Sunday, February 28, 2010

How my friend Mike would run a slaughterhouse

Days 117 - 119

Here is another short film I made for the blog featuring my friend Mike’s response to the HBO film, Temple Grandin. Enjoy!



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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Jeff Garlin talks about his food addiction

Days 115 & 116

Comedian Jeff Garlin talks about his food addiction on the Daily Show. He relates that he hasn’t had any sugar or fast food in over a year and is just shedding pounds!



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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Is it really expensive to eat healthy?

Day 113 & 114

I dedicate this entry to Jonnie M. He's a really cool guy and a friend in meatlessness.

*********************************************

Well? Is it truly expensive to eat healthy?

Nah, I don’t think it really is.

It may depend on whether your area has more fast food places than it does BJ’s or TJ’s. If you are stuck in an area where there are more places that sell unhealthy food cheap than places that sell healthy food cheap then you may be screwed.

But have you really looked around your area?

How do you know what is out there for food buys if you haven’t really looked around? Don’t take another person’s word for it; go and see for yourself.

Make a list of what you usually buy for food and take it with you to as many grocery stores as you can find in your area. Compare prices from store to store and see where the healthiest foodstuffs are at the best price.

Don’t have the time? I don’t believe it. Maybe not this week, but eventually you will have some spare time to look. It will be time well spent when you do. Trust me on this.

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Happy Easter?!!

Day 112

In early January I noticed something really strange at my local BJ’s Wholesale. As I passed the endcap of the front most isle I noticed that it looked entirely too pastel for that time of year.

Neatly stacked on the end of the isle were tons of Easter candies!

There were Peeps, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, Cadbury Crème eggs and many other varieties of spring themed candy. Easter is April 4th this year—this was early January!

And it wasn’t just at BJ’s, I noticed that at least a few other stores were stocking Easter candy that early as well. Can’t they wait just a little bit longer to start selling spring candy? Valentine’s Day hadn’t even arrived yet!

It seems with every year that passes I see holiday candy arrive in stores earlier and earlier. With all the sugar they pack into them they can practically last on the shelves forever so I guess they are trying to see just how much of a sales window they can have by moving up their shelf time every year.

I just really wish they would at least wait until a month or two prior to the holiday to start placing them in stores and not a whole season ahead as seems to be the increasing norm in today’s market.

No wonder we are so candy crazy one can get their fix for a Reese’s PB Egg January through April!


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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Screw this vegan thing! Maybe. Sort of. Part 2: No really, screw it.

Day 111

Just to be clear about yesterday’s enrty; I am not wrestling with going back to meat. It’s dairy that I am being all of a sudden doubtful about. I still am meatless people and will be that way until at least November 2nd, 2010.

That being said, this is what I had for dinner last night:

I did not have this for dinner last night:



That was my friend Dave’s pizza. Again, this is what I ate:


And, yes I know, there is CHEESE on it!!!!

It was not a whole wheat crust and it was a processed food but it was a nice change from being a strict vegan. So much so that I think I will only be vegan when it comes to my grocery list. So from now on I will be vegan at home and just a regular normal vegetarian outside of the home. That way I can maintain control over my dairy intake yet still indulge in it when out with friends.

So sorry to the hardcore animal rights people but I think I can safely say that after almost two months of being vegan that I don’t think it is really all that cruel to our furry friends to eat products made from their milk. Yes, they are sometimes mistreated and fed hormones when they produce milk but what about organic dairy farmers? I think they treat their animals pretty good.

Though I will say, after having that personal pizza I was drowsy—something that hasn’t been happening with my healthy diet recently.

Still, it was pretty damn tasty.

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Screw this vegan thing! Maybe. Sort of.

Days 109 & 110

I was at Panera Bread the other day and got a medium roast coffee. As I approached the coffee stand to fill up my cup after paying I realized that I had not asked if they had any soy milk.

Being in a hurry and not wanting to pester them for any as they were getting pretty busy, I just said, “screw it” and put in some skim milk instead.

