Nothing will kick start a flexitarian diet like a trip to Argentina…

So yes, the trip was great!  And, we ate lots and lots of meat, as judged by the following pictures.  And some things that I would call animal by-products that I promise I will never eat again (like cow intestines…I shiver just to think that they went in my mouth, and quickly out). 

But, to be honest, I was craving some vegetarianism by the end!  And a lot of the comments I’ve gotten from people when I explain my New Year’s Resolution is “that’s easy – I could do that” or “5 meals , that’s a lot”.  And, after 48 hours of kick starting the diet, I tend to agree.  I have successfully not eaten one meal with meat for 2 days and the only true struggle was finding the vegetarian soup option at lunch today.  

But I do have 2 concerns with this diet.  The first is Blaine and the second is gaining weight.

Let’s start with Blaine.  I’m sure you have all had dinner with us at some point and played what I fondly refer to as the “Blaine is a weird eater” game.  It goes something like this:

·         Blaine orders dinner

·         People at dinner realize that he makes lots of crazy requests

·         People at dinner go through random list of foods asking if Blaine eats them

·         Blaine respond yes or no

·         People at dinner laugh and try to figure out how to get Blaine to eat one of the items on his “no” list

I’m thinking a post sometime soon is going to be that list so we can just direct people to this site to see what he does or does not eat.  But, the real point is that he is super picky and basically doesn’t eat protein other than meat – no beans, no avocado, no eggs, no fish, no tofu, no meat substitutes (although we are definitely going to try this, so send me suggestions of good ones if you have any)…you get the point.  And, the point of this is not for me to either make him meat when I’m not eating it or for him to get take out when I make dinner that he doesn’t like. 

The second concern is gaining weight.  The soup option that was vegetarian at lunch today had heavy cream in it – not something I would have opted for if I was eating meat.  And, the meals I’ve come up with so far are heavy on the pasta and cheese. 

So, those are my challenges. Suggestions to combat both are welcome!