1st Ever Vegetarian Meal

I have decided that with my change in lifestyle sometimes we need to change more then just our food and diet.. Our thinking! SURPRISE! I read the book "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin (http://www.skinnybitch.net/) and started to rethink some of the foods we put into our bodies.

As I grew up on a farm I knew where the beef were raised, how we fed them, what we vaccinated them with and how they were slaughtered. We don't have those options anymore and being ignorant to all of the chemicals and hormones put into stockyards isn't good for our bodies nor our children's! This goes with milk, chicken, eggs and pork. We need to be more aware of the environments our foods being grown and produced in.

I  have decided that I am going to cut back on my dairy and meat intake, and start purchasing local farm raised cuts of meat as well. I have also decided to cut out any type of pop and really pay attention to the sugars I put into my body ( as I sit here drinking my favorite Tim Horton's coffee with half hot chocolate... its a vice I cant give it all up ;) )

Last night I made a Meatless Taco salad ( inspired by @inkdgirl55 on twitter and you can find her blog here http://shrinkinginkdgirl.com/ - she's living in a plant based very athletic lifestyle after a struggle with her weight)

So here is the very first Veggie Ground Round I have ever eaten... 

 

 

 

 

I sauteed up some onions and green peppers along with some garlic to add into the ground.

 

 

 

 

Once the veggies were soft I added 1/2 of the veggie ground and 3 tsps of taco spices. It cooks up really quick which is great for a quick salad when you are short on time but want to eat healthy.

 

 

 

 

The choices at Safeway for All Natural or organic salad dressing is quite slim. I used to eat all the "low fat - no sugar" types but once I realized what aspartame did to a body... That's no longer something I would enjoy putting into my mouth. This dressing was quite tangy but very full of flavour which when eating such types of food... I know we assume it won't taste like anything.

 

 

FINISHED MEAL

 

 

 

I threw on some yellow corn taco chips along with some cheddar cheese. Topped with some dressing and meal was complete!

 

All in all the taste was good.. texture wasn't to different from ground beef itself. There is a bit of a "beany" taste to the ground, obviously its from soy beans but you do notice it. I think when I use the rest of the product I will put it in a dish that simmers longer.

 

 

 

 

I would give this taco salad a 7 out of 10. I LOVE Taco Salads and I could eat this more often than I did before. I think next time I will marinate the Veggie ground with the spices longer and add some flavoured taco chips or pita chips like Stacy's!

 

 

 

Hope the New Year is so far wonderful for you !