Being vegan is just being too picky so here’s how it will go for the rest of the year:

-If there is no dairy substitute when I need some in my coffee I will just go for the least fattening creamer on hand.

-I will still avoid buying and consuming yogurt, cheese, milk and etc. but if a social situation comes up where that is all there is (such as a friend buying you pizza after you help them move in) and I am hungry then I will eat what they give me.

-And like I already established with eggs, dairy is okay if it is a mixed in ingredient such as in baked goods.


I am still doing a perfect job of avoiding beef, pork, poultry, fish/seafood and whole eggs though.

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Pump it Up!

Days 107 & 108

Day 108 and I still feel great. Lots of energy and the weight is coming off at a healthy rate.

So now it’s time to add some muscle.

At the Y a few days ago I got to talking to one of their trainers, Steve. We talked about how building up muscle helps burn fat calories faster and that eventually one hour on the elliptical everyday was eventually going to have less of an effect on my system. With all that in mind I set a training appointment with him for 10 am on Friday. I will let you know how that goes.

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Monday, February 15, 2010

Happy Presidents' Day!

Day 106

Have we ever had any vegetarian presidents?

I am guessing that we probably haven’t but wouldn’t it be interesting if we did?

Anybody know if we have ever had any veggie presidents? I could Google the answer but I choose the human interaction option, i.e. leave a comment in the comments section if you know the answer.

I do praise our First Lady for her new initiative to battle childhood obesity and promote healthier eating.

Happy Presidents' Day!
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Sunday, February 14, 2010

My Meatless Lovers

Day 105

I cannot stay in this relationship with you any longer.

Don't get me wrong, you are great to take to parties and cookouts but, well, I need someone more interesting in my life.

Yes, you are okay when we occasionally spice it up but there is only so much spice one can add to our affair before things go right back to being boring again. I still want to stay in touch. We can still be friends.

I had some great times with you Boca Burger.



Hello Morningstar Fake Sausage. It is always nice to spend some naughty time with you. I don’t need any of those “real” sausage patties. They just aren’t good for me like you are. You are always great to experience in the morning hours. Every time I sink my teeth into you or run my tongue over your rough, textured surface my sense of taste goes wild. You always leave me begging for more and you never give me a hard time about seeing others. Our open relationship is something I cherish.


Once I used to fool around with those "real" sausage patties. Every time I finished I felt so…guilty. With you, it’s clean and guilt free. Mmmm yeah, baby.

I don’t care what my friends and family think of you Moringstar Fake Sausage. Our casual arrangement suits me just fine. Just thinking about you has me licking my lips in anticipation.

And hello to you too Chipotle Black Bean Burger. Don't think I didn't see you over there pretending to be so coy. I am so glad you could stop by to slip under the whole grain bread covers with me. When I kiss you I can taste an experienced lover who already comes with all the spice I need. You can satisfy me morning, noon or night and you never judge me harshly for it.



You are different and it shows. Making me feel soooo good seems to be what you are soooo good at. If only I had taken an interest in you years ago. If I did then maybe we could have started a family by now. Me, you and two little Chipotle beans running around the yard, the American Dream realized.

Wait, please don’t go away—I don’t want to scare you off. We can take it slower. We don't have to pick out china patterns this soon.

Yes, that’s it. Rest quietly on my plate, my dear.

I will take the phone of the hook, turn the lights down and put on some Dean Martin.

Chipotle Black Bean Burger, I love you.




Happy Valentine's Day from Meatless Man.
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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Cookies and Carpools, Inner Thoughts and Outbursts and the City of Destiny Oh My!

Day 104

From time to time I will be posting some links to some of blogs I like to visit. Here are three of them:

Cookies & Carpools - Elise directed me in a musical in college and in this blog talks about home cookin', homelife and other things.


Inner Thoughts and Outbursts - I went to high school with Danielle and she is a professional writer living in Boston, MA. Follow her well written inner thoughts and outbursts, won’t you?



City of Destiny - Katherine’s adventures in the built environment of Chicago/the Midwest/Great Lakes/Rust Belt and elsewhere.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Velcro.

