I think I’m ready for another Day In The Life post, and because I find myself constantly waffling about what day would be “best” to photograph, I’m leaving it up to all of you.
If you’re new to That Wife you might not have seen my previous Day In The Life posts.
I showed what it’s like to live with a two month old.
And an eight month old.
And a one year old.
Next round will show you a little bit about what it’s like to live with your parents out in the middle of nowhere! (Hint: We don’t do a whole lot.)
And because I can’t resist bringing it up, did anyone else read Mark Bittman’s latest column on how Meatless Monday is taking a severe hit this 4th of July? I for one will be maintaining my longstanding policy of eating meat only if it’s already been paid for, meted out, and saying no might mean that the meat will be thrown out. I’ll definitely be avoiding any hot dogs though, after reading Skip’s posts regarding the danger of processed meats.
Fellow vegetarians (and vegans), what do you do on holidays like this? If you’re invited to a party do you eat ahead of time? Or are most of your friends like you so staying away from the chips, dip, hamburgers, and jello desserts isn’t a problem?
July 2nd, 2011 on 8:39 am
Since the idea of Meatless Monday is to abstain from meat at least one day a week (for those of us who aren’t vegetarians) I see no problem moving it to Tuesday for the sake of being able to partake with my family and friends. The effect on the environment and my health are the same.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 8:41 am
by the way, now that I have a 2 1/2 month old, I am going back to that old day in a life post to compare how my life now is the same different as yours was. William was due on T1′s birthday but was born three days late.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 8:48 am
We are having a 4th of july party at a friends house and I plan on making one dish that I can eat, say healthy cole slaw, and then nibbling on whatever else. I don’t plan on being absolutely famished when I arrive, but I don’t necessarily want to eat a huge meal before I get there just to insure not being hungry.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 9:00 am
As vegetarians who try to be “easy” dinner guests, we always offer to bring something that can be a main dish for ourselves. If we’re going to a cookout, we just bring our own veggie burgers. No one seems to mind throwing it on the grill and it doesn’t seem to offend anyone if we bring it. We usually don’t ask…we just tell the hosts ahead of time: “Oh, we’ll bring veggie burgers. Anything else we can bring??”. For an indoor meal we offer to bring something “hearty” that we know we can get full on even if nothing else is vegetarian. Whether it’s macaroni & cheese or a grain based salad, we like knowing we’re prepared ahead of time. We’ve never gone hungry!
I find the most awkward thing to be sharing that we are vegetarian if someone has invited us over. We never want people to make things more difficult for people who have invited us into their home and announcing that you don’t eat meet often does just that. But we try to be accommodating and make sure that the host knows we aren’t assuming that they’ll cater to us. Usually the offer to bring something is the next sentence after “Well, actually we’re vegetarians”.
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Jenna Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:41 am
I like this and plan to make it my standard as well!
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Cécy Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 10:54 am
I do the same as you, we bring something over. We do live in an area with a lot of vegetarians so it’s no surprise to anyone. Some family members have even gotten in the habit to prepare a special side dish for Hubby when we come over (his family is amazing for that).
Jenna, you could easily prepare some black bean burgers to throw on the grill. You’ll enjoy the same sides but stick to your values. Make extra if you want to share the yummy taste.
An other easy peasy thing would be to bring portobello mushrooms. Brush with a little oil and soy sauce and throw on the grill. Delicious with some swiss cheese and the usual fixings.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 9:15 am
My husband and I eat vegetarian at home. We only eat meat when we’re out or at a party (which is almost never). If it were me I’d consider eating meat at a 4th BBQ although I won’t be since we are not going to any celebrations this weekend. Switching one day won’t hurt.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 9:30 am
i’m not a vegetarian, but I have people over for summer bbq-type parties quite a bit and this salad is a hit with vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike; http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/guacamole-salad-recipe/index.html
this and some veggie burgers or portobellos that I buy from the mushroom guy at the farmer’s market (I’m a chicagoan too) are usually a hit.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 11:09 am
I’m not a huge fourth of july person. Last year my friends met up for a picnic and fireworks, but it was more of a drinking than eating picnic, with just a few light snacks. I made barbeque tempeh and vegan potato salad for myself to eat as a late lunch before the picnic. (It was so good!) I’m interning in a very rural area this summer and sadly I don’t think I’m celebrating the fourth, but maybe I’ll make a fun summer dinner that night. : ]
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July 2nd, 2011 on 11:35 am
I always try to bring something substantial to eat - a bean salad is a good summer staple. I also bring a few veggie burgers (I make my own) to grill if there is BBQ’ing going on. Then no one feels bad that I ‘don’t have anything to eat’ although usually I’m just happy with all the sides.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 11:42 am
I like bringing my own food to a group cookout. More than enough to share of something I know I’ll want to eat that’s filling, like pasta salad, beans and rice, or a salad full of yummy veggies, seeds and goat cheese (my favorite food of the moment). You look generous for bringing something, and you’re happy because you know you’ll have something good for you to eat!
