Taking the Steak Out of Cheese Steak

This is yet another post about food. Whee!

Friday I had a dilemma...it was my stepmom's birthday and in keeping with my family's long and glorious history of Celebratory Subs...we were going out for cheese steaks for her birthday. Now normally...this is one of the times, like at Five Guys, where I give in and eat meat just because it's easier. Unless I want a pizza sub, there aren't tons of veggie sub options that appeal to me- and lets be honest, sometimes you're not in a pizza sub kind of mood. Added to that is the All Meat All the Time mindset of my dad's family, and I'm a 'go along to get along kind of person'. I wish I was one of those people that could just do what I do and not worry about the comments of others...but unfortunately...I am definitely NOT one of those people when it comes to my family and I dread the 'So you're not eating meat now?' convo. Yes...I'm a wuss...I'm working on it. (My mom is easy though- she's already a vegetarian. I'm trying to learn from her.)

So, for all of those reasons, I woke up kind of indifferent to my vegetarian goals that morning- Hey, it happens!- and was thinking I would just go ahead and get the meat, but then...as I arrived...I thought 'HEY- what I really like on subs is the toppings anyway!' Just like at Five Guys! SO why not just get the toppings for the cheese steak! BRILLIANT! (Like I said...I don't always think of these logical solutions first...)

So I got a cheese steak sans steak- lots of cheese, fried onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo...the whole bit. It wasn't so vegan, but it WAS meat free- and DELICIOUS! I will definitely get the same in the future.

Full disclosure: When faced with the peculiar looks from the family when I nixed the steak on my sub- did I proudly say it was because I have goals of going vegetarian?! No...*sheepish*...I used my post pregnancy weight loss goals as the explanation (which is true...but also not the Whole Story.)

Apparently...standing up for my beliefs is ALSO something I will be working through on this blog.

(Actually...my dad's family is interesting, they eat mostly organic and use tons of natural products in their homes- including using essential oils for ailments!-but meat is a touchy thing with them...I think they think of vegetarians as all crazy militant environmentalists- I know...environmentalists!- what terrible people THEY are! ;-) - and it's a hard preconceived notion to get past. I HAVE talked about how I don't agree with the factory farming practices in this country and so forth, and they mostly agree; but VEGETARIAN is a word I will have to get used to bringing up. I'll let you know what kind of progress I make on that front as well.)