Day 4

I tried a new recipe today and failed miserably. I attempted to make a middle eastern rice dish and I followed the directions exactly, but it didn't work. The cinnamon floated at the top and didn't mix in with the rice even though I mixed it. I'm going to have to experiment some more with it before I'm able to get it to work. Someone made it for me once and it was delicious, but mine was bland and just didn't taste right. I'll have to leave out the saffron next time so I don't waste money. I'm debating on whether to suffer through what's left of it or if I should feed it to the dogs. If I ever get it to work I'll put the recipe up.

Besides that, I had my cereal again. Then two mandarin oranges and some chips and salsa as a snack. For dinner I made a salad with romaine, apple slices, honey roasted almonds, and some really good croutons with a blush wine vinaigrette. I almost added the bacon bits that Curt bought last time he went shopping since they're the kind that I don't think are actually made from bacon. I looked at the ingredients and they didn't mention having any meat in them at all, but I figure I should check with the company before risking it. I didn't want to slip up so early in the month.

I meant to try the tomato soup, but I never got around to it. Besides, I think I need crackers if I'm going to try soup.

I did some more research on why it's better to not eat meat. Some of what I learned I already knew: expanding grazing lands are hugely responsible for the deforestation of the rainforest's and other forests, the methane gasses released by cattle are damaging the environment, and being a vegetarian lowers your cholesterol and decreases your risk of having a heart attack. Other stuff I had never even considered. Apparently half of all water used in the U.S. goes to livestock production. Can you imagine how much water we'd save? Also, almost all of the grain and wheat grown in the world go to feeding livestock. Grazing land could be used to grow crops that are cheaper and can be used to feed more people (potatoes, grains, and wheat) meaning less starving people. Plus, ethanol could become a viable alternative fuel if we weren't sending all of out corn to cattle farms. Although, using the corn for energy doesn't help with the starving people bit. Also, China's meat consumption is skyrocketed over the past years. As there consumption of cattle increases our situation is going to get even worst. It seems like the overall point is that we should all eat less meat. Red meat, especially. You don't have to give it up, but eat it for dinner instead of lunch and dinner. Pick a day, or a few days of the week where you'll be meat free. Even a little bit can help if enough people participate. Some businesses and schools have meat free Mondays. I think that's pretty cool.