cookbooks.com/

  10. Reply rooth June 3, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    Pip – best of luck in your veggie endeavors. My parents are vegetarian so I grew up in a veggie household (even though I am not myself). It is definitely doable and as my dad will atest to – you can be a fat veggie!

  11. Reply Maggie T June 3, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    I feel the same way! I pretty much eat meat because of 1. Habit and 2. the 'boys' eat it. My 14yo son asks for more vegetarian, so I am slowly adding more vego dishes in our diet and bought a neat new vego cookbook last week that I'm looking forward to trying.
    As a chef, I'm finding it harder to cook meat without screwing up my nose! Not a good thing for my occupation!
    Good luck with your 30 challenge! 🙂

  12. Reply Gracie June 3, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Wow this is basically me. Growing up I just asked for the potatoes and veg and felt physically sick at the site of shelves of raw meat at the supermarket. Now I live with my boyfriend and we eat meat about once a week but he bemoans the lack of red meat and likes to cook big hunks of it and I prefer us to eat together so I feel a dilemma. I am going to try this! I was daunted by other people's opposition before but 30 days? Seems OK!

  13. Reply demie June 3, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    I used to do this every year before Easter for 40 days – following the greek orthodox tradition, when I grew up
    in Greece- It made me feel better and much more creative on putting food together, but I have to admit I did miss meat! Found your blog yesterday by the way- VERY insiping Thanks : )

  14. Reply MeAndBoo June 3, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    I tried to go vege about age 15 but failed after a while as I didn't know what to eat instead. After that I went in stages – first I gave up hamburgers, then red meat all together, and lastly chicken, (and all meat). That was when I was 21 and I'm 40 this year so that was quite a while ago! I don't regret it at all and feel much better about myself for doing it. My husband still eats meat but is very understanding and happy to eat vege food too – we often go to vege restaurants and he loves it! Good luck and I admire your decision!

  15. Reply Jennifer : Blissful Brush June 3, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    I really admire you Pip for giving vegetarianism a go. I gave it a go about 17 years ago and have never ever regretted it for one single minute – nor have I ever missed meat.

    And its not so hard, just keep a stock of chickpeas, lentils, beans etc on hand and eat lots of leafy greens. Do a bit of reading on the subject to make sure you know how to get enough protein and iron, and away you go!

    On the blood group thing, I am an O and didn't find it challenging at all.

    I think if everyone actually thought about what they were eating and the processes involved in getting the food onto their plate, there would be so many more vegetarians.

    A big YAY to you Pip!
    Jenn x

  16. Reply Jennifer : Blissful Brush June 3, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    I really admire you Pip for giving vegetarianism a go. I gave it a go about 17 years ago and have never ever regretted it for one single minute – nor have I ever missed meat.

    And its not so hard, just keep a stock of chickpeas, lentils, beans etc on hand and eat lots of leafy greens. Do a bit of reading on the subject to make sure you know how to get enough protein and iron, and away you go!

    On the blood group thing, I am an O and didn't find it challenging at all.

    I think if everyone actually thought about what they were eating and the processes involved in getting the food onto their plate, there would be so many more vegetarians.

    A big YAY to you Pip!
    Jenn x

  17. Reply Karla June 3, 2011 at 4:21 AM

    That's fantastic, Pip! I was vegetarian years ago and lapsed for around 15 years till I did the vegan challenge in March this year – now there's no going back. I read Jonathan Safran Foer's book "Eating Animals" and 1/4 of the way in there was no going back. I wish you all the best in your challenge :))

  18. Reply Marleah June 3, 2011 at 2:00 AM

    I went vegetarian in 2004 and vegan in 2009. When I first went vegetarian, my husband continued to eat meat here and there for 9 months – so it is doable! After that 9 months, he decided on his own to be vegetarian as well and then we went vegan together eventually.

    I made the switch because I knew in my heart that I did not want to be responsible for the deaths of all of those animals. It just made sense to me – I have pets and there are not that many differences between cats and dogs and pigs and cows.

