Vegetarians are.... *glare*

I've eaten meat all of my life. Beef, pork, chicken, whatever was made from animals, I've probably eaten it at some point (besides those disgusting organs that grocers attempt to sell to hungry customers.) I've never really been a big fan of it because it was just so tasteless to me; even the most juicy steak would just taste so bland. So, it wasn't really a surprise for me to find myself considering vegetarianism a few months ago. When you get so sick of eating something, you don't want to eat it anymore, do you?

For the past few months I've been attempting vegetarianism. I'm a college student, I live at home, and my whole family eats meat religiously, so it's kindof hard for me to avoid it sometimes (like when everyone else is eating ONLY hamburger helper and that's the ONLY option I have...) For some it may not be a big deal to just say "hey dad, I don't want to eat that" but for me it's harder because my dad is under the impression that "vegetarians are unhealthy because they don't get enough protein and they're prone to sickness."

Within the past two weeks I've really cracked down on trying not to eat meat and have been telling everyone around myself that I just don't want to eat it anymore, and have probably only eaten it about three times (every time resulting in a horrible stomach-ache and more trips to the bathroom than should be legal in one day.) And I'm starting to get used to it - trying to find really healthy substitutes for meat that I can still get my protein in with, yeah?

Well, today at dinner with my family (Dad, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, and Myself) my dad makes some comment about how I need to eat more meat because he's so afraid I'll get sick because I'm not getting enough protein, talking about me becoming a vegetarian like I'm committing one of the worst sins known to man. Yeah, I know this - I know I have to make sure I'm getting my protein in. But here's the deal, EVERY winter in the past I have gotten sick, and so far (knock on wood) I haven't even had the slightest warning of a sniffle. It's not like I'm just NOT EATING at all, I'm just cutting something out of my diet.

Ugh.
My dad is really narrow minded.

Any vegetarians out there?
How do you get your protein in?
Do other people give you crap for it?
Any good recipes you want to share?

Later days, Mibbs <3