Day 103

I currently have the wallet of an eighth grade boy.

No—you don’t understand. I didn’t mug an actual eighth grade boy. The wallet is mine and I bought it fair and square with my own money.

It’s just that it’s a fabric wallet that is held closed by Velcro. It doesn’t look as mature as leather wallets do, or hold as much as one, but I decided to go with a Velcro wallet over a leather one just the same.

Standing in front of the wallet rack at my local Target a few weeks ago, I glimpsed many leather wallets that would do all the great things a first-class wallet is supposed to; carry cash, hold ATM cards, display pictures of your sister’s kids and ultimately fold up nicely to fit in your pocket.

Instead, I chose a Velcro wallet that doesn’t do all the above things as well. It just felt too Hannibal Lecter to get one made out of animal hide. I am not sure I feel the need to have animals killed just so I can have their skins contain my pocket change. Isn’t that a bit ghoulish?

Maybe that’s just me.

I try to avoid leather products where I can. Never have I truly understood the appeal of a leather jacket or a fine leather car interior. Some people do. I don’t blame them. That’s their choice.

And a Velcro wallet is my choice.

Talk to you soon.
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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Food News Bits from Around the Web

Days 101 & 102

I like to keep my eyes peeled for interesting food stories on the web and I like to share them with others. Click on the AP photo below to see how McDonald’s is causing a stir in Italy:



Claire Danes was on The Colbert Report last night talking about her new movie, Temple Grandin, in which she plays the real life person of the same name who is noted for being an advocate for autism and for her work with animals:




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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

100 Days of Being Meatless!!!!!!!!

Day 100

I have reached—100 DAYS OF BEING MEATLESS! WHOO-HOO!


But on a totally different subject, do you ever notice that there are no nutritional value labels on coffee packages? With out cream or sugar does coffee have any calories?

And did you watch the Colbert Report last night? It seems that going meatless is really something people want to spread the word about. Imagine that!

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Monday, February 8, 2010

The Meatless Blog’s First Public Speaking Engagement!

Day 99

On Thursday I went for my daily workout at the YMCA and afterwards got my Body Mass Index (BMI) checked. Y employee Rich took me into the office where their BMI gadget was and there we bumped into Jayne, another Y employee who had also taken my BMI back in December.

Jayne asked how my meatless year and blog were going and I inform her about the positive feedback I have been receiving from readers and that I felt extremely energetic. Yet another Y employee, Dawn, the Y’s Physical Director, came in and Jayne told her about what I was doing. Dawn then asked if I wanted to stop in to briefly speak to her weight loss group on Saturday morning during their cooking tips hour. I enthusiastically said yes.

Saturday morning came and I arrived in the Y’s community room a little before 10 am with two bags stuffed with examples of the food I’ve been eating since going meatless back in November; i.e. whole grain bread, greens salad, natural peanut butter and etc.

Soon, the room filled up and it came to be my turn to present. My three major talking points included.

Focus on losing just one pound at a time, no matter how much you want to eventually lose. This will keep you positive and focused.

There is always time to cook—even if you have to prepare and freeze meals ahead of time.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. Eventually one can find the time to go price hunting in their area. There are bargains to be found in many places.

The folks in the weight loss group were very appreciative and I got to chat with a few of them after the talk. I used this time to show them up close some of the healthy foods I brought in. All in all, I loved it and Dawn may invite me back to speak with them all again.

And yes, I am available for Bar Mitzvahs too!

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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Days 97 and 98

In Thursday’s entry I posted a PETA ad that was banned from last year’s Super Bowl.

Even though I did refer to it as the “best commercial ever” I can certainly see why it was banned from Super Bowl XLIII. It’s a very racy ad and keep in mind that people of all ages gather around the tube to watch the most popular football game of the year. Sure, some adults may find the commercial entertaining but do they want to subject their kids to it?

Even though I found the commercial to be, ahem, attractive and I so want to believe that vegetarians do have better sex, there was no research or specific study cited in the ad to back up that particular claim—something that I think very much took away from what they were trying to say with the advertisement.

