a few years ago jenny rosenstrach wrote about her family’s quest to become weekday vegetarians, confining their meat consumption to the weekend. at the time i didn’t have the inclination for it, but i’ve been following along on her family’s journey to eating less meat and getting more creative in the kitchen. and finally, a few weeks ago something fell into place in my head and i decided to give it a go.

i’m only a few weeks into this new project, but it’s going well so far. i’m sticking to vegetarian eats monday through friday and if i decide to eat meat i’m doing so only on the weekend. the one exception is seafood because i don’t like tofu and need the protein, but even that i eat maybe once a week.

i have always loved and eaten vegetables but they have usually been side dishes in a larger meal, so this is providing a great opportunity to expand my repertoire in the kitchen. my friend caitlin very generously sent me some of her favorite recipes, and we are going to attempt a meal swap in the coming weeks to provide each other with some new meals. i always struggle with cooking for one person, so i’m hoping this plan will also keep me engaged in this new endeavor of mine.

the timing works out well, what with jenny’s upcoming publication of her weekday vegetarians cookbook and the launch of nyt cooking’s new all veggie newsletter curated by tejal rao. with so many new and exciting recipes so easily accessible, i almost feel obligated to try them out.

because i am me i will allow myself a few exceptions here and there once i have a job and a moving plan in place so that i can say goodbye to all of my memphis favorites, but otherwise i am enjoying this change and the creative thinking it is forcing into my life.

xx