Ch-ch-ch-changes

Whereas some people make New Year's resolutions and some people do Spring Cleaning? I always seem to make changes in my life at the beginning of Fall. Don't know why. So far, this Fall is no exception. I've decided to reduce my meat consumption again. This time, I'm starting slowly by only eating meat (chicken, fish or maybe beef) for one meal a day (typically dinner). I'm not saying that I'm going to go "whole hog" (pardon the pun) again and cut all animal products out of my diet completely, but I do feel like reducing my meat consumption is better for my health.

I had been vegetarian for a few years when I found out I was pregnant. While I did crave meat during that first month of pregnancy, I think that I also used the pregnancy as an excuse to eat meat. Lots of meat. How many times did I say, "Yep, this is definitely Kevin's baby!" while I stuffed fatty, dripping hunks of flesh down my throat. Once the baby arrived, I really didn't change my diet. It became easier to eat meat because that's what Kevin likes and it's just easier to make meals that include a meat, a vegetable and possibly a starch/carb. I ate all sorts of things that my previous, vegetarian self would've wretched at. Foie Gras--which was a low point in my meat-eating orgy. It tasted like ass and I really, really hate the manner in which it's produced.

I went to Whole Foods this week. I hadn't been there in months. After seeing all of the yummy stuff that I used to eat when I didn't eat meat, I became inspired. I bought some roasted red pepper hummus, whole wheat pita, my favorite Amy's Texas burgers and lots of fresh, organic fruits and veggies. So far, a typical day's food intake looks like this:

• Breakfast: cereal
• Mid-morning snack: hummus and pita
  
• Lunch: A veggie patty and fruit
• Dinner: Chicken or fish, veggies (salad usually) and some sort of potato (yum)

I think this is a reasonable diet. I'm also going to be a little less strict on the weekends. If I want a breakfast taco (with bacon) for breakfast on Saturday or Sunday, I'm not going to worry about what I eat for dinner. It's not worth it to stress out and try to keep a tally of what I should or shouldn't eat on the weekends.

Now that the weather is beginning to get a little more reasonable, Anna and I have resumed our morning walk. It's still too humid for us to make 3 laps around the park, but we do a solid 2 laps most mornings. Just these couple of life changes make me feel so much better. I find that when I make life changes like this, I get inspired to do more. I want to watch less tv; read more; spend more time outside; write more...(lucky you).