5/9/2021 0 Comments Week 11: Early Finish![]() I will start this week's blog by talking about what I cooked this week because I have a few other topics I would like to discuss at the end of the blog. This week I made kale wraps with homemade hummus. While this wasn't my favorite recipe, I felt like making the hummus gave me some redemption from the falafels (week 3). The wraps had hummus, bell peppers, and kale as the main ingredients. This recipe reminded me of the spinach wrap recipe that I tried a few weeks ago. I think I liked the other wrap better. Now for the most important part of this blog. I GET TO FINISH EARLY! There have been a few different factors that have allowed me to finish my project early. Because I am completing the project this week, this will also be my last blog post. With that said, it also means that I have a big decision to make. Will I continue being vegetarian, or will I return to the same eating habits I had before the project? Because I wasn't expecting to end the project early, I haven't given that question the same amount of consideration that I would have given it if I had another week. To help make a decision, I have considered my experiences throughout the project, conducted research, and weighed the pros and cons of each option. There are a lot of benefits of being a vegetarian. But there also some downsides. Below is a list of pros and cons that I have both experienced and discovered through research.
There are plenty of other reasons why it would be good or bad to be vegetarian. For the most part, I have enjoyed being a vegetarian, even if there were some difficult moments. I learned to cook lots of new recipes, and no matter what I decide, I will probably continue to use the recipes I have learned.
I am proud to say that I have been a vegetarian for five weeks now, and it is something I would like to continue. While being vegetarian may not be a permanent change to my life, I think that the pros outweigh the cons. I may occasionally eat meat, but it won't be part of my regular diet. So I guess now that I've made my decision, it's time to end the blog. Thank you to everyone who has followed my project. Maybe this has inspired you to try a new lifestyle, or maybe not. But no matter what, thanks for reading!
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5/2/2021 0 Comments Week 10: Almost There
![]() For those of you who have been keeping up with my blogs, do you remember week 3? Week 3 was when I attempted to make falafel. At the time, I didn't want to say disaster because I wanted it to sound okay, but it was a disaster. Well, one of the recipes this week was pretty close to a disaster. I have recently been ignoring the plan of meals because I found new recipes to attempt. One of the recipes I recently found was a guacamole recipe. The recipe said prep time was only 10 minutes. The whole thing started great. I had all the ingredients, and everything was going well. And then I had to smash the avocados. I tried a variety of methods, but nothing worked. So after almost an hour of working on it, I finally gave up. Some of the avocados smashed well, so some of the guacamole was okay. But overall, it became very frustrating and not fun to make. The other recipe I tried was a strawberry oatmeal smoothie. The recipe was super easy to follow, and the smoothie was delicious. The main ingredients were strawberries, oats, bananas, and soy milk. I will definitely be making this smoothie in the future. 4/25/2021 0 Comments Week 9I'm finally starting to understand the opinions of students who have previously done this project. Other students have said that weeks 8-10 are the worst. Week 9 has felt like the longest week yet during this project. I have gotten to the point where I know that I have almost finished with the project, but it still feels like weeks away. I can honestly say that I am ready to be done with Genius Hour. But, I am doing my best to stay positive and finish through with what I've started. Last week I mentioned that I would be trying new supplements to replace the lack of protein that I've been getting. I have still felt tired recently, but that might have more to do with overdoing myself than malnutrition. ![]() Since this week has felt like a drag, I wanted to make something relatively simple, so I made a spinach quiche. I used a recipe that my mom has made for me before. I also had my mom help me cook because she didn't trust me with knives and the oven while I've been so tired and distracted. The quiche mainly consisted of eggs, spinach, milk, sour cream, and a few other ingredients. I enjoyed this meal, which I knew I would since I have had it before. But it was nice to learn how to make something that I already like because it will help me when I have to make it on my own eventually. I would be interested in finding similar recipes to the one I used. I am not the biggest fan of eggs, but I can tolerate them in a quiche. And because eggs are a good source of protein, I need to find every opportunity to eat protein. If you are interested in making a spinach quiche for yourself, let me know in the comments below! 4/18/2021 0 Comments Week 8So far, I have continued to be a vegetarian and have resisted meat multiple times. There were a few occasions that were difficult for me to decide what to eat. Somehow, I found a way to resist the options of meat. I have started to get more accustomed to not eating meat. Getting used to this lifestyle has helped make this change easier. Last week was spring break, so I didn't write a blog, but I still kept track of my progress. One thing I noticed was that I felt weaker and more tired. I think that is because I have not been getting enough protein. Protein helps repair muscles and is a source of energy. I started by just going out and buying protein shakes and bars. Even though I would be getting some source of protein, I wanted to find more options. I did some research to find out substitutes for meat that still provide enough protein. Eggs, Greek yogurt, beans, nuts, seeds, quinoa, tofu, and many other foods are good sources of protein for people not eating meat. In the next few weeks, I will try to eat more of the foods I just mentioned to see if my health improves. ![]() This week I made spinach, hummus, and bell pepper wraps. The wraps were super easy to make and were delicious. I started by spreading hummus on the wrap. Then I placed the bell peppers and spinach on top of the hummus. Lastly, I sprinkled feta cheese over the spinach. I mostly followed what the recipe said. The only thing I did differently was that I used green bell peppers instead of red bell peppers. I don't know if that would have made a significant difference in the taste. Either way, I enjoyed the flavor of the wraps. Making the wraps only took 10 minutes. It didn't require many ingredients, which made it very convenient to make. I will most definitely make these wraps again! 