Veggie Confession

Roasted Zucchini, Mushroom and Pesto Panino

I have a confession---  
We've gone exclusive.  Veggie exclusive.  Well, almost.
It started in India.  Three months of no beef or pork, with just a little tiny bit of chicken maybe once every four days.  Honestly, once we got over the adjustment period, (which did take quite a while), I started to realize that I suddenly had an enormous amount of energy; more than I've had in years.  We came home and introduced meat back into our diet, and then decided that it didn't really belong there, at least not on a daily basis.
I think it takes your body a ton of work to digest meat.  We haven't gone full vegetarian, but I do notice that after a dinner that contains meat (even just chicken), I feel lethargic, spacey, languid the following day.
I've always had a problem with the meat industry in our country-- (how could you not!) the way it is veiled so completely-- (watch "Food Inc." if you don't know what I'm talking about)-- and I've always kind of considered going green, but I've never really known how to do it exactly.  I think there are several ways to do it--  but these are the main tricks that have helped us:

1) Remove the mindless meat from your life.  This is the meat that you buy and eat almost without thinking--  pepperoni on pizza, hamburger (it's just as easy, and less expensive to order a veg. burger or take baby steps and order a turkey burger), soup meat (pea soup doesn't actually need to have a ham bone), meat ravioli, etc....

2) Realize that you still need protein.  Now this is an important one.  If you just cut out meat from your diet, and don't replace it with anything, then it's not going to work.  Adding a few beans here and there can do wonders to salads, or soups, or mushed up into spreads for sandwiches.  Hummus is a fabulous snack with just about anything used as a dipping utensil.  A blob of Greek yogurt with dinner and lunch goes a long way (greek yogurt has tons of protein compared to other yogurt).

3)  Compose a meal in pieces.  Now this has been a big one for us.  In our country, usually when we think about a meal, dinner for example, we think about the "main dish"-- usually a big meat dish, like pot roast, or pork chops, or baked chicken.  Then we add a couple of things as an after thought (some potatoes, or a little salad, whatever).  When we were in India we saw a whole new way of eating that is quite the opposite of this, and it is very conducive of the veg. diet--   it's the idea of putting a meal together in which the rice is equal to the beans is equal to the stewed vegetables, is equal to the creamed spinach, is equal to the tandoori chicken (when served), etc.... .
There really isn't a "main" dish when you eat this way, which makes it both quite a bit healthier, and also a bit simpler.  There isn't this pressure to have one huge knock-your-socks-off casserole that fills your plate, because of the simple fact that when you eat vegetarian it is important that you do indeed have all these different little components to insure that you are getting what you need nutritionally out of the meal.

Anyway, like I've said, we haven't gone totally veg. YET.  But for the first time in my life I truly don't crave meat the way that I used to, in fact it's getting a bit hard to cook it and eat it, especially where there are such beautiful veggies rolling into our markets this time of year.  I'd be interested to hear from my veggie friends out there (especially those with kids).  How do you run your veg. kitchen?