So here goes nothing....

So here it is...my first blog post. Let me start by saying a few things about myself that will help you understand why I decided to create this blog.

1. I was born and raised in South Louisiana. A place that many would consider to be a food mecca. I've grown up on, eaten and learned to cook all those amazing cajun foods people love over the course of my 30 years on this planet. In case you don't understand how seriously we take our food, let me just tell you that I'm from "The Jambalaya Capital of the World". For those who don't believe that it's a real place, Google it. I promise I won't say I told you so.

2. I now live in San Antonio, TX. In case you didn't know, there are only 3 recognized food groups here: BEEF, MEXICAN, and BBQ.

3. I'm sort of a picky eater. New cuisines, GREAT. New recipes, AWESOME. Crunchy onion, OH HELL TO THE NO!

4. Let's be honest. I, like many of you, love food. Not just because of the tastes, colors, or textures; but because I was raised in a culture that celebrates food. I mean I don't know of any other places that have festivals that revolve around food. In case you are still doubting me, we have The Jambalaya Festival, The Strawberry Festival, The Crawfish Festival, and many more that I can't think of at the moment. If you want to know more, once again, Google it. Or Bing it, or Yahoo it, whatever search engine your little fingers bring you to.

Because of these reasons, I knew that my decision to cut meat out of my diet would not be an easy one. So, before I go any further, let me post this DISCLAIMER: I DO ALLOW MYSELF TO HAVE ONE CHEAT DAY A WEEK (USUALLY SATURDAYS) TO EAT WHATEVER MY HEART DESIRES. IF I WANT MEAT I WILL EAT IT. I'M NOT PERFECT AND HAVE NO DESIRE TO BE. I DID NOT MAKE THIS DECISION FOR IDEOLOGICAL REASONS, I MADE IT TO GET HEALTHIER. SO THERE YOU GO, JUDGE IF YOU WANT, THAT'S ON YOU.

So now to the point of this blog. I wanted to have a place to share my experiences for anyone who may be thinking of cutting meat out of their diet or want to just eat healthier. Maybe this blog will inspire you to try new things. I know a few blogs have inspired me in this new venture. Thanks Bake and Destroy, Lunch Box Bunch, and Vegetarian Slow Cooker for not only great recipes, but the insight I needed to make this decision.

So in closing, here is the plan for this blog. I'm gonna try a new recipe once a week and post it on here. It may be one that I create myself, or it may be a recipe that I found somewhere (don't worry, credit will be given). I'll be honest and tell you if it was good, great, beyond fantastic, or something that you wouldn't even feed to the dog you hate that seems to love to poop in your front yard.

So now it begins......