I have been a vegetarian for more than 5 years now and it was the best decision I have ever made.  Becoming a vegetarian isn’t for everyone but I highly encourage you to join the movement of Meatless Monday.  One day a week skip the meat and see how you feel.




Going meatless on Monday’s was is an idea by a non-profit initiation called, Meatless Monday.  They have been spreading the meatless word for over a decade, encouraging people in more than 34 different countries to go one day a week without meat.  Meatless Monday has become such a big deal, there are even restaurants and schools that are partaking in this movement.





Skipping meat one day a week can reduce risks of chronic conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.  According to Meatless Monday’s website, “going meatless once a week can help reduce our carbon footprint and save precious resources like fossil fuels and fresh water.”  Not only is skipping meat one day a week good for your health, it helps animals, the planet, and those around you.






When going meatless, you are opening up a completely fresh cookbook.  There are so many recipes and possibilities.  I grew up eating meat and have found delicious recipes that are even better.  There are vegetarian equivalents for just about everything.  The options are endless!

If you are still questioning if you want to participate in this movement, take a moment and think about it; when it comes down to it is only one day a week, only 52 days out of 365 day year.  It is worth giving it a try and seeing the benefits of going meatless for yourself.  Why not try getting the whole family to commit too.  After a while they just might prefer meatless meals :)

If you have questions about a vegetarian lifestyle or meatless recipes do not hesitate to aks and comment.  For more information on Meatless Mondays visit their website, Facebook, twitter, or Pinterest.

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

About a month ago, I was excited and sad to hear when my beloved chef at the restaurant had been offered an incredible opportunity to be the head chef at a very well-known restaurant in Chicago.  As sad as I was to see my personal cook book leave, I was so happy for the advancement in his career.  He is destined to do big things in Chicago.



As the manager I had to post the chef opening and begin reading resumes so we could hire a new chef and have them trained by our one and only.  We had quite a few applications come into the restaurant that looked marvelous.  Over the past couple weeks I have been interviewing candidates for this position with my dear friend and our current chef.  It is refreshing hearing all the great ideas and the ambition from new chefs.

This was my first time going through the hiring process from the other side of the table.  It was interesting listening to everyone’s back story and why they wanted to be a chef at a vegetarian restaurant.  They all had their own unique answer and reasoning.

Most of the candidates were vegetarians and were passionate about expanding cuisine standards.  But I guess there always has to be someone unlike all the rest…  One interviewee had some very bizarre questions for us.  First off, they were not vegetarian and kept asking if we missed eating meat?  If that wasn’t strange enough, they suggested we incorporate meat into some of our dishes?  At first I thought they were being funny, but after a while it became too much.

After two weeks of very interesting interviews we had to pick a new chef to fill the big shoes at the restaurant.  It was a very difficult decision, we finally decided to offer the job to a young innovative chef from Seattle, Washington.  He had previous experience working in an organic restaurant and was very passionate about our values and our menu that welcomes everyone.

He accepted the position early last week and begun training at the restaurant.  The dynamic between our new chef and our wonderful cookbook is incredible.  They complement each other so well.  He is beginning to catch on to the way the restaurant runs and has already made a few new dishes for us to try…Yummy.  I have a feeling he is going to be great!

I haven’t gotten to know him that well yet, but I hope to do so soon.  It is exciting seeing a new face in the kitchen working to fill the big shoes of my dear chef.

Good Luck in Chicago Mr. Cookbook, I can’t wait to see all the big things you are going to do! We’ll miss you and always remember GO VEGGIES! :)

Go Green and Staying Keen,

Julie

Looking back a couple months ago, I would have never thought I would be in the position I am today.

Yesterday I was offered a managerial position at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant near my neighborhood.

This morning, after discussing it with my family, I have decided to take on this new chapter of my vegetarian life. Unexpected moments like this make each day of my life something to look forward to.

Okay, now let’s rewind a little bit to where the seed of this fabulous opportunity was planted.  Last year I was at the World Veg Fest, one of the best events put on by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, I met a brilliant woman very similar to myself.  She too, decided at a more mature age to become a vegetarian primarily because of her love for animals.  It also just so happened she owned a vegetarian restaurant near my neighborhood.  I had worked at a restaurant and always dreamed of managing or opening my own.  We got to chatting and it turned out we had a lot more in common than I expect.



We chatted all weekend at the fest.  She gave me some good cooking advice, ingredient suggestions, and we also exchanged different recipe ideas.  We had an instant connection from our vegetarian background to working in the restaurant industry, I knew she was a new vegetarian friend I wanted to align myself with.

Throughout the year I visited her restaurant quite a few times…maybe a little more times than I should have, but it is so delicious I couldn’t resist.  We also met up for coffee regularly and exchanged ideas on the latest veggie gossip…ha :)

Now we speed up to yesterday afternoon, I was having coffee with my dear friend just like any other day.  We were chatting about the days when I worked at a restaurant while in college.  She was oddly interested and asking a lot of questions about how quickly I rose in the ranks to become head waitress and assisted in small managerial tasks.  I assumed she was just comparing me to someone else who worked in her restaurant.  She began asking if I had spare time and if I was still interested in pursuing a manager position at a restaurant.  She explained she was looking for help in her restaurant because it was expanding so quickly and becoming very popular.  She continued to propose that I join her restaurant’s team and assist in managing her vegetarian restaurant!!

I was speechless!  It had always been a dream of mine managing or owning my own restaurant and now it could be a reality for me!  Dreams really do come true!  I was so excited I wanted to accept the position right away, but I knew I had to talk with my family about it this next venture.

Later in the day I discussed the proposal with my husband and he was all for this incredible opportunity.  It didn’t take much more discussing or contemplating until I decided to call my friend and accept the offer!  I found out I get to begin the next chapter of my veggie journey NEXT WEEK!  Words cannot describe how thrilled I am to start.

I am still in shock! I am so excited!! I can’t wait to pursue one of my lifelong goals, and be of help to such an incredible friend.  I can’t wait to share my continuing journey with all of you.  It’s going to be an exciting year, I can feel it already!

Happy thoughts and green vibes,

Julie

Greetings cyberspace! I am very excited to share my crazy vegetarian life with you. I hope that through my experiences you can learn from my lifestyle change and incorporate some of my changes into your life.

Being a fairly new convert to vegetarianism, I am continuing to learn and grow into my new lifestyle.

It was difficult at first passing on some of my favorite comfort food, but the rewards I am feeling from the change are incredible.

I believe that I have found a new path and continue to love embracing a vegetarian lifestyle.

I believe that you are what you eat, so why wouldn’t you want to be something that comes from the earth.

Many people have the misconception that vegetarians eat like rabbits; only lettuce and carrots. That is not the case at all, we eat like kings.

 Vegetables like squash, eggplant, pumpkin, and mushrooms are some of my favorite meal starters and are so filling. I have been experimenting with new recipes for a while continuing to find delicious recipes my non-vegetarian family will enjoy.

I truly believe that everyone should try to incorporate a little bit of vegetarianism into their lives. My children are not vegetarians, but they prefer my eggplant lasagna over a burger any day.

If you have never tried a vegetarian meal or restaurant, I highly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and immerse yourself into a whole new realm of food, you will be happy you did! I believe it is important to learn how food effects the body and take charge of the body we were given.

I hope to continue my journey with you through my blog and keep learning along the way.


Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie