I’m Not a Vegetarian, But I Eat Like One (Sometimes)

I started trying vegetarian products in college, but didn't really stick with eating them. At that time I only had a microwave to cook  my "chicken" patties in which resulted in not so good pretend chicken. I've found that the best way to eat meatless meat is to learn how to cook it to your taste.

I should start this by saying that when it comes to food I am completely equal opportunity. I like it all. Fried, steamed, baked, broiled, meat, no meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit, low rent food, high rent gourmet food, ethnic food, whole grains, white bread, skim milk, soy milk, whole milk, real butter, spray butter...you get the point. I love all food! Period. Which can be a good thing or bad thing.

Some of these foods are trigger foods and some are not. For example, if you bought me hamburgers and white buns with all the fixings, I would eat them in the same fashion I would a plate of chocolate chip cookies. In excess. I love hamburgers, they are my weakness. I love them with beef, turkey, chicken or with meatless meats. I love them with cheese or without, I love them with ketchup mayonnaise, mustard, pickles lettuce, tomato and onions. Love them.

That is where my love for veggie burgers comes in. If you look at my food intake lately you will see a lot of them. In fact, I just ate a black bean burger wrap 10 minutes ago for breakfast. Finding veggie burgers, to me, is like finding a healthier 50 calorie doughnut that tastes exactly the same, if not better. If I could, I would peddle these things door to door.

I prefer them cooked on a skillet, not a grill. I use a nonstick pan, turn the heat up high and drop the frozen patty in. This forms a crusty outside. I turn it over and then turn the heat down to medium. No added oil needed. Sometimes I will get a little crazy and sprinkle some garlic powder on top.  I lightly toast low calorie bread and top the sandwich with a little mayo, ketchup, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles.

The black bean morning star burgers are my favorite. Well, all morning star burgers are my favorite. They range from 120-150 calories each and have anywhere from 11- 15 grams of protein in them. How awesome is that?

Now, to take it a step further, I've been so happy with veggie cheese lately. I saw this at my local food lion in the american cheese-Esq packaging about two weeks ago. I'm not a fan of American cheese, but I will tolerate it. The cool thing about veggie cheese is that one slice is just 40 calories and has 3 grams of protein. I love cheese, but sometimes I notice that I like cheese for its added texture, rather than taste in food. I had a huge mental debate before buying the veggie cheese because, well, its not cheese. But, neither is American cheese, so I put it in the cart.

Now, I will say, this stuff is not (in my opinion) great alone. It is best in a hot sandwich and melted. I bought the shredded veggie cheese recently too and love it in scrambled eggs. The 40 calorie veggie cheese has defiantly replaced my 110 calorie slice of provolone for quick sandwiches. I can't believe I just wrote this huge post about vegetarian/vegan food, oh well. But, please, if you love regular burgers, I swear you will love these. A regular burger usually has well over 500 calories, but these have under 300 calories each and are just as delicious. If I had enough money I'd buy and prepare a special veggie burger just for you.

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In other news I am feeling very inspired and hopeful lately with my weight loss. Its just my first week in since I've dedicated myself to losing weight, but I feel so good. I also wanted to share my weight loss progress so far for January. <Click Here>