And again, yes, I loved the commercial for the overall sexiness of it but without cited evidence for what it claims I am on the fence for what the overall statement of it is. This is probably the reason why am not an outright PETA supporter and am on the fence about them too. Just stating something doesn't make it true. One must back it up with evidence too.

I do recommend this article for further reading on this particular issue.

What do the rest of you think about it? Please let me know in the comments section and…

HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

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Friday, February 5, 2010

Weight Update for February 2010!

Day 96

I am over a third of the way to my weight loss goal of 149 lbs!

I have lost 24 lbs since November 2nd and continue to have plenty of energy!

Here are the pictures I took today:


And here’s another bit of good news. Yesterday at the YMCA where I workout, I had my body mass index (BMI) taken. Jayne, the YMCA Fitness Director, who took my BMI for me back in December, asked how the meatless diet and blog were going and I told her of all the pounds I lost and the tremendous response this blog has been receiving. Dawn, the Physical Director, overheard this and we started up a conversation in which she asked me if I would come in and briefly speak with a weight loss group at the Y this Saturday morning. I told her I would love to and now Saturday morning the Meatless Year Blog has its first public speaking gig!

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Vegetarians Have Better Sex!!!!!

Day 95

This ad promoting a vegetarian lifestyle was banned from Super Bowl XLIII.

It is also incredibly HOT! Enjoy!



Best. Commercial. Ever.

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Should Animals Eat Meat?

Day 94

This is something I often wonder about. If a vegetarian has a pet then is it necessarily against the owner’s beliefs to feed their pets meat? Should they be feeding their doggies and kitties lamb and rice formula? Should they refrain from serving their furry friend scraps of meat from the dinner table?

I have met a vegetarian or two in my time that believes that it is perfectly fine to have their pets consume pet food with meat in it. Doesn’t that make those vegetarian pet owners hypocrites, especially if they have gone veggie to fight animal cruelty?

It would seem to me that if you really want to help as many animals as you can then you shouldn’t feed them flesh no matter how appealing it may be to your dog or cat. However, at the same time, isn’t making your animals go meatless just forcing your veggie beliefs on them? (And yes, I know how odd that last statement must have sounded.)

I really want to know what others think about this. Post your response in the comments section. I’d love to hear what people have to say.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Three Months of Being Meatless!

Day 93

I have made it three months without eating meat!

But, when it comes to the vegan aspect of my diet, I have inadvertently cheated because so many products have egg and dairy ingredients hidden inside of them! I think I will apply the same qualification to my vegan rule that I do to my whole egg rule; if it is a mixed in ingredient it is okay. Sound fair?

That being said, I think I will probably not be continuing as a vegan when my first meatless year ends in November. I may stay veggie but being vegan is just being too picky. If one eats organic eggs and organic dairy products they are still being kind to animals so maybe that is a win-win situation. We shall see when that time comes what I will choose.

Today I feel so good. I haven’t felt bloated or drowsy after a meal in months. And I have lost—wait, let’s save that for an entry all its own later in the week.

Some friendly reminders:

- E-mail me your meatless recipes at meatlessman@yahoo.com. They don’t have to be vegan, just meatless. If you know me in the “real” world and live nearby and have a meatless recipe then e-mail me and maybe we can videotape you making that recipe and post it on YouTube! You don’t have to be a vegetarian to submit a recipe; you just have to have a meatless dish of your own!

- I am on Facebook and Twitter. Join me on there, won’t you?

- See something in one of my entries that doesn’t seem to ring true? Please call me out on it in the comments section. This blog is supposed to be informative and I try to present the information I pass on to the best of my knowledge but sometimes I do occasionally miss something. Please let me know so we can better enlighten others out there. It is a big help and very much appreciated.

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Monday, February 1, 2010

Twitter! Twitter! Twitter!

Day 92

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! You can now follow "A Man Finally Eats his Veggies: A Meatless Year Blog" on Twitter!

Click on the image below to follow this blog's Tweets!

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