    I love it and feel like I could never go back. I have heard that there is some connection with blood types as well – Type A (which we both are) tends to do well on a vegetarian diet, while other types (I think Type O) tends to not do so great. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it is interesting.

    I am excited for you – I hope that it goes well! Vegan Outreach (do a search for them) has some great resources and recipes. There is a blog by Vegan Dad that is excellent as well.

  19. Reply sami June 3, 2011 at 1:50 AM

    Yay! I've been vego for a few years now, for the same reason essentially- I don't NEED to eat animals to live, and I can't justify the cruel ways they're raised and killed just for a few minutes of eating them. Awful!
    It is not difficult at all to avoid meat, just the sneaky things- anything with gelatin (lollies, marshmallow, thickened cream), cheese powder/rennet (doritos, cheese twisties, packet pasta/sauces). So many sneaky animal products 🙁
    I watched 'meet your meat' and it was the thing that did it for me. I've also read 'eating animals' by jonathan safran foer and it's EXCELLENT!
    Good luck 😀

  20. Reply Anonymous June 2, 2011 at 10:53 PM

    My daughter and I decided 2 years ago to go Vegie …my husband still eats meat , a few nights a week ….it works for us , it isnt hard , and we dont get sick nearly as much as he does ….so go for it , it doesnt hurt a bit 🙂

    wendy mathers

  21. Reply Grupo Mãos Dadas June 2, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    ha!
    i have an italian wife, who loves to cook and feed me, and she loooooves meat, so… it is not easy to be vegetarian, but i like vegetables a lot

  22. Reply Anonymous June 2, 2011 at 12:41 PM

    Hi Pip,
    I've been a vegan for 17 years and have never felt better! It has certainly made a huge difference to my health and I personally feel happy because I know animals aren't suffering because of the food and products I use. Hope you enjoy your veggo month and thanks for sharing! The Vegetarian Victoria site has lots of great info and recipes and they're located just down the road for you.
    Vic xxx

  23. Reply Maggie June 2, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    I've been vegetarian for the last eight years but the last couple of months I've been having the odd sausage or some processed sandwhich meat. I will not be continuing, I just should have eaten more spinach and remembered to take my iron tablets more regularly, while I've been breastfeeding. I stopped eating meat because I didn't want to be a part of all that death anymore, but then all my reading afterwards showed me I would do it purely for the health benefits or the environmental reasons. Good on you.

  24. Reply kate of little adelaide June 2, 2011 at 11:00 AM

    I went vego in 2006 after deciding that I really didn't enjoy meat enough to have it justify the killing of an animal, or the environmental impact large faming has. A couple of years ago I started to eat fish again because I was finding it difficult to keep up my protein intake. I don't cook it for myself, generally just if I'm going out (makes it easier at certain restaurants), but even then I feel sooooo much healthier with vegetarian food.

  25. Reply Anna June 2, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Our home has become more vegetarian-friendly as two offspring are non-meat eaters and the other one limits meat intake to 'feather and fin'. It has made it more challenging for the omnivores (ie parents) to think about and cook meals that all the family is happy to eat. Red meat only appears on the menu when the parents are home alone!

  26. Reply Jill June 2, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Hey Pip! My boyfriend is vegetarian, since we moved in together I don't have meat in the house anymore. While I'm not a vegetarian, I always hated cooking it, so I only eat meat if we go out for dinner or something! There are so many good vegetarian recipes! Even if you don't decide to be a full on vegetarian, cutting down your meat is good too – fewer animals have to die and it is better for the environment.

  27. Reply Sian Lile June 2, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    good luck! you'll be fine. i've been vegetarian since i was about 13 and vegan since i was about 16. i think it's odd for a few days and then you just get used to it. we love tempeh and we love scrambled tofu… hope you do too!

