Beginning as a classroom project, I created a blog entitled: My Meatless Memoir. My blog carries a vegetarian theme, in which I post articles, interviews, event reviews, and podcasts. In addition to writing for my blog, I have photographed all of the images featured on My Meatless Memoir. Creating various types of media for my blog helped me realize my passion for both writing and photography.
5 Reasons Why You Should Ditch Noodles and Try Zoodles
If you haven’t heard of zoodles, I’m here to tell you why you should be eating them. Zoodles are simply noodles made of zucchini. If you’re feeling a little skeptical, here are five reasons why you should give them a try.
5) Zoodles are healthier than pasta noodles.
Regularly consuming zucchini has many health benefits. For reference, one raw zucchini has just 31 calories and only 7 grams of carbohydrates. Zucchini is also a great vegetable to eat if you are looking to cut down your fat and cholesterol intake, while benefiting from its fiber and protein content. In addition, zucchini provides a notable amount of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B-6, riboflavin and folate.
4) Zoodles are easy to make.
Everyone from beginners in the kitchen to skilled culinary artists can cook up a delicious bowl of zoodles. There are a variety of cooking methods you can use to prepare zucchini noodles. If sautéing up a pan of zoodles intimidates you, you can try boiling, baking and even microwaving them. Though these are all suitable cooking means, the easiest approach to take when it comes to zoodles is to just eat them raw. Lisa Bryan uses all of these methods in her zucchini noodle tutorial.
3) Zoodles are versatile.
You may be asking yourself, “Well, I can put anything on pasta, but what goes with zucchini?” You can use zucchini as a pasta substitute in almost any dish. The internet is full of zoodle recipes. You can make a raw zoodle salad or smother your zoodles in tomato, alfredo and even pesto sauce. Asian sauces also complement zoodles well. Pad Thai is even more delicious when you make it using zucchini noodles. Here are a few of my favorite recipes.
2) Zoodles are trending.
Everywhere you go, if you stop and look around you’ll see people posting videos to Snapchat and uploading pictures to their Instagram. Food is always a trending topic on social media. On Instagram, you can find 189,000 photos with #zoodles and over 54,000 #zucchininoodles photos. So if you’re a social media junkie, you’ll want to grab a bowl of zoodles and get posting.
1) Zoodles are fun make.
Making zucchini noodles is not only quick and easy, it’s fun. A spiralizer will be your favorite kitchen tool, after you watch a single zucchini become a pile of zoodles. Once you have a pile of zoodles in front of you, you can engage your creative side when it comes to creating a recipe.
Let’s Address the Obvious
Vegetarianism is not for everyone. Instead of doing a typical interview with a long-time vegetarian or a meat eater, I decided to do something a little different. Sonora Wright, an avid meat eater, agreed to follow a vegetarian diet for five days. After the week was up, I sat down with her to discuss her experience.
Describe your diet growing up.
I ate at least one meat, a vegetable and a starch every night for dinner. As I got older, I ate healthier, less processed food. Now, I eat a lot more chicken and fish.
What were your initial thoughts when I asked you to become a vegetarian for a week?
I found it funny. I have always been pro-meat, so I would never do this if you hadn’t asked me to. At first I thought I was going to starve, but I was totally up for the challenge.
Were you able to follow the diet for all five days?
I feel like I followed it as strictly as I could. There were some times when I had to eat something that had meat in it. Like for my drill weekend, I had pasta in meat sauce. There was no way to avoid it because if I didn’t eat it, I wouldn’t have eaten all day. For the most part, I tried to stick to the diet.
What types of food did you eat throughout the week?
I ate a lot of stuff that I normally wouldn’t eat; more carbohydrates than anything. I ate a lot of pasta.
Did you have any experience with eating fast food?
When I’m working, everyone gets fast food. Ordering fast food was definitely a struggle for me. I would have to order a salad and just not eat the chicken that was on it. Home cooked food was pretty easy. In my house we always have some sort of vegetable with dinner, so I would substitute chicken for extra vegetables. Or eat eggs, so I had some protein.
How many meals did you eat each day?
I probably only ate, at most, two meals a day. I usually ate really early in the morning, and again at night.
Are just two meals a day normal for you?
No, it isn’t. I usually eat three meals a day and maybe two snacks. I normally eat whatever is available, but because I was trying not to eat meat I couldn’t eat everything; so I just didn’t eat.
You have mentioned how busy you are; could you describe your schedule on a typical week?
I wake up around 6 a.m. and go to the gym for about an hour, then I go to work until around 2 p.m. and I go to school at night. So I’m pretty much out all day. I don’t really have time to cook, so most of what I eat is what I can find outside of the house. I am a member of the Florida Honor Guard, so I work at military funerals. I can’t eat during work because I could be standing at a service for hours or folding a flag for family members. Because I am in the Army National Guard, I do a drill weekend once a month. During that weekend, I am busy from around 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is no cooking for myself; my food is all provided for me.
What types of food are provided to you while at work?
Breakfast usually consists of muffins or something simple, so it’s easy to not eat meat in the morning. For lunch there is a cafeteria, where they always serve a meat and usually a salad. You are expected to eat meat for protein; vegetarians aren’t really accommodated.
Was there a particular meat that you missed eating?
I definitely missed eating chicken. I eat it every day, and I feel full when I eat chicken. I missed meat in the sense that I felt hungrier, but not really the taste of it.
What do you think was your biggest challenge being vegetarian?
My biggest struggle was definitely trying to eat healthy. I ate a lot of stuff that I normally don’t eat, just because it was there and it was easy. Healthy options that don’t include meat aren’t quite as accessible and affordable. It is pretty expensive to get fresh produce or order a salad every day.
Would you consider becoming a vegetarian long term?
No. I would do it again, maybe if I was not as busy. If I was able to meal prep for the week, I think it would actually be beneficial. I could do some type of fasting or cleansing, but the way that I live now is just too busy.
Love Food Central Podcast
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to sit down talk with Valerie Mantzoros from Love Food Central. Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, the café serves vegan and gluten-free comfort food.
While visiting Love Food Central, I enjoyed both the atmosphere and the cuisine. The café is located on Central Ave. among several quaint shops and local eateries. The menu offers a wide variety of items including snacks, main dishes and desserts. During my visit I was able to try the sushirito, pulled BBQ sandwich and the soft serve cookie sandwich. Every dish I tasted was absolutely delicious! If you haven’t yet, you need to stop by Love Food Central, because you’re definitely missing out.
Haley Bockius 