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July 2nd, 2011 on 11:45 am
We usually bring veggies or veggie burgers to grill, and a substantial side that can fill us up if we end up only being able to eat those two things.
My family is always excellent about planning ahead though, and Bobby’s mom sought out and perfected a homemade black bean burger, so the planning ahead on our part is usually at a party of friends. Even then, with out closer friends they will usually purchase the veggie burgers for us, which is incredibly thoughtful.
My favorite veggie burger on the grill is a portabella mushroom cap, marinated in steak seasoning and a bit of soy sauce, and rubbed with roasted garlic. Grill it up and it becomes really juicy and toothsome, perfect burger substitute.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 12:53 pm
I just eat veggie burgers. I would say 50 percent of my friends don’t eat meat so there are always two options. I used to think holidays were tough but over time it’s easier and I don’t miss hot dogs or ham as much.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 1:01 pm
I usually just bring along some veggie burgers as well. I live in northern California and even though there are plenty of meat-eaters here, everyone’s pretty used to vegetarians/vegans. And, so many people here just love food in general so there are usually plenty of good side dishes for me to fill up on.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 1:06 pm
Similar to what others are saying, we offer to bring food once we’ve let them know that we’re vegetarians - although I can’t imagine any of our friends or family not knowing this. In my immediate family there are 4 of us who are vegetarian and then my parents, so if we’re going to their place my dad will just make us veggie burgers or grilled vegetables - and he grills them on one side of the barbecue so that the meat doesn’t come into contact with the same grill which is a HUGE deal for me.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 3:20 pm
While I completely agree with the idea that Americans should be eating less meat, I don’t think a holiday is the day to do it or to really worry about it.
Like another poster said, swap out another day. If you are a vegetarian, it’s a heck of a lot harder.
Side note, but has any one heard of Coleman Natural hot dogs? I still wont eat them, but we buy them in bulk because my husband will never give hot dogs up and these are pretty darn good for a hot dog:
http://www.colemannatural.com/component/option,com_resource/Itemid,9/article,874/category_id,2/controller,article/
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Marissa C Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:21 pm
ETA-they have them at Costco
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July 2nd, 2011 on 6:04 pm
Since our family usually does “bring your own meat to grill” cookouts, my niece brought some really nice thickly sliced eggplant to grill. Another option for grilling would be veggie kabobs.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 6:41 pm
I’m not sure it always necessary to tell your host that you’re a vegetarian (unless you just want to to open dialogue or something). When I’ve hosted parties I’ve never really paid close attention to what everyone’s selection was. If you’re worried about not having something to eat why not just slice up whatever vegetables you like, bring enough to share, and give them to your host to take some of the burden off in feeding everyone. You’ll look generous, have food you like, and not have to risk making anyone feel awkward around you (or visa versa) .
Now I don’t mean to suggest that you have anything to be ashamed of or anything remotely like that- I’m just saying for me, sometimes I don’t want to have to get into it. Ya know?
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July 2nd, 2011 on 6:48 pm
We aren’t vegetarians but we eat vegetarian much of the time…we love to barbecue our veggies. you can marinate them first or just season with s&p, or just let them be, but we like zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, etc. fruits are great too, though the only one I can think of is pineapple (for good reason, it’s so yummy!)…
You’d be surprised how much you’ll enjoy those veggies cooked in a different way. When served with/alongside hotdogs I think they steal the show.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 8:25 pm
I either fill up on side items (non-meat) or ask about bringing a dish I know I can eat. Most hosts are happy to have some extra help supplying food.
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July 2nd, 2011 on 8:39 pm
I usually pick which day I see based on which one is closest.
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July 3rd, 2011 on 6:55 am
I always bring a veggie burger just in case. They travel easily, they grill easily, and it’s not a big deal to ditch it if there winds up being food I can eat.
As a side note, I never bring up the fact that I don’t eat meat if I don’t have to. I almost never tell people it’s for moral reasons. There’s almost no way to talk about it without sounding like you’re judging. Plus, I don’t thunk other people eating meat is necessarily bad, I just know it’s not for me.
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July 3rd, 2011 on 2:25 pm
I bring food! Portobello mushrooms caps and whole wheat buns, veggie kabobs, avocado potato salad, cole slaw with just veggies and vinegar, etc - there’s lots of easy and healthy options out there!
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July 4th, 2011 on 7:05 pm
I bring something like portobello mushroom caps or bring a homemade veggie burger out of hiding. My friends are slowly starting to learn to at least do veggie kabobs, though that’s hardly enough for a full meal!
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July 6th, 2011 on 3:54 pm
On Monday my husband made meaty things while I enjoyed grilled corn (with a little Earth Balance and spices-delish) and grilled homemade seitan. I meant to grill some sweet potatoe slices, but I forgot.
I don’t attend many dinner parties, but for get-togetehrs I usually bring my own dish to share and at most parties there are tortilla chips, salsa, veggies and hummus that I can munch on. I typically eat a little something (an apple or small sandwich) before I go to parties and plan to eat something else once I get home (like my beloved air popped popcorn).
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