Grumpy Vegetarian.

As a gal that went to a Catholic school for five years Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent in general was always an important time in the calender. I'm not that religious really, I go to church at Christmas and Easter (if I'm not at a show aha!), but I always do Lent. It's not for the religious purposes now but just as a show of willpower on my part. In previous years I've given up burgers (mmm!), coffee, and last year Greggs. This year I've gone a little extreme though...

First up I've given up meat. I've wanted to do this for a few years but always felt a bit mean making mum cook two dinners just because I've given up meat for Lent. So, as I now make my own dinners and control all aspects of my diet I thought that this year it would be a good chance to try it out. I must add at this point, I love meat. I would eat meat at every meal if I could. It's only day three and I'm already missing meat! There are the little things that I've found hard to grasp, like when I go to buy a sandwich for lunch and have to put down my usual tuna and sweetcorn and pick up a ploughman's. Even the salads had meat in them!

Seeing as I've already done coffee I decided I needed to take it up a notch, so I've waved goodbye to tea and coffee. Note, this does not include green teas and fruit infusions, so I can still have some hot drinks. Anyone that knows me understands that tea is my favourite drink. I think I'd actually rather have a cup of Rosy Lee than a nice glass of wine. This one is really tough. It's different to meat because it's quite easy just to stick to a restricted diet, but once I get a whiff of freshly brewed coffee I need it in my system - yes, I probably am addicted to caffeine, hence the 'grumpy' in this title.. Plus, I regularly start the day with a mug of tea, and green tea just isn't hitting the spot!

Goodbye my old friend...

Finally, as I currently live in take away central in Liverpool I must now resist the temptation of those delicious pizzas, chips and chicken. The last thing I've given up is take away food (not Greggs; I couldn't give up Greggs for another year) and although I haven't wanted one recently - well maybe some chips after last night's dancing escapade with the archaeologists - I know that three, four, five weeks down the line I am going to be craving a crappy pizza or a greasy burger.

Still...it's only 37 days to go!