Forty-ish days of vegetarianism

For Lent this year I went vegetarian.

In some ways it wasn't too bad - I enjoy vegetarian food and it didn't push my boundaries too much to cook and eat vegetarian.

However, in other ways it was really difficult:
1) Getting the right "texture" in dishes - we avoided meat substitutes like Quorn, so instead used vegetables, cheese or pulses as the filler.
2) My cheese consumption went sky-high! Cheese became my main staple in far too many meals. The fridge was full of different types of cheese. At one point we had at least 11 cheeses in the house. Then I discovered that some cheeses (particularly Parmesan) aren't actually vegetarian. Oops.
3) Restaurants were awkward. I hadn't realised quite how few options a vegetarian has in most restaurants, even in vegetarian-friendly cuisines like Italian. We didn't do a lot of eating out!

I had a few real cooking successes:

Caramelised Red Onion and Goats Cheese Tart

Homemade Vegetable Spring Rolls

Roasted Romanesco (which was served with a cheesy sauce)

Vegetarian Moussaka

I also made a yummy vegetable lasagne, packed full of courgette, aubergine and mushrooms, and couple of rather nice curries, but I totally forgot to take photos (#badblogger!).

Lent for me is about making a sacrifice, and there have definitely been times over the last six weeks when the limits of being vegetarian were hard. I am very much looking forward to returning to my normal diet - the roasting joint is sat in the fridge, ready and waiting for Sunday!

How to stay healthy... ?

Generally I think of myself as pretty healthy; I eat quite a few vegetables (and some fruit), I exercise (usually at least twice a week), and I just about get enough sleep. Ok, so I have lazy days, I snack a bit and don't turn down pudding when eating out. But that doesn't sound too terrible, does it?!

What I'm discovering is that I don't think I'm as healthy as I think I am. As well as my hibernation issues last week, I'm now struggling with a touch of flu and feeling pretty rough. These things leave me wondering: Is my immune system low? Am I missing some important vitamins and minerals? How can I introduce more exercise into my routine?

So, changes to make:

1. Multivitamins - I'm a bit lazy about taking multivits, but I think for the next few weeks I need to make this a priority.
2. Fresh fruit every day - I tend to eat tinned, cooked or dried fruit, but not much fresh fruit. Time for a change!
3. Fresh air every day - this sounds stupidly simple, but at the moment I don't spend much time outside. During the week, I barely get out at all (unless you count walking from my home to my car and from my car to work, which I don't think counts). Today I walked to the post box. It only took about ten minutes but it felt good. I need to be doing this every day!
4. Drink more water - feeling under the weather has reminded me to stay hydrated.

What is your top tip to feeling healthier?

Dealing with tiredness

Without really thinking about it, in the last two weeks I've really upped the amount of sport I do - restarting running and "long-distance" skating, as well as my regular karate lessons. And with a more-than-full-time job, it's really hit me.