Above: Lentil Soup (my quick snack one afternoon last week)

I am happy to report I have completed over four weeks of eating vegetarian. Notice I say "happy," and I'm not joking. My taste buds are definitely adjusting, and my food cravings are completely different. They say that once you start eating very healthfully, you start craving healthy foods.

Hard for you to believe? Well, you could try and see! 

Some people look at me with sympathy, thinking I'm missing out on so much yummy food. But I can assure you, we've been able to find great food and even delicious treats along the way. 

One of the keys for us to stick with our plan is to have good food readily available. Some of our options on hand include:

• Fruit basket on the table, usually stocked with bananas, apples, pears, tangerines
• Celery sticks, cut up and ready to be dipped in peanut butter
• Mini cucumbers 
• Clif Bars (for when you're on the go and need something more substantial)
• Trail mix
• Nuts
• Berries (good for treats for the kiddos)
• Hummus for crackers or veggies
• A batch of individually wrapped homemade treats (see below).

At least once each week, I've made a large pot of soup. This makes a great dinner, lunch, or even snack. The addition of lentils along with all the veggies makes the nutritional value sky rocket. (I have to confess: I had never used lentils before!) So I usually add lentils or beans to the soups, and everyone loves them.

Another weekly "must" is having some individually wrapped treats on hand. Here are some of our favorites:

• Almond Power Bars
• Chocolate Granola Bars (with substitutions)
• An amazing vegan "cheeze"cake--will share that recipe soon!
• Homemade version of Larabars (used a recipe somewhat similar to the one here but with lots of modifications!)