  28. Reply trudi@maudeandme June 2, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    Hope it's a positive experience for you. I find though I don't get enough iron in my vegetarian diet so i have to supplement with iron tablets.It sounds like it is an ethical move though if you say you don't want an animal killed. Which is good!

  29. Reply Evelyn June 2, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    Thank´s Pip for bringing this up! My daughter and I try to stay vegetarien for the month of June. Husband and the boys continue eating meat. How about your family? Are they going to be vegetarien too for the month of June? Good Luck!

  30. Reply cathg1g2 June 2, 2011 at 7:23 AM

    One more thing…everyone please read Michael Pollan's books esp Food Rules for commonsense to prevail! Love the quote ' if it comes from a plant, don't eat it , if it is a plant, eat it' !

  31. Reply cathg1g2 June 2, 2011 at 7:17 AM

    Pip, check out Kurma Dasa's blog…lots of free vegetarian recipesand I can vouch for it 100% as I have done some of his fab cooking courses.
    I'm pledging to reduce the entire family's meat consumption for June by being creative with my vegetarian cooking.

  32. Reply Erica Louise June 2, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Good on you Pip. I think you'll find it isn't all that hard being veggo. I've been veg for about 10 years. The rest of my fam eat meat, and I don't mind cooking it. Let us know how you get on!

  33. Reply Pip June 2, 2011 at 6:10 AM

    I totally AM going to post some favourite recipes! My number one fave at the moment is Sophie Dahl's Shepherds Pie (the lentil version)! SO SO SO good :: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/14441/sophies-shepherds-pie-with-champ-two-way

  34. Reply simone June 2, 2011 at 6:07 AM

    I'm with you–I got the email from GOOD and I'd like to do this too. Will you be posting some of your favorite vegetarian recipes? I made it a challenge for myself in the new year to find 10 veggie recipes to put in rotation for family meals, but I am bombing in that department. Let us know what you're cooking!

  35. Reply Jess June 2, 2011 at 6:00 AM

    Hi Pip – I love reading your blog and am super ecxied about your challenge – I am anticipating some great recipes! I am vegetarian and have been for most of my 33 years on this planet. I am vego for so many reasons that grow the more and more I read and ama aware but he basic is – if a giant came along and ate me just because I tasted good not because the giant needed me to live or be healthy I would be pretty pissed off so therefore I won't do it to any other living beings. I thought that may help you explain to people why you don't eat meat if you continue down the veggie path. Good luck and enjoy the extra energy!!! XX

  36. Reply Tamara June 2, 2011 at 4:42 AM

    Odd timing! I decided to go vegan almost two weeks ago after reading "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. So far it feels pretty good! I'm excited to get more creative with food, too. There are so many good recipes out there. Keep us updated on how it goes!

  37. Reply Felicity June 2, 2011 at 3:48 AM

    Excellent timing Pip. I wasn't aware that there was a challenge happening but went out and bought myself a gorgeous Vege cookbook yesterday.

    I'll pop back in a little later to read the excellent links that I'm sure will be added to this post.

    Happy day!

    x Felicity

    PS the word verification for this comment is pollos which means chickens is Spanish – what the?!?

  38. Reply jodie June 2, 2011 at 3:45 AM

    Pip, I've been vegetarian for 21 years (I'm 39), which was hard in the beginning because no one I knew was a vego. It's so much easier these days, with so many options. Enjoy the next 30 days!
    Jodie (she with the curlers)

  39. Reply Snehal June 2, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    I've been a vegetarian most of my life(except a few years when I ate chicken once in a while). It's really not as difficult as people think it is as long as you include a healthy serving of beans/sprouts/lentils in your diet.
    Wish you all the best for the next 30 days..and after :).

    Snehal
    http://veggiemania.blogspot.com/

  40. Reply Yarn Wrap June 2, 2011 at 3:36 AM

    http://www.simonmajumdar.co.uk/2010/04/25/recipe-life-saving-dahl/

    Try this recipe from Simon Majumdar. A great food blogger and writer.

    regards Jude

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