Apologies for the long, unexpected break from blogging! I’ve spent very little time on the computer in the last three weeks; we went to visit my parents on the 1st of May and stayed for 10 days, during which time I pretty much didn’t touch a keyboard (although I meant to). We have now been back for 2 weeks, but my free time has unexpectedly been consumed by starting to watch Veronica Mars and randomly getting back into crochet, as I’ve made two little toys in the space of that time as well. I’ve also been handling most of the cooking and general chores as my husband has had to spend quite a bit of time on some coursework in addition to his normal full-time job.
This is made a bit more complicated by the fact that we’ve turned mostly pescatarian for general health reasons in the last couple of weeks. I’d like to be closer to entirely vegetarian but fish is allowed as a backup at least a couple of times a week. I actually tried to be a vegetarian for a while when I was a teenager but went back – I don’t remember why I stopped, but probably because it made my mom’s life too difficult. It is important now for various reasons for my own health and I’m more or less forcing it on my husband when we’re eating together too. I’m allowing myself exceptions while eating out or a guest at other people’s houses, but in my own we’re going meat free. If you have any amazing vegetarian recipes or any great resources online / in print, please send them my way, as I’m now trying to rebuild my menus.
Excuses aside, I’ve also been having a week-long reading slump, which is pretty unusual for me. I think I’m actually reading five books and have paused in all of them for various reasons:
- The King Must Die by Mary Renault – I’ve actually heard a lot of really good things about Mary Renault and this book about Theseus seemed like a good place to start. I’ve had it for ages, so it would satisfy one of my once-a-month goals, too. I’ve really struggled to get into it; I know nothing about Theseus and Renault’s writing seems old-fashioned to me and hard to get into. I’m just not interested enough in the story to power through. I’ve only got about 100 pages left so I probably will finish it, but I will probably give away the other of her books that I have.
- Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather – For some reason I started a book I thought would be meh while I was reading the above meh book. Partly because I needed another book I’d owned for ages and partly because I thought a different style of book would work better. Wrong. I have tried reading other books by Willa Cather and haven’t liked them, but I was much younger. Turns out things haven’t changed for me.
- Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia by Christopher Clark – Okay, this one is good, it’s just somewhat dense non-fiction so takes a bit longer to read. German history has turned into an interest of mine and the small fraction of this book that I’ve read so far has been great.
- Heart of Venom by Jennifer Estep – Accidentally started reading book 9 instead of book 8 in the series. Why is it so hard to label a book with what number of the series it is? -_- I read about 50 pages before I got to the catch-up part of the backstory that I didn’t recognize. Now need to both acquire book 8 and read it.
- Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw – And I started reading this because my husband read it and insisted that I read it so much that he emailed it to my Kindle (Humble e-book bundles are wonderful things) and asked every time I was reading whether I’d started it yet. I gave in.
And that’s all the books I’m reading! I hope to finish at least one or two this week because I’m feeling a bit lost with all of them floating around. Fortunately today is Bank Holiday Monday so I’ve not only found time to finish this post, but I also might have time to read for an hour or two. Let’s hope that works. If I’ve missed anything in the last 3 weeks, I’d love it if you let me know, as catching up on blogs is also a daunting prospect.
I hope May and the real start of spring has been enjoyable for all of you!
Veronica Mars
Re: Vegetarian recipes, I have the vegetarian BBC Good Food cookbook and there are some nice and easy ones in there. I also recently got A Girl Called Jack from the library – it’s a budget cook book rather than a vegetarian cook book, but there’s enough vegetarian stuff in there that I think it’s one I want to have around. Lots of tasty and not too time-consuming dishes. Good luck with the transition, and I hope you find a way to make it work for you.
Ana @ things mean a lot´s last post …The Peak District and The New Forest: Travelling Adventures, part two
I really like Moosewood Cooks at Home — all easy recipes almost all vegetarian (with some fish recipes) and all perfect for weekday dinners.
Beth F´s last post …Review: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Good luck with your vegetarian menu. I hope your health issues aren’t too serious.
BermudaOnion(Kathy)´s last post …Mailbox Monday
WAIT NO, don’t give up on Mary Renault so quickly! Oh dear, oh dear, I wish you hadn’t started with The King Must Die, that is nearly my very least favorite. What other ones of hers do you have? Give up on The King Must Die and read The Mask of Apollo or The Persian Boy instead. I swear they are better.
I’ve been intending to read Renault for many years so your reaction made me stop and think if that would really be my thing. From what Jenny said however it seems I just need to make sure I choose the right one
Karen´s last post …Armchair BEA 2014 kick off: introductions
Good luck with eating more vegetarian food. I am also trying to cut down on the amount of meat I eat. I also hope you get over your reading slump soon!
jessicabookworm´s last post …New Books: May 2014
I hope you were able to fit in some reading! I seem to be juggling books right now too.
Literary Feline´s last post …Where Is Your Bookmark? (05/27/2014)
Congrats on getting to come visit your parents for a good long visit!
When I went vegetarian (7 years ago), the book that helped me the most was, swear to FSM, “Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies.” It did a great job outlining how to make a well-rounded, balanced vegetarian diet, as well as provided simple recipes to get started with.
Vegan Vittles is *the best* for learning to make your own faux meat substitutes, particularly for traditional down-home cooking. (Making your own is way cheaper than using the store’s and better than eating the processed ones). My omni partner loves any meat substitute I make from this book.
Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker is great if you are used to using a slow cooker and want to learn to adapt.
Beyond that, I’d just say to remember that most recipes you’re already used to are easy to make veg. Just sub veggie broth for chicken, and a veggie protein for the meat, and you’re generally good to go.
Amanda´s last post …Book Review: The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Bottom of the TBR Pile Challenge)
Sorry to hear you’re having health issues
I’m not vegetarian but I eat enough vegetarian stuff to be mistaken for one by casual acquaintances, so I have a couple of suggestions for meat recipes adapted. Try looking up mushroom chili online and pair it with a jacket potato cooked crispy in the oven. Pasta bake is also an easy one to adapt – peppers, tomatoes, red onion and some kind of white sauce usually works well. Nigel Slater also has some great quick ideas for fish dishes, particularly mackerel and he’s good on big vegetable dishes like squash.
We are not vegetarians but we swear by Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks. She has several on the market now, all wonderful. Delicious stuff and she’s willing to let you know when frozen vegetables will work just as well as fresh ones, which we appreciate.