4/4/2021 0 Comments Week 7It was my first week being completely vegetarian. It honestly didn't feel that different from the past weeks. I can say that my first week being vegetarian was relatively easy, but I know that it will only get more difficult throughout the next few weeks. This week I noticed that there were multiple meals that I couldn't eat. And there were times that I had to quickly pull something together, and those meals were often not very nutritious. Dinners are the most difficult because I don't cook every night. When my mom fixes dinner, she makes stuff for the entire family and not just me. So occasionally, there will be nights that I can't eat what she makes and I will have to figure out another option. That might become more of an issue. A solution would be for me to cook something for myself every night, but I know that realistically, I don't have enough time to do that. This week was also exciting because it was the first time I cooked on my own. Throughout the project so far, I have had help because I am terrible at cooking. I was proud of myself since I didn't receive any help this week. That is a good step forward for me. Hopefully, it will help me become more independent. ![]() I was looking forward to cooking this week. After looking at the pictures and the recipe, I was intrigued so I decided to try it. I made Grilled Greek Pita Pizzas. The pizza had olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and hummus. Even though I was excited to cook this, I was slightly nervous because I wasn't sure if I liked artichokes or if I would like all the ingredients when they were together. The process of cooking the pizzas was relatively easy and didn't take a long time. When I first tried it, I wasn't sure if I liked it. It was a weird combination of flavors that aren't something I typically eat. I think that I enjoyed it enough to cook it again, but I doubt that it'll become a regular addition to my meals. 3/28/2021 0 Comments Week 6: Halfway There!It's hard to believe that I am already halfway through this project. The first half of this project has been difficult, but I have also enjoyed the challenge of regulating what I'm eating. Everything I've cooked so far has been somewhat enjoyable. I have enjoyed certain meals more than others and will be cooking certain meals more often than others in the future. Looking back at the past six weeks, I can honestly say that I am proud of myself. I have learned to cook things differently than what I'm accustomed to. I have especially learned the importance of planning and have alternative options. Although some of the past weeks have been difficult, I know that the next six weeks will only get more challenging. Two weeks ago, I gave the project more thought, and I decided that I wanted to make it a little more challenging for myself. I decided that for the last six weeks, I will go completely vegetarian. Originally I planned on not becoming a complete vegetarian until later or after the project. After reconsideration, I think that attempting to be vegetarian now will help me decide if I want to continue this lifestyle after the project is complete. Cooking This Week:![]() This week I made grilled eggplant sandwiches. I wasn't sure that I would like it because I haven't been a huge fan of eggplant in the past. Despite the fact I might not like it, I decided to try it because it was different. The sandwich had eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese. Using olive oil and garlic, I made a glaze that went over the vegetables and rolls. With help from my sister, we grilled the vegetables and rolls separately. Once they finished grilling, we put them together with the goat cheese on the bottom and a basil leaf as the topping. Even though this hasn't been my favorite meal yet, I think I will attempt cooking it again in the future. It was good enough to try again, even if it doesn't become a regular addition to my weekly meals. 3/21/2021 0 Comments Week 5This past week I went five days without eating meat. Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult this week. The only two times I ate meat were when I went to fast-food restaurants and needed to eat quickly. Sometimes Chick-fil-a is what a person needs to put energize them and put them in a good mood, and it's difficult for me to turn down Chick-fil-a. I am happy that Chick-fil-a was the only occasion that I ate meat on this week. I have become more accustomed to not eating meat. Getting used to not eating meat every day has made it easier to reach my weekly goals. My original plan had this week's goal of going four days without meat, but recently I decided to change my original plan. The changes led to this week's new goal being five days without meat. With either plan, I did reach my goal, which made me happy. This week was reassuring compared to last week. Last week was much more difficult for me. Accomplishing this week's goal was encouraging. This week showed me that I am capable of completing the first half of the project. The second half might be more difficult with the changes I made, but we'll see. In one of the next few blog posts, I will give more details on the plan changes. This week I cooked spinach quesadillas. They were delicious and surprisingly easy to cook. The first step was to take the ingredients, except for the cheeses and tortillas, and place them on the stove. I let the ingredients cook until the spinach wilted. Then I mixed in the cheeses and put the mixture in a tortilla on the griddle to cook. The entire process was easy and didn't require much preparation or time.
