As you may, or may not, know, I gave up meat for the whole year of 2011.

I didn’t do it as a political thing (although I’m sure if I took the time to prop open my eyelids with toothpicks, thus forcing myself to watch those horrid PETA videos, it would certainly turn into a political thing).

I didn’t do it to be annoying to either my parents, friends, or dear and loving boyfriend.

I didn’t even do it to hop on the bandwagon of new-age hippies.

Nay, I gave up meat simply for health reasons, as eating the delicious, moist, tasty substance was making my tummy feel less than happy.

And you know what? I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve been getting my protein mostly in the form of beans or eggs, and I’m definitely getting more than enough roughage (read: salad). Probiotics are also my friend.

This isn’t to say I don’t miss my carnivorous meals. I still crave bacon, a juicy burger, a thick steak. Surprisingly enough, I don’t miss chicken all that much.

To make things more bearable, I recently (as in this weekend) discovered Soyrizo. A friend of a friend mentioned it and I kept my eyes open at the store on Sunday and lo and behold:

I made it with eggs and I’m happy to report it tastes identical to chorizo, but has zero fat/grease (oh yeah, and is free of salivary glands! winning!). It’s simply amazing.

My new-found vegetarianism pescatarianism has also encouraged more meatless options upon my parents. They love black bean burgers now (yay!) and my dad is totally onboard for Meatless Mondays. I’m still trying to sneak tofu into their meals, though. You can expect a post with one giant happy face and a frajillion exclamation points when that day comes.

So for now, my meatless year looks promising. Yes, I’m only three months into it, but it hasn’t been too much of a challenge–except on days when someone orders biscuits and gravy and they also happen to be seated at my table.