The quesadillas are my favorite out of all the foods I've cooked so far. I will 100% be making them again in the future. If you think this might be something you want to try, comment below, and I can send you the recipe! 3/14/2021 0 Comments Week 4This week's goal was to eat meat only on four days. I am happy to say that I did accomplish that goal this week. It is exciting because now I am only allowing meat on less than half of the week. That is exciting because it means that I am halfway to being a complete vegetarian. I might be making changes to my plan to become a vegetarian, but I will wait to share the changes until I have figured out what exactly it is that I want to do. Even though it is only the fourth week, I already found something that might become difficult. This week my mom cooked some of my favorite meals, and a few of them contained meat. It was hard for me to decide what to do because I love some of these foods, but I also know that I am working towards a goal. It was challenging to choose what was right for me at that moment. In the end, I gave in to one of the meals and ate meat on one of the days I wasn't planning to eat meat. Having to make that decision also open my eyes because I realized that if I decide to stay vegetarian at the end of the project, I will have to give up some of my favorite foods. Even though it's still early, I am already considering whether being completely vegetarian will be the best option. My Meal![]() This week I decided to go back and attempt cooking what I planned to cook last week. Last week's meal was supposed to be Thai Pineapple Fried Rice. Since I had more time to prepare this week, I thought I would give it a shot. It required lots of different ingredients, and it took a while to prepare everything. But once I started cooking, it was pretty easy. I enjoyed this meal. It tasted amazing, and it is a great vegetarian option. What surprised me was that my family also enjoyed it. My mom doesn't cook fried rice often, so it was nice to have something different and healthy. I definitely will consider cooking this again, as long as I have enough time to plan and prepare before cooking. 3/6/2021 0 Comments Week 3My goal for week 3 was to eat meat on five or fewer days. I accomplished that goal this week and was able to do better than what I planned on doing. I went three days this week completely vegetarian. It was pretty easy for me to reach my goal this week, which was nice. There was one interesting thing I noticed this week. The three days I didn't eat meat this week were the same days I didn't eat meat during week 2. I have figured out whether or not it was just a coincidence. Over the next few weeks, I will pay attention to figure out if this was just a coincidence or if there is a reason that it happened. ![]() Even though it's only the 3rd week of my project, I have already found myself making changes to my schedule. My original plan was only an outline, so I am not too disappointed about making changes to what I was cooking this week. I had planned on cooking Thai Pineapple Fried Rice this week. But because I failed to plan ahead of time, I had to choose something else to cook. I found another meal that looked interesting. I decided to cook falafel. It is a Middle Eastern meal eaten with hummus, pita bread, or a variety of vegetables. I started out thinking that it was going to be pretty straightforward. As soon as I began cooking, I learned that it wasn't going to be easy. I ran into multiple problems. The main problem was that the blender I used didn't work well. Many of the ingredients didn't mix well because of this, which affected the final product. Cooking this week ended up being quite frustrating, and even though I enjoyed the taste (for the most part), I'm not sure that I will be making this very often in the future. 2/24/2021 0 Comments Week 2: The BeginningProgress:The main focus of week 2 was to start making conscious choices about what I am eating. I have set light goals for myself at the beginning of this project because I wanted to ease into becoming a vegetarian. This week I allowed 6 days that I could eat meat but I only ate meat on 3 days. Even though I didn't eat meat all 6 days it was nice to have a goal. Next week I plan on only allowing myself to eat meat for 5 days. If possible, I would like to do less than that. So far it has been decently easy to cut out meat. I am glad that I have to do this project because it has pushed me to go for a goal that I have wanted to do. My favorite part of this week was cooking for the first time. What I cooked:![]() Since I've never cooked a lot in the past, I decided to choose an easy recipe for the first meal. I decided to go with a Caprese pasta salad. It was pretty easy but also really fun to cook. Since I haven't had a lot of cooking experience, I asked my mom to help me cook. I started with cooking the tomatoes and pasta. While each of those cooked, I cut up the basil and cheese. Once the pasta finished, I combined the pasta and the tomatoes. After that cooled, I added the cheese, basil, and vinegar. Although this recipe wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was still really good and I would make it again. This recipe is a good option for the future because it was easy to cook, it doesn't take a lot of time, and most importantly it's vegetarian. If you are interested in making the pasta salad for yourself, let me know in the comments. I will gladly give you the link for the recipe! |
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